With the hot weather finally here in the mountains we are grilling several times each week. Salmon was on the grill last night. We picked up a salmon filet of about 2 lbs. It was a wild caught Alaskan salmon.
I pretty much have abandoned salmon that has been raised in a fish farm on the West Coast. It is generally artificially colored and really doesn’t taste that great. Salmon lovers know that the best salmon comes from the Atlantic-Nova Scotia-Scotland-Ireland- England(Dart River)- Norway and Sweden all have excellent Salmon. I think Scotland and Ireland are the best with the rest a close second.
Wild caught Alaskan salmon is the best variety regularly available where we live and is really a decent variety.
I was up for trying a Tuscan recipe for grilled salmon but the garden planting takes priority the last week in May so quick meals are required. We really can’t plant much before Memorial Day so the 4 garden areas need to be in the ground almost at once.
The Tuscan Grilled Salmon will have to wait for another day. A bottle of Lawry’s Sesame Ginger Mandarin Orange juice marinade went over the Alaskan salmon ½ hour before grill time,
The grill was heated to a medium hot temperature
Oil the grill rack
Place the salmon on the oiled rack, skin side down
Close the lid on the grill
8 minutes is all that is needed
Open the lid and test the salmon with a fork
If it flakes it is done
It never needs more than 9 minutes(never if the heat is right)
I roasted a few veggies on the grill to accompany the salmon.
Quartered, seasoned cucumbers, asparagus and vine ripened mini peppers worked well with the salmon The veggies should have a 5 minute head start on the salmon
Salmon tip- check the salmon to remove any fine belly bones that may be present.
This is a two minute exercise-no big deal.
The Lawry’s marinade is a handy product to have in the cupboard. It adds a quick positive extra to your quick grilled salmon
We often grill in the winter with snow on the deck but the real grilling season starts on Memorial Day. I’ll be cleaning and scouring the winter off the gas grill this week and reviewing favorite grilling recipes to start the warm weather grill season.
If you are a looking for a special, different BBQ item for guests, Thick Pork Chops stuffed and Barbecued are a great grill item. We’ve done grilled stuffed pork chops many times but recently have stepped up the level of stuffing inspired by a recipe from Fast Entrees by Hugh Carpenter and Terri Sanderson.
Thick Stuffed Pork Chops on the Grill
Ingredients:
4 fresh pork chops(bone in) at least 1 ½ inches thick
5 ounces goat cheese(soft
3 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
½ cup mixed dried fruit chopped well
BBQ sauce-1/2 cup of your favorite
Preparation:
Cut a horizontal pocket in each chop to accept the stuffing
In a bowl, mix the cheese, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper flakes and fruit
Stuff the mixture in the chops
Brush both side of the chops with BBQ sauce
Place on a medium hot grill
Sear each side of the chops for about two minutes
Lower heat to medium low on a gas grill or to indirect heat on a charcoal grill
Cook turning every 5 minutes (about 15 minutes total)
Brush on additional BBQ sauce
Cook till meat reaches 145’ on your meat thermometer and is slightly pink in the center
Service- On a warm plate accompanied with a fresh colorful salad.
Burger ala Sonora Mexico
Many years ago when briefly stationed in Yuma Arizona I took a weekend trip down into Sonora Province in Mexico simply to check out the country side. Two fellow military acquaintances joined me for a 4 wheel, weekend exploration of this then, still somewhat wild and wooley section of the Mexican countryside.
We found ourselves in the town of Riito on a blistering hot afternoon in need of a cool drink and something to eat. The street was dusty and unpaved with an old tank truck rolling down the main street watering down the dusty street. I followed the water truck into the town center where we saw a Cantina that looked like it was out of the Marlon Brando western movie “One Eyed Jacks”
Marlon wasn’t in the Cantina but a few of the extras were around the bar watching us with steely eyes. I took care of the steely eyes by buying a round for the bar. (cost about$1.50) Guitars appeared and some plaintive songs for a hot afternoon were soon being sung after another round was bought.
We asked if we could get something to eat and after some language stumbling, burgers were being prepared for cooking on a grill in the courtyard. It may have been the moment and Riito as much as anything but memory of these burgers remains.
As close as I remember.
Burgers-Riito Sonora
Ingredients:
About 2 lbs of ground beef(20%fat)
6 cloves garlic minced
¼ cup cilantro
3 or 4 Jalapenos minced
½ cup of a sharp cheddar
½ cup of Monterey Jack
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
several dashes of Cholulo hot sauce
1 tomato sliced
1 cup of chunky salsa
1 cup guacamole
4 large hamburger buns
Preparation:
In a bowl-
Mix the beef, garlic ,cilantro, Jalapenos, cheese,salt and a few dashes of the hot sauce
Gently form the mixture into 4 equal balls then flatten into burger shapes
Cooking:
Over a medium grill fire- place the burgers on an oiled grill
Cook about 4 minutes turn and cook for 4 minutes on the other side
Toast the buns
Serve on the buns with salsa , guacamole, tomato and some lettuce as accompaniments
Confession: This is part memory of Sonora, part borrowed, some outside suggestion but totally a wonderful burger for a hot Riito afternoon or on the back deck with friends.
Yesterday was my birthday. It was not one of the memorable birthday years (16, 21. 30, 50 etc) just an 
ordinary middle of a decade type.
The day was celebrated with a low key dinner with my local Colorado family members. This was not a birth date requiring flying in for the East Coast contingent. The event was low key but the meal was not. I can always count on some care being taken to make sure that some of my favorites are being served on my birthday. . I was not disappointed since Dorothy prepared her award winning lasagna and a birthday cake using her flourless chocolate cake recipe.
Having these two favorites at the same meal is gift enough for any occasion
I have retrieved these two recipes from the archives and encourage you to give them a try.
There is one step that we use, not mentioned in the original posting of the lasagna recipe.
Preparing the lasagna a day in advance and refrigerating it over night helps in the presentation.
Cutting the portions when the dish is cold and then heating allows a firm square to be served. A minute in the microwave does the job of heating for service
Here are the links to the receipes
Lasagna recipe
Chocolate cake
