Grilled Vegetable Pasta

This dish is a good way to use up leftover vegetables. The ingredients I list below can be changed for just about any vegetables you have in your house. Try for about 4 cups of veggies for 8 ounces of pasta. The recipe below is for 8 ounces of pasta and feed 2 with enough left over for a lunch.

Grilled Vegetable Pasta

1 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and then cut into 1/4" pieces so you have 1/2 moons

1 yellow squash, cut just like zucchini

1/2 small red onion cut into slices and the rings separated

cherry tomatoes

Mushrooms, cut the hard end off from the stem and then slice mushrooms

1 red pepper, cut into 1" pieces

1 yellow pepper, cut into 1" pieces

olive oil, enough to lightly coat the vegetables

1 tbs mixed dried herbs (basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, etc) I use dried here because they will be cooked on the grill. If you want to use fresh herbs add them after the veggies are grilled or as you are removing the veggies from the grill.

Parmesan curls for garnish.

Put a pot of water on to boil.

Start your grill.

Chop the veggies. Put veggies in a bowl and sprinkle with enough olive oil on them to coat the veggies. Add the herbs to the vegetables.

When the water boils add salt to the water, it should taste like the sea, I use about a table spoon. Add the pasta to the water. Put the veggies on the grill.

When the pasta is al dente remove it from the water and drain. Toss the veggies with the pasta when they are done. Put in the serving dish and drizzle with olive oil. Then with a potato peeler shave some parmesan cheese curls over the pasta.

Grilled Chicken Cacciatore

A nice cool fall day, so I decide to make Chicken Cacciatore while watching football. What do you mean it hit 80 degrees and now my wife wants to grill out. Now what? You improvise and make grilled Chicken Cacciatore, turned out to be very good.

Grilled Chicken Caccitaore

2 chicken breasts
1 red pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
4 oz mushrooms, cut in 1/2 or 1/4 depending on size
1 Small Onion, cut into chunks
1 tbs plus 1 tsp Olive Oil
1 tbs Italian Seasoning, I used marjoram, oregano, and thyme plus a pinch of red pepper flakes
Rice or pasta to put the chicken on.

Preheat the grill.

Place all of the cut up vegetables in a bowl then add the tbs of olive oil and Italian Seasoning. Toss the vegetables to coat with oil and herbs. Set them aside.

Sprinkle the tsp of oil over the chicken breasts and salt and pepper them.

Now put everything on the grill, I kept the chicken separate from the veggies. Grill until they reach the desired tenderness.

To serve put the rice or pasta on the plate, then the chicken and vegetables.

Grilled London Broil and Vegetables

As I was grilling the London Broil, I could look down and see the daffodils and crocuses in bloom. I am hoping winter has made its final appearance.

Grilled London Broil and Vegetables

London Broil:
1 lb London Broil
1 tbs Olive Oil
1 tsp Oregano. dried
1 tsp Basil, dried
1 tsp Marjoram, dried
2 cloves garlic, minced

Vegetables:
1 pound mixed veggies cut into bite size pieces. I used a potato, mushrooms, a zucchini, red onion and cherry tomatoes.
2 tbs Olive Oil
1 tsp Oregano. dried
1 tsp Basil, dried
1 tsp Marjoram, dried

Preheat the grill to medium high.

Place the London Broil in a resealable plastic bag and add the oil, garlic and dried herbs. Set this in refrigerator for a couple of hours so flavors can be absorbed by the meat.

For the vegetables, after they are chopped add them to a bowl. Toss with olive oil and herbs. You may not need all of the oil, only enough to coat the veggies and make the herbs stick.

About 1/2 hour before you are ready to start grilling remove the meat from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Place on grill and cook until the meat has reached desired doneness. I cooked mine for about 12 minutes for rare. London Broil is a meat that can be tough so don't over cook this. Let meat rest for a few minutes and then slice into thins slices. Serve 3 or 4 slices per person.

The veggies can be cooked on a piece of foil or in a grill basket so they don't fall through the grill grates. Cooking time will vary by the size and type of veggies you cook. Potatoes take longer then a zucchini or a tomato. I cooked the potatoes for about as long as the steak and the other veggies about 7 or 8 minutes.

Grilled Vegetable Pasta

Happy Fourth of July! Here is a wonderful pasta salad that you can make on the grill, no sense in heating up the kitchen.

Grilled Vegetable Pasta

1 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and then cut into 1/4" pieces so you have 1/2 moons

1 yellow squash, cut just like zucchini

1/2 small red onion cut into slices and the rings separated

cherry tomatoes

Mushrooms, cut the hard end off from the stem and then slice mushrooms

1 red pepper, cut into 1" pieces

1 yellow pepper, cut into 1" pieces

olive oil, enough to lightly coat the vegetables

1 tbs mixed dried herbs (basil, oregano, marjoram, thyme, etc) I use dried here because they will be cooked on the grill. If you want to use fresh herbs add them after the veggies are grilled or as you are removing the veggies from the grill.

Balsamic Vinegar

Parmesan curls for garnish.

Put a pot of water on to boil.

Start your grill.

Chop the veggies. Put veggies in a bowl and sprinkle with enough olive oil on them to coat the veggies. Add the herbs to the vegetables.

When the water boils add salt to the water, it should taste like the sea, I use about a table spoon. Add the pasta to the water. Put the veggies on the grill.

When the pasta is al dente remove it from the water and drain. Toss the veggies with the pasta when they are done. Put in the serving dish and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic. Then with a vegetable peeler shave some parmesan cheese curls over the pasta.

Steak with Southern Comfort Sauce

Each year for Father's Day I have my Lobster Boil. I won the Cook's Illustrated Online Clam Bake Challenge with this recipe. I change the ingredients almost every time I make it. Adding things like crab, beer, clams or mussels. This year I decided to come up with a new recipe for Father's Day. I made a steak with Southern Comfort honey mustard sauce.

By the way I didn't eat the whole steak in the picture I split it with my wife. I did drink the Guinness. The recipe for the grilled vegetables can be found here, obviously without the pasta.

Steak with Southern Comfort Sauce
1 steak, any kind, I used sirloin
1 1/2 tbs Southern Comfort
2 tbs honey
1 1/2 tbs Dijon mustard

Preheat grill to medium high.

Mix Southern Comfort, honey and mustard together. Taste and adjust as you see fit. I usually make honey mustard at a 1 part honey to 1 part mustard, but when I added the Southern Comfort the mustard seemed to get very strong.
Cook the steak until it is about 2 minutes from being done. Spread the sauce over the top and let it finish cooking. There will be some extra sauce if you want more.

Back center is my dad, that is me on the right just before my 17th birthday. 

Grilled Steak Sandwich

I know you have looked in your refrigerator and wondered what that thing is in the plastic bowl in the back.  The only way you can figure it out is by tasting it and your just not that brave, so off it goes to the garbage can. This sandwich was born because I cleaned out the fridge while I could still identify the ingredients. However I do think that the Food Network should create a new show where contestants have to identify the left over or eat it. For the sandwich feel free to add or subtract ingredients, just use up the meat or vegetables in your refrigerator.

Grilled Steak Sandwich
4 oz leftover steak, cut into bite size pieces
2 oz spinach, raw
2 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 oz roasted red pepper, cut into bite sized pieces
1 ounce onion, diced
6 cherry tomatoes, cut in 1/2
enough Mozzarella to cover the sandwich
Olive oil to brush on baguette
1/2 small baguette, cut in half horizontally so you have 2 long pieces

Preheat a grill to medium heat.
If you have a grill basket you can use that or get a piece of aluminum foil and spray it with a nonstick spray. Toss everything but the spinach, mozzarella and the baguette on the grill in the basket or on the foil. Cook until everything is heated through. While the mixture is heating spread a light coating of the olive oil on the baguette halves and lay them on the grill. When the baguette starts to brown flip it over and brown the other side. To assemble spread the spinach on the bread, top with the meat and vegetable mixture and then add the mozzarella on top and let it sit on the grill until the mozzarella starts to melt.