Apple Turkey Picadillo

Apple Turkey Picadillo

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1 garlic clove, minced
8 ounces ground turkey
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 medium Granny Smith apple, chopped
1 cup chopped tomato
3 tablespoons chopped green olives
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
4 whole wheat pitas, sliced in half

Procedure:

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Stir in onion and garlic - cook until the onions begin to soften, about 2 to 4 minutes. Add turkey - cook, stirring to break up the meat, until lightly browned, about 4 to 6 minutes. Add cumin, oregano, salt, pepper and cloves - stir to combine and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in vinegar and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. Stir in chopped apples, tomato, olives and Worcestershire sauce. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until any liquid in the pan has reduced to a syrupy glaze, about 8 minutes. Scoop into pita halves to serve. Makes 4 servings.

Grilled Pork Loin with Blackberry-Wine Sauce

Ingredients:

Blackberry-Wine Sauce (see recipe below)
2 to 4 petite pork tenderloins
3/4 cup coarse salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup boiling water
1 gallon cold water
1 tablespoon pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
parsley, minced (for garnish)

Procedure:

Trim the tenderloin of fat and silverskin. Note: Silverskin is a silvery-white connective tissue. It doesn’t dissolve when the tenderloin is cooked, so it needs to be trimmed away. If the silverskin is not trimmed off, it will cause the tenderloin to curl up into the shape of a quarter moon. Pat the roast dry with paper towels. A heavy-duty plastic tube, stainless-steel bowl, or resealable plastic bag can work as a brining container, as long as the pork is fully submerged. Weight with a plate, if necessary, to keep the meat fully covered by the brine. To determine how much brine you’ll need, place the meat to be brined in your chosen container. Add water to cover. Remove the meat and measure the water. Dissolve salt and sugar in the boiling water. Add it to the cold water. Dissolve salt and sugar in the boiling water. Add it to the cold water; add pepper and stir to combine. Place pork roasts in the water; cover and refrigerate 6 to 12 hours. Remove the pork from the brine. Rinse pork twice after removing it from the brine solution; discard brine. If you are not ready to cook at the end of the brining time, refrigerate until ready to use. Rub olive oil over the entire roast before grilling. Preheat barbecue grill. Bring roasts to room temperature before cooking. Place pork roasts onto hot grill; close the lid and grill for 7 minutes. Turn the pork over, close the lid, and grill for another 6 minutes. Turn off the heat (keep the lid closed) and continue to cook the pork for another 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, insert an instant-read meat thermometer into thickest part of the roast, temperature should read 145° to 150&degF (if not, close the lid and let the pork continue to roast). Once brined, the pork cooks faster so be careful and use a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat. The meat will remain pink from the brine. Remove from grill and transfer onto a cutting board; let pork roasts stand 15 minutes before carving (meat temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees after it is removed from the oven). Cut the pork across the grain into 1/2-inch slices. To serve, spoon some Blackberry-Wine Sauce onto each individual serving plate. Place pork slices on top of the sauce like dominos (overlapping each slice). Sprinkle parsley over the dish to add some extra color. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Blackberry-Wine Sauce:
1 1/2 cups red wine (I like to use pinot noir wine)
1/2 cup seedless blackberry jam
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced
2 to 3 tablespoons butter

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, add red wine. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently until sauce is reduced to the consistency of heavy cream. (If it is reduced too much, use more wine to make sauce the desired consistency.) Remove from heat and drop in the minced hot pepper. Just before serving, whisk in blackberry jam and butter until blended.

Barbecued Salmon with Herb Mayonnaise

Barbecued Salmon with Herb Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

1 1/2 to 2 pounds salmon fillet
1/3 cup mayonnaise (light or non-fat)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh herbs of your choice
Coarse salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste

Procedure:

Preheat barbecue grill. Wash salmon and pat dry. Place salmon fillet (skin side down) onto a large piece of aluminum foil. In a small bowl, with a wire whisk, combine mayonnaise, lime juice, and herbs until smooth; spread over top of salmon. Sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper. Place salmon (with aluminum foil) onto hot grill. Cover barbecue with lid, open any vents, and cook 8 to 12 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. (salmon will be slightly opaque in thickest part).
Note: During this time the salmon continues to cook (meat temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees after it is removed from the grill) and the juices redistribute. Carefully remove salmon from grill and transfer onto serving platter and serve. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Approximately cooking times for salmon:
1/4 to 1/3-inch - 3 to 4 minutes
1/2 to 3/4-inch - 4 to 6 minutes
1 to 1 1/2-inch - 8 to 12 minutes