I have to credit this recipe to my dad. He loves southern food and found this recipe the other day and said I should make it. I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out but let me say I was very happy with the finished product. If you use the jalapeno peppers instead of the bell peppers this rice brings the heat. This rice is a great way to dress up a common side dish. Enjoy
Along with the lamb from the previous post I also grilled up some littleneck clams and made a nice herb butter sauce to go along with them. This was the surprise dish of the weekend and it turns out I should have bought more clams, these guys disappeared as quickly as they came off the grill. The butter sauce complimented the clams perfectly and grilling the clams made them come out tender not chewy. Give them a try this summer at a BBQ to impress your friends and family.
Over Memorial Day weekend I took full advantage of the warm weather and put the grill to good use. Unlike the lamb chops I cooked a few weeks ago, this time I mixed the spices and herbs in the oil and dredged the lamb chops through the spice mixture before grilling. I really liked how this technique worked with the lamb. Spicing the oil imparted a lot more flavor onto the lamb then the rub. If you are looking for a change up for the grill give these a try. Enjoy!
Monday was Cinco de Mayo so I decided to get into the spirit of the day and made Shrimp tacos. This dish is light and refreshing and I will be making it quite a few times this summer as the heat sets in. Along with the tacos I also made the refried bean again which are fast becoming a go to side dish because of how easy they are to make and how delicious they are. Give these a shot some time this summer and enjoy them with a nice cold beer or margarita!
Last night I decided to grill up some lamb chops. I have used this recipe in the past and the lamb always turns out great. You can use this rub/marinade on any type of lamb from chops to legs and it will work great. Give it a try and as always enjoy!
I found some pork chops in the freezer the other day and threw together a marinade then cooked them on the grill. For a last minute meal it turned out very well. I was only able to marinate the pork for 30-45 minutes but ideally you want these to sit for ~8 hours. Enjoy!
It’s been busy over here the last few months but last night I was able to get back into the kitchen and make something new. This is a spicy Italian chicken dish that is quite fun to put together. I chose to serve it over polenta but it would also work over pasta. Give it a try and stay tuned for more posts. Smartchef Blog is back up and running!
With all the cold and snow weather we have been having recently I wanted to make a dish that would warm everyone up. I chose to make coq au vin because it is a hearty winter meal and I also want to learn a bit more french technique. This recipe is a quicker version that only takes 1 hour and 45 mins in total. The meal turned out quite well. However while cooking it you need to consistently taste it to make sure it has enough salt, it is very easy to under season this dish and have it turn out bland. Enjoy
Earlier this year I went down to Richmond, VA to visit my sister. While I was there we went to Edo’s Squid, a hole in the wall restaurant in Richmond. While we were there my sister got an amazing tuna dish and I asked the waitress how they made the sauce that was served with it. This was my attempt at their dish, and from what I can remember it came very close to the one I had in Richmond. To cook the tuna I used the Himalayan salt blocks and seared the tune for a little over a minute a side. To make the Tamari butter sauce I combined butter Tamari soy sauce, lemon juice, and black pepper; then I reduced the sauce and added a bit of flour to thicken it. This sauce is not as salty as soy sauce because the Tamari soy sauce adds a deeper richer flavor that regular soy sauce. I served the tuna over wild rice. Enjoy!
I was in the grocery store the other day and saw they had lobsters on sale so I picked one up. This grilled lobster dish is a very quick and easy lobster recipe. Turn on or light your grill. Take a knife and kill the lobster then cut it in half. Grill lobster over medium heat for 4 minutes. Flip the lobster and baste with the Garlic Thyme butter (recipe below). Then move to indirect heat for three minutes and baste with butter again. It is a very simple dish to make and tastes incredible. The lobster I used weighed 1.5 lbs so if your lobster is larger the cooking time may vary. Enjoy!
Garlic Thyme Butter:
1 Stick Butter, melted
2 Cloves Garlic
Juice of Half a Lemon
2 Tbs Fresh Thyme or 1 Tbs Dried Thyme
Combine ingredients in small bowl.
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