It’s Memorial Day? I keep thinking it’s somewhere around late March, early April.
You know where this is going, right? Hold on tight; summer always goes by way too fast. No time to wait around for the easy living to sink in or it’ll be over before it starts. Dive in now. How many more summers do we got left anyways?
Summer season means all things grillable. My boys (the ones I teach, not rear) did grill class #2 last week. Teens they are now; tall and cute; 15 and 13. They started cooking class two years with that too-cool attitude. Now they got kitchen staying power. I’ve wonder why? Is it because they know what to expect? They’ve matured? Maybe they’ve realized they even like cooking? Whatever the reason, the progression has been wonderful to watch. Teaching them reminds me how important it is to cook with our kids. They learn things really important and so do we. They always change it up, those kids. Inspire me. Remind me to play in the kitchen.
- C's Cheese Plate
Last Sunday was Kabob Day. We grilled silly until lessons became Class Interrupted after D ingested a cracker made from nuts and went into anaphylactic shock. I had never seen anyone experience this. Scared the ++++ out of me. It's an important thing to discuss more, and we will at a Not-So-Food Party! coming soon.
Until then...pheew.. please try our Pineapple Habanero Marinade and Glaze for your shrimp, chicken or tofu needs. And breathe easy; it doesn't have nuts, and if you have folks who don’t like it hot, substitute the more mild jalapeno, or serve minced habaneros on the side with a pinch a sugar, lemon, and olive oil mixed in for balance and drizz-ability.
Summah' has come-mahed!
Pineapple Habanero Marinade and Glaze
1 cup pineapple juice*
¼ cup date sugar or date molasses
¼ cup Tequila Añejo
1 teaspoon Umeboshi Vinegar**
A touch minced habanero (You decide how much. Grill first to mellow the kick.)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon good quality apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon arrowroot (substitute cornstarch)
Combine the first three ingredients in a medium saucepan, bring to a boil and reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. Remove half the mixture and add in the umeboshi vinegar, a pinch of habanero, and olive oil. Use this as your marinade.
In a small bowl, combine the cider vinegar and arrowroot. Add this mixture back to the remaining pineapple juice in the pot. Stir well, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook one minute or until thickened slightly. This is your glaze.
Brush on some glaze when you kabobs are near cooked, but reserve some to brush on afterwards too.
Make America great again. Grill baby, grill!
*Buy pineapple juice in a bottle or can, juice a fresh pineapple, or whirl the fresh pineapple in a blender to create more of a slurry than a juice, which is still great for a marinade and glaze. Maybe better?
** The umeboshi plum is a best-kept culinary secret (salty + fruity). As students, we learned it as the macrobiotic antibiotic. Buy whole plums, the paste, or vinegar at natural food stores. Avoid it at Chinese grocers that sell umeboshi made with red dye, instead of shiso leaf. In this recipe, substitute all cider vinegar if you don’t have umeboshi.
