Read The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Online
Authors: The Editors at America's Test Kitchen
Tags: #Cooking
The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (241 page)
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
We wanted lamb shish kebabs with tender, juicy meat and evenly cooked vegetables. To avoid the raw lamb and charred vegetables that cooking on skewers often delivers, we cut the meat (boneless leg of lamb, trimmed of fat and silver skin) into 1-inch cubes and narrowed the vegetable field. Onions and peppers were the vegetable combination most preferred by tasters; they aren’t incredibly watery like tomatoes, which were out from the beginning, and they cooked at the same rate as the meat. Marinating the meat for two hours added extra flavor; for the marinades, we used fruity, sweet, and spicy ingredients that stood up well to the hearty lamb.
SERVES 6
You can use red, yellow, orange, or green bell peppers in this recipe. You will need four 12-inch metal skewers for this recipe. If you have long, thin pieces of meat, roll or fold them into approximate 1-inch cubes before skewering.
1 | recipe marinade (recipes follow) |
1 | (2¹⁄ |
1 | large bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces |
1 | large red or sweet onion, peeled, halved lengthwise, each half cut into 4 wedges and each wedge cut crosswise into thirds |
Lemon or lime wedges (optional) |
1.
Place marinade and lamb in 1-gallon zipper-lock bag and toss to coat; press out as much air as possible and seal bag. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours, flipping bag every hour.
2.
Remove lamb from bag and pat dry with paper towels. Starting and ending with meat, thread 4 pieces of meat, 3 pieces of onion (three 3-layer stacks), and 6 pieces of pepper in mixed order on four 12-inch metal skewers.
3A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL:
Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter mounded with charcoal briquettes (7 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
3B. FOR A GAS GRILL:
Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes.
4.
Clean and oil cooking grate. Place skewers on grill and cook (covered if using gas), turning skewers every 3 to 4 minutes, until well browned and lamb registers 120 to 125 degrees (for medium-rare) or 130 to 135 degrees (for medium), 7 to 12 minutes.
5.
Transfer skewers to serving platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving with lemon wedges, if using.
MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP, ENOUGH FOR 1 RECIPE
GRILLED LAMB KEBABS
¹⁄ | cup olive oil |
¹⁄ | cup packed fresh parsley leaves |
1 | jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and chopped coarse |
2 | tablespoons grated fresh ginger |
3 | garlic cloves, peeled |
1 | teaspoon ground cumin |
1 | teaspoon ground cardamom |
1 | teaspoon ground cinnamon |
1 | teaspoon salt |
¹⁄ | teaspoon pepper
|
Process all ingredients in food processor until smooth, about 1 minute.
MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP, ENOUGH FOR 1 RECIPE
GRILLED LAMB KEBABS
³⁄ | cup buttermilk |
1 | tablespoon lemon juice |
3 | garlic cloves, minced |
1 | tablespoon packed brown sugar |
1 | tablespoon curry powder |
1 | teaspoon red pepper flakes |
1 | teaspoon ground coriander |
1 | teaspoon chili powder |
1 | teaspoon salt |
¹⁄ | teaspoon pepper |
Combine all ingredients in 1-gallon zipper-lock bag in which meat will marinate.
MAKES ABOUT
³⁄
4
CUP, ENOUGH FOR 1 RECIPE
GRILLED LAMB KEBABS
¹⁄ | cup olive oil |
¹⁄ | cup fresh cilantro |
¹⁄ | cup raisins |
1¹⁄ | tablespoons lemon juice |
3 | garlic cloves, peeled |
1 | teaspoon salt |
¹⁄ | teaspoon garam masala |
¹⁄ | teaspoon pepper |
Process all ingredients in food processor until smooth, about 1 minute.
MAKES ABOUT
³⁄
4
CUP, ENOUGH FOR 1 RECIPE
GRILLED LAMB KEBABS
¹⁄ | cup olive oil |
10 | fresh mint leaves |
1¹⁄ | teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary |
1¹⁄ | teaspoons grated lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons juice |
3 | garlic cloves, peeled |
1 | teaspoon salt |
¹⁄ | teaspoon pepper |
Process all ingredients in food processor until smooth, about 1 minute.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
We wanted grilled salmon with a tender interior and crisp skin, and we wanted each fillet to hold together on the grill. We chose thicker salmon fillets, which could stand the heat of the grill for a little while longer before the first turn. To prevent the fish from sticking and falling apart, we dried the fish’s exterior by wrapping it in clean kitchen towels and “seasoned” our cooking grate by brushing it over and over with multiple layers of oil until it developed a dark, shiny coating. After laying the fillets on the grate, we easily flipped each fillet without even the tiniest bit of sticking. For moist, tender fish we cooked the salmon to a perfect medium-rare—any longer and the fish began to dry out.
SERVES 4
This recipe can be used with any thick, firm-fleshed white fish, including red snapper, grouper, halibut, and sea bass (cook white fish to 140 degrees, up to 2 minutes longer per side). If you are using skinless fillets, treat the skinned side of each as if it were the skin side. If desired, serve with Olive Vinaigrette or Almond Vinaigrette (recipes follow).
1 | (1¹⁄ |
Vegetable oil | |
Salt and pepper | |
Lemon wedges |
1.
Use sharp knife to remove any whitish fat from belly of salmon and cut fillet into 4 equal pieces. Place fillets skin side up on large plate lined with clean kitchen towel. Place second clean kitchen towel on top of fillets and press down to blot liquid. Refrigerate fish, wrapped in towels, while preparing grill, at least 20 minutes.
2A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL:
Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter three-quarters filled with charcoal briquettes (4¹⁄
2
quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
2B. FOR A GAS GRILL:
Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes.
3.
Clean cooking grate, then repeatedly brush grate with well-oiled paper towels until grate is black and glossy, 5 to 10 times. Lightly brush both sides of fish with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place fish skin side down on hot side of grill (if using charcoal) or turn all burners to medium (if using gas) with fillets diagonal to grate. Cover and cook until skin is well browned and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. (Try lifting fish gently with spatula after 3 minutes; if it doesn’t cleanly lift off grill, continue to cook, checking at 30-second intervals, until it releases.)
4.
Flip fish and continue to cook, covered, until center is still translucent when checked with tip of paring knife and registers 125 degrees (for medium-rare) and is still translucent when cut into with paring knife, 2 to 6 minutes longer. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.
HOW TO AVOID A STICKY SITUATION
To prevent food from sticking, the cooking grate should be oiled once it is hot, after being scraped clean. Debris is more readily removed from a hot grate than a cool one, and once these stuck-on bits are gone, the grate can be more effectively slicked down with an oil-dipped wad of paper towels.
Oiling the cooking grate once it’s hot also helps the oil to bond quickly to the metal and prevent proteins from sticking to the cooking grate. When oil is added to a cold cooking grate, the oil slowly vaporizes as the grill reaches the desired cooking temperature. The more the oil vaporizes, the less oil will be left on the cooking grate, making sticking more likely.
And for foods that are especially prone to sticking to the grill, like fish, multiple applications of oil work wonders. Simply apply the oil to the grate five to 10 times, re-dipping the paper towels in the oil between applications, until the grate is black and glossy.
One more point: Never try to take a shortcut by spraying a hot cooking grate with vegetable oil spray. You might save about 10 seconds, but you risk having a flare-up on your hands.
MAKES ABOUT
¹⁄
2
CUP; ENOUGH FOR 1 RECIPE
GRILLED SALMON FILLETS
¹⁄ | cup whole almonds, toasted |
1 | small shallot, minced |
4 | teaspoons white wine vinegar |
2 | teaspoons honey |
1 | teaspoon Dijon mustard |
¹⁄ | cup extra-virgin olive oil |
1 | tablespoon cold water |
1 | tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon |
Salt and pepper |
Place almonds in zipper-lock bag and, using rolling pin or bottom of skillet, pound until pieces no larger than ¹⁄
2
inch remain. Combine pounded almonds, shallot, vinegar, honey, and mustard in medium bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in oil until smooth emulsion forms. Add water and tarragon and whisk to combine, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Whisk to recombine before serving.
