Thai chicken, grilled asparagus, chili dogs, flambeed apples (and the delights of cornhole)
Over Memorial Day weekend, I had a few friends over and fired up the grill. I was long the devotee the charcoal/wood smoker, but I am less earnest and more lazy than my grad school days. I’m also well beyond the point of trying to impress company. So I decided to serve chili dogs featuring my homemade hornytoad chili. I will have to devote a whole different post to the wonders of chili, so for now, the picture of my preparation below will have to suffice. I never measure anything when making chili, so i will have to make it some time and write something down. This time, I tried a spice mixture of chipotle and cocoa in addition to my usual ingredients. It turned out great. I once dubbed it “hornytoad chili” for no reason in particular. I guess it just reflected my feelings at the time. Forgive me, I get lost in the moment. More about chili some other time.
My friends Scotty and Jess brought some wonderful marinated Thai chicken. The flavors were strong and clear. For less salt, use low-sodium soy sauce and worcestershire if possible. I adapted the recipe a bit (boosted the garlic and lowered the salt), but it didn’t require much tweaking. I’d double the chili flakes if I wanted more burn, but these have a decent kick already. Thai Chicken Marinate 5 cloves garlic, minced 2 tbs fresh ginger, miced grated zest of a lime juice of a lime 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce 1 tb sugar This will marinade about 2-3 pounds of chicken breast. For easy serving skewer the chicken before you soak it.
I grilled some asparagus, which acts as nice finger food or a fancy side dish. I trim off the bottom of the stalks and roll the asparagus in a little olive oil, and salt and pepper, and grill until charred but not limp. I always sprinkle lemon or lime juice before and after cooking. Depending on the thickness of the asparagus, it takes two or five minutes, but i never look at the clock. Just keep an eye on the food. Don’t let the asparagus wither.
As for the hot dogs, i strongly prefer Nathan’s or Sabrett’s on the grill. I can’t bring myself to eat hot dogs any other way. The chili is essential as well. Once or twice a year I get a craving. A friend was nice enough to bring by some ice cream from Snack City. Alfredo Naranjo is an artisal of ice cream, but his ginger flavor this time was a little disappointing. The cashew and raisin was great as always. More about Snack City another time. I like to top ice cream with sauteed fruit, usually bananas or apples. I chose Granny Smith to accompany the ginger ice cream. It is so simple. Cut two apples into chunks and heat with a pat of butter. I opted for the extravagance of flambeeing the apples in whiskey, Canadian Club, which is not as strongly flavored as bourbon, but over proof bourbon puts on a much better fireworks show. Add cinnamon and pour in the alcohol. Wait a couple seconds for some alcohol to evaporate before lighting it, at least if you have an electric range. If you have gas, it will be much easier. Once the fire was burnt itself out, serve over ice cream. It is also wonderful with pork (chops, ham, loin, roast) or eggs. Very easy but still impressive.
After dinner, we enjoyed a nice evening of playing cornhole, a bad name for a fun game. Like horseshoes, but with bean bags filled with corn, long story, check out the links. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornhole_(game) http://www.playcornhole.org/rules.shtml