How Many Veggies...

As the weather gets warm, in theory at least, all sorts of things start to happen in the produce aisle. All these amazing colors start to spring up (no pun intended): sweet corn, peas still in their pods, the greenest of green beans, shiny red peppers- well, just too many beautiful veggies to count! The mission: get as many fresh vegetables as possible into one meal.

Stir-fry is one of my go-to dishes. It’s so easy, so healthy, and best of all, so tasty! I throw whatever I have on hand into it, so it always send up a little different, but each time, just as delicious. I searched high and low, but could not find my favorite teriyaki sauces anywhere, so I had to make do with an imposter brand. Andrew and I have a long-running debate on which is the best…Bad news Andrew, no one can beat Mr. Yoshida’s special blend. This strange brand wasn’t quite up to snuff, so I had to add some chili powder, a dash of Worcestershire, and garlic to improve it.

The trick in making stir-fry is to brown the meat before you add all the veggies. Since the meat takes much less time to cook than the veggies, throw the meat (I chose skirt steak for tonight’s dish) in a hot pan first to sear the it, then transfer the meat to a holding dish and set aside. Cook the vegetables in the same pan the meat was in, soaking up all the yummy flavors. Cover, stirring the mixture from time to time to keep it from sticking.  When the veggies get a little tender, add the meat back in, pour on a generous amount of sauce, and simmer until cooked through.

No Hawaiian girl worth her salt would serve this without a big pot of rice! I always add a dash of salt while the rice is cooking for flavor. This meal is complete for me, but Andrew, for some strange reason, believes that stir fry is served with tortillas. Never mind that they are from a completely different culture, on a completely different continent. It’s something he picked up from Mongolian Grill restaurants that serve their veggie/meat/sauce combos with warm flour tortillas. Now I have never been to Mongolia, I don’t think I have even met a Mongolian person, but I am reasonably sure that their national dishes do include stir-fry from a buffet line with tortillas on the side… But whatever culture it comes from, they may have a good idea there. Delicious teriyaki steak wraps!

An Exercise in Excess

Whew! The piles of food have disappeared, the cases of drinks diminished, and our tiny abode is nearly back to its usual organized chaos. Don’t be fooled by the clean counter tops and uncluttered floor; behind every curtain, inside every drawer, and beneath the mattress lurk piles and piles of our belongings which we have, for whatever reason, decided are absolutely necessary to our survival during our three month stint in Madison.

But I digress. This particular tale begins 48 hours ago, with an epic shopping trip to Costco. We volunteered to host a company sponsored BBQ in the backyard of our hotel. Number of hungry consultants? Twenty(ish). Budget? Undefined. If you know anything about the consulting industry, you know that the good people that travel more than half their week work hard and play harder.  They are a fun bunch of people with discerning tastes and a hearty appetite for food and drink. I wasn’t about to serve frozen burgers with American cheese, oh no. In typical Emi fashion, with lots of input from my man, I may have gone a bit overboard in my menu planning. Ok, who am I kidding, WAY overboard.

THE FINAL MENU

Grilled Corn

Potato Planks

Grilled Zucchini and Red Peppers

Salad

Mashed Potatoes

Garlic Bread

Filet Mignon

Rib Eye

Baby Back Ribs with homemade BBQ sauce

Robin Hood Chicken

Chicken Sausage

Once all the party supplies made it to the room, which was an adventure in-of-itself, the fun part began. I attacked the ribs first, breaking them down into small enough pieces to jam into our tiny (toaster) oven. Then comes the marinade. I know it sounds crazy, but the trick is Dr. Pepper. The acidity of the soda tenderizes the meat while the sugar adds sweetness without becoming too sickly sweet. Cover the ribs with soda, and add a quarter cup of salt and a few dashes of chili powder, cover with foil and pop in the fridge overnight.

Next on the list is the Robin Hood Chicken, adapted from Grilling Magazine. The citrus in this recipe enhances the natural flavor the meat and helps get the skin crispy on the grill. My favorite spice by far is rosemary, and combine that with fresh oregano, parsley, some olive oil garlic and lime…mmmmm. I don’t think you can beat this rub in marinade.

The day of the big feast is a busy one. As Andrew can attest to, I am not a calm, cool, collected chef. My kitchen is awash in burned fingers, time crunch stress, and sometimes even a flying curse or two. In matter of a few hours, I have pulled together some semblance of order, and am ready to get everything on the grill. Now I am no grill master- the agreement was that I do the prep work and hand it off to a much more skilled griller than I. But as many agreements go, the terms seem to inexplicably change as the night wears on, and I found myself in charge of flipping, heat moderation, and perfecting the doneness of steak and chicken alike. Battling tear inducing smoke, waves of blistering heat and droves of hungry diners, I managed to do a pretty good job of feeding our guests. From the number of compliments it received, I think the ribs were the biggest hit, followed closely by the steaks, cause lets be real, who can pass up filet mignon?? All in all, I’d declare the night a success, although I hope it is a few weeks before I attempt another meal of this caliber.