[Sarape]

DrBiggles: So the key is to avoid white smoke and aim for a blue smoke. And, we do want the good, blue smoke for the flavor, I assume. Otherwise, we would just wrap the meat in foil or in a turkey-cooking bag. Is this your view?

I'm not a barbecue guy, but I like to understand the theory. Though the thought of doing barbecue sweet corn and yams is appealing.
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' She says, 'I am the glamorous type.' I said, 'So what?'

[Rainey]

[Erin]

I am doing a brisket on th BBQ tomorrow and I am using a cider marinade and basting with a vinegar sauce. I am working on the indirect method for slow cooking on the grill we will see how it turns out. My goal for the summer is to have mastered the art of the grill.

Rainey, to preserve lemons just quarter the lemon leaving one end in tact pack it full of kosher salt and pack it into a jar. Fill it up with olive oil and you should be good to go.
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"It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."

"It's hot ham water."

[Erin]

Rainey, you were asking for recipes that contain them not how to make them weren't you? I am a horrible procrastinator, I promise you tomorrow I will come through for you and with the soup recipe for DQ.
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"It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."

"It's hot ham water."

[Rainey]

Yes! Pretty as they are in their jar in the fridge, I'm ready to see what they taste like. So -- no particular rush -- but I'll look forward to what you have to share.

Meanwhile, I had a sneak taste of the limoncello about a month ago and it was very nice. I put in some whole lemons and gave it a bit more time and it should be ready just about when the hot days of summer hit. My daughter is also taking some to her Italian prof. I guess he'll let us know how authentico it may be. But I think I'm going to enjoy it.
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God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor

[Debbie]

Limoncello, yum! Rainey, can you share the recipe for this please. I had a taste of this at a friends house in Sydney. Her parents were Italian and her father made all his own sausages and wines and he also made a limoncello drink. It was so nice and I wanted to ask him for the recipe, but didn't have time before we left for Paris. Unfortunately none of them have email.....

Would appreciate the recipe, or the forum heading if it has already been posted and I just missed it.

P.S. Templeton is very cute. Looks similar to the ginger and white puss who is visiting us here in our groundfloor apartment. It just hops in the window and walks around meowing and having a conversation with us. Very amusing and good ompany for me during the day..... it has also developed a taste for smoked salmon and (good quality) ham..... hmmm
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If you cannot feel your arteries hardening, eat more cheese. If you can, drink more red wine. Diet is just "die" with a "t" on the end. Exercise is walking into the kitchen.

[Rainey]

Yes, the recipe is one that someone has posted here. I'll go looking for it for you.

Thanks for the kind comments on Templeton (my son gave him the name Templeton Mandelbaum)(don't ask; I don't know). He's a sweetie and we've had him and the other two since just before Christmas.

I'm glad you have a kitty companion too.
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God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor

[Rainey]

Here you go http://www.recipezaar.com/93851. Birgit was kind enough to post this when I said I had a lot of Meyer lemons to use.

Thanks again, Birgit. Wish I could share with you!
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God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor

[Debbie]

Thank you very much Rainey. Have recipe and will make it up to sit while we have our summer holidays in August. Then we can enjoy the lemony summer flavour all winter!

The stray kitties are loving my mint plant on my kitchen window sill, and it is just common old garden mint. Have had to hang it higher as they were smooging and rubbing it to the point where I as worried it would be totally crushed. I don't eat the mint (don't like anything mint flavoured), but do like the smell and use it crushed in iced water in front of the fan to put a waft of freshness through the house. Much nicer than air freshners and very refreshing for summer. Just don't really want eau de cat with the mint......

Have a nice day in your garden
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If you cannot feel your arteries hardening, eat more cheese. If you can, drink more red wine. Diet is just "die" with a "t" on the end. Exercise is walking into the kitchen.

[David]

Debbie I just love the idea of crushing mint into iced water for fan use! we don't have air conditioning and the mint would add a lovely dimension to fan use. I have some growing in the perennial bed, you can't kill it even if you want to! I'm pretty sure mint and catnip are close relatives so that would explain the stray darlings affinity to your herb.
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Vivant Linguae Mortuae!!

[JustMe]

Rainey: I know that Jamie Oliver likes to use preserved lemons so I went searching the internet for some of his recipes. Here's what I came up with at Food Network. http://web.foodnetwork.com/food/web/searchResults?searchString=preserved+lemons&site=FOOD&searchType=Recipe. I have never tried them myself though they look and sound yummy.
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Life is too short to drink cheap wine.

[Debbie]

Yes David, that was what I thought.... and obviously the stray kitties thought it made a fine substitute. As far as I know catnip and catmint are members of the mint family. I used to gro catmint in Sydney for my cat. The smell was horrible, but the flowers were pretty.

The more mint you crush and use the better it is. I find that quite often I can't smell it, but if I walk out of the room and come back a while later you can smell a hint of mint. It brings more of a freshness to the air than an aroma. Very nice on a hot day.

Anyway, kitties are calling. They come for dinner every night and stay for a pat. Chicken offcuts tonight - I'll be popular! Hopefully this will mean forgiveness for removing the mint out of their reach.
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If you cannot feel your arteries hardening, eat more cheese. If you can, drink more red wine. Diet is just "die" with a "t" on the end. Exercise is walking into the kitchen.

[Rainey]

Thanks, JustMe! I'll check 'em out.
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God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor

[Rainey]

We had this last night. It was excellent. As you can, perhaps, tell, we're getting into hot weather and I'm happy to cook outside as much as I possibly can. This roasted beautifully on my gas grill in an enameled cast iron roaster on indirect heat. To maintain the low temperature I turned off the center gas feed and also reduced the gas flow a bit at the source. And keep in mind the times & temps are what worked for me on my natural gas grill. What counts is that internal temp!

Brined Roast Pork Loin

For the brine:

• 1/2 c kosher salt
• 1 c very hot water
• 1/2 c maple syrup
• 1/2 c balsamic vinegar
• handful of fresh rosemary
• 6-8 whole peppercorns
• cool water

In a 2 quart measure or bowl, pour very hot water over salt to melt. Stir in maple syrup and vinegar. Add rosemary and pepper corns. Pour cool water into meaure to fill.

Put pork in a large ziplock bag. Pour in brine and seal bag. Place in a deep container (in case of leak in ziplock) and put in fridge to brine.

Brining time is flexible. Chops can be brined for as short as 90 minutes but more time will be fine too. Whole roasts need more time. Three or four hours may be enough. Over night is better.

Before preparing meat, remove from brine and discard. Pat meat dry well with paper towels so that the surface is very dry before browning.

For Roasted Brined Pork Loin insert tip of small sharp knife in the surface of the loin. Insert a thin slice of garlic and a leaf or two of rosemary. Repeat all over surface. Brown in hot olive oil in a heavy pot. Lay roast, fat side up, in the same pot. Cover top with generously sliced sweet onion. Cover with a heavy lid. Roast on BBQ or in oven at 250-300 degrees until internal temperature registers 170 degrees. Reserve pan juices to pour over sliced roast, reducing them if you choose.

I didn't have time to insert the aromatics last night. I just sliced garlic cloves and placed them sliced side down on the top of the roast. Likewise, I placed whole sprigs of rosemary on the top and then held them in place with the onion slices.
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God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor

[DrMell]

Rainey that roast looks so good. How long did it take to cook? Thanks for sharing!