Mint Sauce for Lamb

Fact #1: I don’t care for commercially made Mint Sauce. Now you know. Fact #2: We have an abundance of fresh mint in our summer garden. Now you know that, too.

My experience with Mint Sauce has been limited to the neon-green jellied kind and - in my rational moments - to the more acceptable (but expensive) bottled, liquid kind. That was before we discovered this online recipe, which has been in Ruth Bogdanski’s family for the past 80 years. Ruth hails from Grants Pass, Oregon, from where she reports: “Our gang won’t eat lamb without this Mint Sauce.” Nor will mine. 

It’s almost winter in the Time Zone and at the Latitude Where I Live, so our mint is presently sleeping, but assuming you plant some mint when summer arrives, you and I will be ready to enjoy this marvellous sauce. The recipe contains no commercial preservatives, so use or discard what’s left within a couple of weeks. 

Mint Sauce for Lamb:

1/4 c. (60 mL) loosely packed mint leaves, finely chopped
1/4 c. (60 mL) boiling water
2 tbsp. (30 mL) cider vinegar
2 tbsp. (30 mL) granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. (1.25 mL) salt
1/8 tsp. (0.6 mL) freshly ground pepper

Place mint in small bowl, stirring in remaining ingredients until sugar is fully dissolved. Cover and let steep 20 min. Serve immediately. Yields 4-to-6 servings.

- Gracious thanks to TasteofHome.com

Prize-Winning Barbecued Salmon

I’m so happy to present you with this excellent recipe! I’d misfiled it years ago and - thinking it was gone forever - went into a bit of a slump about it. To my amazement, I’ve just found it misfiled under “Cakes” or some other wacky place, but there you go! And here it is! 

There’s a history to this recipe, which in its original form was the long-ago creation of Vancouver, Canada, firefighter and barbecue competitor David Veljacic. The late Veljacic named his creation “The Only.” As sometimes happens with recipes, it wasn’t - because Veljacic and other cooks tinkered with it over the years, coming out with modified versions. 

Veljacic’s original recipe is still online, but I’m a fan of this version - as you will be. Fish recipes are often interchangeable with other species of seafood. While I haven’t tried the recipe with anything but coho and sockeye salmon, I suspect the ingredients and method would work well with halibut or any other thick, firm, whole fillets. 

David Veljacic’s Prize-Winning Barbecued Salmon:

This recipe requires extra time 

for marination

5 large garlic cloves, chopped fine
3 tbsp. (45 mL) finely chopped fresh parsley
3 sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil), chopped fine
1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) salt
1/4 c. (60 mL) olive oil
2-to-3 lb. (1-to-1.5 kg) salmon fillet

In jar, combine garlic, parsley, tomatoes, salt, and olive oil. Shake we;; and let stand overnight in refrigerator.

Place salmon, skin-side down, on large piece of greased foil; place over low heat of gas barbecue. Close barbecue lid and grill 10 min. With very sharp knife, cut two lengthwise slits in fillet, dividing surface of fish into thirds. Cut into fish skin, but not through it. Spread garlic mixture over fillet and into slits. 

Close barbecue lid, raising temperature to medium. Cook an additional 15 min. or until done - but not dry. You’ll want the oils from your fish to appear slightly “milky.” Serves 6-to-9. 

Korean Short Ribs

And now for something … completely different! What if … you aren’t having a crowd for Thanksgiving dinner? What if … you just want to spoil yourself, and maybe one or two guests? What if … you’d like something gourmet, but easy? What if … you’d like something fancy, rather than “just ribs”? 

Have I got a big deal for you!

I made these Korean Short Ribs a few days ago. They were outstanding. But you can already see that. Not only were they lip-smacking good, but they were the best ribs I’ve ever tasted.

Sit down. This isn’t a bargain meal. In the Time Zone and at the Latitude Where I Live, the short ribs for five servings cost just over $26. These aren’t the usual chunky, jolly beef short ribs that require long, slow cooking. Korean Short Ribs are cut lengthwise. Go figure. 

The meat is thinly cut along the bone, into widths of roughly 1/2 in. (1 cm). They need to be butcher-cut in what’s called “flanken-style.” If your butcher says “Du-u-h …?” see a smarter butcher. 

The trick to tenderizing these ribs is their all-day (or overnight) marination - during which time you don’t need to do a thing except relax, go for a walk, paint the living room, or call your friend Hildegarde, who never stops talking. 

BING! Ready to cook! Good news! After all that marination, these ribs cook fast - scant minutes, not hours. They’re succulent and tasty. Bad news? If you live in the snow belt, wear your mukluks, because these ribs are best barbecued. 

Very, very, very important: Read the recipe’s ingredient listing  carefully. I had all the ingredients on hand. If you don’t, dash out to buy them - don’t substitute. This recipe has two parts: The marinade in which the meat sits all day, and the Asian-style barbecue sauce that leaves the meat gloriously shiny and tasty. 

I wouldn’t change a thing with this recipe. It’s as good as cooking can get - referring to it as “perfection” isn’t an exaggeration. 

I strongly recommend that if you’re searching for an alternative to turkey for yourself or you and a couple of guests, run - don’t walk - to your closest supermarket to buy everything you need for this amazing recipe. 

I found this great recipe in hellomagazine.ca. Unfortunately, that’s all I know - no date, no writer’s name, no online identification. I’ve slightly modified the it’s preparation method.

Korean Short Ribs:

This recipe requires extra time 

for marination

To Prepare the Marinade:

1/2 c. (125 mL) dark soy sauce

1/4 c. (60 mL) firmly packed light brown sugar

2 tbsp. (30 mL) rice vinegar

2 tbsp. (30 mL) Asian sesame oil

2 tbsp. (30 mL) minced fresh garlic

1 tbsp. (15 mL) peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger

1 tbsp. (15 mL) ketchup

1 tsp. (5 mL) red pepper flakes (“chili flakes”)

5 lb. (2.3 kg) flanken-cut beef short ribs, prepared by your butcher

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except ribs, whisking to dissolve sugar. Pour over ribs in a large resealable plastic bag, turning several times during the day (See Marination Note). Marinate meat 8-to-10 hr. Discard marinade, patting meat dry with paper towels.

Marination Note: Tupperware sells a superb marination tub with a secure snap-top lid.

Next ...

To Prepare the Asian-Style Barbecue Sauce:

1/4 c. (60 mL) hoisin sauce

1/4 c. (60 mL) Thai chili sauce or sweet hot pepper sauce

2 tbsp. (30 mL) mirin

1 tbsp. (15 mL) Asian sesame oil

1/4 c. (60 mL) water

Oil gas or charcoal barbecue grate. Preheat barbecue to high setting. Do not brush ribs with sauce yet. Place ribs over hottest part of flame, grilling 4-to-6 min. Turn once, grilling an additional 2 min. Brush ribs with some of the barbecue sauce on each side.  

Remove to serving platter. Let rest 5-to-10 min. Serve at table with additional barbecue sauce. Serves 6.

Short ribs sliced lengthwise along
the bone rather than crosswise.

Marinate all day (or overnight).

Finished ribs ... YUM!

 Note: If for some crazy reason his recipe doesn’t appeal to you, try this blog’s ultra-fancy Mini Beef Wellingtons!

Holiday Cranberry Martini

I’d like to pretend I can handle this martini, but honestly Dollinks, it’s so delicious and packs such a wallop that I was wobbly after starting my second. So that’s the bad news. Or the good news, depending on your perspective.

Hi! I’m Nicole Parton, and you haven’t seen much of me for quite awhile (over the past couple of years, actually) because I’ve been closeted away writing a novel, but (run-on sentence to follow) I hope you will when I’m rich and famous and on tour in the hamlet where you live! 

There’s nothing like a little over-confidence to make a woman delusional, but I’ve written 10 non-fiction books and this foray into fiction has been exciting and fulfilling! 

So here’s a recipe for the best Holiday Cranberry Martini I’ve ever encountered - EV-AH! - with a very Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Holiday Cranberry Martini:

1-1/2 oz. (42 g) vodka
1/2 oz. (14 g) Triple Sec
1/2 oz. (14 g) dry vermouth
3 oz. (84 g) cranberry cocktail (see Note)
Fresh or frozen cranberries, as garnish 

Place all ingredients except cranberries into chilled martini shaker with ice cubes. Shake-shake-shake like a professional bartender and pour into martini glass. Toss in three fresh cranberries and you’ll be away to the races!

Note: Be sure to use the watered-down and sweetened cranberry cocktail. Cranberry juice is far too tart.

- With gracious thanks to my pals Bob and Sandy Trafananko