Recipes
A Taste of September: 8 Recipes Utilizing Fresh Produce and Live Fire
Looking for September recipes? It’s a transitional month, a bridge between summer and fall. It’s a great time for anyone who enjoys food. For starters, gardens, farmer’s markets, and the produce section of supermarkets pop with color, not unlike the new boxes of crayons on youngsters’ school supply lists. Purple eggplants. Gold and ruby beets. Sun-ripened heirloom tomatoes. Fennel. Potatoes and yams. Bell peppers. Chile peppers, too. (Be sure to stock up on New Mexico’s Hatch chiles, which are in season for just a few weeks. Try the chili verde below. (If you have extra chiles, quickly blister on a hot grill, then peel and freeze.) And apples galore. Labor Day, tailgating season, and Octoberfest are all on the horizon (pork shooters, anyone?). We want to smell fragrant smoke in the air, and not from burning piles of leaves. We challenge you to cook an entire meal over live fire, then share photos with us on social media.
8 Recipes for September
1. Smoked Beet Salad with Smoky Raisin Vinaigrette
Beets are one of fall’s treasures. One of our favorite uses for them is this salad from one of our prolific bloggers, Steve Nestor. Steve developed this recipe after he and his wife enjoyed a similar dish on Nantucket. The combination is genius!
2. Pork Shooters
Sports lovers of all persuasions get pumped up for tailgate parties because a good barbecue makes the perfect prelude to the game. Here’s how Steven’s home state of Florida reimagines a tailgate classic. Get ready for pork shooters stuffed with briny Gulf shrimp, cheese and Andouille sausage.
3. Barbecue University Chili Verde
Though this is a relatively easy recipe, it does require you to control your grill temperature. The chiles and onions are charred over high heat, then smoking temperatures are required for the pork. Finally, you combine everything in a Dutch oven for a gentle 300 degree braise. Serve it over burritos, enchiladas, rellenos, eggs, or on its own with warmed tortillas. Leftovers will give you a reason to get up in the morning.
4. Rio Chicken Rollatini with Crazy Rice
Featured on episode 108 of Steven’s latest show, Planet Barbecue, These tangy chicken rolls come from Rio’s legendary Porcão restaurant chain, where they’re cooked on a spit. The flavors of cornichon pickles contrast perfectly with the richness of the Gruyère. Great for an impressive fall dinner!
5. Cedar-Planked Eggplant Parmigiana
This is one of the best versions of eggplant parmigiana we’ve ever tasted! Grilling benefits eggplant parmigiana in at least four ways. First, you eliminate a lot of the oil and oil-soaked breading. Second, you can introduce an interesting smoke flavor by using Smoked Tomato Sauce. Third, there’s the charred cedar plank, which adds another layer of flavor and the cool factor. Finally, Steven’s grilled version is a lot quicker, easier, and less messy to make than traditional eggplant parm, and it tastes cleaner, too.
6. Smoked Cedar-Planked Trout with Caper and Dill Sauce
Planking is a great way to cook fish without leaving half stuck to the grill grate, and bacon makes everything taste better, especially trout. The combination of the trout and bacon is a symphony of flavors. As the fish cooks on its plank the bacon fat will melt into the outside. The butter will melt into the inside, guaranteeing you succulence.
7. Quadruple Smoked Potatoes
If you like smoke, you’re going to love these smoked potatoes. The flavor comes at you from all directions—smoky bacon, smoked cheddar cheese, pimentón (Spanish smoked paprika), and of course, smoke-roasting the whole potatoes on the grill. Note: You can certainly smoke the potatoes in a smoker. We prefer indirect grilling with wood smoke—the higher temperature gives you crisper skin.
8. Fire-Roasted Apples
Once you master the concept of indirect grilling, you can grill pretty much anything you once baked in the oven. Even baked apples. We like to throw these on the grill just as everyone sits down for the meal. Serve with ice cream or smoked whipped cream.
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