Thyme for Cooking
Seasonal Weekly Menus & Shopping Lists
Healthy Food Fresh Ingredients Simple Recipes
Menu Plan for Summer II: Week 4, Saturday
Links:
Daily Recipes:
Ham and Melon
Grilled Beef Kebabs
Basmati Rice
Cooking time: 45 minutes for menu Cooking schedule: see below for instructions
This is a menu for 2 but easily expandable to serve a crowd. Thoroughly coat all the ingredients in the marinade before assembling. Then you can refrigerate it all until ready. We're treating this as a summer picnic dinner, serving everything at once... Eat it however you choose... You could eat the melon and ham while the kebabs cook.
Melon with Ham
Total time: 10 minutes
This is a very subjective starter for all its simplicity. In Spain you would get 4 big wedges of a long, green melon somewhat similar to a honeydew but with a hint of watermelon. When I would ask what kind of melon it was, I would get an incredibly blank stare and a "how can anyone be that stupid!" look, along with the answer "It's melon!". The melon would be covered in Iberian, Serrano or Jabugo - types of Spanish dry-cured ham. In France you will get a small, orange Provençal melon with Bayonne ham. In Italy, a honeydew with Prosciutto. Why am I telling you all of this you ask? Because...
Ingredients:
- 1 melon, your choice Get whatever's in season and ripe (not watermelon) - preferably from a farm stand so it's local
- 6 - 10 paper-thin slices dry-cured ham, your choice: Prosciutto, Serrano..
Instructions:
- Cut the melon in half and scoop out (and discard) seeds.
- Cut into wedges. How many wedges you serve depends, (you guessed it) on the size of the melon.
- Arrange wedges on large plates, add ham around/over wedges and serve.
Savory Beef Kebabs
Total time: 45 minutes
These are best if prepared earlier in the day and allowed to soak up the flavors - plus it makes dinner a breeze! By doing the meat and some of the vegetables separately you can cook the skewers for different times: allowing the onion to get done to your liking without overcooking the beef.
Ingredients:
- 12oz (360gr) beef loin or sirloin, cut into 1 1/2" (3.75cm) cubes
- 1/2 yellow, orange or red bell pepper
- 1/2 green bell pepper
- 1 red or sweet onion
- 1 small - medium zucchini (courgette) 8" (20cm)
- 6 - 8 mushrooms, large enough to be skewered
- 6 - 8 large cherry tomatoes
- 4 - 8 skewers, depending on length if wood, soak in water while preparing the rest
- Marinade:
- 3 tbs olive oil
- 3 tbs ketchup
- 2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbs soy sauce
- 1 tbs chili powder
- 1 tbs paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- Hot pepper sauce or red pepper flakes - optional too hot for me ;)
Instructions:
- Put wooden skewers in water to soak.
- In small bowl whisk together all ingredients for marinade.
- Pour over meat and let marinate for 20 - 30 minutes, or longer.
- Clean mushrooms, removing stems. Add to marinade.
- Cut each half pepper into 1 1/2 " (3.75cm) squares.
- Peel and cut onion into 8 wedges.
- Cut zucchini into slices about 1/2 inch (1.25cm) thick.
- At this point you can set it all aside while the meat marinates, or assemble the skewers and allow to marinate on the skewers.
- To assemble:
- Remove meat and mushrooms from marinade.
- Put onions, zucchini and peppers in the marinade and stir to coat.
- Thread meat, tomatoes and mushrooms onto half of the skewers, alternating.
- Remove vegetables from marinade and thread onions, peppers and zucchini on the remaining skewers, alternating.
- To cook:
- Start to cook the vegetable-only skewers first, over indirect heat with the cover closed.
- After about 7 minutes, lift cover and turn vegetables, moving over direct heat.
- Add beef skewers over direct heat.
- Cook for 6 - 10 minutes, or until beef is done to your liking, turning halfway through cooking time.
- Vegetables should be crisp-tender.
- Remove and serve with Basmati Rice or Couscous.
- Could also be cooked under the broiler (grill) for 12 - 15 minutes, or until done.
Yogurt Dipping Sauce
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup (3oz, 90gr) Greek or plain yogurt
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp snipped fresh mint leaves (spearmint) if you don't have any, you could use 1 tsp dried mint or leave it out
- 2 tsp fresh snipped chives
- 1 tsp fresh snipped tarragon
Instructions:
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.
- Mix well and refrigerate until ready to use. Serve with kebabs.
Basmati Rice
Total time: 20 minutes
Simple, fragrant, fluffy, quick-cooking ....for me, the perfect white rice for a side dish.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (3.3oz, 95gr) Basmati rice
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 cup (8oz, 240ml) beef stock
- 1 tbs fresh chives
Instructions:1
- Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat.
- Add rice and sauté, stirring for 2 - 3 minutes.
- Add stock or water and thyme.
- Cook rice for length of time on package.
- When done fluff with fork and serve.
Note: Vary the herbs based on the main course. If fresh are available use 1 tbs, snipped or minced and add during the last 5 minutes of cooking time.
Cooking Schedule: 45 minutes |
Remove meat and mushrooms from marinade |
Share this:
----------------------
Get 7 Dinner Menus, Recipes, Shopping List each Thursday by e-mail: Subscribe
