Rebecca's Jerk Marinade

(enough to marinate 2 lbs meat, poultry or seafood)

Some of the best recipes I have come across are those that get passed along. Several months ago a friend in Toronto, emailed this terrific recipe to me. She had received it from her friend, Rebecca.

I tried this with chicken and it turned out great!

Although I have a 12 cup food processor, I wasn't able to fit everything in at once. But, I didn't have to do it in batches either. I just rearranged the order of the ingredients. I also added the zest from the lime.

1 small onion, cut up
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 - 2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into several pieces
3 tsp salt
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp allspice
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
zest from one lime
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and cut up
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch parsley
1/4 cup chopped green onion


Place the onion, garlic, ginger, salt, thyme, allspice, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, lime juice, lime zest, soy sauce, olive oil and brown sugar into the bowl of a 12 cup food processor. If you are using something smaller, you might have to do this in batches. Pulse several times until the mixture is fine.

Add the jalapeno peppers, cilantro, parsley and green onion. Pulse until you have a coarse paste.

This can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two months if placed in a non reactive container and lid.

Ćevapčići; Balkan Grilled Meat "Sausages"

(4 servings)

The first time I tried ćevapčići was many years ago in the former Yugoslavia. Back then I was travelling throughout Europe for nine months on a tiny budget. One afternoon I was drawn to the wonderful aroma of grilled meat and came upon a street vendor cooking these on a small portable grill. I had already picked up a couple of great looking tomatoes and a feta-like cheese for lunch, but decided to splurge and try these small cylinders of meat as well.

This turned out to be one of my most memorable meals ever. The ćevapčići was amazing. The juicy grilled meat was served with a flat pita-like bread and sliced raw yellow onions. I pushed those aside as I'm not very fond of raw onions, enjoying the ćevapčići instead with sliced tomatoes and feta cheese. It was heaven on earth! To this day when I prepare this simple dish, I serve it with tomatoes and feta cheese. The more traditional accompaniments are often sliced onions, sliced pickles, yogurt or sour cream.

Ćevapčići is made a variety of ways depending on which region of the Balkans you happen to be in. Ground beef, lamb, pork or any combination of those meats might be used. Sometimes it's just seasoned with salt, and other times it might also contain pepper, hot or sweet paprika, cumin, parsley, garlic and onion. The meat is often ground several times to create a fine texture. I achieve this using my food processor.

A few years ago I came across a recipe for this in a barbeque cookbook which also added baking soda. The author suggested this "lightened" the meat. I added some to my recipe and did notice a difference.

1/2 lb ground beef (15% fat)
1/2 lb ground lamb (15% fat)
1/2 lb ground pork (15% fat)
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2-1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tbsp yellow onion, chopped

bamboo skewers soaked in water for 30 minutes before grilling (optional)

olive oil for basting

Serve with any combination of pita, thinly sliced onions, sliced green onions, sliced tomatoes, sliced pickles, yogurt, sour cream or feta cheese.

Combine the beef, lamb, pork, pepper, salt, baking soda, garlic and onion in a large bowl until well mixed.  Divide the mixture into 4 portions and place each portion into the bowl of a food processor (one at a time) and pulse several times until you have a finer texture.

Cover the meat mixture and set aside for a few hours in the refrigerator.

Heat your grill. and soak the skewers.

Shape the meat mixture into small "sausages" or press the meat onto the skewers, if using.

Coat the meat lightly with the olive oil and grill, turning the meat until the links are evenly browned and no longer pink on the inside; about 7-12 minutes.

I also picked up some brussels sprouts at WF which were already lightly coated in olive oil, salt and pepper. For some reason those were less expensive. Skewered and grilled for a few minutes on each side, the brussels sprouts were delicious with the ćevapčići. They turned out rather crispy which I liked. You could probably wrap them after they are skewered and microwave them for a couple of minutes before grilling them if you prefer a less crispy texture.

Grilled Tandoori Chicken

(4 servings)

Traditional tandoori chicken is typically prepared from a whole chicken which has been cut up, marinated, then baked in a very hot clay oven, a tandoor.

I end up grilling mine. I have two grills. One gas and a small tabletop grill which uses charcoal. More often than not I prefer using the smaller grill, although there are times when the gas grill is just quicker and more convenient. Today I fired up the smaller grill.

This is one of those rare occasions I'll use skinless chicken breast (rather than my favourite, chicken thighs) which I cut into bite sized pieces. The breast meat turns out juicy and tender after spending close to a day in a marinade made of whole milk yogurt, lemon juice and spices.

1/2 cup whole milk yogurt
freshly squeezed juice from 1 small lemon
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 tbsp sweet paprika
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
1/2 - 1 tsp cayenne; to taste
2 lbs skinless chicken breasts

bamboo skewers (soaked in water 30 minutes before grilling)

Combine everything except the chicken in a non-reactive bowl. Set aside.

Cut the chicken breasts into 1 1/4 inch cubes. Toss them in the yogurt mixture until they are evenly coated. Cover with wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight, or up to about 24 hours.

Soak the skewers in water for about 30 minutes before getting ready to grill.

Thread the chicken onto the skewers and grill, turning frequently until they are cooked through and no longer pink in the centre; about 6-10 minutes.

Zucchini was on sale today, so I grabbed a few on impulse. It's a pretty boring vegetable in my opinion, but grilled it can be rather nice.

1-2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Combine the oil with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Brush the mixture onto one side of the cut up zucchini.

Place the oiled side down onto the grill and then brush the top side. Flip them over when the undersides begin to brown; about 2-3 minutes per side.