Appetizer: Grilled Pizza in/on a stick.
This originally was going to be a grilled kabob of pizza dough and toppings arranged that when everything was done, the grilled items were pulled onto the crust and eaten as a single bite. Test runs of this dish didn't go so well so I revised to more of a grilled calzone/kabob.
Ingredients:
Pizza Dough (Our local Bloom and pizza house both stock dough ready made, I cheated and used this).
Pepperoni
Sweet Cherry Tomatoes cut in half
Mozzarella Balls
Olive Oil
Basil
Grated parmesan
On a skewer I alternated Pepperoni chunks with the tomato and mozzarella. With the dough I stretched it into long length that I brushed with olive oil and added basil and the grated parmesan onto. From there, the skewers were layed into the dough and wrapped like a calzone, making sure the toppings kabob was completely enveloped in dough. After a quick wipedown of the grill with some oil, I threw the pizzas on to the grill for a few minutes until the dough was set and evenly cooked on all sides. Serve with a bit of pizza sauce (optional) and enjoy!
Main Course: Asian Lamb Lollipops with a Duo of Sauces
This course had 3 components and I'll post each bit by itself for ease of following
Meat (adapted from a Dan Aykroyd/Martha Stewart recipe) :
1.5 tablespoon chopped garlic
1.5 tablespoon grated fresh peeled ginger
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for pan
2 tablespoons cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt (this could be subbed by using regular soy sauce, more on this below)
15 lamb lollipops (frenched hotel rack broken into individual chops)
In a bowl, add everything but the lollipops and stir to combine and pour over the lamb in a large vessel, marinate over night, flipping once to twice. The marinade will be good after 2 hours, but overnight really helps.
On the test of this recipe, I didn't add the teaspoon salt and it was very obvious. Since we don't keep regular soy in the house, I just pre salted the meat before it soaked in the marinade. Grill to medium at most and rest before serving. In true battle style, we decided the meat wouldn't be enough and paired the lamb with two different contrasting sauces, a Chimichurri, and a Tzatziki Sauce
Tzatziki Sauce
from (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Tzatziki-Sauce/Detail.aspx)
8oz Greek Yogurt
1 cucumber peeled, seeded, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper to taste
1-1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
1-1/2 cloves garlic, peeled
Combine in a blender, toss in the fridge, and let sit 2+ hours before serving.
Chimichurri Sauce
from (http://www.globalgourmet.com/destinations/argentina/sauce.html)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
1 clove garlic
2 minced shallots
1 teaspoon minced basil, thyme or oregano, or mixture
Salt and pepper to taste
