Belated Sunday recipe

[fabrisse]

There was an article recently in the food section of The Washington Post that maintained marinating only needs to take about five minutes. Apparently, whatever changes are going to occur happen very quickly. It's good to know. It's also good to know that unless you're using papaya juice, which has enzymes that dissolve proteins, it doesn't hurt to leave it longer.

I find preparing marinades and letting the meat soak overnight is a great way for a cook to anticipate the party. Beyond that, especially with grilling, preparing the marinade can be the most labor intensive part of the meal. Get it out of the way early, then only the last minute stuff will need to be done.

The Professor does a really killer Korean Barbecue marinade, but, sadly, I don't have his recipe.

The Marinade I use for meaty fish is based on "Veronique" style dishes found in French restaurants.

For two pounds of fish:
1 Tablespoon of neutral oil (light olive oil, canola, safflower, vegetable)
1 cup of sweet white wine (for those allergic to alcohol, white grape juice or white grape juice and water may be substituted)
1 to 2 Tablespoons fresh tarragon coarsely chopped or 2 teaspoons dried
Handful Seedless white grapes (optional)
1 Tablespoon of chopped shallot or sweet onion or white of one leek (optional)

This can be done with any firm fish. I especially like it with monk fish. If you cut the monkfish into chunks, it works well on skewers for shish kebab on the grill. It also works for fillets under the broiler and can be done for baked chicken.

For Two Pounds of Chicken:
This was an inspiration for a grill party we were having. We had marinated the meat in The Professor's Korean barbecue and the fish in the marinade above, but we couldn't figure out what worked for the chicken. We used boneless chicken breasts cut into chunks, again, for shish kebabs. It also works well on fish.

Margarita Marinade
1 Tablespoon of neutral oil (see above0
1 cup of lime juice
1 Tablespoon of Kosher salt
1/2 cup of Tequila
1 to 2 teaspoons of ground cumin

The cumin makes it. Really, it's good.

And if you have a grill, I recommend shish kebab parties. The meat or other (tofu, tempeh, mushrooms) gets put out in a line with the chopped vegetables. Everyone puts together his or her own skewer depending on taste. That way, no one has to eat bell pepper. *G*

Comments

[riverfox.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :)

What's your opinion on using milk as part of a marinade for chicken? I've used it with chipotle tobasco, let it sit for a few hours. It doesn't really soften or keep in moisture, unless one is deep frying, but it definitely gives a pronounced flavor and does well for baking.

Lately, all I've done for my chicken is use a type of rub when baking. Seasoning salt, olive oil, curry, chipotle tobasco. I'll substitute the curry with Italian seasoning mixes (I can only afford all the dry stuff right now). Any suggestions along those lines of flavors?

[fabrisse.livejournal.com]

I've never used milk. I'd have to try it before giving an opinion. If it helps, I know I like cream gravy on top of it. *G*

My most basic rub is salt, pepper, either thyme or rosemary, and onion powder with the thyme or garlic powder with the rosemary. A friend of mine adds a little turmeric to it, too. It has a great flavor for baked chicken with either combination.

[riverfox.livejournal.com]

LOL Fair enough. :)

Thanks. :) I use most of those, although I do tend to add a dash of chipotle (that is, smoked cayenne -- and I specify that only because when someone says "chipotle", people nowadays think it only means smoked jalapeno).

[eanja]

I'm going to assume that the 5 minute marinade idea only works if your meat is cut into very small pieces. I'm mostly used to marinading roasts, where you really do need a while for the marinade to work through to the center.

[fabrisse.livejournal.com]

According to the Post article, the marinade never penetrates beyond 1/8 of an inch in depth whether it's five minutes or overnight. I think it tastes better left longer, myself.

[eanja]

No offense to the Post, but I've made enough Sauerbraten over the years to think that's bullshit. If nothing penetrates the meat, the inside of a marinated roast would taste completely different than the outside edge. I'm also not sure how it would stop things from spoiling- I've left a sauerbraten in marinade for up to three weeks (I was going on vacation as a grad student and didn't want to waste the whole thing after it defrosted)- if it wasn't essentially being pickled through, why wouldn't it just have spoiled? I'm pretty sure if I just dunked meat in boiling water to sterilize it and then plopped it in the fridge for several weeks, it wouldn't want to eat it at the end.

[fabrisse.livejournal.com]

I agree with you. I wouldn't have been able to pickle sausages if it didn't penetrate. But this guy swears it can only go 1/8 of an inch.