Our Charred Broccoli soup ingredients, in the pot and finished soup
CHARRED BROCCOLI SOUP WITH GRILLED BROCCOLI FLORETS
Known as the mini tree, broccoli is part of the cruciferous vegetable family that includes cabbage, Brussels sprout, cauliflower, and kale to name a few. Broccoli is low in calories and packed with nutritional value including Vitamin K, C, folate, and potassium.
Although popular as a steamed or stir-fry vegetable, one of the great things when grilling broccoli is it doesn’t lose any nutritional value and you gain great flavor.
Smoked Cabbage on the gas grill using SmokinLicious® filet wood chunk is a wonderful way to add flavor to the vegetable!
IT’S NOT SLAW!
Smoked Cabbage
Bringing you another vegetable to take to the grill and smoke with wood for exceptional flavor. This time we focus on cabbage, a fiber-rich leafy vegetable that has been known to help with so many conditions. We will take wedges of cabbage, paint them with a spicy Dijon sauce and wood-fire them for about an hour using an indirect cooking method. Get your gas grill or charcoal grill ready for our version of smoked cabbage that you’ll want to make again and again.
Wood-fired Smoked Beets before and in the offsetting smoking position on the gas grill with single filet wood chunks!
DEVILED EGG FEATURING WOOD-FIRED SMOKED BEETS
It likely is not the first pick from the root vegetable options but beets have a lot to offer. Not only do they offer health benefits that include potentially lowering blood pressure, reducing inflammation, and improving liver function, they are a naturally sweet item that can be added to salads, side dishes, and appetizers.
I’m going to give you a great recipe for a filled egg that is so much more flavorful and healthy than the traditional deviled egg. Plus, I’m taking it up a notch by wood firing the beets first on the gas grill using wood chunks. So, get to the store or farmers market and select your favorite beets. Then fire up the grill for an easy way to up the flavor on beets.
The Finished Glazed Smoked Turnips are garnished and ready to be served
ROOTING FOR GLAZED SMOKED TURNIPS
It may not be the preferred choice in vegetable but it is one you should get to know as the health benefits noted from turnips are amazing. Known to improve bone health, protect your heart, and be an active cancer fighter, turnips are also known to reduce inflammation and optimize digestion.
Wood fired Lobster Tails with Ash Minuto® smoker wood chips on the Plancha stove-top grill
When the temperatures go down and you simply can’t stand the thought of firing up the grill, but you crave something smoked, think plancha. This is a great method of bringing wood fired flavor to foods using the heat from your gas, electric, conduction, or infrared stove top.
I’m going to add a unique flavor to traditional chili by cooking lobster tail meat on the plancha using AshMinuto® Wood Chips. This will give not only great sear to the lobster meat but a true smoked flavor.
Get ready as we give the SmokinLicious® take on Wood Fired Lobster Tails Chili.
You’ve seen us use our plancha to do squid, now we’re going to smoke some artichoke hearts and mushroom caps using just one application of wood chips. This time, our plancha will be set up with BeechPiccolo® wood chips to infuse wood flavoring into artichoke hearts and button mushroom caps for the ultimate stuffed mushroom appetizer. I’ll take you through the recipe and cooking technique using my plancha on the gas range. Easy entertaining starts here with Stuffed Smoked Artichoke Mushrooms.
Wood Firing the Artichoke Hearts
We start off with a 14 oz. can of artichoke hearts packed in water. This will be roughly 8 artichoke hearts. After draining, rinsing, and patting dry, we fire up the plancha on our gas range placing a small handful of SmokinLicious® Beech Piccolo° wood chips on the plancha. As the plancha temperature rises close to 300° F, it’s time to add the artichoke hearts to the smoker racks. Place the cover on the plancha and let the artichoke smoke for about 8 minutes, turning one time half way through the cooking time. Then remove the hearts from the plancha, rough chop them, and put aside for the mushroom filling.
Button Mushroom Caps
Next on the plancha go the mushroom caps. We prepared them by first washing them, patting them dry, and then removing the stems. The stems are reserved to be used in the filling mix. If you want extra smoky flavor, feel free to smoke the stems as well but you should smoke them separate from the caps so they don’t shrink and lose too much water.
We’re still using the Beech wood chips that were used for the artichoke hearts as these still have plenty of smoke vapor to be released. Again, these mushroom caps will only take a matter of minutes. Remember, mushrooms are loaded with water so don’t let the caps stay on the plancha too long causing them to shrink and fall apart. Just bronze them with the smoke vapor, then remove to be stuffed. A good sign that they are ready to come off the plancha is when you see a small puddle of water forming in the cap.
Mushroom Cap Filling
With the artichoke hearts and mushroom caps smoked, it’s time to start on the filling. Here are the ingredients need for the filling:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small shallot, minced
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
½ cup dry white wine
1 cup grated parmesan
¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme
1 egg white
First, I chop the mushroom stems, dice the shallots, and mince the garlic cloves. In goes the butter to a hot skillet, then all three prepared ingredients are added. Once cooked down, the white wine is added to the mixture with cooking continuing until the wine has evaporated. This is a highly aromatic filling that will blend well with the smoky flavors of the artichoke and mushroom.
The aromatics are now ready for the rest of the filling ingredients. First, add the chopped smoked artichokes hearts. Next in, the parmesan, bread crumbs, parsley, thyme, and egg white. Mix everything together until it binds well. Time to fill the smoked mushroom caps. Using a teaspoon, I fill each mushroom cap heaping the filling on top. Although we prepared 20 mushroom caps, there is enough filling to do 40-50 caps depending on the size of the mushrooms selected. I place these in a baking dish and slide them into a pre-heated 350°F oven for about 30 minutes.
Soon to be the Favorite Stuffed Mushroom Appetizer
After smoking both the artichoke hearts and the mushroom caps, I infused the filling with the smoked, chopped artichoke hearts. With the additional flavors of parmesan, thyme, parsley, garlic, shallot and wine, these mushroom caps are full of flavors including that subtle smoke undertone. These are sure to become a favorite appetizer or snack. Plus, when done on the plancha, they can be smoked year round without concern for the weather.
Smiling Burmese child before surgery for wide, bi-lateral cleft Lip repair. After surgery photo of same child showing the correction! DINING FOR SMILES EVENTPREPARATIONS
DINING FOR SMILES EVENT PREPARATIONS
With the goal to repair children’s broken smiles by providing free comprehensive treatment for cleft lip and palate anomalies in under-served areas of the world, Alliance for Smiles, founded by six members of the San Francisco Rotary Club, Board member Carl Vahl (Chef Calle) hosted a gourmet, six-course dinner to raise funds for this exceptional cause at the Enchanted Valley Inn. And SmokinLicious® was right there to lend our support. We’re going to provide you with a behind-the-scenes look at what goes in to preparing a six-course gourmet meal featuring wood-fired fresh Canadian salmon and wood-fired leg and loin of lamb.
Dining for Smiles- Early Fire Start
For SmokinLicious®, set up is crucial for a long event that has the menu relying on the perfection of the wood-fired proteins. That means ensuring plenty of charwood and wood chunks are at the ready. We keep two chimney starters loaded with charwood to keep a steady flow of hot coals going into the grills. Since this event’s gourmet menu featured four foods to be wood fired – lamb, salmon, red peppers, and Brussels sprouts – it’s necessary to get the fires going early so they can burn down to hot coal beds. That is the key to successful wood-fire cooking. Don’t cook over flames, only hot coals that will radiate heat throughout the grill.
Bringing smoke flavor to stuffed squid done on the plancha will provide wonderful and unique flavor to this appetizer.
STUFFED SQUID COOKED ON THE PLANCHA
We love demonstrating the versatility of SmokinLicious® products with all types of equipment. We’re taking our Piccolo® wood chips to the plancha to smoke infuse some stuffed squid for a unique appetizer. Don’t own a plancha? You can do the same thing with a standard stovetop griddle and a small roasting rack. Or, use a charcoal or gas grill with some wood chunks for the same smoky flavor.
Plancha Cooking
A plancha is a flat top grill made of heavy metal that can be placed on any type of heat source: electric, gas, infrared, induction, charcoal grill, gas grill. Basically, a plancha is a griddle made of metal.
What’s great about a plancha is you can do simple hot smoke infusion using a micro wood chip that is quite fast due to the intense heat these quality metal cookware pieces produce.
My plancha is made by the French company, Mastrad. I prepare the plancha by placing it on my heat source – in this case my gas range – set the heat level to medium-high, place a handful of SmokinLicious®Piccolo® Wood Chips in Beech size #10 on the plancha, and place the two smoking racks on the griddle. I’ll give the wood chips about 5 minutes to heat up and start releasing smoke, then it’s time to place on the stuffed squid bodies.
1-1/2 heads of frisee or other green lettuce, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons capers
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 lime, zested and juiced
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1-1/2 pounds squid, bodies only, rinsed – should be about 8 bodies
Stuffed Squid- Making Stuffing
Time to make the squid stuffing. Taking a medium bowl, combine the seeded and diced tomato, chopped greens, and capers. In a small bowl, make the dressing by whisking together the 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, lime juice and zest, salt, and pepper. Drizzle over the stuffing mixture and toss to coat.
Stuffing the Squid
Taking one squid body at a time, fill with the stuffing mix using a teaspoon within ½ inch of the open top. Then lace a toothpick through the top. Brush all the bodies with the remaining teaspoon of olive oil. Then they’re ready to place on the hot plancha.
Stuffed Squid- Plancha Cooking
With the wood chips hot and releasing smoke vapor, I place the readied stuffed squid on the cooking racks. These will cook and smoke for about 7 minutes before I will turn them. Another 4-5 minutes on the other side, and you’ll see a golden hue and plump shiny bodies emerge. Turn off the heat to your plancha and carefully remove the squid. Cut into 1-inch slices and serve warm.
There are many variations to stuffing squid bodies but this is one that is essentially vegetarian in design so it can be enjoyed by everyone.
Gratin takes a smoky turn by using smoked brussels sprouts
GRATIN TAKES A SMOKY TURN
Gratin is one of those side dishes that usually gets made at the holidays or for a special occasion dinner. For some reason, it has the stigma of being difficult and time consuming.
Nothing could be further from the truth when you use our gratin recipe.
Most gratin recipes don’t contain a lot of ingredients but the béchamel sauce can be tricky if you don’t stay with your saucepan the whole time. For our gratin recipe you will need:
▪ 2 tablespoons butter
▪ 2 tablespoons flour
▪ coarse salt
▪ fresh ground pepper
▪ 2 cups whole milk
▪ 1/3 cup shredded Asiago cheese
▪ 1/3 cup shredded 2nd cheese like Fontina though I’m using a leek cheese
Béchamel sauce is a fancy name for white sauce that starts with a roux of butter and flour. Begin melting two tablespoons of butter in a saucepan. Once melted we add 2 tablespoons of flour and begin the whisking process. This will produce a thick, paste like consistency. Gradually, add the two cups of whole milk, whisking the entire time. This is the key to a good béchamel sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil then reduce to low heat whisking again. Once thickened, season with salt and fresh ground pepper, and remove from the heat. Add in each cheese, whisking each addition until melted.
Gratin- Layer on the Flavor
Time to lay the smoked Brussels sprouts in a baking dish. Try to use a dish big enough to make one even layer of sprouts. Pour the béchamel sauce over the Brussels sprouts ensuring an evening coating. Take the 2/3 cup of Parmesan cheese and sprinkle over the sauced sprouts. Place the baking dish in a preheated 350°F oven for 25 minutes until bubbling and golden.
The cheese cuts through the mild bitterness of the Brussels sprouts while the smoke flavor adds that special taste bud tingle.
Tortellini Gets a Smoky Mate with the addition of Cherry wood smoked Brussels Sprouts! This is a medley and yummy recipe for the winter blues
TORTELLINI GETS A SMOKY MATE
There is something about the perfect pasta dish that isn’t necessarily loaded with a ton of ingredients. I’ve found that the perfect pasta often features only 2-3 ingredients in addition to seasonings. For me, the perfection is in how each of those ingredients contribute to the overall dish.
This is a pasta dish that features the smokiness of Brussels sprouts paired with the citric acid of lemon peel. Mix in the sweetness of caramelized onion and a full-bodied dish emerges.
Tortellini Gets a Smoky Mate- A Smoky Start
The simplicity of the ingredients is what makes this such a flavorful and pleasurable dish. Start by smoking about a pound of Brussels sprouts – you can see our previous series on how to smoke these on the gas grill, an extremely easy and quick method. Then gather 3 tablespoons butter, 1 medium yellow onion that is thinly sliced, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or flavored olive oil, 1-1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, 1 lb. of cheese tortellini, and the zest of 1 lemon. With the Brussels sprouts already smoked, the cooking time for the rest of the dish is about 20 minutes.
Producing Aromatic Flavors
Put a pot of water on for the tortellini to cook according to the packaged directions. What keeps this recipe extra simple is you can use frozen tortellini or fresh packaged rather than making your own and it will be just as spectacular a dish as if you made every ingredient yourself. We start with thinly sliced yellow onion in melted butter, releasing the sweetness of the onion. Once translucent and browning, add the smoked Brussels sprout quarters. Toss together just until the Brussels sprouts heat through.
While the onion and Brussels sprouts cook, our water for the tortellini is salted and brought to a boil. Once at a rolling boil, the pound of cheese tortellini is added. I’m using a frozen variety but you can certainly use fresh. Remember, tortellini is a filled pasta that does not take much time to cook to al dente so don’t turn your back on the pot. It will only be a matter of minutes once the water regains boiling level. Tortellini has the proven sign of being cooked when they float. Once cooked, transfer to a large bowl.
Tortellini Gets a Smoky Mate- Easy Finish
With the tortellini cooked, it’s time to pour the cooked smoky Brussels sprout and onion into the bowl. Once combined, add the tablespoon of olive oil. I’m using a Tuscan flavored olive oil for just a bit more refined flavor but plain EVOO will do. Time to finish this off with fresh ground pepper and salt. The final ingredient – grated lemon zest. Zest right over the bowl. I like a lot of lemon zest so I zest the entire lemon.
After smoking Brussels sprouts using cherry wood, we made a hearty pasta dish that blended the flavors of sweet onion, smoky Brussels sprout, and lemon zest. Added to cheese tortellini gets a smoky mate, this is so flavorful and easy to make. Think of the many variations you can give this dish: adding butternut squash, or zucchini cubes, or perhaps chestnut when in season. Even artichoke hearts. So many opportunities to put your own fingerprint on this dish.
This recipe is sure to give you a great start on incorporating your favorite ingredients. We’d love to hear what you think about our blog post “Tortellini Gets a Smoky Mate” so leave us a comment and subscribe to get all our postings on techniques and recipes. Bringing innovation to wood fired cooking with recipes, techniques and the science behind the fire, that’s SmokinLicious®.
Wood Firing the Artichoke Hearts
Button Mushroom Caps
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he simplicity of the ingredients is what makes this such a flavorful and pleasurable dish. Start by smoking about a pound of Brussels sprouts – 
