Finally I Can Grill Again

It had been about 2 weeks without my grill. I unfortunately had run out of propane and was unable to get it filled until this past weekend. I went a bit crazy cooking tonight out of excitement for my normal summer cooking routine to be back. It was all worth it. For one, I had an amazing grilled albacore tuna steak with grilled zucchini, artichokes, and Yukon gold potatoes. Then with a ton of left over grilled zucchini ,thanks to my mother's garden garden, i decided to throw together a pesto pasta salad for lunch this week (pesto also left over). It always helps to keep the pantry stocked with items that can do double duty for creating new dishes out of your left overs.


Grilled Albacore Tuna

Ingredients

• 1 small clove crushed garlic
• 1 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh lemon thyme (can sub regular thyme and a little lemon juice)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 Albacore Tuna steak
• Non-stick cooking spray
  

Mix first 5 ingredients together in a both for marinade. Combine the marinade and tuna in a plastic zip top bag. Marinade for 20 minutes. Heat grill over medium high heat. Spray tuna with non stick cooking spray on eat side prior to placing on the grill. Be careful and do not spray the cooking oil near the open flames!

Grill for 2-3 minutes on eat side depending on your preference. Tuna is always best slightly rare in the center.

I was first introduced to the following recipe for artichokes by the wonderful Struhm family. This is the only way you will ever each an artichoke after you try this. The extra time to put the artichokes on the grill is way worth it.

Grilled Artichokes

Ingredients

• 2 medium to large artichokes
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 tbsp finely chopped garlic
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon
• Salt
• Pepper

Cut off the tips and stems of each artichoke. Then trim the pointy tips of the remaining leaves. Stuff between the leaves the onion and garlic. Steam the artichokes cut side facing upwards so the onions and garlic stay in the leaves. Depending on the size of the artichokes, this could take about 15-25 minutes. The best way to test if an artichoke is cooked is to stick a knife through the base of the stem. If the knife easily goes into the stem (heart) it is cooked.

Hold the artichoke vertically with a pair of tongs and cut the artichoke in half, starting at the stem. Scoop out the fussy hair and small leaves from the center each half. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on the grill cut side down, grill for 1-2 minutes or until grill marks are made on the artichoke. Serves with lemon wedges or your favorite dipping sauce.

Grilled Zucchini in Pesto

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp toasted pine nuts
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 1/2 tbsp fresh parmigiano reggiano cheese, grated
• 15-20 leaves fresh basil
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups of 1/2-3/4 inch thick sliced zucchini
  
• 1/2 tsp Pepper
• 1/4 tsp Salt
  

Using a food processor or Magic Bullet (best invention ever!) finely chop/blend together the garlic, toasted pine nuts, cheese, salt, and pepper. Add the basil leaves and olive oil. Blend together until all the ingredients are well mixed and basil finely chopped. Pour 2 tbsp pesto sauce over the sliced zucchini and mix until zucchini is evenly coated. Let sit for about 5 minutes to marinade. Grill until tender.

Italian Pasta Salad

• 1/2 lb campanelle pasta
• 1/3-1/2 cup left over grilled zucchini, diced
  
• 1/2 cup canned artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
  
• 1/2 cup cannellini beans (white kidney beans)
• 1/4 cup canned roasted red bell pepper, diced
  
• 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, diced
  
• 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
  
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh tomato, seeded
• 1 tbsp fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
  
• 1/4 cup pesto

Cook pasta according to package directions. In a large bowl while the pasta is cooking, combine the remaining 8 ingredients. Add the pasta and stir in pesto. Add salt and pepper to your taste.