Grilled Zucchini with Mint and Red Chili

This recipe requires a little patience because it’s best to let the flavor of the zucchini develop slowly on a not-too-hot grill, rather than just char them quickly. They get a wonderful, almost fried flavor.

INGREDIENTS:
5 medium-sized zucchini (each about 1/2 pound)
1/2 cup olive oil, divided in half
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
a dozen large mint leaves, finely sliced
as much very thinly sliced red chili as you can handle
coarse salt
Preheat your grill to medium.

Cut each zucchini in half crosswise and then cut each half into 1/8" planks. In a very large bowl, toss the zucchini with 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Lay the zucchini on the grill and cook for about four minutes per side, keeping the heat moderate so you’re sweating them and not really giving them a ton of color. Turn the heat up to high and grill for about a minute more on each side to mark them. Depending on the size of your grill, this may need to be done in batches.

Remove the zucchini to a large platter. Whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil with the vinegar, mint and chili (I just use the bowl I originally tossed the zucchini in). Drizzle this over the zucchini, being sure to evenly distribute the chili, sprinkle with coarse salt and serve.

SERVES: 8
TIME: 15 minutes

"Poke" With Figs

A reader's recipe for the fig jam I found under the tree.

Go down to Publix and get yourself a pork tenderloin. Be sure it is a plain one and not marinated in something.

Dry it (because it makes it brown better) Put some EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) in a pan and quickly sear the tenderloin on all sides.Remove tenderloin and set aside. Geglaze the pan with OJ (or white wine) and save.

Deglaze= heat up pan,pour in OJ in and scrape all the stuff (fond=juices/pieces of meat, etc) off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon and set aside.

Put seared tenderloin in a preheated oven and cook at 350 for a few minutes, maybe 25 (depending on how pink you like your pork).

The last few (5) minutes brush on some fig jam.

Heat the OJ and reserves (pan drippings or fond) to serve as gravy.

Remove pork from oven and let sit 5 min before slicing into medallions. Slice, plate up, and drizzle with OJ gravy.

Nice side dishes are white rice and sautéed pineapple rings.

It's really very versatile but you gotta be careful and not overcook it. Like pork chops and other pork that doesn't have alot of fat it can dry out quickly and become tough. If you pull it out of the oven and it's too pink, don't worry, just slice it and put the medallions in the pan and cook them to your desired doneness.

Pork roast, Boston butts, picnic hams and pork shoulders have so much fat you can cook them r-e-a-l slow for hours and the meat will fall apart (a.k.a. Bar-b-que) but we'll save those recipes for the 4th of July.

Bon Appetit!