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May 24, 2002

from: Spike's and Jamie's Recipe Collection

http://www.spike-jamie.com/

Many of these recipes have not yet been added to the recipe web site, so 

you are getting a "sneak peek" of future additions. We hope you enjoy 
these recipes. Spike's comments are in []Brackets[].

Shalom, from 

Spike the Grate & Jamie the Webmistress

[] California people are cooking in their back yards this time of year. 
Presumably, people in other states enjoy barbecued meals in any area 
where the weather is
pleasant enough to be outdoors. []

BARBECUED CHUCK ROAST
Begin the evening before planning to serve:

California Marinade (see below)
3 pounds beef chuck roast -- 2 1/2 to 3 inches thick (3 to 
4-pounds)
2 tablespoons ketchup

CALIFORNIA MARINADE
Mix together:
2 cloves garlic -- crushed
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary OR 1 tsp dried rosemary 
leaves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard (dry)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar OR 1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup sherry OR 1/4 cup apple juice

Prepare California Marinade in shallow nonmetal dish or resealable 
plastic bag. 

Add beef to marinade, turning to coat with marinade. Cover dish or seal 
bag and refrigerate, turning beef frequently, at least 8 hours but no 
longer than 24 hours.

Brush grill rack with vegetable oil. Heat coals or gas grill for direct 
heat.

Remove beef from marinade. Insert barbecue meat thermometer so tip is in 
center of beef and not touching bone. Place marinade in heatproof 
container; stir in ketchup. Heat marinade mixture on grill, stirring 
occasionally, until heated through; brush over beef. 
Grill beef uncovered 4 to 5 inches from MEDIUM heat 1 to 1 1/4 hours, 
turning and brushing every 10 minutes with hot marinade, until medium 
doneness (155ºF on meat thermometer). Discard any remaining marinade. 
Serves 6
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[] While you are out in the back yard at the barbee, you can rest 
assured that
your veggies are cooking properly in the oven, . . . []

APRICOT-SWEET POTATO BAKE

6 medium sweet potatoes (2 lbs)
1 c dried apricots
1/4 c butter
2 eggs
2 t grated orange peel
3/4 t salt
orange slices

Cook sweet potatoes in boiling salted water about 30 minutes. Drain and 
peel. Meanwhile cook apricots in small amount of boiling water for 
about 10 minutes; drain.

In large bowl, beat potatoes, apricots, and butter until
fluffy. Beat in eggs, orange peel, and salt. Bake, covered, at 3250 
for one hour. Garnish with orange slices.
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[]…. while your salad rests in the fridge. []

FENNEL GREEN BEAN AND OLIVE SALAD

1 lb. tender green beans, trimmed
1 lg. fennel (AKA anise) bulb, about 1 lb.
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 canned flat anchovy fillet, minced
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
Coarse salt to taste 
1/4 cup oil-cured black olives, pitted and quartered (small Greek 
olives)
Freshly ground pepper

If green beans are large, cut them in half lengthwise. Do not use old 
beans. Blanch them in an abundant amount of boiling salted water until 
tender yet crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold running 
water; shake dry. 

Trim stalks from the fennel bulb and cut away any bruised, discolored or 
tough outer leaves. Cut the bulb in half lengthwise. Trim the root end, 
cut out the core at the base of the bulb. Slice lengthwise into thin 
strips. To make the dressing, combine olive oil, lemon juice, anchovy, 
garlic and salt in a large salad bowl. Before serving, removed the 
garlic clove, toss the fennel and green beans in the dressing. Sprinkle 
with olives and grind pepper over the top. 

Serves 4. (Note: The author cheated: He placed the dressing ingredients 
in his processor and briefly processed with the steel knife, thus 
ensuring no one would get a piece of the anchovy. Such is life...you 
either love anchovies or hate them.)
>From Cucina Fresca cookbook (now out of print). www.chef2chef.com

[] I don’t believe that I would miss the anchovy if it weren’t in there 
at all. I must admit I don’t know why God put anchovies on earth – 
perhaps it was done so that we would really appreciate the GOOD STUFF!. 
Here’s a dessert: []

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STRAWBERRY FOOL

2 pkg frozen strawberries (10 oz each), or about 1 1/2 lbs fresh 
strawberries
1 cup dry almond macaroons, crumbled
2 cup heavy cream, whipped

Thaw strawberries and puree in blender, just until smooth. Turn into 
serving bowl; refrigerate. Just before serving, fold macaroons into 
cream; spoon on top of puree, then gently fold together, leaving streaks 
of red and white.

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[] It is always important to cook ground meats until they are well done. 
Always wash hands and preparation surfaces with hot, soapy water before 
and after handling raw meats. Food poisoning is not fun. []

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[] Here’s another enjoyable barbee entrée: []

FAJITA BURGERS

1 T Olive oil
1 Onion,small red,chopped
1 Bell pepper,small,chopped
1 Garlic clove,minced
1 1/4 lb Ground chicken or turkey (or beef, if you insist)
1 T Lime juice (omit if using beef)
1 t Chili powder
1 t Salt
4 Flour tortillas
1 c Salsa
Guacamole

1. Prepare a hot fire in a grill. In a large skillet, heat oil. Add 
onion and red pepper and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until 
vegetables are lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 
minute. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

2. In medium bowl, combine cooked vegetables, ground chicken, lime 
juice, chili powder and salt. Using wet hands, form into 4 ovals about 
2" wide and 4 1/2" long.

3. Place patties in center of oiled grill set 4-6" from coals. Cook, 
turning once, until browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer burgers to 
outside edge of grill and continue grilling, turning once, until burgers 
are cooked through and meat springs back when pressed lightly with a 
finger, 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, wrap tortillas in aluminum foil and 
place on sides of grill to heat through.
4. Place warm tortillas and bowls of salsa and guacamole on table.

Let each guest place a burger on a tortilla, top with salsa and 
guacamole, roll up and enjoy. Serves 4

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[] With these fajita burgers, regardless of which meat you use, it 
would seem appropriate to serve crisp, fresh veggies and an assortment 
of dips, rather than
a “formal” cooked vegetable. Some kind of flan would be a nice dessert. 
[]

CITRUS SCENTED FLAN WITH COFFEE CARAMEL
Serves 8-10

For coffee caramel: 
1/2 cup sugar 
1/4 cup freshly brewed coffee 

For flan: 
2 cups milk (less 2 tsp if using vanilla extract)
1 cup heavy cream 
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
1 (3 1/2-inch) cinnamon stick, split lengthwise 
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 
Grated zest of 1 lemon 
Grated zest of 1 lime 
Grated zest of 1 orange 
3 large eggs 
6 large egg yolks 
1 cup sugar 
1/8 teaspoon salt 
Lime and orange slices and zest for decoration (optional) 

Prepare caramel: In small saucepan, combine sugar and coffee. Cook over 
medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cook without stirring until 
caramel reaches 238 degrees on candy thermometer or a bit forms a soft 
ball in ice water. Pour caramel into 6-cup charlotte mold (3 1/2 inches 
deep) or a 1 1/2-quart soufflé dish, tilting to coat bottom and slightly 
up sides.

Prepare flan: In medium-size saucepan, combine milk, cream, vanilla 
bean, cinnamon stick, nutmeg and lemon, lime and orange zests. Bring 
mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat. Remove pan from heat, cover 
and let steep for 30 minutes. Strain through fine sieve set over a bowl, 
pressing solids with a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, egg 
yolks, sugar and salt. Slowly whisk in milk mixture. Strain through fine 
sieve over caramel in the mold.

Place mold in large baking pan and add enough hot water to reach halfway 
up side of mold. Bake 1 hour or until custard is just set. Remove mold 
from water and set on wire rack. When cool, chill for at least 4 hours. 
To serve, run a knife around edge of mold to loosen flan. Invert flan 
onto serving platter with a lip to contain the caramel. Decorate platter 
with fruit slices and zest, if desired.

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[] We hope you have a nice holiday for Memorial Day Weekend, having paid 
your respects appropriately. []

Shalom, 

from Spike and Jamie

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