Steak Dinner with Grilled Pears

I enjoy a juicy steak every so often, and had a taste for one earlier this week. I pulled it out of the freezer Wednesday morning to defrost in the fridge, then when I checked on it last night it was defrosted and ready to go. 

I rubbed it with Pride of Szeged Rib Rub (which I have been grooving on for a few weeks now) rather than their steak rub. The Rib Rub is somehow familiar, not like my go-to steak rub Hot Rocks from Pelican Bay, but more BBQ-y like something from the Stubbs catalogue of spice rubs.

I had a couple pears begging for attention, so I grilled them too, and flavoured them with Pico Fruta spice blend from Penzey's. I figured pears would be like having vegetable plus dessert at the same time!

Steak was deliciously juicy, after a moderate rest after coming off the grill. I mopped-up every drop of juice with the cut slices of meat so that nothing was wasted beyond the excess fat. 

I have always loved grilling fruits, it helps lend a very different intensity to the flavour - and the char/caramelization really adds to the taste too! 

You can find Pride of Szeged spices in many groceries; if your market doesn't carry it look at ethnic markets with an Eastern European clientele. Amazon also carries their spices too.

Pico Fruta can be obtained from Penzey's spice stores or online at https://penzeys.com/.

Jerk Chicken Salad from Phlavz Jerk Off Good Truck

Yummy jerk chicken salad for lunch today, from a new food truck! Phlavz Jerk Off features tacos, nachos, salad, bowls, chicken "tips", and more, featuring their chicken and spicy Jerk Off Sauce.

The salad had a generous portion of greens, grape tomatoes, a big scoop of what seemed to be ground jerk chicken, your choice of dressing, and Jerk Off Sauce. 

Very tasty and surprisingly spicy, but in a really good way - not infernally hot! Next time I might try their Jerk Chicken "Tips" or Pineapple Bowlz!

Fig, Pear, and Gorgonzola Pizza

I loves me some figs! My love of figs goes way back to childhood, when our next-door neighbors had a fig tree, and they generously shared the plump juicy fruits. I love eating them fresh, but also look for additional ways to use them. 

I have tried pizza made with fig jam before (a sticky mess) but after finding $0.50 figs at the grocery, I thought to try with fresh produce.

I sliced the figs, and a pear. The base of the pizza, crust + sliced mozzarella cheese, remained. I added fresh rosemary and oregano from the garden, gorgonzola cheese, and arranged the fig and pear slices. A quick grind of black pepper and onto the grill!

Wow - very tasty but not an in-your-face sort of thing, but something to slowly savor with a glass of wine, or dry gin martini! 

Next time, maybe a few crumbles of bacon will amplify the flavour profile! 

Turkey Köfte Kebap and Veggies

I loves me some kebap. Meat or veggie, it's all good! I thought a vacation day would be a good opportunity to try (again) ground meat kebap (köfte in Turkish). I have never really gotten the knack of loading the skewer with ground meat properly, it always fell off on the way to the grill or on the grill, leading to A Mess.

This time I had my new 1" wide skewers, made for ground meat. I spiced up the ground turkey, minced the onion, garlics, and green pepper in the food chopper, squeezed out the excess water, and combined it all, even adding a bit more cinnamon to the Turkish spice blend. 

I go to load up the skewers and it all just falls right off. Something wasn't right with the texture or technique. By this time, the veg (red onion, sweet little peppers, tomatoes, and zucchini) were nearing doneness on the grill, so I just made köfte patties and grilled them like burgers.

I grilled those köfte until they were 165F+ but still nice and juicy. They were very tasty, and I have plenty of leftovers in the freezer too for a quick after-work supper! 

Chicken Burrito from Bella's Tacos Food Truck

A tasty burrito lunch from Bella's Tacos - I have seen the truck about but this is the first time I've tried their food. Am I happy that I did! 

The burrito was loaded with chicken and supplied with hot or mild sauce (I chose hot!). Very good, really hits the spot! 

Key Lime Chicken Kebap

I had a taste for chicken so I took a large breast out of the freezer before leaving for work today. I briefly considered splitting and grilling, but on the train home I thought "Hmmm... Kebap!"

Once home, I dug out the skewers, cut up the chicken, and started looking for spice rubs.

Lemon Pepper, no... Mesquite Lime, closer but still no... Then I came across my Key West Key Lime Seasoning - mmmm yesss! 

I tossed the chicken liberally with the seasoning, lit the grill and got it prepped. Came back in and skewered a couple sweet peppers from the garden and a lime cut in half...

The steel skewers help the food cook from the inside, so kebap are good for a quick meal... A few turns using my OveGlove and it was dinnertime! 

I have always been partial to lime, so I prepped a "Sophisticated Adult Beverage" containing the juice of a whole lime to accompany dinner. 

Very tasty, and reasonably healthy too! The chicken was tender and juicy and had this luscious lime-and-spice flavour. I squeezed the skewered limes over the chicken for even more of a citrus lime kick! 

Here is the spice - I think I picked it up at one of those tourist trap stores in Pigeon Forge, TN... Hit me up if you're interested, I can send the name of the producer... 

Chicago Combo Pizza from Da Pizza Dude Food Truck

I have been hoping Da Pizza Dude would be nearby soon after seeing them on the Chicago's Best TV show, and it was worth the wait! 

I enjoyed the Chicago Combo for lunch, with sausage, Italian beef, and mild giardinera. Oh boy, what a treat! Delicious and filling, and oh that crust... Light and airy but still crispy! 

Highly recommended! 

Chicken Doner Wrap Lunch frim DonerMen Food Truck

It has been quite a while since I last saw DonerMen, they must be very busy with their brick-and-mortar tap in Avondale. I have had their DonerBox several times (doner meat and toppings over either salad or fries), but tried a wrap today. Jam-packed with chicken, lettuce, pickles, and harissa sauce, it really hits the spot!