Tag Archives: grilling

“Johnnie Walker” brined chicken breasts

Do you remember the last time you’ve grilled chicken breasts? No? Oh don’t get worried, your memory is just fine! You are in a good company – many people simply avoid grilling chicken breasts. Why? Well, for one simple reason – it often comes out dry as a desert!

In a whole chicken the breast is the leanest part, very low fat, and when grilling it dries almost instantly. So, since shortening cooking time isn’t an option here (unlike beef, chicken must always be “well done” – that’s a food safety matter), another obvious idea is to “push” extra liquids into the meat. Yes, you may use an injector, and by all means, if you’re in a hurry, do use it, indeed! However, there is a much simpler and basic way – brining!

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Lemon & herbs roasted hens

Hi there!

Very often my recipes are quite complex, but sometimes I like to go back to the “keep it simple” approach, and this is one of those times. Hens, simply halved, rubbed with olive oil and spices and grilled – quick score when you don’t want to get into complications.

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Aussie lamb shanks, the Irish way

Hey there!

In my cooking I very often mix and match different styles, tastes and techniques, mainly because I love experimenting, but also because the results can be absolutely stunning. This is one of those adventures – Aussie lamb shanks, seasoned with a wonderful “Three Little Pigs Touch of Cherry” BBQ rub, one of the best commercially available rubs I’ve tried, and then roasted with a pint of Guinness stout (“The black stuff”, as they call it in Ireland).

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Pork fillet & bacon roll

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Hi mates!

It’s been a long while, as I’ve been busy with my other projects, which I will be delighted to share with you quite soon. My wood workshop has been made fully operational and I am trying my luck as a hobbyist woodworker.

However, my barbie was not given any days off! So here is a quick and very easy to make pork fillet roll, grilled, needless to mention. And with some extra bacon reinforcement it really is a treat!

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Grilled Tasmanian salmon

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Grilling or smoking for me is by far the most preferred way to cook fish. There’s something utterly primal in the combination of fish and fire, since, mind you, this is just the way our great great ancestors used to cook it, right after pulling the fish out of the waters… The sea was the taste, the smoke was the spice and the fire was the soul.

Salmon is one of the most noble creatures of the sea and it deserves the noble and most traditional treatment – open fire!

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Mpiftekia (Greek burgers) and souvlaki – simple pleasures

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Hi there!

When I posted this photo on my Facebook page I wrote “burgers and kabobs”. However, since I got quite a few complaints from my Greek speaking friends (and working in a company with a big branch in Cyprus, I have a bunch of those 🙂 ), I decided to give this post a Greek spirit. So, today we are grilling mpiftekia – Greek burgers, and souvlaki – chicken thigh fillet skewers. And yeah, you’ll get extra points if you’re able to actually pronounce those names 🙂 🙂 🙂

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Grilled “mititei” – back to the roots…

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Hi mates!

Those of you who follow my posts probably remember my origins, roots, if you like, are from Eastern Europe. Generally speaking, Russian, I would say, but being more specific, I was born in Bessarabia, a relatively small piece of land in between Moldova, Ukraine and the Black Sea. Throughout its whole history Bessarabia was a very desired trophy – it’s been conquered by Turks, Romanians, Russians and a handful of others who ruled the land for shorter periods of time… Such a mixture of cultures created a very interesting culinary fusion as well, and Bessarabia’ cooking is heavily influenced by that of the conquerors – Turkey and Romania mainly, but also Russia and Ukraine. So, today I want to show you my take on a traditional Romanian “mititei” – grilled ground meat rolls, as I remember them from my childhood.

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