Cooking With Heat

By Adam Ross

To make summer entertaining easier, the Scene asked a number of local chefs to share their favorite summer recipes with us. This way, in the hot months ahead, you won’t have to expend the extra energy required to think up a menu.

The only guidelines we gave our esteemed participants was that they supply us with dishes that were extra-delicious. And since we like a bit of vino with our meal but don’t know a Bordeaux from Pinot, Craig Clifft, general manager and wine steward at Sunset Grill, has supplied a recommended wine (available at your local liquor store) to accompany each dish.

Kenji Ohno, chef

Ken’s Japanese Restaurant

2007 Division St. 321-2444

Chicken Tempura With Spring Onion Dressing Serves 6

12 chicken strips

2 cups tempura flour

2 cups ice water

2 egg yolks

vegetable oil

Dressing:

6 spring onions

1/2 cup Japanese rice vinegar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/8 cup chicken stock

3 Tbs. mirin

1 Tbs. sesame oil

1/2 Tbs. hot pepper

Dressing: Cut spring onion into very thin slices and place in a bowl. Then add the vinegar, mirin, pepper, soy sauce, chicken stock, and sesame oil.

Tempura: In a bowl, gently mix the tempura flour, water, and egg yolk. (Don’t overmix; the batter should be lumpy.)

Heat the oil in a deep pan to 325/350 degrees. Coat the chicken lightly with flour.

Dip each strip into the batter and fry until lightly golden. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towel.

Serve immediately with dressing on the side.

Craig’s Wine Choice: 1998 Bonny Doon Pacific Rim Riesling, $12. A dry-style Riesling with great fruit and good acidity.

Freddy Brooker, chef

The Trace, 2000 Belcourt Ave. 385-2200

Grilled Swordfish with Mediterranean Salsa Serves 4

4 8 oz. pcs. swordfish (approximately 1 inch thick)

Marinade mixture:

2 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme

2 Tbs. chopped Italian parsley

1/4 cup olive oil

dash of salt and pepper

Mediterranean salsa:

1 medium pepper, finely diced

3 plum tomatoes, finely diced

1 medium red onion

3 Tbs. capers

1 medium cucumber (peeled, seeded, and dried)

4 Tbs. pitted black olives, finely diced

2 Tbs. basil

2 Tbs. minced garlic

2 limes, juiced

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Rub swordfish with above mixture and marinate for 15 minutes. Grill at high heat and cook swordfish for four to five minutes per side. Top with a dollop of Mediterranean salsa and serve with assorted vegetables.

Craig’s Wine Choice: 1997 Hannah Hillside Blend, $17. A red blend built in a Chianti style.

Warm Fruit Compote Serves 4

This recipe is adapted from Jeremiah Towers’ New American Classics.

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tbs. butter

1/3 cup water

juice from 1/2 fresh lemon

1 1/2 cups mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries, black berries)

1 banana, sliced

1 mango, diced

1 pint vanilla ice cream

Make a light sugar syrup by heating the water and sugar together in a 10-inch sauté pan until the sugar is dissolved. Add the lemon juice and fruit to the syrup and cook over medium heat for one to two minutes, shaking the pan gently to coat the fruit. Add the butter and continue cooking until melted.

Spoon the fruit into four bowls and place scoops of ice cream in the center of each serving.

Craig’s Wine Choice: Bonny Doon Muscat Vin de Glaciere, $18 1/2 bottle. Considered a dessert wine; sweet with numerous complex fruit flavors.

Debra Paquette, chef

Zola, 3001 West End Ave. 320-7778

Moroccan Lamb Sausage (Keftas) with various sauces Serves 6

This sausage is a great outdoor summer grill item served plain or in a pita with sprouts, shredded greens, and raw onion. The several sauces included give the dish wonderfully different accents.

2 1/2 pounds ground lamb (needs to be 10% fat)

2 lemons (use zest, peel away white, and finely chop the lemon)

1/4 cup dry mint

1 Tbs. ground coriander

2 tsp. caraway seed

1/4-1/3 cup chopped cilantro

1 Tbs. chopped garlic

1 Tbs. kosher salt

1 1/2 Tbs. cumin

1 Tbs. chili flakes

1/4 cup vegetable oil

In a small sauté pan, simmer caraway, cumin, and chili flakes about 1 minute on medium heat. Cool. Add all ingredients to lamb and mix well. Test a sample in a sauté pan to be sure of seasoning. Let sausage sit two to three hours in fridge.

The choice of cooking is yours. Either:

1. Make patties and grill (medium to low flame)

2. Place mix on cookie sheet, flatten to 1 inch, leaving 2 inches around edge for fat to go. Cook 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Leave fat on pan 15 minutes, then drain.

3. Make long oval patties, grill, cool, then stick with metal skewers. Reheat before serving.

4. If meat is not holding together well enough to make a patty, throw two eggs in and mix well, add a cup of bread crumbs, bake, and serve as meatloaf.

Sauces:

Cumin Cilantro Yogurt

1 qt. low-fat yogurt

1 Tbs. toasted cumin seed

2 Tbs. chopped cilantro

1/2 Tbs. salt

pinch cayenne

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 medium finely diced tomato

Place yogurt in fine strainer and let sit for at least 6 hours. Yield is 2 cups. Afterwards, mix with above ingredients. Serve in a bowl as a garnish.

Craig’s Wine Choice: 1997 Marquis de Grinon Rioja, $10. Great wine for the money with enough spice and pepper to add flavor to any dish.

Sun-dried Tomato Tapenade

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes

1 cup hot water

1/4 cup olive oil