Before you pack away that BBQ, consider the romance of dining outdoors under the stars on a Fall evening with a Mediterranean style feast. This seduction meal calls for grilled Lamb Kabobs and Fennel that marinate overnight in a blend of juices and herbs. The results? Bold enticing flavors and tender, succulent lamb. This can be served with a side dish of rice. End your romantic soiree with the sweet temptation of baklava--here is a recipe from SimplyRecipes.com that caught my eye.

Mediterranean Lamb Kabobs
8 servings
Preparation time:  20 minutes
Marinate time:  12 hours
Cook time:  10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 fennel bulb
• 1 cup tomato vegetable juice
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro or parsley
• 2 tablespoons fennel seed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 pounds American Lamb, boneless leg, cut in 1-inch cubes
• 1 cup small boiled onions
• 2 oranges, cut into chunks (with skin)12-inch bamboo skewers, soaked in water

Directions

1. Remove green stems from fennel bulb.  Peel off 6 outer layers.  Cut into 1-inch squares; reserve. 
   
2. Finely chop remaining fennel. 
   
3. In large non-metal bowl, stir together chopped fennel, juices, onion, cilantro or parsley, fennel seed, salt and pepper.
   
4. Add lamb cubes, fennel cubes and onions; cover and refrigerate overnight, turning occasionally.

To Grill the Kabobs

1. Use a 12-inch bamboo skewer to make kabobs by alternating lamb cubes, orange chunks, fennel squares and onions.  Repeat, making all skewers. 
   
2. Broil 4 to 6 inches from source of heat for about 10 to 14  minutes, turning once.
   

Recipe and image courtesy of the American Lamb Board

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Here's an alternative to beef burgers that went over big time for my last BBQ bash. I served this with a tomato, onion dill salad, and grilled corn-on-the-cob. This was paired with ice-cold beer and lime slices.

Grilled American Lamb Burgers
Recipe and photo courtesy of the American Lamb Board
8 servings

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground American Lamb
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 teaspoon seasoned pepper
• 8 hamburger buns, split and toasted
• 8 lettuce leaves
• 4 thin slices red onion, split into rings
• 16 tomato slices

Directions

1. In large bowl, combine ground lamb, tomato sauce, oats, onion, basil, garlic powder, seasoned salt and pepper.  Mix until all ingredients are blended.  Shape into eight 1/2-inch thick patties.
2. To Grill:  Cook over medium-hot coals.  Grill 4 inches from coals 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness:  145ºF for medium-rare, 160ºF for medium or 170ºF for well.  
3. To Broil:  Place lamb patties on broiler pan.  Broil lamb 4 inches from source of heat for 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness:  145ºF for medium-rare, 160ºF for medium or 170ºF for well. 

Plating the Dish

1. Arrange lettuce leaf on bottom half of each bun. 
   
2. Top with onion rings, 2 tomato slices, cooked lamb patties and bun top.
   

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You can't go wrong with grilled steak and a delicious salad served with a full bodied red wine--such a simple seduction meal that is always a hit. Here we have grilled rib eye steak lightly seasoned with salt, pepper and minced garlic, grilled medium-rare, sliced and topped with two pats of black truffle butter. To accompany this dish we prepared a Mediterranean Salad of mixed greens, artichokes, black olives, cherry tomatoes,  onions, olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon.

Grilled Steak with Black Truffle Butter Buttons
Serves Two

Ingredients:

• 2 Ribeye Steaks without the bone
  
• 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
• Black Truffle oil
• Black Truffle butter

Directions:

1. Remove steaks from refrigerator and let stand for 1 hour at room temperature
2. Heat up the Grill -- high heat
3. Season steaks with salt and pepper, add a bit of black truffle oil to one side, and top with minced garlic clove, spreading evenly over the steak using your fingers. 
4. Place steaks on the grill and reduce heat to medium-high
5. Cook for 3-5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the steaks and how you enjoy them (rare, medium-rare, or well)
6. Slice the steak, arrange on a serving plate and top with black truffle butter. Serve Immediately
   

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For all the culinary vixens out there... listen up. There isn't a meat-eating man who can walk away from this delicious treat... grilled BBQ pork ribs, jalapeno cheese corn bread, and an icy cold glass of beer. A friend of mine, who never tried pork ribs before, enjoyed this meal so much that he declared his life would be defined as "life before pork ribs" and "life after pork ribs". Now that's a Seduction Meal.

I like to serve this meal with a tomato / red onion salad with chopped fresh dilI, topped with olive oil, a dash of balsamic vinegar, finished with a pinch of Victoria Taylor's Australian Sea Flake salt. I typically cook BBQ ribs entirely on the grill, but I've seen so many recipes where they call for boiling the ribs first. So I tried it. After boiling the ribs I added a dry rub, and ended with my favorite BBQ sauce with a touch of spice. The results? Sweet 'n spicy caramelized sauce on the outside and moist, tender ribs on the inside. A big hit!




BBQ Pork Ribs

2 lbs. pork ribs
1 tsp. salt
Bobby Flay Dry Rub
Kick Ass BBQ Sauce (or your favorite BBQ sauce)

Boil the ribs in lightly salted water for 15 minutes. Remove the ribs and let them cool down a bit. Get your grill nice and hot and lower to medium heat.

Using your favorite dry rub (I used Bobby Flay's), rub the ribs on all sides. Lower the grill to medium low; place the ribs on the grill and cover. Cook for 30-40 minutes until the meat is no longer pink near the bone, carefully watching the ribs and turning often so they don't burn.

About 15 minutes before serving, add your favorite BBQ sauce on one side and turn this side to the heat. While they are cooking, add more BBQ Sauce on the side facing up. Grill the ribs on one side for 5 - 7minutes. Turning them over and cook for another 5 minutes. Add BBQ sauce again to both sides, turning the ribs over to caramelize the sauce.

 Jalapeno Corn Bread

1 package of Jiffy Corn Muffin mix (8.5 oz)
1 egg
1/3 cup of milk
1 can of corn, drained
1/4 cup of cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup of cheddar cheese to sprinkle on top
1/2 jalapeno pepper jack cheese, grated
8x8 greased pan

Preheat oven to 400. Mix together muffin mix, egg, and milk. Gently fold in the cheese and corn. Pour into the greased pan, top with some more grated cheddar, and cook for 15 - 20 minutes. Let cool before serving.

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I am enjoying a new love affair with another Australian culinary hit. First Donna Hay (to me a queen of seduction meals), and now delicious. magazine. As per their site,  "delicious. celebrates food and the people who produce it, from celebrity chefs to passionate foodies from around Australia and the rest of the world. So whether you want a simple but scrumptious midweek meal or an impressive dinner-party menu, we've got the recipes you need."

In Volume 4 Issue 7 you will find the recipe for Kickass Barbeque Sauce. I chose to try this recipe because it uses a mix of spices that I wanted to explore: coriander, cumin, allspice and cayenne pepper. The resut was truly kickass as I used way too much cayanne pepper the first go around--having missread 1/2 teaspoon as 1 teaspoon. Let me tell you, tears were shed...but the taste was awesome. Not to worry, the measurement below is the right recipe, although I did increase the ketchup from 1/3 to 1/2 cup.

delicious. kickass barbecue sauce

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, grated

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tspn ground coriander

1 tspn ground cumin

1 tspn ground allspice

1/2 tspn cayenne pepper

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup ketchup

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 cup of water

2 sprigs of onions, finely chopped for garnish (optional)

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Get ready for some serious sighs of satisfaction! When choosing a steak my preferences is rib eye and always medium rare. Serve this juicy grilled steak with the Tomato Blue Cheese salad (see salad recipes) or Roasted Rosemary Parmesan Potatoes (next post to come). Add a nice Bordeaux and you're good to go! One tip when cooking steak, it is best to let the steak stand at room temperature for 1/2 - 1 hour before cooking.

Grilled Rib Eye Steak with Sherry Mushrooms

Steak: Choose one large Rib Eye Steak for two, at least 1 inch think

cracked pepper and coarse salt, to taste

3 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp of crushed garlic

2 tbsp of your favorite BBQ sauce (I used Pappy's Sauce for Sissies)

garnish with a tarragon leaves

Mushrooms: This recipe can be used in many ways; Pile mushrooms on top of thinly sliced, toasted baguette and serve as an appetizer. Serve over grilled steak, poultry, pork chops or with eggs. It is delicious on its own and can be served as a side dish to complement most main dishes.

1lb of button mushrooms, cut in quarters

3 tbsp of olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 small shallot, finely chopped

1/3 cup of sherry

2 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped

2 tablespoons of cream, or half and half

salt and pepper to taste

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This Seduction Meal Story, photographs and recipe was submitted by Jay R. from NY. Thank you for sharing this...Great Job!   

"Cooking something special can be as seductive as eating it. Of course, cooking while entertaining takes a degree of confidence that, in itself, can impress as much as fancy ingredients. To my mind, seduction meals involve conversation, gazing, tasting, touch, and movement. Cooking and serving a meal allows ample time for all five. The only seduction meal that will ever matter to me was making homemade thin crust pizza on an outdoor grill at sunset on the deck of my country house. I made two with separate toppings; mozzarella with olives and fresh basil and a white pizza with chopped clams and garlic. A crisp Italian white wine got the conversation flowing and helped pull everything together. Mission accomplished!"

Grilled Pizza

1 ball of pizza dough

1 medium size can of crushed tomatoes (San Marzano preferred),

1 ball of super fresh mozzarella cheese, slice ¼ inch thick

1/2 bunch of fresh basil leaves, chop into large coarse pieces

¼ cup of black oil cured olives, pull flesh off of pits

small can (6.5 oz.) of chopped clams, drain liquid

3 cloves of fresh garlic, slice super thin like they do in the movies

¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil

grated Pecorino Romano cheese

flour to dust work table for rolling out dough

crushed dried hot pepper flakes

salt and pepper

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