Marinades: Meat, Fish Flavor Boosters
What can you do to make meat or fish taste extra-special?
Two words: Marinate it!
There are plenty of good marinades you can buy, but cookbook author and cooking teacher Tori Ritchie points out they're are easy to prepare at home, as well.
In The Early Show's "Five-Minute Cooking School" Friday, Ritchie served up delicious marinade recipes, from the flagship store in Manhattan of specialty home furnishings retailer Williams-Sonoma.
A marinade is a solution you soak foods in before cooking. It's usually a mixture of oil with a vinegar or other acidic liquid, such as lemon juice or wine. It can also contain herbs and spices.
A marinade not only adds flavor to foods, it makes them more tender by beginning the breakdown process of cooking. The seasonings you add to a marinade are carried into the food via the acidic ingredient in the marinade. It's important to have this acidic base, not only to do those things, but because it protects the food from the formation of harmful substances on the surface while cooking.
Marinades are particularly important and useful in grilling, due to the high, intense heats produced by grills.
RECIPES
Soy-Ginger Marinade
Soy sauce, sherry and ginger are combined to make an American version of Japanese teriyaki marinade, which is good on flank steak, skirt steak, chicken, pork and firm-fleshed fish. Marinate steaks, chops and chicken in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or up to all day if you wish; marinate fish fillets for 1 to 2 hours. Large pieces of meat and poultry can marinate for 1 to 2 days.
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 Tbs. sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbs. peeled and grated fresh ginger
In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sherry, vegetable oil, sugar, garlic and ginger. If possible, let stand at room temperature for about 1 hour before using to allow the flavors to blend. Makes about 1 1/3 cups, enough for about 3 lb. of meat, fish or poultry.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library Series, Outdoor Cooking, by John Phillip Carroll (Time-Life Books, 1997).
For more recipes, go to Page 2.Red or White Wine Marinade
This recipe can be made with red wine for beef and lamb or white wine for poultry. Large roasts and whole chickens can marinate for 1 to 3 days; the longer they marinate, the more flavor they will gain.
1 bottle (about 3 1/2 cups) dry red or white wine
1/2 cup olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme, rosemary or tarragon, or 2 tsp. dried herb of choice
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
In a large bowl, whisk together the wine, olive oil, onion, parsley, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Use immediately or refrigerate in a tightly covered jar for up to 2 days. Makes about 5 cups, enough for a large roast, leg of lamb or whole chicken.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library Series, Grilling, by John Phillip Carroll (Time-Life Books, 1992).
Balsamic-Rosemary Marinade
This easy marinade is excellent for pork or chicken before grilling or roasting. Be sure to use a non-reactive dish when marinating the food.
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tbs. soy sauce
4 1/2 tsp. firmly packed golden brown sugar
3/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh rosemary
5 garlic cloves, chopped
In a food processor, combine the vinegar, olive oil, soy sauce, brown sugar and pepper and pulse until blended. With the motor running, drop the rosemary and garlic through the feed tube and continue to process until fairly smooth.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma, Essentials of Grilling, by Denis Kelly, Melanie Barnard, Barbara Grunes & Michael McLaughlin (Oxmoor House, 2003).
Marinated Pork Tenderloins
Here, an easy marinade complements lean pork tenderloins beautifully. The dish is simple enough for a weekday supper but tasty enough for company. Consider grilling an extra tenderloin or two, as they are also terrific sliced and served cold the next day.
For the balsamic-rosemary marinade:
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tbs. soy sauce
4 1/2 tsp. firmly packed golden brown sugar
3/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh rosemary
5 garlic cloves, chopped
2 pork tenderloins, about 2 1/2 lb. total,
trimmed
Salt, to taste
To make the balsamic-rosemary marinade, in a food processor, combine the vinegar, olive oil, soy sauce, brown sugar and pepper and pulse until blended. With the motor running, drop the rosemary and garlic through the feed tube and continue to process until fairly smooth. Place the tenderloins in a nonreactive dish and pour the marinade over them. Cover and let stand at room temperature, turning occasionally, for up to 2 hours.
Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for direct grilling over medium-high heat. Remove the tenderloins from the marinade, reserving the marinade.
Grill the meat over the hottest part of a charcoal fire or directly over the heat elements of a gas grill. Turn the meat every 4 to 5 minutes and baste with the marinade for up to 5 minutes before the meat is done until cooked to your liking, about 20 minutes total for medium (slightly pink at the center and juicy).
To test for doneness, insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the tenderloins; it should register 140°F. The temperature will rise another 5° to 10°F while the meat is resting.
Transfer the tenderloins to a carving board, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 5 minutes. Carve into slices across the grain and at an angle to the cutting board. Season with salt. Serve the tenderloins hot, warm or at room temperature. Serves 4 to 6.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma, Essentials of Grilling, by Denis Kelly, Melanie Barnard, Barbara Grunes & Michael McLaughlin (Oxmoor House, 2003).