Grilling in the rain...I'm grilling in the rain! (Sing it, people!)

After the crazy whirlwind that was my recent trip to Chicago, my plans for this past weekend were as follows: sleep, sleep, maybe grill something, and SLEEP! The weather was very cooperative toward my goals, as it rained like a son of a gun all weekend. Thus, I did not feel overly-compelled to go anywhere or do anything, I didn't even have to water the gardens, and the environmental ambiance was highly conducive to napping. Everyone else in these parts is griping about the lack of sunshine, but I grew up in Oregon, so no complaints from me. Between the rain spells, I did manage to get the herb garden weeded (the vegetable beds will have to wait until next weekend), and we even had a bit of a BBQ last night before the monsoons descended once again.

Usually, we like to make Sunday night steak night, but I have discovered a fabulous new pork chop recipe that gives the ribeye a run for its money. The idea for a pomegranate marinade came from looking at some luscious pictures on the website, Coconut & Lime. But I sort of made my own way with the recipe, both on accident and by design. First of all, though I easily found pomegranate-infused vinegars in my local grocery stores, the pomegranate molasses was a problem. I didn't really know what pomegranate molasses was, but I decided to buy a jug of pomegrate juice, boil it down to a thick syrup with sugar to taste, and then maybe throw in a little regular molasses, figuring that might be a close approximation to this mysterious ingredient. Only after doing this did I think to Google pomegranate molasses, and I learned that it is a staple of Middle Eastern cooking that can be purchased in ethnic groceries, but it is easily and less expensively made at home by boiling down pomegranate juice with some sugar and lemon juice! (Other than the lemon juice, I figured the rest out on instinct--yeah for me!) Despite the name, pomegranate molasses does not contain sorghum molasses--the title simply indicates a similar consistency (that is, boil the juice for 45 minutes and you have pomegranate syrup, keep boiling for an hour or more, you have "molasses"). Secondly, I do not prefer mint as a savory ingredient, so I chose to swap it out with chives the first time I made this dish, and thyme last night. I rather think you could add the herb of your choice and it would all be good. I also cut down on the ginger quite a bit, as it is so powerfully pungent, but I added lots of garlic, as is my way. Finally, I can report that this is a great marinade for any kind of pork that you might wish to grill--thick or thinner chops, steaks, country-style ribs, or tenderloin. It's absolutely delicious--a definite keeper in my grilling repertoire.

Pomegranate Pork Chops
(Source: adapted from Coconut & Lime)

This is plenty of marinade for 4-6 large pieces of pork--chops, steaks, or ribs. Marinate for a minimum of two hours before grilling or, preferably, overnight in the fridge.

1/2 cup pomegranate-infused balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup pomegranate molasses (recipe follows)
1 tablespoon sorghum molasses (optional, but my "mistake" was yummy)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2-4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1-2 tablespoons fresh herb of your choice (mint, chives, thyme, what have you), chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

Pomegranate Syrup or Molasses
(Source: from he who should have been my husband, Alton Brown)

I didn't realize that I was doing it at the time, but I doubled this recipe, using the whole 64 oz. jug of pomegranate juice and one full cup of sugar, then saved the remainder in a airtight plastic container. It will keep practically forever in the fridge--or certainly throughout the grilling season!

4 cups pomegranate juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

For syrup: Place the pomegranate juice, sugar and lemon juice in a 4-quart saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the mixture has reduced to 1 1/2 cups, approximately 50 minutes. It should be the consistency of syrup. Remove from the heat and allow to cool in the saucepan for 30 minutes. Transfer to a glass jar and allow to cool completely before covering and storing in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

For molasses: Place the pomegranate juice, sugar and lemon juice in a 4-quart saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the mixture has reduced to 1 cup, approximately 70 minutes. It should be the consistency of thick syrup. Remove from the heat and allow to cool in the saucepan for 30 minutes. Transfer to a glass jar and allow to cool completely before covering and storing in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

For our side dishes, we had another amazing strawberry salad (we have become obsessed with this salad these days!)--this time with candied pecans and a blue cheese vinaigrette. And then I made a simple but simply FABULOUS potato salad as well. This is my basic recipe that I tweak a little every time I make it, using a different herb or type of onion or potato or kind of relish. But this is the version that I made this past weekend that was quite marvelous, if I do say so myself (and I do!).

Gina's Best Potato Salad

3 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, chunked, boiled until tender, and cooled (any "waxy" potato will do--also try fingerlings or blue potatoes, or a mix of red, white and blue potatoes for Independence Day!)
4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup minced Vidalia onion (any kind of onion will suffice--I often use scallions for color and their milder flavor)
2-3 heaping tablespoons of homemade zucchini relish (soon I will try the Vidalia relish for this, but pickle relish would also be fine)
1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (parsley is good, too)
1 teaspoon of ground celery* (or use celery salt and cut down on the regular salt)
1 cup mayonnaise (more or less, as you prefer)
1 tablespoon mustard (your favorite kind--I usually just use yellow)

Gently combine all of the above, chill for several hours or overnight, check the seasoning (it always needs more salt the next day!), and devour alongside grilled meats.

*I do NOT prefer crunchy celery interfering with my nice, smooth, creamy potato salad. But if you do, knock yourself out--add a stalk or two, diced, with my blessing.

Finally, for dessert, we continued the strawberry theme (the high holy season has begun, dont'cha know!) with one of my favorite homemade ice cream flavors, strawberry buttermilk. YUM! Because of the lowfat buttermilk, the texture is a little more like sherbet than ice cream, but I just love it. When I'm making it for other people, I leave the strawberries a bit chunkier, but for me, I like to puree them and put them through a strainer to remove the majority of the vexing seeds. (It's a textural thing.) Plus, then it becomes such a lovely shade of ballerina pink! I highly recommend that you try it, as I know you all have a pint of berries about to turn on you or soon will!