My parents went to Bolivia, Hungary, Hawaii, New Zealand, Romania, Costa Rica, China, Panama, and Peru, and all I got was these lousy spices. Okay, actually, they’re pretty nice spices, especially the saffron (and three mystery spices) my mom just brought back from the Istanbul spice market. Besides, when your parents go on 2-3 international trips per year, you don’t need a cheap T-shirt from each place. Spices, tea, and the occasional funky hat for Dave are perfect.
And it was a good thing I had a random set of spices from various foreign countries, because I was out of my normal paprika supply, and it would have been very very sad to miss out on this recipe. My gosh, this was good. Mustardy, garlicky, vinegary, herby – so many complimentary flavors.
Even better, I stumbled upon this weird grilled potato and vegetable salad to go with it that I was expecting to be just edible, and what do you know, it ended up being fantastic. In all, another Saturday night dinner that knocked my socks off. That’s happened more and more since we got the grill, and I am not complaining one bit.
One year ago: Seafood Lasagna
Two years ago: Vanilla Ice Cream
Printer Friendly Recipe
Garlic-Mustard Glaze (adapted from Bobby Flay via Smitten Kitchen)
Makes about ¾ cup of glaze, or enough to cover and baste 2 pounds of meat
I used pork, but Deb used chicken (I think) and Bobby Flay uses beef tenderloin. Just be sure you choose a cut that is appropriate for fast cooking. Your cooking time will depend on the type of meat you use.
¼ cup whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 teaspoons Spanish paprika
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds meat, cubed
1. In a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients except the meat. Reserve ¼ cup of the glaze; add the meat to the remaining glaze, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours before using.
2. Prepare a medium-hot fire. Grill the meat, turning three times and brushing with the reserved glaze, for 4 to 8 minutes, until golden brown, slightly charred, and cooked to your desired level of doneness. Let the meat rest for 5 minutes before serving.
That last photo had me totally drooling. These look great and I love anything grilled. 🙂
Wei-Wei
What a fantastic and appropriate gift from your parents.
I commented on TN, but these really do look fabulous! Beautiful photos! I hope to try these out this weekend!!
What a great gift and assortment of spices! I would love something like that (hopefully my husband and/or family is reading, haha!) This recipe is an awesome one to add to all our summer grilling… I’ll be trying this soon!
When my sister was in Geneva last year and took many side trips around Europe and Africa, I begged for herbs, spices and chocolate. She really delivered, it was fantastic! and the Moroccan saffron she brought back is so much better than the stuff I had from TJ’s.
Spices are such a great gift for travelers to take home to loved ones! I can’t believe I’ve never thought of it! These skewers look delicious. They’re making me drool!
That looks freakin amazing. I must try.
Yummm! The pork looks so tender and flavorful, I can almost taste it! Such great photos, too 🙂
It sounds delicious — will you be sharing the salad recipe also?
Emily – Ah, yes, that was a bit of a tease, wasn’t it? Unfortunately, because I wasn’t expecting much from the salad, I didn’t keep track of what I did or take pictures. But I believe it was a mixture of grilled potatoes, zucchini, asparagus, mushrooms, and green beans, chopped into bite-sized pieces and mixed together with vinaigrette.
Love this recipe! Did your parents bring back that bowl too? I love that bowl – it’s so organic looking and would look great in my kitchen. I am a spice addict so to me, spices are the perfect gift. You’ve done a beautiful job photographing the fare. Yum!
I just saw your picture on Tastespotting, congrats!
LOVE the combo of flavors and yeah, if I were you I would love spices from other countries too.
Thanks for posting this, I am totally going to make it this summer!
This looks amazing! I am putting this on my “to make”list.
I love the color on them! They are so beautiful to look at. I can’t imagine the taste with those great flavors.
A must save!!!
You know what I love? Marinades that don’t use oil. I feel like I have trouble coming up with my own marinades because I don’t know what to put in them for the “bulk.” This one sounds great. Too bad I just used up my paprika last night… but I will be saving this for sure!