The calendar says spring, the snow is melted off our deck, but it’s 39 degrees out and raining for the third night in a row.  That has not and will not stop us from grilling – certainly not after the horrific winter that kept us from doing so for months.

Monday night, husband and I shared a juicy medium rare sirloin while son and girlfriend had grilled chicken sausages on scali rolls.  We all shared the same sides – oven-baked Truffle Fries sprinkled with grated romano, and spring mix salad with Italian dressing.

Our sirloin was melt-in-your-mouth tender and juicy.  My technique for the past many years has been to lightly brush it with either Kitchen Bouquet or Gravy Master (same thing), then season with freshly ground black pepper and a seasoned salt.  Sometimes, a ground coffee rub also, but not this time.  I shared that method of brushing the steaks with KB or GM with an old epicurean friend (RIP Robert Crouse) who had been a personal chef to many in LA, and he swore by it, too. The truffle fries were a huge hit – the recipe I followed calls them Parmesan Truffle Fries, but as I’ve mentioned before, my go-to grating cheese is Locatelli Pecorino Romano.  I researched several recipes on the web and ultimately chose this one, but used a bit less of the oil than called for:

Last night, we grilled again – this time my favorite Grilled Swordfish Dinner described in blog post dated March 24, which I swore we’d have as soon as grilling were possible again.  Promise kept! Mangoes were on sale at the market, and so my salad contained both diced mango and blueberries, along with everything else described in that post (pistachios were the nut component).  Even son’s girlfriend, not a seafood lover, enjoyed her small portion, exclaiming “it doesn’t even taste like fish!  It’s like steak.” Yes, swordfish steak, my dear, at $17.99/lb.  Glad you enjoyed it!

Tonight, despite the chill and the rain, by darling husband will be grilling Frenched pork chops.  I think we’ll share a baked potato once again, and that excellent salad we had last night, since there’s diced mango and some blueberries still in the fridge.

The pork chops are so good on the grill – I brush them with either EVOO or truffle oil, and then rub with a minced blend of garlic, rosemary, thyme, S&P, and a tiny bit of balsamic.

We may have spring eventually, but I’m tired of waiting, so let the grilling continue!