CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Olympics are coming up in just a few weeks and it’s time to start getting excited to root on our American athletes and celebrate the host country France. A great way to enjoy French culture at home is to fire up some authentic French food while watching the opening ceremonies and favorite events.
Most people don’t think of French food and BBQ going together but remember barbeque has been part of every culture on Earth since the dawn of humans, and we know that BBQ gives almost everything we eat better flavor. The French especially love grilling kabobs and sausages with one particular type merguez (lamb sausage with Moroccan seasonings). It’s not easy to find the merguez sausages but you can always mail order them or substitute your favorite kind. Remember to read the package to see if they are already cooked or whether you need to fully cook.
First up tomatoes de Provence. These can be served as an appetizer or side dish to any meal. Slice medium sized tomatoes in half, season with salt and pepper and face down to drain some of the liquid for 30 minutes. In a bowl combine your favorite bread crumbs, minced garlic, chopped fresh parsley and thyme, then stuff into the tomato, then drizzle some olive oil and a little more bread crumb mixture. Place on a baking tray or grill pan on 400 degree grill and cook for 20 minutes. They should still be firm enough to hold their shape but soft enough to easily cut and warm.
For our main course we are going with pork loin and vegetable kabobs. In a bowl mix up olive oil, lime juice, soy sauce, honey, minced garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Buy a pork loin and but into the bite sized pieces you want to put on your kabob skewer and marinate for one hour preserving some of the marinade for basting. Pre-cook some small creamer or fingerling potatoes and let cool, and cut up peppers, red onions and have whole mushrooms. On your skewer start placing alternating pieces of vegetables and pork, lightly brush with olive oil and season with sea or Kosher salt and pepper. When ready to grill heat up to 425 degrees and cook until the pork pieces reaches 145 degrees. Remove and lightly baste one time with the reserve marinade. For a sandwich simply slide onto your favorite roll or just the kabob pieces with the tomato de Provence.
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