Ger-Nis INTERNATIONAL, LLC

Quick n’ Easy Foil Dinners

Yeah sure, foil dinners remind us of camping in the great out-doors, but they’re quite brilliant for a busy work week, prepped ahead of time for the kids, your beloved, or for the dinner party for one.  We were inspired to discover more about the nuances of the foil dinner after learning that Jamie Oliver and his wife prepare them in their home -and we know that the kitchen at Jamie Oliver’s home produces some delicious, creative and healthy meals.   Foil dinners can be fancy or quite simple, depending on your ingredients.  They cook quickly either on the grill or in the oven, usually 20-30 minutes depending on the ingredients.  But what we love best is to add fresh herbs (any kind will do!) to our foil packets and revel in the fresh herb essences that willow out of your unwrapped packet! 

The process is simple.  Preheat your oven to about 400 degrees or get the coals ready.  Cut an appropriate size of foil, place your ingredients on the foil, and wrap up folding/rolling all the sides together.  The ingredients in the foil packet heat up quickly creating a mini, super -hot convection-like oven in your foil packet.  This cooking technique works great for fish, chicken, pork, veggies and even fresh fruit.  But it doesn’t work so well for most beef cuts, as the cooking time is so short, that most cuts come out tough instead of tender.  And the clean-up, well, there hardly is any!  Another reason these dinners are so fantastic.

You can put virtually anything in a foil packet dinner - whatever inspires you at the market or in your ‘fridge.  We also like to use parchment paper in place of foil, especially for fish filets.  To get your creative juices flowing, here’s a few ideas to play around with.  Simple and delicious!

Fish, Meat & Poultry

Foil pockets are a quick, easy and efficient way to cook fish, meat and poultry.  Fish filets, steaks and whole fish all work wonderfully.  Skinless and boneless chicken works best in a foil dinner.  A sliced pork loin will cook up deliciously, but avoid steak and most beef cuts, as the quick cooking can leave a steak on the tough side.  Flavoring your protein takes only a bit of imagination and often you’ll have in your ‘fridge exactly what you need.  Fresh herbs are a must, the flavor and aroma they bequeath can’t be substituted.  A little salt and pepper, maybe a splash of red or white wine, a nice vinegar, lemon, ginger… the possibilities are endless.

Chicken Breast & Chard With Thyme, Garlic, White Wine & Lemon
Serves 1 – 2

Ingredients

1-2 servings chicken breast, boneless, skinless, sliced
Juice of ½ lemon
2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
3 tablespoons white wine
1 cup chard, chopped
Several thyme sprigs

Directions

Preheat oven to 400˚F degrees

Place sliced chicken breast on prepared foil.  Top with juice of ½ lemon, 3 chopped garlic cloves, white wine, chopped chard & thyme.

Wrap and bake for about 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked all the way through.

Porkloin And Potatoes With Rosemary, Leeks & Cream
Serves 1-2

Ingredients

1-2 servings porkloin, sliced
¼ medium yellow onion, chopped fine
1 Yukon potato, chopped
1 leek, chopped
3 tablespoons cream
Several sprigs rosemary

Directions

Preheat oven to 400˚F degrees

Place sliced pork loin on prepared foil.  Top with onion, potato, leek, cream, and top with several sprigs of rosemary.

Wrap and bake for about 25 minutes, or until pork is cooked all the way through.

Whole Trout Stuffed With Lemon and Parsley
Serves 2

Ingredients

1 whole trout, cleaned, boned and butterflied
1 lemon, sliced, seeds removed
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons white wine
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350˚F degrees

Place  trout  on prepared foil.  Salt and pepper the inside and outside of the fish.  Stuff with lemon slices, parsley, and garlic.  Top with white wine.

Wrap and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until trout is cooked through and the meat is white and flakey.

Herb Rubbed Tuna With Red Wine
Serves 1 – 2

Ingredients

1-2 servings tuna filet or steak, fresh and high quality
3 tablespoons red wine per serving
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh marjoram leaves, chopped
¼ cup Kalamata olives, pitted & chopped
1 tomato, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped fine
¼  medium red onion, chopped
½  large red pepper, deseeded, destemmed, diced

Directions

Preheat oven to 350˚F degrees

For 15 minutes, marinade fresh tuna filet or steak in red wine, garlic, and chopped oregano, basil & marjoram, salt & pepper.   Transfer marinated tuna & any remaining juices (and all the herbs & garlic) on prepared foil.  Top with Kalamata olives, tomato, garlic, red onion, and red pepper.

Wrap and bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until tuna is cooked the way you like it – Do not to over cook.

Salmon and Baby Bok Choy With Herbs, Sake and Rice Wine Vinegar
Serves 1 – 2

Ingredients

1-2 servings salmon filet or steak (we recommend wild caught)
Salt & pepper
2 tablespoons sake
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 baby bok choy leaves, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 tablespoon fresh Thai basil leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh marjoram, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350˚F degrees

Place salmon filet or steak (we recommend wild caught) on prepared foil, salt & pepper to taste.  Top with all remaining ingredients.

Wrap and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until salmon is cooked the way you like it.   Do not overcook.

Vegetarian

It couldn’t be easier preparing vegetable in a foil packet.  Root vegetables, like beets, parsnips, celery root and potatoes cook quickly and come out tender.  Green beans, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, even tofu steam up perfectly.  More tender greens like chards will steam nicely, but will only need about a 5 minute cooking time or they’ll overcook in your foil pocket.  Kales will work, they are tougher and you’ll have a bit more leeway with the cooking time.  When it comes to flavoring, the same principles apply to your veggies as to your meat.  Freshly chopped herbs, salt & pepper, and a liquid, either a bit of cream, wine, vinegar or water – a splash of liquid will ensure your veggies steam and cook properly.

Root Veggies With Thyme, Garlic, & Leeks
Serves 1 – 2

Ingredients

1-2 servings of root vegetables of your choice (i.e. parsnips, carrots, celery root, beets…washed, peeled and sliced)
1 leek, washed & sliced
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
Juice of ½ lemon
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, chopped fine
Several sprigs of thyme

Directions

Preheat oven to 400˚F degrees

Place root vegetables and leek in medium bowl and toss with olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary and salt & pepper to taste.  Transfer to prepared foil and top with thyme sprigs.

Wrap and bake for 30 minutes.

Brocolli With Red Peppers, Basil, Garlic & Lemon Juice
Serves 1 – 2

Ingredients

1 or 2 heads of broccoli, florets quartered
1 red pepper, deseeded & destemmed, sliced thinly lengthwise
2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chopped
Salt & pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Place broccoli and red pepper in medium bowl.  Toss with lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, basil, and salt & pepper to taste.  Transfer to prepared foil.

Wrap and bake for 20 minutes.

Green Beans With Fresh Herbs, Chopped Tomatoes & Red Onions
Serves 1 – 2

Ingredients

8 oz. green beans, washed and ends removed
1 tomato, chopped
½ red onion, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, chopped fine
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh marjoram, chopped
Salt & pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350˚F degrees

Place green beans, tomato and red onion in medium bowl.  Toss with olive oil, garlic, basil, marjoram, and salt & pepper to taste.  Transfer to prepared foil.

Wrap and bake for 15 minutes.

Tofu and Asparagus Spears With Fresh Herbs, Ginger & Lemon Zest
Serves 1 – 2

Ingredients

8 oz. firm tofu, cubed
3 tablespoons soy sauce
6 spears asparagus, washed, bottoms removed
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon fresh Thai basil, chopped
Juice of ½ lemon
½ lemon, zested
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Directions

Preheat oven to 350˚F degrees

Place tofu a bowl and marinade in soy sauce for at least 15 minutes.  Add asparagus, sesame oil, Thai basil, lemon juice, lemon zest and ginger to tofu, toss and let sit for another 10 minutes.  Transfer tofu and asparagus mixture to prepared foil.

Wrap and bake for 15 minutes, so asparagus still has a slight crunch and is not overcooked.

Desserts

Cooking fresh fruit may seem counterintuitive but it’s a delicious way to sweeten up the end of meal.  A little heat to some of your favorite fruits brings sweetens their flavor.  You can use virtually any fruit, but avoid fruits that have a lot of water, like strawberries, raspberries, papaya, because the high heat will dissolve them and leave them soggy.  Chopped pineapple, stone fruits, i.e. plums, peaches, nectarines and apricots, apples, blueberries will all do well in a foil packet on either the grill or oven.  We’re not afraid to add fresh herbs to anything, nor should you!  Fresh fruit pairs beautifully with all sorts of fresh herbs…here’s some combos we think go together like peas in a pod.  After you cooked your fresh fruit concoctions, top them with fresh ricotta, serve with a cheese plate, and of course they’ll pair smashinly with ice cream or sorbet!

Pineapple and Mint
Serves 2

Ingredients

2 cups fresh pineapple, skin removed, cubed
¼ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350˚F degrees

Place pineapple and mint in bowl, and stir well.  Transfer mint coated pineapple and juices to prepared foil.

Wrap and bake for 10 minutes

Apricots, Agave With Thyme
Serves 2

Ingredients

4 apricots, pitted, halved
2 tablespoons raw, light agave syrup
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and stir well, coating the apricot in agave syrup & thyme.  Transfer to prepared foil.

Wrap and bake for 10 minutes

Apples, Pomogranite Seeds, Honey & Oregano
Serves 2

Ingredients

2 apples, cored, sliced into ½ inch wedges
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350˚F degrees

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and stir well, coating apple wedges with honey and oregano. 

Wrap and bake for 15 minutes

Plums, Blueberries, Tarragon Infused Simple Syrup
Serves 2

Ingredients

4 plums, pitted and halved
¼ cup fresh or frozen blueberries
3 tablespoons tarragon simple syrup
More tarragon infused simply syrup for drizzling
1 teaspoon fresh tarragon, chopped fine

For the tarragon infused simple syrup
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
3 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 350˚F degrees

First prepare simple syrup.  Bring sugar and water to a boil, and stir until sugar is dissolved.  Add tarragon.  Simmer for 15 minutes, then strain and set aside to cool to room temperature.  Place plum, blueberries and tarragon simple syrup in small bowl, stirring well.  Transfer to prepared foil.

Wrap and bake for 10 minute.  Serve drizzled with tarragon infused simple syrup and top with chopped tarragon.