‘Diplomat in the Kitchen’: Sangria and satay, reimagined

Jeremiah Knight, a career United States diplomat with Caribbean roots, is sharing more of his globally inspired recipes and culinary stories from Diplomat in the Kitchen, his new cookbook and memoir.

Start in Europe with his passion fruit sangria, then journey to Asia and Oceania with the Indonesian satay ayam.

PASSION FRUIT SANGRIA

During my numerous visits to Spain, I always found myself with friends at outdoor cafes, snacking on tapas and quenching our thirst with sangrias. The red sangrias are the most traditional, and they embody all that speaks of Spain. They use traditional red Spanish wines, which are a perfect accompaniment to the tapas that are served with them. Being the Caribbean soul I am, I wanted to capture the heart of this refreshing drink but also include tropical flavours to bring it to new shores. Here is my take on this quintessential Spanish drink.

INGREDIENTS

- 1 bottle red wine (preferably a dry, hearty one)

- ½ cup brandy

- ½ cup simple brown sugar syrup (recipe below) or substitute for honey

- ⅓ cup St-Germain or any elderflower liqueur

- ¼ cup Cointreau liqueur

- ½ cup fresh passion fruit pulp

- ½ cup cut mango

- 1 orange, peeled and diced

- 1 star fruit, sliced

- 2 limes

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large pitcher, add diced orange, mango, simple syrup, St-Germaine, Cointreau, brandy and the juice of one lime.

2. Slice the other lime and add to the mixture.

3. Fill the pitcher with the wine, mix with a wooden spoon and let it chill for at least an hour.

4. Serve on ice.

SIMPLE BROWN SUGAR SYRUP

INGREDIENTS

- 3 cups water

- 3 cups brown sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat water in a saucepan, but avoid boiling.

2. Mix in brown sugar and continue to stir until all sugar is dissolved.

3. Once dissolved, remove from heat and let cool. Store any excess simple syrup in the refrigerator in a sealable container.

Serves: 4-6

INDONESIAN SATAY AYAM

INGREDIENTS

- 50 wooden bamboo skewers

- 21b chicken, cubed

MARINADE

- ½ cup sweet soy sauce

- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced

- 2 or 3 shallots, thinly sliced

- 2tbsp regular soy sauce

- 2 red chillies, diced

- 1tsp smoked paprika

- ¼tsp ground white pepper

- 2tsp turmeric

- 2tsp ground coriander

- 2tsp ground nutmeg

- 1tsp ground cumin

- 1tsp garlic powder

- 1tbsp olive oil

- 1tsp salt

- 2tsp liquid smoke (optional)

BASTING SAUCE

- ¼ cup Kecap Manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce) or just add 3tbsp brown sugar to regular soy sauce

- 1 lime (juice)

- ¼ cup cilantro

- 1tsp shrimp paste

- 1 shallot, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS

1. Cube the chicken into slightly smaller than 1-inch cubes (about 2 cm). Soak the bamboo skewers for ½ hour in water prior to impaling the chicken cubes and placing them on the grill. This way, they won’t burn.

2. Prepare both the basting mix and the marinade by mixing their ingredients in two different bowls.

3. Place the cubed chicken into the marinade bowl and let it marinate, preferably overnight but at least for several hours. Take the marinated meat cubes and stick them on the skewers, about 4 or 5 per stick. If you are unable to grill outside, add about 2 teaspoons of liquid smoke.

4. Prepare the grill (charcoal is preferable, but a large griddle/pan can also substitute). When the heat is even, place the skewered meat on the grilling surface.

5. Baste the meat initially and continue to turn every 2 minutes until fully cooked while basting with each turn.

6. Serve alone or with a peanut sauce.

CHEF’S TIP

I particularly like to mix both dark and white meat when making satay. You don’t want your satay coming out dry, which happens easily with white meat. Adding the dark meat (which has some fat in it) keeps it nice and juicy. You want to make sure it is not pink on the inside, but you also don’t want to overcook it. It should be tender and juicy, not dry and hard. If you have a high flame, you will need to turn the meat more frequently to prevent overcooking.

Serves: 15-20

Recipes excerpted from Diplomat in the Kitchen by Jeremiah Knight.

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