Some
Like It

ANNABEL COHEN

Special to the Jewish News

1,1 emorial Day
is the unoffi-
cial opening _.
of barbecue
season. So when better to
try out some hot, fresh
recipes for your grill?
A recent article in
American Demographics, a
magazine that tracks con-
sumer trends, states that,
"Tomorrow's foods will be
spicier and more flavorful
than today's" because Baby
Boomers' tastes are dulling:
This group simply can't taste
foods. That's why Thai and
Mexican restaurants are ever
popular.
Bold flavors are also
important to the younger
generations since they're
exposed to more variety in
their diet. According to the article, 81
percent of 10- to 13-year-olds go out to
dinner at least once a week.
So, we Americans prefer zesty foods,
and there are many ways to prepare
foods that pack a punch. Prepared hot
sauces, such as Tabasco, are one quick
way to add zing to scrambled eggs to
salsa to your favorite meatloaf recipe.
Still other more interesting ways
include using various fresh, hot chilies,
which are becoming more available in
most produce departments. While heat
is one way to flavor, taste boosters like
lemon and lime, curry mixes, flavored
vinegar, -chutney, fresh ginger, saffron,
cumin and garlic have increased roles in
many recipes.
It's important to note that bold food
doesn't mean overpowering taste.
Herbs, spices and condiments are
intended to enhance rather than mask
the flavor of foods. A light touch is best
when using flavor boosters. That's why
the following recipes indicate a range in
amounts of some ingredients. If your
taste buds are still sharp, you may find
the lower range more to your liking. If
you can eat hot chilies without break-
ing a sweat, go for the higher amounts.
Remember, you can always pass wedges
of lemon or extra hot sauce on the side.

TANGY GRILLED
CHICKEN FAJITAS
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Juice of 1 lime
1/2-1 t. ground cayenne pepper
1 t. chili powder
2 T. minced garlic
1/2 t. ground cumin

T

Put more spice into

summer's barbecues.

1 t. kosher salt
1/2 t. ground black pepper
-2 pounds small chicken breast
halves, boneless and skinless
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro, gar-
nish
3 cups thin sliced red onions
3 cups thin sliced bell peppers, any
color
2 T. vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste
16 flour tortillas, wrapped in a clean
dish towel and warmed in a
microwave oven for 1 minute or
more at medium heat
1 avocado, sliced, garnish, optional
Lemon lime wedges, garnish
Salsa, garnish
Place oil, juice, cayenne pepper, chili
powder, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper
in a medium non-reactive bowl and
whisk well to combine. Add the chick-
en breasts and turn to coat well. Cover
with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours
to overnight, turning once or twice.
One hour before cooking, remove the
breasts from the refrigerator.
Heat grill to medium-high. Prepare
two large sheets of foil stacked one on
top of the other, shiny side down. Place
the onions and bell peppers on the foil
and drizzle with the oil. Sprinkle with
salt and pepper and toss together with
your fingers to coat the vegetables.
Bring up the sides of the foil and gath-
er them to form a package. Place the
package on the grill and cook for 20
minutes, until the vegetables are hot
and softened.
Remove chicken breasts from the
marinade to the hot grill (discard mari-
nade). Grill 4-5 minutes on each side,

turning a few times, until they are just
cooked through (do not overcook or
they will be dry). Remove the chicken
from the grill and cut diagonally into
thin strips.
To serve, arrange the hot vegetables
on a serving dish (warmed in the oven
if possible). Fan the chicken slices over
the vegetables and sprinkle the cilantro
over. Arrange the lemon wedges, lime
wedges and sliced avocado, if using,
around the serving dish. Serve with the
warm tortillas and salsa on the side.
Makes 8 servings.

GRILLED SEA BASS WITH
ROASTED TOMATOES
AND SAFFRON
20 plum or Roma tomatoes, quar-
tered
1 t. dried basil
1 t. dried rosemary
1 t. coarse ground black pepper
1 t. kosher salt
1 t. ground cayenne pepper
1 t. granulated garlic or garlic pow-
der
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 cup minced onion
1 t. hot chili oil (or to taste)
1/2 t. saffron threads
4-pound boned Chilean sea bass fil-
let, cut into 10-12 same-size portions
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
1 orange, cut into 8 wedges
1/2 cup fresh minced parsley, garnish
Preheat oven to 450F. Place tomatoes
skin side down on a cookie or baking
sheet. Combine basil, rosemary, pepper,
black pepper, kosher salt, cayenne pep-
per and granulated garlic in a small

bowl and stir to mix. Sprinkle half of
this mixture over the tomatoes.
Place the baking sheet in the oven
and roast the tomatoes for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and set aside to
cool.
Place fish in one or two large roasting
pans or dishes. Combine olive oil, vine-
gar, onion, chili oil, saffron and
remaining herb and spice mixture in a
small saucepan. Bring to a boil over
medium-high heat. Remove from heat
to cool pan slightly.
Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper
and pour the hot sauce over the fish.
Chill the fish for 30 minutes before
grilling. Preheat grill to medium high.
Place the fish pieces on the hot grill and
cook, turning a few times, for about 10-
12 minutes. Fish should be just cooked
through and marked with black lines.
Arrange the fish on individual dinner
plates with roasted tomatoes on the
side and garnished with orange wedges.
Sprinkle the entire plate with minced
parsley before serving. Makes 10-12
servings.

GRILLED VEGETABLES WITH
CHILI SPICED GARLIC OIL
1 large red onion, cut into wedges
2 large red or yellow bell peppers,
cut in 3/4-inch long strips
4 zucchini or yellow crookneck
squash, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch
slices
1 pound asparagus spears, trimmed
3 ears of corn, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 medium eggplants, sliced into 1/2-
inch rounds
2 large Portobello mushrooms, cut
into 12-inch slices

5/24
2002

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