Grill
Friend
Here's the "skinny" on
indoor grilling.
ANNABEL COHEN
Special to the Jewish News
liAr
e're all about grilling.
Grilling makes food look
good (marked with crisp,
dark, parallel lines) and
taste good (those charred stripes are sim-
ply scrumptious). We're all about ease as
well.
Indoor grilling is nothing new Many
stovetops offer grill conversion grates,
and plug-in open grills have been
around since the 1950s. The problem
with these appliances is that they take
too long to cook our burgers and can be
extremely messy, splattering fat all over
the kitchen.
What's different is that the newer
indoor grilling machines eliminate all
the bad characteristics of the old-fash-
ioned grills and are cleaner and quicker.
The result is that hinged "contact"
grills seem to be here to stay. While
some gadgets are consigned to next year's
garage sale, the phenom that is the two-
sided grill is booming. Just ask George
Forman, celebrity spokesperson for the
Salton line of grills, who lent his name
and reputation for appetite to its single
grill model back in 1995. Today, you
can find contact grill copycats of every
shape and color ... everywhere.
And the grill hawkers are happy —
indoor grills are in the top five of
kitchen appliances sold each year.
What, specifically, makes these coun-
tertop grill so popular? They're easy to
use, fast and clean.
Even the largest of these grills, two
sides and hinged like a waffle maker so
you cook both sides of food at once, is
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compact and completely
portable. Since the two grill
surfaces heat up to from 350-
450 degrees, depending on the
machine, you're able to cook
most foods twice as fast as other
grilling methods. And because the
cooking surfaces are nonstick, foods
really don't stick, though nonstick
cooking spray or a little oil is often
recommended.
Then there are the health benefits.
While real charcoal grilling kicks up
controversial carcinogenic smoke and
such, indoor grills are smokeless. And
like real barbecue grills, fat is dripped
away for leaner cooking.
Still there are tradeoffs. Convenience
means none of the smoky flavor that
comes from fire cooking. And there's
nothing like standing outside on a warm
summer's day, cooking over open flame.
But when the temps outside are in the
20s, grilling inside is mighty appealing.
GRILLED PORTABELLA, ONION
AND CHEVRE SALAD
3 t. extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 T.
more
1 medium red onion, peeled and
sliced into 1/2-inch slices
2 large portabella mushrooms
6 cups mixed greens or baby or field
greens
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
3-4 T. balsamic vinegar, or to taste
1/4 cup crumbled chevre or other soft
goat cheese
1 T. pine nuts, lightly toasted
Preheat grill until very hot.
Brush both sides of the onion slices
with 2 t. of the olive oil. Place them on
the grill, close the top and grill them for
about 8 minutes, until they are tender.
Remove them from the grill to a cutting
board and chop. Set aside.
Clean portabellas by wiping them
gently with a damp paper towel (remove
the stem or cut them flush against the
underside of the caps). Brush the mush-
rooms on both sides lightly with 1 t. of
the olive oil. Grill them for about.8-10
minutes, until tender. Remove them
from the grill to a cutting board and cut
into thin slices.
Arrange the greens on 4 individual
dinner-sized plates. Divide the warm
mushroom slices over the . greens and
season the mushrooms and salad with
salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the
onions over the salad (you need not use
all of the onions). Sprinkle the parsley
over the salad and drizzle the vinegar
and remaining oil over all. Top with the
chevre and pine nuts and serve immedi-
ately. Makes 4 servings.
TUNA, OLIVE ARTICHOKE
AND PEPPER PANINI
3 cans white tuna in water, drained
well
2 T. extra virgin olive oil, plus more
olive oil for brushing vegetables and
2 T. fresh lemon juice
2 t. drained capers
2 T. fresh minced parsley
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
1 medium red onion, peeled and