Al l Fired Up!
Barbecue season returns to Michigan with a flourish.
ANNABEL COHEN
Special to the Jewish News
A
fter a soggy spring, it's finally time to take
your cooking outside. Fire up the grill and
make the patio your seasonal kitchen.
It isn't difficult to sell the concept of grilled foods.
There's little argument to the statement "everything
tastes better grilled." Unfortunately, many people don't
look beyond chicken and meat when it comes to the
culinary possibilities grilling affords.
Repeat after me: "Whatever you can cook on the
stove or in the oven can be grilled." Technically, this
isn't exactly accurate, but generally it's true.
A pan-grilled sandwich only benefits from the smoky
flavor that comes from flame cooking. The same holds
true for fresh vegetables. And messy foods that splatter
in the oven save time and fuss since the grill is usually
self-cleaning because of the high heat.
Most importantly, men love to grill.. So send him out
to cook. That's a good enough reason to get fired up
about grilling.
BALSAMIC GRIT I.F.D CHICKEN BREASTS
WITH GRILLED PEPPERS
2 pounds boneless and skinless chicken breasts
2 t. minced garlic
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 T Dijon mustard
1 t. dried rosemary or 1 T. fresh
1 t. kosher salt
1/4 t. ground black pepper
1 Serrano chili, stemmed, chopped (it helps to wear
rubber gloves)
3 large bell peppers, mixed colors
Place all ingredients except bell peppers in a large
zipper-style plastic bag and seal well. Turn the bag over
many times to coat the chicken well. Alternately, place
all the ingredients except bell peppers in a large bowl
and turn the chicken pieces well (using your hands or
tongs — do not use a fork). Cover and chill the chick-
en for about 2 hours.
Heat grill to medium-high and remove the chicken
from the refrigerator. Cut the peppers in half length-
wise and remove the stem and seeds. As the grill is
heating, allow the chicken breasts to come to room
temperature.
Brush a little of the marinade over the peppers. Place
the breasts and bell peppers on the hot grill. Discard the
marinade. Grill the chicken and the peppers for about
4-5 minutes on each side until just cooked through. Do
not overcook, or the chicken will becoine dry.
Remove the peppers from the grill and quickly cut
them into thin strips (you may make the peppers ahead
of time if you wish). Serve the chicken immediately
garnished with the bell pepper slices. Makes 6 servings.
.
MARINATED GRILLED RED
AND SPANISH ONIONS
Serve this as a salad or garnish with grilled meats,
chicken and fish.
2 large red or Bermuda onions (about 1 1/4 pounds)
2 large Spanish or other mild onions (about 1 1/4
pounds)
3 T balsamic vinegar
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup fresh minced parsley
kosher salt and pepper to taste
Heat grill to medium-high. Peel the onions and cut
them into thick, about 1 /3-inch rounds. Do not break
up the slices into "rings." (You may secure the rounds
with long toothpicks inserted in an "X" pattern
through the rings). Set aside.
Combine the vinegar and olive oil in a small dish
and whisk well. Brush the onion slices with the vine-
gar-and-oil mixture and grill well on both sides.
Remove from the grill and
allow the onions to
cool for about 10
minutes.
Remove the tooth-
picks from the onions
and cut them into
quarters and separate
the rings. Transfer the
onions to a medium
bowl and add parsley and
seasonings to taste. Toss
well. Chill until ready to
serve.
Makes 6 servings as salad
or more as a garnish.
THE SIMPLEST
GRILLED
BRUSCHETTA
Bruschetta is at its most
basic grilled or toasted
bread. This version is so
simple and delicious; you'll
never eat regular garlic bread
again. It's perfect as an accompaniment for salad or as a
bed for all kinds of toppings like other cheeses, smoked
fish, etc.
1 French bread baguette
1/4 cup, or more, olive oil or extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt to taste
granulated garlic (not garlic powder) to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Heat grill to medium-high. Using a large, serrated
knife, cut the baguette on a severe diagonal into 1/3-
inch slices. Brush both sides of bread lightly with the
oil and season lightly with salt and granulated garlic.
Grill the bread on one side until lightly colored with
char-grilled lines. Turn the bread over and sprinkle the
top (already grilled) with a small amount of cheese.
Grill another 30 seconds until the underside is colored.
Remove from heat and serve warm or at room tem-
perature. Makes 8 servings.
GRILLED SWEET POTATOES
WITH LEMON AND LIME
8 sweet potatoes (about 3 1/2 pounds)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 T. fresh lime juice
2 T. honey
1/8 t. cayenne pepper
kosher salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup lightly toasted pinenuts, slivered almonds,
chopped pecans or walnuts
Heat grill to medium (the
potatoes need to cook
slowly). Peel the sweet
potatoes and cut them
into 1/2-inch-thick
rounds. Brush the
rounds lightly with olive
oil and grill them for
about 10-15 minutes,
turning several times, or
until the potatoes are
cooked through.
Remove from grill and
arrange the potatoes on
a serving platter. Set
aside.
Combine the juices,
honey and cayenne pepper
in a small bowl and whisk
well. Drizzle the mixture
over the potatoes and sea-
son to taste with salt and
pepper. Serve warm or at
room temperature. Sprinkle
with toasted nuts if desired. Makes 8 servings.
GROUND LAMB BROCHETTES
WITH LEMON
2 pounds lean ground lamb (leg is good)
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 large egg
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
FOOD
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2004
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