Food
Summer's End
Remove some of the effort from that Labor Day cookout.
ANNABEL COHEN
Special to the Jewish News
T
ethnically, there's still plenty of summer left.
But with school already begun and the High
Holidays less than two weeks away, Labor Day
really seems like the end of the summer outdoor fun
and all the great grilling that defines this season.
Burgers and hot dogs are always popular, but after
months of them, it's nice to vary the fare for Labor
Day. Nothing fancy, mind you, but delicious grilled
foods that can be prepared ahead and enjoyed with
minimum last-minute effort. In fact, if you review the
recipes below, you'll notice that none requires hours of
intricate shopping or chopping. After all, we're honor-
ing workers with a day off.
Better yet, invite guests to a barbecue at your house
and give each of them one of the recipes below to pre-
pare and bring. Just make a big, crunchy green salad
and you're good to go. After all, just nine days later, it's
brisket and honey cake time. And that's a lot of work.
FOIL GRIT ED CORN ON THE COB
Easy to assemble ahead and cook. The long, tubular
foil packets look great standing up in a basket. These
can be made in an oven, too — cook at 350F for 30
minutes. Serve with Jalapeno olive oil, below.
8 ears fresh corn
water
kosher salt
Heat grill to medium-high. Shuck the corn and soak
in a pan filled with water for 1 hour. Sprinkle the corn
with salt and wrap each ear well in aluminum foil. Place
the corn on the grill and cook for about 20 minutes,
turning once or twice. Serve wrapped, with the sea-
soned olive oil on the side. Makes 8 or more servings.
GARLIC AND PEPPER BALSAMIC OLIVE OIL
1/2 cup extra virgin oil
2 T. balsamic vinegar
2 t. red pepper flakes
1 T. minced garlic
1 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. ground black pepper
Combine all ingredients in a jar
with a tight-fitting lid and shake well.
Store un-refrigerated for up to 1
month. Shake each time before using.
TWO-POTATO GRILLED
FOIL PACKS
It doesn't matter which side of the
foil faces out, but shiny is prettier if
you're serving right out of the packet.
3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes,
peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks
3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled,
cut into 1-inch chunks
2 cups 1-inch onion pieces
12 whole cloves of garlic, peeled
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup (1/2-stick) butter or margarine, cut into
pieces
3 T. dried parsley flakes
kosher salt and pepper to taste
Heat grill to medium-high. Tear 4 sheets of heavy-
duty foil (each about 24 inches long) and stack 2 on
top of the other. Toss together all the ingredients in a
large bowl and arrange in the center of the foil. Top
with the other 2 sheets of foil (stacked) and form into a
long, well-sealed packet.
Place on a cookie sheet and transfer to the hot grill.
Cook for 45-minutes to 1 hour, with the top of the
grill or barbecue closed (may take longer if making on
an open grill). Carefully open the packet and serve, in
the foil, on a platter. Makes 12 servings.
GRILLED BEEF FAJITAS
Serve with warm tortillas and salsa and guacamole, if
desired.
3 pounds skirt steak, trimmed of excess fat
3 T. olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 T. minced garlic
3 t. kosher salt
1 t. red pepper flakes
1 t. ground pepper
2 t. ground cumin
2 red bell peppers, cut into thin slices
2 green peppers, cut into thin slices
2 large onions, peeled and cut into very thin wedges
3 large tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
3 T. olive oil
Place the beef in a large glass or ceramic baking dish
(or marinating pan). Drizzle with olive oil and lemon
juice. Use your hands to rub the remaining ingredients
into the surface of the beef. Cover well and chill for 8
or more hours, turning the meat once or twice.
Heat grill to high (the grill must be very hot). Tear 2
sheets of heavy-duty foil (about 24-inches) and stack 2
on top of the other. Toss together peppers, onions,
tomatoes and olive oil in a large bowl and arrange in
the center of the foil. Lift the sides of the foil and form
into a long, well-sealed packet. Place on a cooler part of
the grill and cook for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the beef on the hot grill and cook
for 5 minutes on each side (do not overcook or the
beef will be tough). Remove from grill and let sit for 8-
10 minutes before slicing, against the grain, into thin
slices. Serve with tortillas and the grilled vegetable.
Makes 8-12 servings.
SAUCY BARBECUE CHICKEN
24 assorted chicken pieces, with skin and bones —
breasts, thighs, drum sticks
Sauce:
12 oz. (1 can) beer
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
1/2 cup red-wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1-2 T. hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco, to taste
Combine all the sauce ingredients in medium
saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer
and cook for 10 minutes more. Remove from heat. Set
aside.
Heat grill to medium-high. Place the chicken pieces
on the grill, skin side up. Grill for about 8 minutes
with the lid down and turn the chicken over. Grill it
for 8 minutes more.
With the lid up, continue cooking the chicken and
begin basting it with the barbecue sauce using a brush
or mop. Continue grilling and basting until the chick-
en is cooked through and the skin is charred to your
liking (remember that the breasts cook the fastest).
Serve the chicken hot or warm, discarding remaining
sauce if leftover. Makes 8-12 servings.
S'MORE BARS
A friend gave me this recipe for this summertime fave.
Tastes just like s'mores, but easier because they're make-
ahead bars.
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, melted
4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 bag (12 oz.) milk chocolate chips
2 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9x13 inch
pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Combine the melted butter and graham
cracker crumbs and stir well. Press half of the
crumbs into the prepared pan. Top with the
chocolate chips. Sprinkle the marshmallows
over the chips and sprinkle remaining crumb
mixture over the marshmallows. Bake for 15
minutes. Remove from oven and cool com-
pletely before cutting into bars or squares.
May be made up to 2 days ahead. Makes 24
bars. ❑
For more recipes, see
vvvvw.detroitjewishnews.com
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8/27
2004
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