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| Grilling is evolving to be less about steaks and hamburgers and more about healthy and creative options.
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HOME > SOVO SCENE > HOMEFRONT
By: GEORGE OLIVER
COMMENTS |
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TRADITIONALLY, BARBEQUING AND grilling are only done by “real men” in the summer and involve slathering large slabs of red meat with secret sauces.
Luckily, most of us pay no mind to that tradition. Grilling is evolving to be less about hamburgers and steaks and that tired BBQ chicken from a bottle, and more about healthy and creative outdoor cooking, including grilled pizza and grilled fruit.
Is charcoal better than gas? Let’s just say that at a recent lunch, a friend raved about my grilled breasts, which he just knew had been cooked over charcoal. Not. Surprise. End of argument.
As for marinades, there are some perfectly good commercial brands that should make cooks lives easier. But for homemade versions for soaking or basting, there’s no beating the basic trio of 2/3 parts extra virgin olive oil, one part good balsamic vinegar, and lots of minced fresh garlic.
GRILLING IS TRICKIER than stovetop cooking. No pans mean you have to consider how thick, how hot, and how long — good advice in other arenas, but in this case, I mean food, heat and time, respectively.
Standard advice says that a good measure of charcoal-grilling heat is a fire over which you can hold your hand for two to three seconds. It’s also a good idea to have an indirect cooking area. Either turn off one burner or pile coals to one side.
Vegetables are de rigueur for grilled feasts. Cut soft veggies like summer squash and eggplant pretty thick (1/2 to 3/4 inch), and they’ll still cook in less than 10 minutes.
Try something different like fennel bulb to keep the experience interesting. Leave the root on and cut vertically so the root helps hold the bulb slices together. Or try a mix of grilled eggplant, fennel and radicchio basted with an Italian dressing.
Asparagus are also wonderful fresh off the grill, but keep an eye on them and roll them frequently. And don’t forget to put them perpendicular to the grill bars.
Most people like grilled shrimp, but here’s an interesting version from Food Network Canada: butterfly the shrimp, but don’t cut all the way through. Spread the crevice with a bit of chive-flavored goat cheese or cream cheese, wrap in proscuitto to cover the cheese, and grill a couple of minutes per side. Yum.
Serious grillers have heard of cooking a whole chicken sitting on a can of beer, but it’s pretty labor-intensive for most of us. If you’re curious, Google “beer can chicken.”
 For parts, thighs dry out less quickly than breasts. To keep them moist, grill with the skin on, and remove before eating.
ONE WORTHWHILE GRILLING fad these days is grilled pizza. Use either homemade risen dough or a commercial version.
The basic technique is to roll out enough dough to a plate-sized circle about 1/4 inch thick and oil well. Grill on direct medium high heat for a couple of minutes until the bottom is barely brown.
Flip onto a plate, and spread a veritably endless cooks choice of sauce and filling on the cooked side. Spinach, onion and cheese is an excellent combination.
Put it back on indirect heat, close the cover, and cook for 8–10 minutes or less. Watch carefully, and rotate it to get even cooking.
Another very creative current grilling fad is grilled fruit. Good grillers include plums, peaches, pears, pineapple rings, and bananas or plantains. Except for pineapple, the others should be not too ripe.
Brush with melted, unsalted butter mixed with some honey, and grill just until they begin to soften and brown a bit. Go wild and even make a fruit salad of grilled fruit.
With these ideas alone, we’re talking a multi-course meal and not a steak in sight.
Take that, “real” men.
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