You may recall the, um, burning question of gas vs charcoal, that we documented last spring. The debate resulted in a household cold war, in which no new grill was procured despite the decrepitude of the existing one. Fast forward one year and all is sunshine and barbecues. Here's the story....
Matt, the chap with the desperate desire for the wood-coal burning Big Green Egg, was asked to man the grill at a recent neighborhood cookout. He reluctantly agreed. Upon arrival, he was handed a drink, a pair of tongs, a tray of kebabs, and steered toward a Weber 310 Genesis 3-burner gas grill.
The experience was transformational. The grill heated quickly, evenly
and predictably. There was significant control on the level of heat at
any given time. The thermometer registers up to 700 degrees. Matt
came home, several hours, bourbons and cigars later, a changed man. And we
ordered the Genesis, aptly named for this new beginning, the very next
day.
The Genesis arrived in time for Fathers' Day...and Matt celebrated with New York Strip grilled ever -so-perfectly.
It has since been used to cook spectacular scallops and beautiful burgers. What are your latest barbecue discoveries?
Perfect summer dinner: Grilled scallops with watermelon salsa, sauteed kale, and caramelized tomato-onion quinoa (more on that in upcoming post)-- and of course when it comes to food and me, there's always a story.
My teen daughter, Kelsey, a budding gourmet and food critic
herself, takes a strong interest in menu planning when her dad travels
for business. And if you know anything about teen girls, you know that
their desire to share time in a pleasant, bonhomous way with parents is
minuscule. If she wants to hang with me over Ossetra and truffles,
I'm likely to give it a shot. She and I dine on the dishes she dreams
up (yes, I do the procurement and execution) while her far less
adventurous brother scarfs hamburgers. Dad, poor chap, is stuck hearing
about these feasts while he roughs it in airport hotels.
Last month, when Dad spent 3 days in Birmingham, AL taking depositions, we had filet with port wine reduction and buttermilk mashed potatoes one night; the following saw Panko crusted Cajun crab cakes with cilantro slaw...Last night, poor Dad was stuck in transit between here and the west coast while we enjoyed the repast pictured above. When he asked me about the evening after finally arriving in the wee hours of the morning due to 3 hours of flight delays, he chafed a bit: "Why is it that I leave and you make these magazine spread dinners, and when I get home it's omelets all around?!". Well, he has a point. But in my defense, the omelets are really good.
Anyway, Kelsey planned the menu's side dishes around a Glamour mag article that suggested 5 Foods that everyone should start eating for optimal health, and she asked for grilled scallops with watermelon salsa to accompany the kale and quinoa. Here's what I did:
Watermelon Salsa
1 1/2 cups cubed watermelon
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 scallions, sliced, green and white parts
1/2 tsp finely minced hot pepper (adjust for taste--peppers vary widely in 'heat')
1/2 tsp salt
juice of 1 lime
Mix all ingredients in glass bowl and let sit one hour to blend flavors.
Scallops
6 large dry scallops
juice of 1/2 lime
salt & pepper
Place scallops on plate, squeeze lime over and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Marinate for about 30 mins. Oil grill, heat to high, and place scallops on grill. Cover 1 minute. Rotate the scallops 90 degrees on the grill (to get the cross-grill marks), cover and cook another minute. Flip the scallops and repeat this rotation process on other side. Total cooking time 4-6 minutes, do not overcook. Remove from grill, plate, and serve with salsa.
We've been focusing on no cook dinners of late. This one is primarily a grill fest, with a minimum of stovetop steaming. With supplies from Reading Terminal Market, you'll have this cranked out in a snap. Even on the busiest back to school September day, this dinner for 4 is manageable. And if you plan ahead and double the chicken recipe, you've got chicken salad for tomorrow--which is a no cook feast for sure.
Kebobs are fantastic. Adults love their tenderness and flavor. Kids love to gnaw the meat straight from the skewer--and assuming they are past the age where they will wield the skewer as a weapon or poke an eye out, the novelty factor can be an enticement for reluctant eaters. Additionally, these are great to tote on a picnic or in a lunchbox if you need a portable repast. And not that I want to cater to the carb nazis, but this meal does meet their abstemious needs, too, sans the grilled pita.
Chicken Kebobs
1 lb boneless chicken breasts. (not thin-cut)
1 cup plain yogurt
1 TBSP Indian spice blend--either curry powder, tandoori masala, or garam masala.
1 TBSP garlic powder
1 tsp salt
Cut chicken into bite sized pieces. Blend all remaining ingredients in a large ziploc bag or tupperware container. Add chicken, mix to coat, and marinate in refrigerator overnight.
About an hour before cooking, remove chicken from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. Soak wooden skewers in water to prevent them from burning on grill, and skewer chicken pieces, leaving a bit of space between each piece to ensure even cooking. Grill kebobs, turning frequently, about 10 minutes total. Serve immediately, or not. These are almost as good cold as they are hot off the grill. Leftovers make great chicken salad. (And, while we hate to face the end of summer, kids love these in school lunchboxes--simply wrap the kebob in foil and ensure a healthy, lean, protein-rich lunch for your young'un.)
Grilled Broccoli
1 head broccoli
2 TBSP soy sauce or hoisin sauce
2 TBSP oil
1 tsp garlic powder
Cut a head of broccoli into florets. Mix remaining ingredients in large bowl. Add broccoli and toss to coat. Marinate broccoli 1 hour or more. Dump the broccoli on a hot grill, pour remaining marinade over, and cook, turning frequently, about 7 minutes total.
Grilled Pita Bread
1 loaf pita per person
olive oil
With a pastry brush, lightly coat bread with oil. Place on hot grill for 30 seconds; turn to toast, and serve immediately.
Chilled Carrot Salad
1 lb carrots
Juice of 2 limes
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
salt & pepper to taste
Steam carrots til just softened, 3-5 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Toss with remaining ingredients and chill.
Gas Grill or Charcoal Grill? It's a question that is starting to rival "Democrat or Republican?", "boxers or briefs?", "Ginger or Maryann?", "red or white?" and "To be or not to be" in terms of divisiveness.
Grilling is a quintessential summer food ritual. It is simple, keeps the heat out of the house during the sweltering months, and without tremendous culinary skill, turns out a delicious result. I, myself, prefer the convenience of a gas grill--it is instantly usable, affords significant heat control, and stays lit as long or as short as you wish. "Real" grillers (and many men) turn their noses up at this ModCon, favoring at a minimum, charcoal grills, and at most a full pit-and-spit arrangement.
I think it hearkens back to primitive days when men dragged a woolly mammoth back toward the cave and cooked it over an open fire. I know of very few women (who are not in the grilling industry) who favor charcoal or wood over the convenience and ease of gas.
My husband and I are currently in a domestic Cold War over a new grill. Our inexpensive Char-Broil from Home Depot is on its last rusty legs, having spent its formative years outside and unprotected through several harsh Philly winters. (Living in a city, we don't have a garage or much storage space, so our grill lives in the yard--hence my decision not to purchase a top of the line version.) My husband, who has developed into quite a cook, was perusing grill websites recently and discovered "The Big Green Egg."
This--no doubt impressive--apparatus requires charcoal. Or Woodcoal. Or Wooden Charcoal. Or CharWoodCoal. It no doubt produces delectable dishes. But I don't do charcoal. I don't like the unpredictability. I don't like to wait (I am notorious for not preheating an oven), and I don't like the lack of control. (Yes, I fully admit to being a control freak.) It apparently has the capacity to serve as both grill and smoker. (When it can clean my house as well, I'm in.)
Husband suggested that we acquire this item. I replied that he was free to do so but that I would never use it. As the primary cook in the family, even with respect to the grill, I felt that I should have a weighted vote. He disagreed. Words flew. An early mid-life crisis was mentioned. "It could be a stripper or Porsche" was fired back. It was ugly. And remains unresolved.
I have since consulted several grill mavens. Chef Michael Santoro of Talula's Garden, and my brother-in-law Rex, both say that the Egg is "awesome"--direct quote from both. Jack McDavid, decorated barbecue champion and chef/owner of the Down Home Diner doesn't even consider gas as true grilling. But I still can't see myself fiddling with charcoal, waiting for the fire to temper, prodding the coals to achieve the perfect temp in order to chuck two burgers on the grill as a quick weeknight dinner for my kids. And I can't see having two grills in our postage stamp sized back yard. Another grill guru, Chef Bill Beck of Beck's Cajun Cafe suggested a reasonable compromise: Buy some wood chips, soak them in water, place them in an open-topped foil pouch and put the pouch on the gas grill while you cook. When you close the lid, the wood smoke will circulate and infuse flavor into the food. Hmmmm. I wonder if he's single.
So, advise me Phoodie Phriends. What's a Cook to do?
And speaking of couples fighting, here's a clip from my favorite show on this topic. They weren't fighting about a grill, but it's a hoot just the same. Enjoy.
