What you'll need
Tongs. These work better than a spatula when you're working with oddly shaped foods, such as the peaches.
Spatula. This is indispensable for grilling. Make sure it's metal.
A spray bottle full of water. Use it to kill too-hot or too-high flames.
Mitts and an apron. Essential for safety.
Aluminum foil for indirect grilling and eggplant.
Plenty of oil.
Tips from local chef Doug Levy
1Make sure your grill is squeaky clean by giving it a good brushing before you start to cook.
2Make sure you're using plenty of oil. Levy recommends oiling both the grill and the food well.
People are also reading…
Allowing food to stick to the grill is one of the few mistakes a backyard barbecuer can make, he says. Enough lubrication, combined with a clean grill, will minimize the chance that something will have to be pried off the grate.
Levy adds that any oil used in the kitchen (olive, canola, vegetable, butter, etc.) will work for the grill.
3Using the right tools for the job is key. For delicate foods, such as fish, use a spatula, which will keep the food from breaking up. Use tongs on harder-to-maneuver bits.
4If you're worried the food will dry out, mark it on the grill, then finish it in the oven. Cook the piece part of the way (long enough to sear in juices and give some flavor), then move it inside. This way, the food stays moist and gets done.
"Restaurants do this all the time," Levy says.
"I've seen a lot of beautiful fish ruined on a backyard barbecue because people want to finish it on the grill, and they don't have to. There are no rules."
5Please leave the lighter fluid elsewhere. If you must use it, use only a tiny, tiny bit to get the charcoal started.
"Your food will taste oily and repulsive if you get too much," he cautions. "You wouldn't squeeze a bottle of lighter fluid on your food."
Stuffed calamari
Serves 4
u 1 pound calamari
u 1 tablespoon salt
u 1 tablespoon olive oil
For stuffing:
u 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
u 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
u 1/2 cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
u 1 cup toasted bread crumbs
u 1 teaspoon dried thyme
u 1 teaspoon dried oregano
u 1 teaspoon summer savory, dried
u 4 green onions, chopped
u 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
u Extra-virgin olive oil
u Salt and pepper to taste
Clean the calamari, removing the tentacles, leaving the bodies whole. Place the calamari tubes and tentacles in a large pot and cover with water. Add the salt and olive oil to the water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Cook the squid until quite tender, about 1 hour. Drain and cool.
For the stuffing, heat the 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat until it just begins to smoke, then add the garlic and tomatoes and cook until the garlic is golden brown, about 30 seconds. Do not overcook or the garlic will be bitter. Lower the heat to medium. Add the bread crumbs, thyme, oregano, summer savory, green onions and basil leaves and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until well mixed and heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.
Place oiled grill over medium-hot charcoal, gas or briquette coals.
Stuff the cooled calamari bodies with bread crumb-herb mixture, brush the stuffed calamari and tentacles with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and grill until nicely charred.
Doug Levy's suggestions:
Calamari is best when it's barely cooked. It must be cooked quickly, he says, or it will turn rubbery.
He suggests oiling the grill very well and having some sort of skewer on hand to hold in the filling and make turning easier. Put the calamari on the grill, give it 30 seconds, then roll it. Repeat until all sides have been heated.
° Adapted from "Grilling America" by Rick Browne (ReganBooks. $19.95)
Grilled pizza
Makes 12 portions
u 2 cups all-purpose flour
u 1 package quick-rise yeast
u fl teaspoon salt
u fl cup hot water (120-130 degrees)
u 2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
u 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
u 12 fresh basil leaves
u 2 small, ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced
u Salt
u Coarsely ground black pepper
Prepare outdoor grill. In large bowl, combine flour, yeast and salt. Stir in hot water and 2 teaspoons of olive oil until blended and dough comes away from side of bowl. Turn onto lightly floured surface; knead 5 minutes.
Shape dough into two 10-inch rounds or four 6-inch rounds. Cover with plastic wrap; let rest 5 minutes.
Place rounds on grill rack; grill over medium heat 2 to 5 minutes, until underside turns golden and grill marks appear. With tongs, turn rounds. Brush lightly with some of remaining olive oil. Top with mozzarella, then basil and tomato slices. Grill 3 to 5 minutes longer, until cheese begins to melt. Transfer pizzas to plates. Drizzle with remaining olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Doug Levy's take:
As soon as the dough develops a crust on the bottom, flip it over. He suggests mixing up the toppings.You could add different kinds of cheeses, sauces and pretty much any topping you like. Add more substantial toppings, such as salmon, and this could work as a main course.
Think of other hot climates, and copy the food they use, Levy says. Yogurt and mint, for example, are wonderful on grilled pizza.
Note:
Quick-rise yeast gets mixed right in with the flour and salt and needs no proofing. Grilling pizza gives it a smoky flavor not unlike that from a wood-burning oven. If you like, grill onions, peppers and sausages and personalize each pizza.
° From Good Housekeeping's "Grilling Cookbook" (Hearst Books, $19.95)
Maple syrup salmon steaks
Serves 4
u 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
u 1/4 cup mirin or white wine
u 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
u 2 tablespoons olive oil
u Juice of 1/2 lemon and zest of 1 lemon
u 2 tablespoons cracked black peppercorns
u 2 pounds salmon, cut into fl-inch-thick steaks
Mix the maple syrup, mirin, soy sauce, oil, lemon juice, zest and peppercorns in noncorrosive container. Place the steaks in the marinade and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat grill.
Remove the salmon steaks from the marinade, drain, pat dry and reserve the marinade. Place the steaks directly over the flame and cook for 4 minutes; turn and cook 4 more minutes longer, or until the steaks are slightly soft to the touch. Grill a shorter time for rare, longer for well done.
After turning steaks, heat the marinade in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Immediately turn off the heat.
Ladle sauce over the salmon steaks.
Note:
You can also grill corn, still in the husks, with the salmon. Corn on the cob, or other grilled vegetables, with an herb butter, could accompany this dish well.
° From "Fish" by John Manikowski (Storey Publishing, $16.95)
Arnold's soused
peaches
Serves 6
u 6 peaches, firm but ripe
u fl cup Grand Marnier
u 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
u 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
For topping:
u 1 1/4 cups mascarpone cheese
u 6 shortbread cookies, crushed
u 1/2 cup Grand Marnier
u 12 shortbread cookies
Halve the peaches and discard the pits. Do not peel. Mix the Grand Marnier, vanilla and brown sugar together in a shallow, wide bowl and place the peaches in it, flesh side down. Cover with plastic wrap and allow them to soak for 3 to 4 hours.
Prepare a grill for indirect heat at 300 to 350 degrees (see sidebar)
. Place the peaches on oiled grill away from the heat. Cook them. flesh side down, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until grill marks appear, then turn them over and cook 5 to 8 minutes more, until the second side has grill marks and the peaches are soft.
About 5 minutes before the peaches are done, mix together the mascarpone and crushed cookies in a medium bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to use. This is best done no earlier than 5 minutes before serving, otherwise the cookies will be soggy.
When the peaches are done, remove them from the grill with a large, slotted spoon or spatula. Place 2 halves on each plate; place a spoonful of the mascarpone into each hollow and pour a bit of Grand Marnier over the dessert.
Place 2 shortbread cookies on each plate alongside the peaches and serve.
Doug Levy says:
Fruit has a lot of sugar in it, which means it's going to want to stick to the grill. Again, making sure there's enough oil is critical, but the intensity of heat used won't matter.
° From "Grilling America" by Rick Browne (ReganBooks, $19.95)
Glazed Japanese eggplant
Serves 6
u 6 medium Japanese eggplants (about 5 ounces each), cut lengthwise in half
u 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
u 1 tablespoon minced, peeled fresh ginger
u 3 tablespoons soy sauce
u 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
u 1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
u 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
u 3 garlic cloves, crushed with garlic press
u 4 teaspoons vegetable oil
With a knife, score-cut the side of each eggplant half with several 1/4-inch-deep parallel diagonal slits, being careful not to cut all the way through to skin. Repeat with a second set of slits perpendicular to the first to form a diamond pattern.
In a small bowl, with fork, mix brown sugar, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, cornstarch, garlic and 3 tablespoons water.
Brush cut side of eggplant halves with vegetable oil. With tongs, place eggplant halves on grill, cut side down, over medium heat. Grill eggplant 5 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Fold 34-inch-by 18-inch sheet of heavy-duty foil crosswise in half. Place eggplant halves on double thickness of foil. Pour soy-sauce mixture over eggplant halves, bring long sides of foil up and fold several times to seal well. Fold over ends to seal in juices.
Place foil packet on grill over medium heat and cook 5 minutes or until eggplant is soft. To serve, open packet, lift out eggplant and spoon any juices over.
° From Good Housekeeping's "Grilling Cookbook" (Hearst Books, $19.95)
try indirect grilling
° Most people are familiar with direct grilling, which is cooking food over heat, such as with a hamburger. Indirect grilling, on the other hand, involves cooking away from the heat. Foods cook more slowly and retain more juices.
When cooking with briquettes or wood chunks, place them on only one side of the barbecue grill. Start the fire as you usually would. This works best when the fire is started without the aid of any chemicals.
When the fuel has reached temperature (that is, it's covered in thin, white ash), place a metal or aluminum pan on the empty side of the grill bottom. Fill the pan with an inch or two of water.
Replace grill rack. Clean and oil grill rack. Put the food on the grill, but not over the briquettes.
Hints
If you have a nice grill brush, use it. If not, wad up a large piece of aluminum foil and use tongs to scrape the grill after it's been over the fire a few minutes.
Once the grill has reached the temperature you need, dip a paper towel in oil and use tongs to oil the grill. You'll probably have to redip the towel.
Most foods (meats, poultry, fish, large veggies) can be seared on the hot side of the grill, then finished off with indirect cooking. This will seal in the juices.
Indirect grilling is good for delicate foods because it's a safer method.
l This method is ideal for anything that needs to cook low and slow, such as a baked potato, or anything that needs to be well done, particularly if the food is wrapped in aluminum foil or put in a covered container. The food will stew in its own juices, and all the trapped liquids create a steam bath.
Sources:
"Grilling America" by Rick Browne; Doug Levy, owner of Feast.