I am constantly amazed at the repertoire
of the current breed of backyard grillers. Whether the grill
is a $10 supermarket cheap-o or a top-of-the-line gas behemoth,
the choice of foods to be grilled is always the same: hot dogs
and hamburgers with the odd smattering of ribs thrown in for
good measure.
So here I lay out my manifesto on the subject, "How to grill
well without looking like a jerk," as an outline for any
fledgling griller – or even the seasoned pro.
The first step is deciding on the menu. Let me briefly describe
some common ingredients that you might purchase, or already own,
and then go on to show you my foolproof method for grilling and
looking like a champ. (Forgive me for some creative pantry items.
I am the chef, you know.) Sliced ham, red onions, zucchini, asparagus,
cherry tomatoes, ginger, jalapenos, mint, French bread, mozzarella,
tuna steaks, bacon, red potatoes, scallions, fish sauce, curry
paste – I think that’s enough.
When faced with disparate ingredients, it is best to think like
a chef. In other words, don’t think about using everything on
one heaping trencher of a plate.
Oh wait, I’ve forgotten one very important piece of advice –
pick a theme for the meal. Today, I am thinking like a French
guy who maybe knows a thing or two about Asian ingredients. After
that, it will all fall into place.
We will need an all-purpose marinade. This can usually be thrown
together with things you have in your spice pantry or that lazy
Susan under the counter.
Vietnamese Grilling Marinade:
4 cups oil (without a distinct flavor. Do not use extra virgin
olive oil.)
2 cups rice vinegar (You can also use cider vinegar.)
1 cup honey
4 ounces fish sauce (or Worcestershire sauce)
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
1 tablespoon garlic
1 cup tight-packed basil
If you’re not shy, two or three chopped jalapenos, with seeds
removed
Method: Throw it all in a blender and whiz it up. If you have
some of that fancy curry paste from Chinatown, a half-cup in
here will really light it up. Now this is what you will use as
a base to cook everything on our menu, or to brush on everything
we are going to grill – for example, our tuna steaks.
The next few items will also require pre-grilling
kitchen prep – namely the asparagus, red potatoes and bacon.
The bacon is easy. Just fry it up and make it nice and crispy.
The potatoes and the asparagus you boil until cooked yet firm.
Remember that cold water on cooked asparagus will preserve that
nice green color.
Take the cooked potatoes, cut them in half, and put them in the
grilling marinade with the cut up zucchini and scallions and
sliced red onion. These will be grilled later to go with your
tuna steaks.
(I always like to have grilled red onions around. They are a
great accessory to salads and go great with meats. When grilling
onions in a hurry, cut them thin and they will char up real nice.
If you cut them thicker, they require more care in cooking.)
If the grill is going for a long time, you can utilize it to
prepare a lot of items – such as the onions – ahead of time,
which will make your day a lot easier and save more time for
chasing your children away from poison ivy or entering the sack
races at the fireman’s picnic.
As for the asparagus, I am proposing something for the appetizer
course that will be a salad.
Asparagus, Ham, Mozzarella
and Apricot Salad
(Serves four)
12 spears of fat, blanched asparagus
4 slices of ham
4 slices of mozzarella
Half-cup apricot preserves
2 ounces balsamic vinegar
Dijon mustard to taste
1 large head leaf lettuce
Method: Lay out the ham slices, brush with mustard, top with
cheese. Put asparagus on top and roll up tight. Toothpick them
if you must, to hold them together. Do not make them fat; make
them flat.
Put balsamic and apricot preserves in blender with marinade.
Voila! Salad dressing.
Brush ham babies with marinade and grill 1 minute each side.
Throw on salad that has been dressed with above dressing.
Wait for the kudos.
Now for the tuna, which is quite popular
at Uncle Pho, and in the summer months it’s both plentiful and
affordable.
Grilled Yellow Fin Tuna
(Serves six)
6 large tuna steaks
1 cup tight-packed cilantro and mint
Zest of two limes
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Method: Take two cups of the Vietnamese Grilling Marinade return
it to the blender and add everything but the tuna. You will yield
a wonderful paste to slather on the tuna (or pork chops or steaks.
You see where this is going?) about one hour before you plan
to grill.
Tip for picking out the tuna – don’t turn your nose up at tuna
that isn’t a bright, vibrant red. (After all, we’re not making
sashimi out of this!) You can use steak-quality tuna for this
recipe.
Well, that pretty much sums up our brief
foray into semi-professional grilling. I didn’t really get into
the tomatoes, bacon and French bread. Oh, what the heck.
Grilled Summer Bruschetta
(Serves a crowd)
3 pints of cherry tomatoes (cut up)
1 cup chopped basil
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
1 cup grilling marinade
1 cup corn, cut off the cob
2 ounces good soy sauce (anything but salty Kikkoman)
3 ounces extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
French bread
Method: Mix all of the above except bread and let sit two hours.
Take French bread and whack it into surfboards. Brush with grilling
marinade. (Thank God we made a lot, huh?) Grill until browned
but not burned.
Spoon mixture onto bread and serve with ice-cold Chateau Routas
rose or Brooklyn Pilsner.
And let us not forget that most majestic
of artery-blocking ingredients: THE BACON! A tiny bit crumbled
on the bruschetta would be great as well as a wee bit on the
asparagus salad, and while you’re at it, why not a sprinkle on
your veg side dish for the tuna steak?
It’s not hard to think like a chef. Just remember to keep it
simple and have fun. And if you have any questions, don’t call
me – I’m busy cooking.
Alan Harding is a restaurateur, chef,
culinary pundit and Brooklyn resident. He is also chef/partner
of Uncle Pho and Patois on Smith Street and Red Rail on Henry
Street.
