GRILLING SIDES

 

                                                    Grilling sides

          Our rainy weather of late has not been conducive to outside grilling unless you live in a house with a covered porch. However, a ridged grill pan works well on the kitchen stove for some items and there is still a lot of summer with potential for good grilling weather.

Grilling of course has been expanding far beyond hot dogs, hamburgers, and plain steaks. We now grill not only chicken, seafood, corn, and a variety of vegetables, but also fruit like peaches, apple slices and pineapple, with a variety of tangy and even sweet toppings. For meat, marinades impart a variety of flavors as given in my red wine recipe that is excellent for beef and lamb, especially for kebabs (cut in 2-inch cubes) with mushrooms.

Red wine marinade

          Mix together in a flat dish with sides: 1 cup dry red wine, 2 chopped garlic cloves, 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 2 tblsp. vegetable oil, 2 tblsp. ketchup, ½ tsp. sugar, 1 tsp. salt, 1 ½ tblsp. red wine vinegar, ½ tsp. marjoram, ½ tsp. thyme. Place sirloin steak, London broil or kebab meat in the marinade, turn to coat and marinate at least 1 hour or overnight. Place 12 large fresh mushrooms in marinade for about 10 minutes before grilling meat and mushrooms.

          Grilling side assortments have also expanded with selections of grain, legume, and pasta salads far beyond the old staples of baked beans and potato salad. In fact, one rarely encounters baked beans at a summer picnic these days. And yet, the rich and complex flavor of such beans is difficult to replace. Here is my version of thick baked beans, that will stay put, without running to usurp the flavor or other offerings on your plate.

                                     Ultimate Boston vegetarian baked beans

          In a large bowl stir together: two 28 oz cans of vegetarian baked beans, 1 tblsp. onion flakes, 2 tblsp. molasses, 2 tblsp. white vinegar, 2 tblsp. ketchup, ½ tsp. dry mustard, 1 tsp. liquid smoke flavoring. Oil a deep baking dish with 1 tblsp. vegetable oil and pour in the bean mixture. Bake uncovered 1 hour at 375 degrees, stir and continue baking at 325 degrees, with additional stirring for up to 2 additional hours, to desired consistency. These baked beans will taste authentic to serve not only to vegetarians but are acceptable also to anyone not wishing to eat pork products.

          Creamy potato salads have been the backbone of summer dining, but have the reputation of creating digestive upsets, when allowed to sit in outdoor heat for long periods of time.  Here is a potato salad recipe made with vinaigrette, that is much less likely to spoil quickly under summer heat conditions.

                                      Potato salad with mustard vinaigrette

          Dressing: 3 tblsp. white-wine vinegar, 1 tsp. sugar, 2 tblsp. coarse grained Dijon mustard, ½ tsp. lemon pepper, 2 tblsp. olive oil, ½ tsp. anchovy paste (optional) or ½ tsp. salt, ½ tsp. celery seed and ¼ cup finely chopped red onion.   

          Boil 1 and ½ lb small red and white potatoes in salted water for about 15 minutes, until just tender. Drain and toss with the dressing while warm. Toss with 2 tbslp. chopped dill or Italian parsley, ½ diced dill pickle and chopped greens from 2 scallions. Refrigerate and serve garnished with sliced radishes and dill or parsley.

          To quote cookbook author Kathy Lee: “If summer had a defining scent, it’d definitely would be the smell of barbeque”.

   (I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)