Noshes And Notions By Terrie Ortwein Fire Up the Grill!! Memorial Day means so much to so many. First and foremost, it is a time to reflect and remember those who died while serving our country. And the Memorial Day Weekend is the kickoff - the kickoff to the summer season. It’s when everyone generally opens their cottages for the season, the beginning of the local festival season and when we plant our gardens. It’s when we officially get out all the patio and deck furniture, wash the windows and fire up the grill for that first official gathering of family and friends. And we welcome the grill with open arms. We are tired of comfort food. We want grilled stuff. If you like certain food items cooked in your oven or... ...on your stovetop, you will love, love, love it prepared on your grill. Everything tastes better on the grill (Except for hotdogs that taste better cooked on a stick over an open flame).
Steaks, burgers, ribs, chicken, shrimp, sausages, vegetables, and lettuces. Yup, I said lettuce. You have to try it. Grilled Romaine lettuce is amazing! Just cut a head of Romaine in half lengthwise, drizzle with olive oil and grill. You get little crispy edges, the olive oil causes a little smoke and the leaves capture and hold the smoky flavor, while the whole inside stays crispy and yummy. Other sturdy lettuces such as radicchio and endive are great grilled too. On the subject of grilling vegetables, just about everything can be grilled. Grill your corn. You don’t have to fuss with pulling the husk back, removing the silk, pushing the husk back in place and soaking the ears in water before grilling. Makes me tired just thinking about doing all that! Just husk the corn and remove as much of the silk as possible (if you miss any, it will just burn off during the grilling process), rub with olive oil, a little salt & pepper (I sometimes add a little Aleppo pepper for some added heat) and toss directly on the grill. Grill for about 10 minutes, turning often to prevent burning. Either eat traditionally on the cob or cut the kernels off the cob. Grill extra because the grilled kernels are wonderful added to salads, soups, or reheated the next day. They also freeze very well for more fresh grilled corn goodness in the dead of winter. Grill your squashes, potatoes, asparagus, green onion, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, fennel, eggplant, and your green beans. You will be happy you did. One of our favorite grilled vegetables is onions. The butter-mustard mixture is what makes this veggie sing! Grilled Onion Slices ½ cup unsalted butter, melted 3 Tbsp. Dijon mustard 2 tsp. wine vinegar 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon or parsley 3 large red onions, cut crosswise into ½” slices Salt & Pepper Skewers, soaked in water for 15 minutes Mix together butter, mustard, vinegar, and tarragon or parsley in a bowl. Push one skewer crosswise through your onion slice. The skewer will keep your onion slices intact when you are turning on the grill. Sprinkle onion with salt & pepper and brush with butter mixture. Grill, turning every 5 minutes and brushing with the butter mixture, until tender and golden, about 15-20 minutes total depending on the size of your onions. And then there’s grilled fruit. That comes in my next rambling. As Julia always said, Bon Appetit! And remember to say a little prayer for all our service men and women, past and present, for all they do to keep us safe and protected while we gather together on these holiday weekends with great food, friends and family. Comments are closed.
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November 2024
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