BakeSpace.com Member Forums

[Babette]

OK folks.. .I need to know what's your favorite grilingl tip, topping, recipe, grill type, charcoal, wood, whatever is on your mind. This is for our next newsletter... Ready Set Grill! Post your favs and share with the community.

[Herr Hexenmeister]

One of my all-time favorite desserts is grilled stone fruit. Whether it be peaches, nectarines, or plums, they all grill-up beautifully. Just cut the fruit in half, remove the stone, and place it on the grill until it starts to just soften.

With peaches or nectarines, I like to either enjoy them with some vanilla ice cream or a drizzle of balsamic vinegar or maple syrup.

When I do plums, I like to take of fat-free, plain yogurt, stir in a bit of cinnamon and honey and spoon it over the plums.
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[EC]

i only use charcoal, no gas. everything tastes better but chicken really seems to pick up a more smokey, robust flavor. a chicken tip is to use boneless, skinless thighs as they stay moister than breasts.
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[Karen From Colorado]

Foil packets. You can cook an entire meal on the grill and not wash a pan. I swear that packet potatoes with onions, peppers and herbs should be in their own food group. I also have a recipe for sweet and sour chicken packets for the grill. Stuffed trout in foil packets are delicious both on the grill and in the camp fire. Fresh vegetables wrapped in a foil packet with a few ice cubes makes a wonderful steamer. Place your packets along side your meat for perfect side dishes.
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[pattit]

Karen, we do so much in a foil packet also, and if there is a blizzard or some reason we can not use the grill, it works great in the oven also. We have just discovered grilled asparagus this year, oh my gosh, you just drizzle it with olive oil, sprinkle with fresh ground pepper, some sea salt and grill until they are a little charred, heavenly. Eggplant, slice about 1/4 inch thick, put it on paper towels, salt them for about an hour. Then wipe them off brush with butter and grill, I don't even care for eggplant but this makes them very good. Sorry, but the more butter you brush on them as they cook, the better they are.
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[Frank]

After double shifts at the shop, we used to head down to the beach and grill walleye steaks (or even better, swordfish or mahi mahi) over coals. You have to use coals - gas just won't do it.

Get the coals good and glowing hot, but let them burn down just a bit so they're not too close to the grill.

Put the fish into foil boats and fill with Italian dressing to just cover the fish steaks. Place them around the outsides of the coal pile, not directly over the flame. Fold over the foil, but don't seal it. You don't have to cover the grill, but it won't hurt.

Don't try turning it! It won't take long to cook thru. It's done when you can push a piece off by touching it.

You can use a fork, but we always ended up burning off our finger prints just picking up the boats and using our hands.

Good stuff!
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[Athene]

favorite to me is the grill octopus ..

4 1/2 pounds of octopus, fresh or frozen (defrosted)
olive oil to coat
For the sauce:
1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
juice of 2 lemons or vinegar (about 4 tablespoons)
To garnish:
crushed Greek oregano (rigani)


Remove the beak, at the bottom of the head where it joins the tentacles, with a sharp knife. (Squeamish? Wear rubber gloves.)
Place the whole octopus in a pot with enough boiling water to to cover generously. When it resumes boiling, cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and drain. When cool enough to handle, rub the octopus with your hands under running water to remove the dark outer membrane. This comes off fairly easily, and if it doesn't all come off, that's all right.

Place the octopus in the pressure cooker with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, seal, and when pressure is reached, lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes. Use quick pressure release, remove the octopus and drain.

When the octopus is cool enough to handle, cut off the tentacles, and cut the head sac into 1/2 inch strips. Brush with olive oil (or brush the grill) and grill over low coals for about 45 minutes to 1 hour (test for tenderness).

Just before serving, cut tentacles into 3/4 to 1 inch pieces (on a diagonal), and make the sauce: whip the oil and lemon juice or vinegar in the blender until it thickens (a few seconds). Pour over the octopus, sprinkle with oregano,

i like to enjoy it with :

Grilled Feta Cheese
feta cheese, 1/2 inch slices
grated tomato
slices of pepper (hot or mild)
crushed Greek oregano (rigani)
olive oil

Wrap a slice of feta topped with chopped tomatoes, slices of hot or mild pepper, a sprinkling of Greek oregano, and a couple of drops of olive oil in foil and place on the grill next to your favorite meat, fish, or veggies.


or
tzatziki
500 grams (1/2 quart) of Greek yoghurt (or natural full, dairy yoghurt)
Three garlic cloves
1/3 cup of olive oil
1/2 chopped cucumber

Put the yoghurt in a bowl. Put the garlic through a garlic press and using the edge of a knife, spread the garlic coming our of the press on the yoghurt. Take the cucumber and peal the skin. Slice it thinly, either with a knife or using a salad slicer. Mix the ingredients with a fork and slowly add the oil. The oil will be absorbed, and when it is done, the tzazki is ready. Serve with a spoon and a few olives spread on the top. Tzaziki is eaten with plenty of french bread.

or
tuscan bread salad
small loaf of country-style bread (about 2-3 days old), cut into large cubes
1 small cucumber, roughly chopped
1 large red onion, roughly chopped
3 very ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
1-2 tbsp sugar, to taste
12 basil leaves, roughly crushed
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3. Spread the bread out in a large roasting tin and toast it in the oven for about 20 minutes until golden. Leave to cool.
2. Place the cucumber, red onion and tomatoes in a large bowl and add the bread. Mix well with your hands and season with salt and pepper.
3. Whisk the olive oil, red wine vinegar, capers, sugar and some salt and pepper together and add to the bowl with the basil. Give it a good stir, then cover and leave in the fridge overnight for the flavours to mellow. The bread should feel moist but not soggy.
4. Serve as a starter or salad or with grilled or roasted meat.

or with greek salad

3 vine ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 European seedless cucumber, cut into bite-size chunks
1 small green bell pepper, seeded and chunked
1 cubanelle pepper, seeded and chunked
1 cup Kalamata black olives
Several sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, about 1/2 cup
2 (1/4 pound) slices imported Greek feta
1/4 cup (a couple of glugs) extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons (3 splashes) red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed in palm of your hand
Coarse salt and black pepper

Combine vegetables, olives, and parsley in a large bowl. Rest sliced feta on the top of salad. Combine oil, vinegar, and oregano in a small plastic container with a lid. Shake vigorously to combine oil and vinegar and pour over salad and cheeseSeason with salt and pepper and let the salad marinate until ready to serve.

*home made Greek yoghurt:

1 litre (2-1/4 pints) of full-fat milk
2 to 3 tablespoons of commercial plain yoghurt or
home-made yoghurt (room temperature) mixed with a few tablespoons of milk


Bring milk to just under boiling point and then pour the milk into a glass or earthenware dish. Let the milk cool to about 42°C/104°F. Pour the yogurt/milk mixture into the milk carefully without disturbing the skin that may have formed on the surface of the milk. Cover with a cloth, place in a warm, draft-free place for 8 to 12 hours or overnight, and do not disturb it until the yoghurt thickens. Drain any excess liquid and store in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.

To make a "thick" yoghurt, remove the skin on the surface of the yoghurt just made and pour the yoghurt into a muslin bag. Hang the bag over a bowl and let drain for about 2 hours or until the desired thickness is obtained.
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When baking, follow directions. When cooking, go by your own taste

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[NTxWriter]

I love zatziki yoghurt! I lived in Greece for 2 years and it is one food I'll always remember and that I still make now. for my yogurt, I buy plain yogurt, then put it in a colander lined with paper towels and leave it overnight so all the excess water can drain off. You get a nice thick yogurt that way.

As to grilling, I marinate meat in orange or pineapple juice to tenderize it. Works every time! I also love to grill fruits and veggies with my meat.
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[ddpie]

Turn any grill into a quick "smoker" by soaking wood chips for about an hour in water. Then add the wet chips directly onto the hot charcoals. The wet wood will smoke and impart an unbelievable flavor wether you're grilling hamburgers, steaks, chicken, ribs etc. even if you are grilling (quick direct heat) as opposed to true smoking (low and slow, indirect heat)

In a gas grill, you can purchase a "smoker box", or simply put wood chips in an aluminum foil pack and punch holes in it.

Some to try are oak, hickory, cherry and my personal fav, applewood.

[EC]