Recipe for grilled stuffed chicken breasts on vegetables
Serves 4 with leftovers
VEGETABLES
| 2 | sweet onions, halved crosswise (keep halves intact) |
|---|---|
| 6 | cubanelle peppers |
| 3 | zucchini, cut lengthwise ¼-inch thick |
| 3 | summer squash, cut lengthwise ¼-inch thick |
| About ½ cup olive oil | |
| Salt and pepper, to taste | |
| 3 | tablespoons balsamic vinegar |
1. Prepare a charcoal grill or turn a gas grill to medium-high heat.
2. In a bowl sprinkle the onions, peppers, zucchini, and squash lightly with some of the olive oil, salt, and pepper.
3. Place the onions and peppers on the grill. Cook, turning occasionally, for 10 to 20 minutes or until the onions are tender and the peppers charred. Transfer to a platter.
4. Grill the zucchini and squash in batches for 10 to 15 minutes, turning several times, or until tender. Transfer to the platter. Sprinkle with a little oil, salt, pepper, and the vinegar. Reserve 2 peppers, ½ onion, and about 6 slices ⅓of zucchini and squash for the salad.
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CHICKEN
| 3½ | ounces feta, crumbled |
|---|---|
| ¼ | cup basil leaves, chopped |
| 2 | tablespoons olive oil |
| Salt and black pepper, to taste | |
| 6 | large chicken breast halves on the bone (skin intact) |
| Olive oil (for sprinkling) | |
| 2 | tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (parsley, oregano, thyme, or marjoram) |
1. Reduce the grill heat to medium.
2. In a bowl, combine the feta, basil, olive oil, and black pepper. With a fork, mash into a paste.
3. With your fingers, work your way between the skin and flesh of the breasts, beginning at the pointed ends to make a pocket. Slip 1 tablespoon of feta paste into each pocket, pushing it as far toward the wide end as possible. Pull the skin over the paste to protect it. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
4. Grill the chicken, skin side down, for 6 to 10 minutes or until browned. Turn and set the thick ends of the breasts closer to the heat and the pointed ends over moderate or indirect heat. Continue cooking for 15 to 20 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 165 degrees. It’s OK if some filling leaks out. Reserve 2 breasts for the salad. Set the chicken on the vegetables and sprinkle with herbs.
Lisa Zwirn
Recipe for grilled chicken salad with cherry tomatoes and feta
Serves 4
| 2½ | tablespoons balsamic vinegar |
|---|---|
| Salt and black pepper, to taste | |
| 6 | tablespoons olive oil |
| ½ | head romaine lettuce, torn into pieces |
| 6 | slices grilled zucchini and summer squash, coarsely chopped |
| 3 | grilled cubanelle peppers, stemmed, seeded, and coarsely chopped |
| 1 | pint cherry tomatoes, halved |
| 2 | grilled chicken breast halves, meat removed from the bone and sliced |
| 3½ | ounces feta, cut into chunks |
| ¾ | cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved |
| 2 | tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (parsley, oregano, thyme, or marjoram) |
1. In a small bowl, whisk the balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Gradually whisk in the oil. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if you like.
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2. On a platter, arrange the lettuce. Top with vegetables, peppers, tomatoes, chicken, feta, olives, and black pepper.
3. Drizzle with balsamic dressing and sprinkle with herbs.
Lisa Zwirn
Recipe for grilled skirt steak with pico de gallo
Serves 4
Combine grilled beef with fresh tomatoes and you get a tempting summer meal. Here the meat is skirt steak and the tomatoes are part of pico de gallo, a chunky Mexican salsa. Grilling scallions lends smokiness to the fresh condiment. Serve this on its own or with warm flour tortillas and sliced avocados.
| 1 | bunch scallions, ends trimmed |
|---|---|
| 1 | jalapeno or other small hot chili pepper |
| 1 | tablespoon olive oil |
| Salt and black pepper, to taste | |
| 2 | tomatoes, finely chopped |
| Juice of 2 limes | |
| ¼ | cup chopped fresh cilantro |
| 2 | pounds skirt steak, cut into 4 pieces |
1. Light a charcoal grill or set a gas grill to medium-high heat. Toss scallions and jalapeno with olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Grill them for 6 to 8 minutes, turning often, or until tender and lightly charred. Set aside until they are cool enough to handle.
2. Chop the scallions. Core, seed, and chop the jalapeno. In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, lime juice, cilantro, scallions, and jalapeno.
3. Grill the skirt steak for 5 minutes on a side. Rest the steak for 5 minutes before serving with pico de gallo. Karoline Boehm Goodnick
Recipe for flank steak with chimichurri
Serves 4 with leftovers
| 2 | cups fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves |
|---|---|
| 1 | cup fresh cilantro leaves |
| 2 | cloves garlic, chopped |
| ¼ | cup red wine vinegar |
| ¼ | teaspoon crushed red pepper |
| Salt and black pepper, to taste | |
| ½ | cup olive oil |
| 2 | medium flank steaks (2½ to 2¾ pounds total) |
| Olive oil (for sprinkling) |
1. In a food processor, combine the parsley, cilantro, and garlic. Pulse until finely chopped. Add the vinegar, red pepper, a generous pinch of salt, and black pepper. Pulse to blend them.
2. With the processor running, add the oil through the feed tube. Reserve ½ cup of chimichurri for the sandwiches.
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3. Turn the broiler to high or prepare a charcoal grill; or turn a gas grill to medium-high.
4. Using the tip of a paring knife, mark the steaks in a crosshatch pattern on both sides to prevent them from curling. Rub them with olive oil on both sides. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Broil or grill the steaks for 5 minutes on a side for medium-rare to medium.
6. Transfer the steaks to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Reserve ½ steak for the sandwiches. Slice the remaining steak thinly, across the grain, and serve with chimichurri sauce and a tomato-cucumber salad. Lisa Zwirn
Recipe for grilled salmon with Korean-style barbecue sauce
Serves 4
Create a simple marinade and sweet-and-sour glaze reminiscent of the sauce slathered on at Korean barbecue joints. Use a very hot grill that has been cleaned well, then oiled just before cooking (a crumpled piece of foil and canola oil work well for this).
| Canola oil (for the grill) | |
|---|---|
| 2 | teaspoons sesame oil |
| 1 | tablespoon canola oil |
| 3 | tablespoons sake |
| Salt and black pepper, to taste | |
| 2 | pounds boneless salmon (skin intact), cut into 4 even-size pieces |
| ¼ | cup hoisin sauce |
| 1 | tablespoon ketchup |
| 2 | teaspoons miso |
| 2 | teaspoons sugar |
| 2 | teaspoons fresh ground chile paste (such as sambal) |
| 2 | teaspoons rice vinegar |
| 1 | piece (1-inch) ginger, chopped |
| 2 | cloves garlic, chopped |
| 3 | scallions, trimmed and chopped |
| 2 | teaspoons sesame seeds |
1. In a shallow dish, combine 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil, canola oil, sake, and salt. Add salmon and coat lightly. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Light a charcoal grill or set a gas grill to high heat. Oil the grill rack well.
3. In a bowl, whisk together hoisin sauce, ketchup, miso, sugar, chile paste, vinegar, remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil, ginger, garlic, 1 chopped scallion, and black pepper.
4. Place salmon on the grill, skin side up. Cook for 6 minutes. With a very thin spatula, gently turn the fish. Use half the glaze to brush the pieces. Cover the grill and cook for 2 minutes. Brush with remaining glaze. Cover and grill 2 minutes more. Total cooking time is 10 minutes.
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5. Sprinkle with remaining scallions and sesame seeds. Serve with a cucumber or green salad. Karoline Boehm Goodnick
Recipe for grilled swordfish with cherry-tomato salsa and edamame
Serves 4
When you roast cherry tomatoes, the juices caramelize and provide a wonderful base for a flavorful salsa. Here the sauce accompanies swordfish, or use another firm meaty fish such as striped bass, red snapper, sea bass, or halibut.
SALSA
| 3½ | tablespoons olive oil |
|---|---|
| 3 | cloves garlic, chopped |
| Salt and black pepper to taste | |
| 2 | pints cherry tomatoes |
| 1 | jalapeno, cored, seeded, and cut into ½-inch sections |
| 1 | bunch scallions, trimmed and coarsely chopped |
| 1 | cup chopped fresh cilantro |
| Juice of 1 lemon |
1. Set the oven at 475 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, mix together olive oil, garlic, salt and black pepper. Spread the tomatoes on the parchment and with a fork, prick each once or twice. Toss with the olive oil mixture. Spread the tomatoes in a single layer and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until they are slightly brown and caramelized; cool slightly.
3. Turn on a food processor. Drop the jalapeno into the tube and pulse to chop finely. Add the scallions, cilantro, and lemon juice. Pulse until the mixture is chunky, but well-blended. Add the tomatoes and pulse several times more. Transfer to a bowl.
SWORDFISH AND EDAMAME
| 7 | tablespoons olive oil |
|---|---|
| 4 | scallions, cut in quarters and smashed with the flat edge of a chef's knife |
| 8 | thin slices fresh ginger, smashed with the flat edge of a chef's knife |
| 1½ | pounds swordfish or other firm-flesh boneless white fish with skin intact |
| 1 | pound frozen, shelled edamame |
| Juice of ½ lemon, or to taste | |
| Salt and black pepper, to taste |
1. In a saucepan, heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil until very hot, but not smoking. Remove the pan from the heat, and add the scallions and ginger. Cover and let sit for 15 minutes.
2. In a shallow bowl, rub the fish with all but 1 tablespoon of the flavored oil. Set aside for 15 minutes.
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3. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil, add the edamame, and cook 1 minute. Drain and rinse with cold water. Transfer to a bowl and pat dry with paper towels. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, lemon, salt, and pepper. Toss gently.
4. Prepare a charcoal grill or turn a gas grill to medium-hot. Brush the grill rack with some of the flavored oil.
5. Arrange the fish, cut sides down, on the rack (for other fish, place skin side down). Cover and cook for 5 minutes on a side, turning once, or until the fish is cooked through. Arrange the fish (skin side down if not using swordfish), on a platter. Garnish with edamame and salsa.
Nina Simonds
Grilled lobsters
Serves 4, with leftovers
First steam the lobsters for 3 minutes, then lift them from the water and let them cool (save the cooking liquid for chowder). Crack the claws and make a slit down the tails. Stuff the slits with fresh herbs mixed with olive oil.
3 cups water
5 fresh lobsters (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds each)
1 bunch fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 bunch fresh oregano, finely chopped
Large handful fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped
1/4 cup olive oil, or more if necessary
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1. Have on hand a large stockpot that will hold all the lobsters (or cook them in batches), long grill tongs, a sharp scissors, a deep bowl, and a large knife or cleaver.
2. In the stockpot, bring 2 inches of water to a boil.
3. Working over the sink, hold a lobster with the tongs. With the scissors, snip off the rubber bands. Transfer the lobster to the bowl. Continue with the remaining lobsters. Do not remove the bands until right before you cook the lobsters.
4. With the tongs, transfer the lobsters to the pot. Cover with the lid. Cook the lobsters for 3 minutes or just until they turn bright red.
5. Remove the lobsters from the pot and transfer to the bowl to cool. Cook remaining lobsters, if necessary. (Save the lobster cooking liquid for the chowder.)
6. Light a charcoal grill or set a gas grill to medium.
7. In a bowl, combine the thyme, oregano, parsley, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add more oil, if necessary, to make a mixture that just holds together.
8. Use the knife or cleaver to make gashes on both sides of all the claws. Make a deep cut down the underside of the lobster tail. With your hands, press the herb mixture into the gashes and slits, working in as much as you can.
9. Set the lobsters on the grill rounded sides down. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Turn the lobsters, recover the grill, and cook for 5 minutes more or until the lobsters are charred. (Set aside 1 lobster for the chowder.) Divide the butter between 4 small custard cups or bowls and serve with the lobsters.
Sheryl Julian. Adapted from Dan Cosby and Amber Heffner
Lobster chowder
Serves 4
You will need 4 cups liquid to begin the chowder. Use the cooking liquid from steaming the lobsters and make up the difference with water, if necessary. Save the water from cooking the potatoes, too, to add to the chowder. Since the lobster is fully cooked, it only needs reheating.
4 cups water
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 medium Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
3 cups lobster cooking liquid
4 ears fresh corn, kernels cut off cobs
1 cup potato cooking water
1 cooked lobster, meat removed from shell and coarsely chopped or 8 ounces cooked lobster meat, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup heavy cream
1. In a large saucepan, bring the water and a generous pinch of salt to a boil. Add the potatoes, lower the heat, and simmer for 8 minutes or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife.
2. Meanwhile, in a large flameproof casserole, bring the lobster cooking liquid and a pinch of salt to a boil. Add the corn and simmer for 2 minutes or until the corn is tende
3. With a slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes to the corn mixture. Measure 1 cup of potato cooking water and add it to the pot. Bring to a simmer.
4. Add the lobster and any juices. Cook for 2 minutes or until the lobster is hot.
5. Stir in the cream and cook until the mixture bubbles at the edges. Add pepper and parsley or thyme. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if you like. Ladle into bowls. Sheryl Julian
Recipe for grilled corn salad with cilantro vinaigrette
Serves 4
Roasted corn makes a perfect side for an outdoor barbecue, but can also be tempting wrapped inside tortillas with a few slices of avocado, and chopped radish for crunch.
| 8 | ears fresh corn |
|---|---|
| Juice of 4 limes | |
| Pinch of crushed red pepper, or more to taste | |
| Salt and black pepper, to taste | |
| 1½ | tablespoons vegetable oil |
| ¼ | cup chopped fresh cilantro |
1. Light a charcoal grill or turn a gas grill to medium-high.
2. Place the corn on the grill rack and cook, turning often, for 5 minutes or until some of the kernels turn golden. Remove from the grill; cool.
3. Lay an ear of corn on a board. With a serrated knife, carefully cut off several rows of kernels. Turn the cob and remove more kernels. Continue until all the kernels are removed from the corn.
4. In a bowl large enough to hold all the corn, whisk the lime juice, red pepper, salt, and black pepper. Gradually whisk in the oil and cilantro. Fold in the corn and taste for seasoning. Add more salt and red pepper, if you like. Sydney Oland
Recipe for grilled corn with cotija cheese and lime
Serves 6
Ears of corn picked that day need little more than heat and butter to bring out the flavors. For an extraordinary treat, peel back the husks, roast the kernels on a hot grill, and slather with traditional Mexican accompaniments of cotija cheese, chili powder, and lime juice. Many cooks suggest soaking the ears in cold water before grilling. We say skip this step, and do your best to keep the handle you have made of the corn husks away from the flames. When you go to eat the corn, hold onto the handle. A mayonnaise mustache is part of the fun.
6 ears fresh corn
¼ cup canola oil
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
½ cup crumbled cotija cheese
Salt, to taste
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 limes, 1 halved and 1 cut into 4 wedges
1. Heat a charcoal grill or turn a gas grill to high.
2. Peel back the corn husks. Tie them with string. Brush each ear with oil.
3. Grill the corn away from the hottest part of the grill, turning occasionally, for 12 minutes or until bright yellow and charred.
4. Spread ½ tablespoon mayonnaise on each ear of corn. Sprinkle with crumbled cheese, pressing lightly so it sticks, salt, chili powder, and juice from the halved lime. Serve with lime wedges.
Karoline Boehm Goodnick