The calendar may say May 15, but we've turned the corner into Summer here in Northeast Florida. It's creeping up on 90 degrees as I type this at 3 in the afternoon, and that means one thing for sure: I ain't cooking dinner in my cramped little galley kitchen! In fact, from May through October we fire up the grill to spare ourselves an overheated home at least a few times a week. Of course, we love the standard grill fare: burgers, chicken, skewered shrimp, etc. But many things are delightful on the grill, so tonight I want to share a few of my favorites!
I generally eat pretty healthy, but I will not give up favorite foods like pizza and chicken wings. And, there's no reason that these treats can't be reasonably healthy. Grilling (provided you're not basting with gobs of butter or saucing foods with high-fat stuff) not only adds flavor and visual interest, it's a great way of cooking without adding additional fat. So, let's talk wings!
I love, love, love the traditional Buffalo wing. Fried, then simmered in a sauce generously dosed with butter, served with bleu cheese dressing. But indulging in them too frequently isn't so great. So, I decided to make a study of getting a really great-tasting wing without all the extra fat. There were some non-negotiables: 1. They must be thoroughly cooked, skin and meat, with no trace of flabby skin or pink flesh, 2. They must be very flavorful, and 3. HEAT! Point #1 will be addressed momentarily, as that's more about the fire. 2 and 3 are all about the marinating! So, some recipes first.
Some wings, alongside a bit of steak
MaskedKat's "Island Time" Wings
1/3 cup "Caribbean Gourmet" West Indies Hot Sauce
approx 1 Tbsp garlic powder
juice of 1 lime
Mix ingredients together. This is enough to marinate a dozen wings. Overnight or longer is best. When you're ready to grill, take the wings out of the marinade and add a bit of brown sugar to the sauce. As the wings cook brush them with the marinade. Make sure they are cooked thoroughly, so you're not ingesting raw chicken bacteria! To be on the safe side, you can nuke the marinade to kill bacteria.
Jerk Chicken Wings
1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 habanero pepper (use different quantity or type depending on your desire for heat)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground clove
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground thyme
approx 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
Blend all ingredients in a blender until you have a paste. Taste and adjust heat and seasoning. This makes enough for a dozen wings, also.
The last marinade is from this Epicurious recipe for Peruvian Grilled Chicken. I only used wings, and marinated for 48 hours.
Setting up the grill is next on the agenda. What we have found is that a hot fire, with coals mounded in the center of the kettle, works best. The cooking method is primarily indirect, but moving the wings from the outside (visualize a mound of coals, wings surrounding the fire) to the inside occasionally, to get the proper sear on the skin without burning them. So, this is a tad labor-intensive. Make sure you have an ice-cold beverage. Overall, cooking the wings takes about 30 minutes. Ours came out perfectly cooked - skin seared onto the meat, meat easily separating from the bone, and tons of flavor!
But what about the pizza?
A little mood music....
For pizza, we've found that it's all about the fire. Set your coals up pretty much opposite of the wing arrangement... after your coals have gotten good and hot, move them to the outside of the kettle, making a Ring of Fire!
Recipes are simple - top with whatever you like! These pictures include a Mexican pizza (green tomatillo salsa, Jack cheese, chicken, tomato, cilantro), a pizza Margherita (tomato, mozzarella, and fresh basil), and a sausage, mushroom, garlic, and bell pepper pie!
I am so not gangsta... that's my best attempt at a "MK"
For several years I tried making my own dough. Then one day I bought a pound of Publix bread dough, and it's fantastic. Way less time consuming and honestly, better than the dough I made myself. Make sure you let the dough rest, then roll it out (or press it out)nice and thin. I like a free-form, rustic pie.
Use plenty of flour or corn meal on your paddle so that the crust slides off easily, onto your lightly oiled grill. I top it very lightly at this stage, as an overloaded pie tends to stick to the paddle. We bake the crust on the grill (covered) 'til it's crisp, then transfer to the oven (yeah, it heats up the kitchen but it's worth it) and add more toppings, heating just 'til the toppings are melty and delicious. It doesn't need long on the grill (5 minutes maybe) before you get beautiful bubbling and browning. You need a watchful eye at this stage!
Bonus Recipe: Grilled Corn and Shrimp Salad
I wish I had a photo of this delicious, gorgeous dish! Don't let the word "salad" fool you. This is a nice meal all by itself. It's another winner from Epicurious and if you need an easy but jaw-droppingly drool-inducing dish to bring to a Memorial Day gathering or potluck, this is your dish! I highly recommend also grilling a red bell pepper, dicing it, and adding it to the salad. A handful of black beans would be fine, too. The brilliant colors of the corn, cilantro, and shrimp make this a visually stunning dish.
We're doing another batch of wings tonight... with some grilled corn and a simple salad of mixed greens. So, we're all dying to know... What's For Dinner at your house?