102 Grilling Ideas (No Kidding, 102) by Cleo Coyle

Cleo Coyle, author of
The Coffeehouse Mysteries

To download a
free PDF of my
Coffee-Marinated
Steak recipe, click here, and
have a
Happy Fourth!

Summer + Decent Weather = Back Yard Grilling. A recognized theorem for a successful July weekend, don't you think?

I mean, sure, illegal fireworks, beer bottles sloshing around half-melted ice chests, and a few inebriated relatives are part of the equation too. But the grilling thing, that's a pretty universal constant.

Here in New York City, my husband and I have a universal constant, too. We always look forward to Nathan's July Fourth Hot Dog Eating Contest, held at the original Nathan's restaurant on Surf Avenue in Coney Island, Brooklyn.

For six years running, Takeru “Tsunami” Kobayashi of Nagano, Japan, beat the buns off all American comers. Then in 2007, the great red-white-and-blue hope -- Joey "Jaws" Chestnut of Vellejo, California -- prevailed. Joey continued his streak in '08 and '09, setting a new record of 68 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. (Dang!)

Competitive eating is serious stuff. First prize is $20,000 and ESPN acutally televises it. I usually say "Eat with joy." July Fourth I say: "Eat with patriotism..." (Go Joey. :-)

Hey, just to prove that Americans are not alone in our love of gluttony: Below is a fun video (with interviews of both Chestnut and Kobayashi) before their face-off over shrimp wontons in Singapore.

Click the arrow in the window below to view
the Singapore shrimp wonton showdown.

Which brings me to what we will all be eating -- and grilling for the rest of the summer. I boldly promised you 102 Grilling Ideas in my headline today, and I intend to deliver! Okay, so I'm totally cheating: 101 of these ideas are coming from NY Times food writer Mark Bittman.  

Mark Bittman, "The Minimalist"
To visit his web site, click here 

Mr. Bittman is known for his "minimalist" recipes. I just love his mission to get more people cooking (instead of nuking and fast food-ing). I also love his can-do philosophy, which is basically: "If you can drive, you can cook."

To read my post from last fall that features links to Mr. Bittman's 101 Appetizers and 101 Ideas for Your Holiday Table, click here.

Below are some of my favorites of his 101 ideas for grilling...and below that is the 102nd grilling idea, which is mine. Like the recipes on Mr. Bittman's list, mine is a departure from the usual burger and hot dog menu; and, given Nathan's annual chow down, I doubt Mr. Kobayashi or Mr. Chestnut would be keen on seeing hot dogs on any menu for quite some time.

Okay, first The Minimalist...

Idea #5. Grill bread; grind in a food processor to make coarse bread crumbs. (You can add garlic and/or parsley and/or Parmesan, or not.) Grill asparagus until tender. Top with bread crumbs and olive oil.

Idea # 20. Grill pineapple (or anything, really, from pork to tofu to eggplant). Make a sauce of half-cup peanut butter, a tablespoon (or more) soy sauce, a dash (or more) sriracha chili sauce, a handful of basil or mint and enough warm water to thin. (I’m tempted to say, “Throw away the pineapple and eat the sauce,” but the combination is sensational.) Idea #31. Steak au poivre: Sirloin strip is ideal. Press lots of cracked black pepper into both sides, sprinkle with salt and grill over fairly high heat, about three to four minutes on each side. Slice quarter-inch thick before serving.

Idea #57. Grill wild salmon (preferably king or sockeye) until not-well-done. Toss diced cucumbers with fresh dill, olive oil and lemon juice. Serve salmon hot, slaw cold.

Idea #69. Grilled coleslaw: Lightly char wedges of green and red cabbage and carrots. Let cool, then shred and toss with a little mayo, vinegar, salt and sugar.

Idea #92. Grill split kielbasa or chorizo (the Spanish type). Serve in buns, filled with chopped Manchego and mayo spiked with pimentón. Some chopped dried apricots would be good, too.

Idea #100. Cut bananas into thick rounds (like scallops almost), char quickly and serve with caramel sauce, brown sugar, vanilla ice cream, Nutella ... whatever.

To see the rest of Mark Bittman's
101 Grilling Ideas, click here.

And for that 102nd idea,
see below...

Cleo Coyle's
Grilled Pork Chops
with Apple Juice and Sage Marinade

Servings: This marinade is enough for 3-1/2 to 4 pounds of pork chops (about 4 to 6 medium size pork chops)

Ingredients:
2 cups apple juice (I like 100% natural - no sugar or corn syrup added)
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons sea salt (or Kosher salt)
2 scallions, chopped
1 tablespoon ground sage (If it's been in your spice rack forever, please buy a fresh one!)
1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard

Method: Whisk all ingredients well. Place pork chops in a shallow dish. Cover with marinade and place in refrigerator for about 2 hours. (For best results, don't go much over 2 hours.) Remove chops from marinade, do not rinse. Cook immediately on a hot grill. And eat with joy!

Enjoy your summer!

~Cleo Coyle

author of

The Coffeehouse Mysteries

To get more recipes ideas or to find out about the books in my nationally bestselling Coffeehouse Mystery series, visit me at my official website:
www.CoffeehouseMystery.com

Roast Mortem

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