FOOD BBQ
F
Grill up a
Rainbow
You can cook just about anything on the barbecue
— and keep your kitchen cool, too
PHOTOS AND STORY By Charmian Christie
T
his summer, don’t relegate fresh
produce to the role of side salad
or fruit platter. Bring colour to
the grill with peaches, peppers,
berries and even beets. Cooked alone or
alongside their protein counterparts, fresh
fruits and vegetables provide colourful,
healthy dishes no one can resist.
The best part? You won’t heat up your
kitchen.
What’s cooking?
Almost anything. The grill can cook
anything from large prime-rib roasts to
bite-sized berries. Cube it, slice it or leave it
whole. The grill can handle vegetable-laced
chicken kebabs, spiced cauliflower steaks
and classic jacket potatoes. The only trick is
picking the heat source and technique.
FEEL THE HEAT
For all the whistles and bells the modern
grill has, there are only two ways to cook
your food — direct or indirect heat.
Direct Heat: With direct heat, the food is
placed directly above the fire. This method
leaves the coveted grill marks, but can lead
to flare-ups if you’re cooking fatty meat or
food dripping with oily marinade.
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Charmian
Christie
Indirect Heat: Food is not placed over
the flame, but beside it. If your grill has
three burners, turn off the middle and cook
between the left and right burners. If your
grill has only two burners, turn off one and
place the food over it.
ONE GRILL, 4 SIMPLE
TECHNIQUES
Once you determine whether your food
needs direct or indirect heat, you’re ready
for more nuanced grilling.
Direct Grilling: Once the grill is hot,
place food right over the flame. This
method is used with food that is turned
often and is cooked in less than half an
hour. Direct grilling is perfect for quickcook foods like burgers, kebabs, sausages
and fruit or vegetable slices.
Indirect Grilling: This method cooks
food using indirect heat with the lid
closed, but for a short time, usually less
than 20 minutes. Used in combination
with direct heat, you can get the grill
marks you like without over- or undercooking your food. This is perfect for fish
steaks, flatbreads, cookies, foil-wrapped
fruit and chicken kebabs.
Grill Roasting: Like indirect grilling, this
closed-lid method cooks food away from
the fire, but for much longer, sometimes
upwards of two hours. Foods done this
way will cook all the way through, but
you don’t get the classic grill marks direct
heat provides. Use this method for stuffed
vegetables, whole potatoes or other root
vegetables, whole fish, whole chicken or
large chicken pieces, large cuts of meat
and ribs.
Stir Grilling: Your grill can stir-fry better
than most stovetops. Place a specially
designed grill wok over direct heat, add
your food and get frying. The wok’s large
holes let the flame reach the food without
burning the meal. Regular tossing or
stirring with a long-handled spatula keeps
the food cooking evenly. This method
works well with diced or slivered vegetables, with or without cubed lean meat. To
reduce flare-ups, use lean meat and drain
the marinade off before cooking.
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8 TIPS FOR
A PERFECT PIZZA
There’s always one food that’s a bit tricky.
The grilling method you use depends on
whether or not you have a pizza stone.
Fortunately, the grill is accommodating
and can bake either way. Regardless, these
simple tips will ensure your grilled pizza
rivals the pros.
1. Let refrigerated or defrosted dough
come to room temperature for an hour
before you roll it. Room temperature dough
will roll more thinly than cold dough.
2. Roll the dough as thinly as you can. Thick
crusts might not cook all the way through.
3. If using a pizza stone, heat it for at least
a half-hour before grilling your first pizza. It
needs to be good and hot.
4. Prepare all your toppings in advance, so
you can assemble the pizza quickly.
5. Be stingy with the toppings. You should
still be able to see some of the dough.
Overload a homemade pizza and you will
be rewarded with a soggy crust.
6. Top your pizza just before you cook it.
The longer it sits, the more likely it is to
stick to the pizza peel or board.
7. Dust your pizza peel or board with fine
cornmeal to keep the pizza from sticking.
8. Shake it! While you are assembling your
pizza, gently shake the pizza peel or board
often to make sure the dough doesn’t stick.
P E A C H Y P I Z Z A M A R G H E R I TA
I don’t normally advocate messing with
the classic Neapolitan pizza. Then I had a
peach version at Guelph’s Miijidaa Bistro
and realized it was time to revise this
policy. Sweet Canadian peaches pair well
with tomatoes and basil. Mild mozzarella
accommodates the bolder flavours, while
Parmesan is the finishing touch.
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Ingredients
2 500-gram (1-pound) portions of
pre-made pizza dough, divided into 4 balls
1 794-gram (28-ounce) tin San
Marzano plum tomatoes, broken into
bite-sized pieces
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 peaches, peeled and sliced
227 grams (8 ounces) fresh mozzarella or
bocconcini, torn into small pieces
1/2 cup freshly grated ParmigianoReggiano
1/4 cup good-quality olive oil
Instructions
1. Using a rolling pin on a lightly floured
surface, roll one ball of dough to 25 to 30
centimetres (10 to 12 inches). Set aside,
covering with a tea towel to prevent it from
drying out while you roll the remaining
balls of the dough.
2. Transfer the rolled dough onto a pizza
peel or wooden board lightly coated in fine
cornmeal or flour. Leaving a 2.5-centimetre
(1-inch) border around the edge, scatter
one quarter of the tomatoes, 1 tablespoon
basil, half a peach and about 55 grams
(2 ounces) mozzarella evenly over the
pizza. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons grated
Parmigiano-Reggiano. Drizzle with 1
tablespoon of oil.
To bake with a pizza stone:
1. Place your pizza stone on the grill.
Heat with the cover closed to 450 F for a
half-hour.
2. Slide the topped pizza onto the
stone and cook over direct heat for 5 to
8 minutes. If you like your cheese crispy,
pop the pizza under the broiler for 1 to
2 minutes.
3. Top and grill the remaining pizzas one
at a time.
To bake without a pizza stone:
Heat your grill to 400 F.
1. Slide the rolled dough onto the grill
and cook over direct heat for about 3
minutes or until the crust is baked on the
bottom. Remove with tongs, turning the
dough over so the grilled side is up. Repeat
with remaining rolled dough.
2. Top the grilled side of one of the pizzas.
3. Turn off one of the burners and slide
the topped pizza onto this side of the
grill. Close the lid and cook the pizza
using indirect heat for 5 to 8 minutes, or
until the toppings are bubbling and the
crust is cooked. If you like your cheese
crispy, pop the pizza under the broiler for
1 to 2 minutes.
4. Top and grill the remaining pizzas one
at a time.
Serves 4 to 6.
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ROASTED FRUIT & WHITE
C H O C O L AT E
I first heard of roasting fruit with white
chocolate from a Scandinavian chef. As a
stalwart dark chocolate fan, I was skeptical.
She assured me this combination would
change my mind. It did. Since berries are
best when I least want to turn on the oven,
I swapped a roasting pan for foil packets
and a hot oven for a grill still warm from
baking pizza.
RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL
WITH OUR PRO AWNINGS, SHUTTERS & RAILINGS
Ingredients
4 cups mixed fresh seasonal berries (any
combination of raspberries, blackberries,
blueberries and/or sliced strawberries)
115 grams (4 ounces) good-quality
white chocolate, finely chopped (about
1/2 cup)*
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
1
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*c a l l o r s e e i n s
Instructions
Heat the grill to about 400 F.
1. Tear 8 sheets of aluminum foil into
30-centimetre (12-inch) squares. Stack two
sheets together. Place 1 cup of fruit in the
centre of the foil. Sprinkle 2 generous tablespoons of finely chopped white chocolate
evenly over the berries. Grate the lime zest
over the berries and chocolate.
2. Fold the foil around the fruit and seal
tightly so no juice spills out. Place over
direct heat with lid closed for 5 minutes.
Place foil packet on a dessert plate and
open carefully to avoid steam. Eat straight
from the foil or transfer to a bowl. Eat while
still warm.
Serves 4.
*Summertime tip: If your kitchen is warm,
put the chocolate in the freezer for 10
minutes before chopping.
fo
r
Call Gerry MacDonald or Larry McNab
for your free in-home estimate!
118 Kent Ave, Kitchener
519.279.1688 proawning.ca
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