Grilling Recipes

Hope everyone had an enjoyable Memorial Day! This week we are featuring some grilling recipes. The weather has been very good for firing up the grill. We also have a few using some of the early produce from this growing season. And, of course, there is dessert!

If you have a recipe that you would like to share, we would love to hear from you! Recipes, with photo (and a short story/history), if available, can be submitted to ads@thedrummer.com.

Spring Greens Caesar Salad with Pickled Shallot

8 oz. (1/2 loaf) sourdough bread, torn into chunks

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

3/4 c. olive oil, divided

Kosher salt

Freshly-ground black pepper

1 small garlic clove, chopped

4 anchovy fillets

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 T. fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 large egg yolk

1/2 (5 oz.) pkg. spring lettuces

1 romaine heart, chopped

1 oz. Parmesan, grated (about 1/3 c.)

Pickled Shallot, for serving

Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss together bread, cayenne pepper, and 1/4 cup olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Toast, tossing once, until golden brown and crispy, 12 to 15 minutes; cool.

With the back of a wooden spoon, mash together garlic and anchovy fillets in a wooden or other bowl until anchovies are completely broken down. Whisk in Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, mustard, and egg yolk. Slowly whisk in remaining 1/2 cup olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Add lettuces, romaine, Parmesan, and croutons, and toss to combine. Serve immediately topped with Pickled Shallot. 6 servings

Whipped Ricotta and Grilled Bread  

5 T. olive oil, divided

2 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced

1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

2 c. ricotta cheese

1/4 c. whole milk

Flaked salt

Freshly-ground coarse black pepper

8 thick slices sourdough bread

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a small skillet over low heat. Add garlic and thyme. Cook, until golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes; cool.

Meanwhile, beat ricotta and milk on medium speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and top with garlic-thyme oil.

Heat grill to medium-high. Brush bread with remaining 2 tablespoons oil, dividing evenly. Grill, turning once, until toasted and lightly charred, 2 to 4 minutes. Serve alongside ricotta mix. 8 servings

Grilled Salmon Skewers with Garlic and Dijon

1.5 lbs. salmon fillets cut into 1” squares

2 lg. lemons thinly sliced

16 (10”) bamboo skewers

For the Salmon Marinade:

2 T. parsley freshly, chopped

2 large or 3 small garlic cloves, pressed

1/2 T. Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

2 T. light olive oil not extra virgin, pick something with a higher smoke point

2 T. of fresh lemon juice from 1/2 lg. lemon or 1 sm. lemon

Prep: Soak bamboo skewers at least 1 hour to keep them from catching fire. Preheat Grill to medium heat (about 375˚F).

In a medium bowl, stir together all of the marinade ingredients: 2 Tbsp. chopped parsley, 2 pressed garlic cloves, 1/2 Tbsp. Dijon, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. pepper, 2 Tbsp. light olive oil, 2 Tbsp. lemon juice.

Double skewer the salmon and lemon slices folded in half intermittently onto two skewers at a time. (The double skewer aids in turning the salmon kebobs on the grill.) Brush both sides of skewered salmon with marinade.

Oil the grates then carefully place salmon skewers onto the hot grates. Grill kebobs for 3-4 minutes per side, or until salmon is cooked through and opaque. 4 servings

Grilled Fish Tacos with Lime Cabbage Slaw 

2 T. vegetable oil

1-1/2 T. fresh lime juice

1 garlic clove, minced

1-1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. ground paprika

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional, or more to taste)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 lb. tilapia, cod, or mahi mahi

For Serving:

8 corn tortillas, warmed

2 c. shredded purple cabbage

1 avocado, sliced

3 T. chopped cilantro leaves

1/3 c. Cotija cheese (optional)

Fish Taco Sauce:

1/4 cup sour cream

3 T. mayonnaise

1 T. fresh lime juice

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

In a mixing bowl whisk together vegetable oil, lime juice, garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne and season with salt and pepper to taste (about 3/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper).

Place fish into a dish or gallon size resealable bag and pour marinade over fish (if using a bag seal bag and gently move bag around to evenly coat fish with marinade), allow to marinate in mixture 20 minutes (and no longer than 30 minutes).

Grilling Method: Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Brush grill grates with oil and place fish on grill. Grill until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side (cook time will vary based on thickness of fish).

Oven Method: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with non-stick cooking spray. Place fish on prepared baking sheet. Bake until cooked through, about 10-15 minutes (fish should flake easily with a fork).

Stovetop Method: Heat a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, drizzle lightly with vegetable oil. Remove fish from marinade and cook in skillet about 3-4 minutes per side, until cooked through.

To Make the Sauce: While the fish is cooking whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, and garlic powder in a small bowl. Season with salt to taste.

To Assemble Tacos: Break fish into pieces, layer over warm tortillas. Top with cabbage, avocado, cilantro, cheese if using, and fish taco sauce. 4 servings, 2 tacos each.

Grilled Potato Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette

3 lb. baby Yukon gold potatoes (about the size of a walnut halved)

Kosher salt

black pepper

6 T. olive oil, divided

6 slices center-cut bacon cut into 1/2 in. pieces

2 garlic cloves, very finely chopped

1/4 c. apple cider vinegar

2 tsp. firmly packed brown sugar

8 scallions

2 T. fresh marjoram, plus more for garnish

Heat grill to medium-high. Line a plate with paper towels.

Place potatoes (cut in halves first) in a large saucepan and cover with cold salted water by 2 inches. Cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until easily pierced with a knife, 14 to 16 minutes. Drain and let cool. Transfer to a bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of oil.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove to prepared plate with a slotted spoon.

Discard all but 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings from skillet. Off the heat, add garlic, vinegar, and brown sugar to the drippings in the skillet, scraping up any browned bits. Whisk in remaining 4 tablespoons oil. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl.

Grill potatoes cut-side down until lightly charred, 2 to 3 minutes. Grill scallions, turning occasionally, until charred, 4 to 6 minutes. Chop scallions into 1-inch pieces.

Add potatoes, scallions, and marjoram to bowl with dressing, and toss to coat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with bacon and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with marjoram. Serve immediately. 8 servings 

Grilled Peaches with Vanilla Ice Cream

and Salted Caramel Sauce

4 peaches, halved and pitted

1/8 c. vegetable oil

3 T. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 c. prepared salted caramel sauce

Your favorite vanilla ice cream

1/3 c. chopped pecans, toasted (optional)

Preheat grill for medium heat.

In a small bowl, combined brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

Brush cut halves of peaches with oil and place face down on the grill. Brush the outside (skin side) of the peaches with oil while the other side cooks. Grill for about 3 minutes, or until peaches are just beginning to develop grill marks.

Using tongs, carefully flip the peaches. Sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar mixture over the cut side of the peaches and grill for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove peaches from grill and cool slightly.

Place one or two peaches in an individual serving dish. Top with vanilla ice cream, salted caramel sauce and toasted pecans.

Kitchen Sink Cookies

The Kitchen Sink Cookies recipe brings together everything you love about desserts into one cookie. The soft cookies are combined with the crunch of pretzels, with caramel and chocolate chips and then topped with sea salt. These cookies are sweet and salty, soft and crunchy, and are absolutely amazing.

1 c. unsalted butter, browned

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1-1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. granulated sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

2-1/2 c. all-purpose flour

2-1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. sea salt, plus more for sprinkling

3/4 c. broken pretzels, plus more for top

1-1/2 c. caramel bits, plus more for top

3/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus more for top

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Preheat oven to 350° F.

To brown the butter. In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat, whisking as it melts, foams, bubbles, and eventually little brown bits form and it turns amber. Immediately pour into a large heatproof bowl and use a spatula to scrape all the little brown bits into the bowl.

Using a stand or hand mixer, beat the vanilla and sugars into the butter for a couple minutes, until it lightens a bit. Beat in eggs for about 30 seconds. Add the baking powder, 1/2 tsp. salt, and about a third of the flour.

Mix slowly, add another third of flour, mix, and add the last of the flour until just combined. Stir in the pretzels, caramel bits, and chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Scoop out very large balls of dough and place on the prepared baking sheet, leaving plenty of space in between.

Add more broken pretzel pieces, caramel bits, and chocolate chips to the tops of the dough balls, to preference. Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake 13 minutes until golden around the edges.

Remove and allow to cool on the sheet for 5 minutes. Then, transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve and enjoy!  Makes 24 servings.

Quote of the Week:

“Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes.” 

~ Peter Drucker