Think about warm weather, summertime, and outside activities, and you will soon be thinking of planning a picnic. There's nothing like sharing food in the great outdoors to offer you masses of reasons to grin.
Firing up the griddle for a picnic usually brings on thoughts of burgers, hot dogs, and grilled chicken. That Is all dandy and definitely toothsome, but rather than the common old barbecue recipes do you want your grilled food to stand out a little from the rest? Maybe there are ways to present old faves on the grill in new ways,or even try something completely different. Here are one or two thoughts about new ways to grill up some summer dishes:
Sauce Ideas
One popular ingredient in many grilled main dishes is barbeque sauces and other types of glazes and marinades. There are countless hundreds or possibly thousands of recipes to add more flavour to whatever you are cooking. If you've been grilling for a number of years, you've potentially made your own sauces or have found a few favorites. But , maybe it's time to rethink those sauces.
Start by playing with an entire range of ingredients. Don’t restrict yourself to the ingredients you have been using. We all know you instantly pull out the mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, and honey, but what else is there to make a sauce for the griddle?
Take a look 1st in the fruit bin. Consider the lemons, limes, oranges, apples, and yes, even the watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, and kiwis. Now, pull open the vegetable bin and grab the fresh tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, celery, onion, and even avocados. Turn to your cupboard and take out the apple jelly, orange marmalade, maple syrup, raisins, dried cranberries, red wine vinegar, tarragon vinegar, and all of the dressings, including Ranch, French, Thousand Island, and Green Goddess. And, don't forget the spice rack. There is basically nothing off limits “grab it all.
Don’t be frightened to grate, smash, or cook ingredients together that you might never have utilized in the same sauce before. Blend contrasting flavors “savoury with sweet, tangy with smooth, creamy with crunchy “until you have a unique sauce that you can call your own.
Now, marinade, glaze, or brush the sauce onto whatever you are grilling. Try a fruity white sauce on lamb; a tomato-based hot sauce on fish; or a tasty herbed sauce on fruit. Put it on the grill and see what turns out. You may have completely new dishes which will perk up and surprise the taste receptors. And, isn’t that what griddling is all about?
Main Dish Ideas
If you're used to throwing a steak on the grill, but wish to play around with other cuts, try grilling full roasts. With the right preparation and set-up, you can put a giant meat roast or pork roast on the griddle, either in a rack or on a rotisserie and surprise your family and guests with a tender and juicy roast that did not come out of the oven.
Instead of your usual cut up chicken pieces, wings, or legs, try grilling an entire chicken. The juices stay in better when the chicken is whole. Undecided if you have the time for a whole chicken? You can also “butterfly” a chicken by cutting out just the spine and pushing it down flat, keeping the chicken entire but providing a flattened version that cooks up in no time. Or try these grilled chicken cutlets in a lemon rosemary sauce.
Fish is another griddling favorite at picnics. Use fish that is firm and solid so it griddles well and doesn't fall apart or become dry. Oily fish like salmon is perfect on the griddle, but there are many other types of fish that work just as well. Fish griddles best when you do not have to flip it with a spatula, that is the reason why you would like to invest in a barbecuing basket which encloses the fish and you flip the basket instead of the fish itself.
Other seafood that's perfect picnic food for the grill is shrimp, scallops, and lobster. Shrimp can be griddled unpeeled to help to keep them from overcooking. Lobster can be griddled in the shell, too. Employ a tray made for the grill with smaller slots to keep smaller seafood, like shrimp and scallops, from falling through. Marinade the seafood in a selection of tastes for a different flavour each time you have a barbecuing picnic.
You say your taste for a delicious grilled burger is too powerful to ignore? You've still got a lot of decisions for variety at your picnic. You can dress up your burgers inside-and-out with numerous different flavors. Remember; meat isn’t the only burger in the city! Ground turkey, pork, or. Chicken are good substitutes for those who wish to have a different sort of burger at the years picnic. do not stop there. Salmon and crab beef make great griddled patties, too.
Besides what goes into the actual pattie, think beyond traditional recipes and marinate your ground beef or fish with anything from red wine to a mixture of Worcestershire, soy sauce, or steak sauce, lemon juice, or balsamic vinegar. Add to the interior of the burger, or as condiments, a variety of tasty cheeses, hot or mild peppers, nuts, and salsa. Rather than throwing a raw onion on top, caramelize some onions in a solid iron skillet on top of the grill over low heat. The incredible sweetness will surprise and delight you and your guests. These are now not your grandpa’s burgers!
Sometimes, you need to rethink the way you ready your main dishes at a barbecuing picnic to make serving simple. Think shish-kabobs and you hardly need to bring plates! These bite-size pieces are a good way to cook, serve, and eat your fave foods easily at a grilling picnic. Alternate cut up beef, beef balls, birds, or seafood with grape tomatoes, bits of sweet onions, peppers, zucchini, yellow crush, or mushrooms. Some foods lend themselves very well to a tropical taste, too. Include pineapple bites or citrus with chicken or seafood for a taste of the islands.
Other Dessert Ideas
Sure, you can serve popsicles and watermelon, but the griddle is right there, all fired up. Isn’t there something you can do to put it to work making pleasant desserts? You can commence with the old stand-by and toast marshmallows, but don't stop there. Keep going and put together ‘S’mores ‘ using the classic ingredients of toasted marshmallows, graham crackers, and a chocolate bar. Or, you can create unique kinds using toasted marshmallows with things like oatmeal cookies, peanut butter cups, white chocolate, and flaked coconut as practical ingredients. You may have tons of fun coming up with your own distinct creations here.
Expanding on the dessert theme is simpler than you might think with a grill. As an example, go ahead and cut up that watermelon you brought… But wait.
How about grilling it before serving? Yes, you can grill water melon, too. Cut it off the peel, into about one inch thick pieces. Grill quickly on each side until griddle marks show. Put it on a plate and drip a bit of balsamic vinaigrette over each piece. The saltiness of the vinaigrette compliments the sweetness of the watermelon in an impossible to believe way. Now That could be a griddled picnic pleasure!
Choose pudding classics that may be grilled, like pound cake with fruit compote or simple berries tossed together in a grilling basket till just lightly charred. You can make banana boats in foil filled with mini marshmallows and chocolate chips, or perhaps your preferences lean toward grilled apple slices topped with a syrup of brown sugar and raisins. Griddled pineapple rings is another classic.
Serve these simply on a plate as they are or use them to top pieces of angel food cake or pound cake with a drizzle of chocolate. As you can see, you can cook on a grill just about anything you wish to serve at your picnic. Even if you decide to serve sandwiches, why not griddle them?
When you fire up your grill for your picnic, don’t limit the menu to hotdogs and hamburgers. Use your mind. If you can cook it, you can grill it!
Glenda Bule is a zealous collector of bbq recipes and is a contributor to the Easy Recipes For Dinner web site.
