Grilling season is here, and the time is right to cook up something different with this flavorful technique. The five recipes that follow start with vegetables, seafood and a few favorite meats, adding marinades and condiments for extra pizzazz.
Chef Kim Salahie of Metz Culinary Management prepares a lightly spiced brine to moisten, tenderize and flavor chicken breasts. After soaking, the chicken is marinated in a chimichurri mixture made with fresh herbs. The bright green chimichurri sauce does double duty, also accompanying the grilled chicken. The Latin-accented dish is served with a side of roasted broccoli.
2. Grilled Acorn Squash with Almonds and Melted Fennel and Leeks
Almonds, fennel, leeks, sumac and a sprinkling of kasseri cheese add contrasting textures and flavors to this veg-centric dish. Acorn squash is in season most of the year and makes a colorful and healthy addition to the menu at Hathorne Restaurant in Nashville.
3. Mediterranean Grilled Potato Salad with Seafood
Seafood salads make a welcome starter or small plate on a summer menu. Michael Kiley, chef at Glen Cove Hospital, taps Mediterranean flavors for this warm potato salad topped with grilled shrimp, scallops and halibut. If halibut is not available or too expensive, cod or another firm-fleshed white fish can substitute.
4. Grilled Applewood Smoked Pork Chops with Cider Sauce
Chef Dupar’s catering company is located in the Pacific Northwest, and her food is inspired by both regional ingredients and her own Southern roots. This cold smoke method of cooking pork chops infuses them with the flavor of applewood chips. Once smoked, the chops can be refrigerated until needed, then grilled to order and serviced with a hard cider sauce, rich with seasonal flavors.
Mexican food in the U.S. has gotten much more specialized, as chefs experiment with unusual chilies, regional cooking styles and native ingredients that were previously unavailable. Chef Berryhill, originally from Texas and a pioneer in modern Southwestern cuisine, goes in a bold direction with these steak tacos. The smoky salsa gets its flavor from chipotles and roasted pistachios.
University of Florida’s solution for feeding students in the midst of construction of a new dining hall has turned out so well, it will almost be a shame to see it go.
The endlessly colorful cuisine of Mexico is always in season, but Cinco de Mayo is a great time to bring some new recipes to the party, starting with El Rio Picante, an alternative marg, and finishing with DIY churro sundaes.
Last summer, a group of college and healthcare chefs came together at the University of Michigan for FoodService Director’s 2023 Culinary Immersion. Here are some of the recipes they developed.