Think about warm weather, summer, and outside activities, and you'll soon be thinking of planning a picnic. There isn't anything like sharing food in outdoors to offer you plenty of reasons to grin.
Setting fire to the griddle for a picnic usually brings on thoughts of burgers, hot dogs, and barbecued chicken. That's all dandy and certainly delectable, but, rather than the usual old bbq recipes wouldn’t you like your grilled food to stand out a little from the rest? Maybe there are methods to present old favorites on the grill in new ways,or even try something completely different. Here are one or two thoughts about new paths to griddle up some summer dishes:
Sauce Ideas
One preferred ingredient in many grilled main dishes is barbeque sauces and other types of glazes and marinades. There are many hundreds or possibly thousands of recipes to add more flavour to whatever you are cooking. If you have been grilling for years, you've likely made your own sauces or have found 1 or 2 favourites. However maybe it is time to rethink those sauces.
Begin by playing with a complete range of ingredients. Don’t limit yourself to the ingredients you've been using. We know you instantly pull out the mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, and honey, but what else is there to make a sauce for the grill?
Take a look first in the fruit bin. Consider the lemons, limes, oranges, apples, and yes, even the water melon, 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 the dressings, including Ranch, French, Thousand Island, and Green Goddess. And, do not forget the spice rack. There's basically nothing off limits “grab it all.
Don’t be afraid to grate, smash, or boil ingredients together that you may never have utilized in the same sauce before. Blend contrasting flavours “savoury with sweet, tangy with smooth, creamy with crunchy “until you have got a unique sauce that you can call your own.
Now, marinade, glaze, or brush the sauce onto whatever you are barbecuing. Try a fruity white sauce on beef; a tomato-based hot sauce on fish; or a savory herbed sauce on fruit. Put it on the griddle and see what happens. You’ll have completely new dishes that may perk up and surprise the taste buds. And, isn’t that what grilling is all about?
Main Dish Ideas
If you are used to throwing a steak on the grill, but need to experiment with other cuts, try griddling full roasts. With the right preparation and set up, you can put a big meat roast or pork roast on the grill, either in a rack or on a rotisserie and surprise your family and guests with a tender and mouth-watering roast that didn't come out of the stove.
Rather than your usual cut up chicken pieces, wings, or legs, try grilling a complete chicken. The juices stay in better when the chicken is entire. Not sure you have some time for a whole chicken? You can also “butterfly” a chicken by eliminating just the backbone and pushing it down flat, keeping the chicken whole but providing a flattened version that cooks up in almost no time. Or try these grilled chicken cutlets in a lemon rosemary sauce.
Fish is another barbecuing favorite at picnics. Use fish that is firm and solid so it grills well and doesn't fall apart or become dry. Oily fish like salmon is ideal on the grill, but there are numerous other kinds of fish that work equally well. Fish griddles best when you don't have to flip it with a spatula, that's why you want to invest in a griddling basket which encloses the fish and you flip the basket instead of the fish itself.
Other seafood that is perfect picnic food for the griddle is shrimp, scallops, and lobster. Shrimp can be griddled unpeeled to help keep them from overcooking. Lobster can be griddled in the shell, too. Use 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 flavor every time you have a griddling picnic.
You are saying your taste for a delicious grilled burger is too powerful to pay no attention to? You've still got tons of decisions for variety at your picnic. You can dress up your burgers inside-and-out with many different flavors. Remember; beef isn’t the only burger in town! Ground turkey, pork, or. Chicken are great substitutes for those that need a different sort of burger at this year's picnic. do not stop there. Salmon and crab beef make great griddled patties, too.
Besides what goes into the actual pattie, think beyond typical 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 spread of flavorsome cheeses, hot or mild peppers, nuts, and salsa. Rather than throwing a raw onion on top, caramelize some onions in a solid iron pan on top of the griddle over low heat. The amazing sweetness will surprise and delight you and your visitors. These are now not your grandpa’s burgers!
Occasionally, you need to rethink how you prepare your main dishes at a grilling picnic to make serving simple. Think shish-kabobs and you hardly even have to bring plates! These bite-size pieces are a good way to cook, serve, and eat your favourite foods simply at a griddling picnic. Alternate cut up meat, meat balls, poultry, or seafood with grape tomatoes, bits of sweet onions, peppers, zucchini, yellow squish, or mushrooms. Some foods lend themselves very well to a tropical taste, too. Include pineapple chunks or citrus with chicken or seafood for a little 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 creating delightful puddings? You can start 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 variations using toasted marshmallows with things like oatmeal cookies, peanut butter cups, white chocolate, and flaked coconut as practical ingredients. You’ll have heaps of fun coming up with your own distinct creations here.
Expanding on the pudding theme is easier than you could think with a griddle. For instance, go on and cut up that watermelon you brought… But wait.
How about grilling it before serving? Yes, you can grill watermelon, too. Cut it off the rind, into about one in. thick pieces. Griddle quickly on each side until grill marks show. Put it on a plate and drizzle a bit of balsamic vinaigrette over each piece. The saltiness of the vinaigrette compliments the sweetness of the watermelon in a unbelievable way. Now THAT’S a griddled picnic delight!
Choose dessert classics that can be griddled, like pound cake with fruit compote or straightforward berries tossed together in a barbecuing basket until just lightly charred. You can make banana boats in foil full of mini marshmallows and chocolate chips, or perhaps your preferences lean toward grilled apple slices topped with a syrup of brown sugar and raisins. Grilled pineapple rings is another classic.
Serve these simply on a plate as they are or use them to top bits of angel food cake or pound cake with a drizzle of chocolate. As you can see, you can cook on a grill pretty much anything you wish to serve at your picnic. Even if you choose 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 imagination. 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 internet site.