Grilled Fare Doesn't Have To Be Beef
The holiday weekend will see millions of us in our backyards, grilling great meals.
But, if you take a cue from chef Allen Susser, they won't be your typical spreads of burgers and hotdogs.
Susser, an award-winner known as "Chef Allen," grilled up a feast sure to put you in the mood for summer on The Early Show Friday.
He prepared easy dishes that put fun twists on the usual, such as tuna burgers instead of hamburgers, and ginger grilled chicken instead of barbecued chicken. He even grilled up a special Memorial Day sangria!
The Brooklyn native's Miami restaurant is called, appropriately, "Chef Allen's," and he's received national recognition for his creative pairings of fruit and fish. He also uses lots of veggies, resulting in fairly healthy menus.
RECIPES
Tuna Burgers with Mango Ketchup
Serves 4
1-1/2 Pounds sushi-quality Tuna
1/2 Teaspoon thyme
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons green onion, chopped
1 1/2 Teaspoons Kosher salt
1 Teaspoon Soy sauce
3/4 Teaspoon black pepper, fresh ground
2 Tablespoon olive oil
4 Tablespoons Chef Allen's mango ketchup
4 Brioche style burger rolls
To Prepare the Burger: Chop the tuna into 1/4-inch pieces. Combine the Tuna, thyme, garlic, nion, 1/2 teaspoon salt, soy sauce and pepper. Mix it well and shape into 4 burgers. Chill covered for at least 1/2 hour.
To Cook the Burger: Preheat grill. Brush the burgers well with olive oil season with remaining salt and grill the burgers for 3 minutes on each side for medium or until desired doneness.
To Serve: Garnish each with Chef Allen's mango ketchup and Ratatouille (see recipe below), serve on a toasted bun.
Ratatioulle Slaw
Makes 3 cups
1 large Green zucchini, julienne, just skin deep
1 large Carrot, peeled and julienne
1 small Red onion, thinly sliced
1 Small Round eggplant, julienne, just skin deep
1 Small Yellow pepper, seeded and julienned
2 tablespoons Roughly chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons Roughly chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons Roughly chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon Minced garlic
1/4 cup Lime juice
2 tablespoons Sugar
1/4 cup Champagne vinegar
3 Tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
To Prepare the Slaw: In a large bowl combine the zucchini, carrot, onion, eggplant and pepper. Toss together with the fresh mint, basil and cilantro. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, lime juice, sugar and champagne vinegar. Mix until sugar is dissolved. Pour the lime mixture into the slaw and toss together coating well. Cover and refrigerate for about one hour. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil before serving.
Serves 4
3 inch Piece Fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
2 Large Shallots, peeled and chopped
4 Large Cloves garlic, peeled
1 Teaspoon Freshly ground white peppercorns
1/2 Bunch Cilantro, washed thoroughly, reserving 4 sprigs with leaves
2 Tablespoons Soy sauce
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Peanut oil
1 3 pound Free Range Chicken, cut into 1/8ths
1 Recipe Green papaya and pineapple chutney
To prepare the chicken marinate: In a food processor, puree together the ginger, shallot, garlic, pepper, cilantro leaves and stems, soy sauce, salt and oil. Place chicken in a shallow dish, rub both sides with the paste, and marinate covered in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
To grill: Heat a charcoal grill until coals are medium hot, or gas grill to medium hot. Grill chicken on both sides, turning frequently for 30 minutes until the thigh juices run clear.
To serve: On a large colorful platter serve with green papaya and pineapple chutney. Garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs.
Green Papaya and Pineapple Chutney
The green papaya, meaning mature but not ripened to sweetness. Tropical papaya is usually the size of a football, though more of a pear shape, with a beautiful yellowish green skin color. The flesh is firm and moist, making it simple to dice.
1-1/2 Cups Green Papaya, diced
1-1/2 Cups Pineapple, diced
1 Cup Grated Coconut
1/2 Cup Roasted Peanuts
1 Tablespoon Minced Jalapeño
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Sugar
1 Teaspoon Ground cumin
Serves 4
To prepare the fruit: In a small pan simmer the papaya and pineapple with ½ cup of water over medium heat until tender.
To prepare the chutney: In a medium sized bowl mix the coconut, peanuts, jalapeño, salt, sugar and cumin, adding a little water if necessary. Add the coconut mixture into the papaya and bring to a boil cooking until thickened about 20 minutes.
Cuba Libre Rum & Coke BBQ Shrimp
Serves 4
1/3 Cup Dark Rum
1/3 Cup Coke
3 Tablespoons Tarragon vinegar
1/4 Cup Fresh lime juice
2 Tablespoon Molasses
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
1/2 Teaspoon Minced garlic
1 Tablespoon Tamarind concentrate
3/4 Cup Olive oil
1 Teaspoon Chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 Teaspoon Chopped fresh rosemary
1 pound U 10 wild florida Shrimp, cleaned and peeled
4 Thick grilled Slices of watermelon
To Prepare Marinate: In a large stainless steel bowl, combine the rum,coke, vinegar, lime juice,molasses, tamarind, cumin and garlic. Whisk in ½ cup of the oil., a little at a time. Finish with fresh herbs. Marinate the shrimp for 2-3 hours before cooking.
To Grill The Shrimp: Preheat the grill. Skewer the shrimp back to back on two bamboo sticks. Grill the shrimp over medium high heat, approximately 2 minutes on each side.
Serve: grilled watermelon slices, cut in rectangles.
Grilled Summer Vegetable Salad
Serves 4
1 large Spanish onion
1 large Tomato
1 large Zucchini
2 medium Red bell peppers
4 medium Japanese Eggplants
2 large Portobello Mushrooms
1 bunch Scallions
3 tablespoons Olive oil
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
For the Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
1/2 tablespoon Red wine
1/3 cup Extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Chive minced
1 tablespoon Cilantro minced
1 tablespoon Flat leaf parsley, minced
1 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
To Prepare the Vegetables: Cut the onion, tomato and zucchini.
Trim the bell peppers, removing the seeds, split the eggplant lengthwise. Clean the portobello mushroom. Trim the scallions. Brush all the vegetables with the olive oil and season with salt.
To Cook the Vegetables: Pre heat the grill very hot. Grill each side of the vegetables until they are soft and tender. Remove from the heat.
To Prepare the Vinaigrette: In a small bowl and whisk together the inegar and red wine. Whisk in the remainder of olive oil, herbs and season with black pepper.
To Prepare the Salad: Arrange colorfully on the plate. Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette.
Brazilian Tomato & Peanut Salsa
Makes 2 cups
1/2 cup Roasted Unsalted Peanuts
2 large Ripe Tomato, finely diced
1/2 small Red Onion, finely diced
1 medium Jalepeno Pepper, minced
2 tablespoons Fresh Cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons Fresh Parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
2 tablespoons Lime Juice
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
To Prepare the Salsa: Using a food processor coarsely grind the peanuts. Be sure not to over process, leave them slightly chunky. In a medium stainless steel bowl combine the remaining ingredients and add the peanuts. Mix well and cover. Let the flavors blend for 1 hour before use.
Grilled Mango Sangria
Makes 2 quarts
2 Large Ripe Mangos
1 Large Orange, thinly sliced
1 Large Lime, thinly sliced
1 Large Lemon, thinly sliced
5 Teaspoons Sugar
6-7 Whole Mint leaves
1-1/2 Cups Light rum
1 cup Fresh orange juice
1 Bottle Red wine, preferably Spanish Rioja
2 Cups Club soda
6 Handfuls Crushed ice
To Prepare the mangos: Cut the cheeks from both sides of the mangos. Cut any additional mango from the seed and add later to the fruit for the sangria With the point of the knife cut a checkerboard pattern into the flesh. Set aside in a shallow bowl.
To prepare the Sangria: On a large pitcher, add the remainding mango, orange, lime and lemon slices. Pour in the sugar and mint leaves. Using a bar mallet crush lightly crush the mint into the sugar and fruit. Pour in the rum and orange juice and Rioja wine, mixing well. Pour about a cup of the Sangria into the mango bowl to marinate. Cover and regrigerate both for 1 hour.
To Serve: On a very hot grill - char the mango cheeks. Remove from grill and turn out the flesh using your thumbs from under the shell of the mango to pop out the flesh. Using pairing knife cut the cubes of mango into a bowl. Fill tall glasses with crushed ice and pour the Sangria over the ice. Finish with a splash of club soda and stir lightly. Garnish with grilled mango cubes.