Holiday Weekend Feast From The Grill

FOOD FACTS

Grape Tomato: A grape tomato is half the size of a cherry tomato, which makes it easier to distribute in salads and eat as a snack. The lower water content cuts down on the "'quirt" factor experienced by many cherry tomato eaters. The flavor of a grape tomato is noticeably sweeter than a Roma or cherry tomato. Some bars in Asia offer customers bowls of grape tomatoes instead of the usual salted peanuts.

Pork Shoulder: Meat from this section is relatively fatty, which makes for juicy, tender, and flavorful roasts - as well as clogged arteries! Pork shoulders and the related cuts are relatively inexpensive, and the meat itself is very forgiving. Under-cook it (within the limits of safety), and it might be a little tough, but it will still taste great. Over-cook it, and you can still serve it with a smile. Because of the fat marbling, pork shoulder won't dry out like other pieces of meat. You can skip all the traditional rubs, mops and sauces and it will stand alone on the flavor of the meat and smoke. Pork enables you to practice and still eat your mistakes. Brisket and ribs aren't as forgiving.

Blood Oranges: Blood oranges are juicy, sweet, have a dark red interior, and are slightly less acidic than regular table oranges. Originally from Sicily, the blood orange has gained in popularity in the U.S. and can be found fresh or in juice form in many grocery stores. Not only is the inside of the orange darkly pigmented but, depending on the variety, the outside may also have dark washes of red.

RECIPES

Pesto-Stuffed Jumbo Shrimp Skewered with Grape Tomatoes

Choose the largest shrimp you can find for this recipe. The bigger they are, the longer they'll take to cook, which means more time for them to absorb the basil fragrance from the pesto, and longer for the flame to singe their skins. The effect, as the parchment-crisp crust cracks between the teeth, releasing a burst of basil-scented juice across the palate, is ecstatic.

Makes 8 servings:

24 colossal (U-15) shrimp (about 2 pounds), shelled and cleaned
6 tablespoons basil pesto, purchased or homemade (see recipe below)
32 under-ripe grape tomatoes
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Oil for coating grill grate

Basil Pesto (makes 3/4 cup, about 12 servings):

4-ounce bunch fresh basil, stems removed
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup freshly grated imported Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste

METHOD:

For Basil Pesto: Chop the basil and garlic finely in a food processor. Add the pine nuts, olive oil, Parmesan, salt and pepper and process in pulses until well blended. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

For Shrimp: Heat the grill as directed.

Slit the shrimp along their backs, to open up the center crevice slightly.
Fill the opening in each shrimp with about ½ teaspoon pesto.

Arrange 3 shrimp on each skewer, alternating them with 4 grape tomatoes.

Mix the olive oil, salt, and pepper with the remaining 1 tablespoon pesto in a small bowl. Brush the shrimp and tomatoes with some of this mixture.

Brush the grill grate and coat it with oil.

Put the prepared skewers on the grill, cover, and cook for 8 minutes, turning and basting with some of the pesto oil every 2 minutes.

Baste with any remaining oil mixture and serve.

FOR MORE RECEIPES, GO TO PAGE 2.

Pulled Pork Three Ways

Pork is the most common meat in the world, and every culture that eats it has a recipe involving long, slow cooking that ends up with the pork in shreds. Whether you're from South Carolina, southern Italy, or Southeast Asia, you know about pulled pork. The only difference is what you flavor the meat with after it cooks, and how you choose to present it. Here is a recipe to serve as an international guide. It includes enough to make eight portions of pulled pork, and enough of three different sauces and accompaniments to flavor all of that pork. It's assumed you'll choose one way, but if you want to make all three, either you'll need three times the amount of pork, or you'll need to cut all of the sauce ingredients down by two-thirds.

Makes 8 servings:

For the pork:
1 boneless pork shoulder, about 5 pounds
1/4 cup Fragrant Chile Rub (see below)
2 tablespoons canola oil
Oil for coating grill grate

Fragrant Chile Rub:
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground ancho chile
1 to 3 tablespoons chipotle chile, ground
1/2 teaspoon cumin, ground
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

For the Sicilian Bath:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano leaves, or ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves, or ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
8 sub rolls, for serving
2 large onions, cut into ½-inch-thick slices and grilled until tender, halved, for serving

For the South Carolina Vinegar Mop:
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons Tabasco hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
8 hamburger rolls, for serving

For the Pungent Vietnamese Sauce:
1 cup Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (see below)
8 leaves romaine lettuce, for serving
4 radishes, thinly sliced and cut into strips, for serving
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into thin slices, for serving

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup Thai fish sauce
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 hot chile pepper, such as bird chile, habanero, cayenne, or Scotch bonnet
1/4 cup shredded carrot

Rub the pork all over with the rub.

Roll and tie the pork into a compact bundle, and rub it all over with the 2 tablespoons oil. Set aside for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
Heat the grill as directed.

Brush the grill grate and coat it with oil.

Put the pork on the grill away from the heat, cover the grill, and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers about 185°F, 3 to 4 hours. If your grill has a temperature gauge, it should stay at around 350°F.

If you are using charcoal or wood, you will have to replenish the coals or wood every hour.

While the pork is cooking, make one of the sauces by combining the ingredients in a bowl, set aside.

Remove the pork to a cutting board, using tongs and a spatula for support, cover with foil, and let rest for at least 15 minutes.

Untie and cut the meat into 1 ½-inch-thick slices.

Pull the slices apart with your fingers or 2 forks into shreds, discarding large pockets of fat as you proceed.

Mix the pulled pork with one of the sauces.

Serve South Carolina pulled pork on hamburger rolls.

Serve Vietnamese pulled pork wrapped in lettuce leaves with slivers of radish and cucumber.

Serve Sicilian pulled pork on sub rolls topped with grilled onions.

Grilled Fruit Skewers with Honey Mustard

You're probably familiar with the sweet-and-sour contrast of honey mustard on chicken or pork. It's great on grilled fruit, too. Here, it's brushed on wedges of skewered peaches, plums, and blood oranges. A Mediterranean citrus, blood oranges have ruby or ruby-flecked flesh and a full orange flavor laced with plum or raspberry aromas. Serve these kebabs with grilled pork, chicken, or fish, such as Sicilian Pulled Pork, Tuscan Roasted Chicken Stuffed with Fragrant Greens or Saffron-Citrus Salmon Steaks with Basil Oil.

Makes 8 servings - 2 skewers per serving

2/3 cup honey, preferably orange blossom
6 tablespoons coarse Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
4 small just-ripe freestone peaches
4 small just-rip plums
4 blood oranges, peeled and sectioned
Oil for coating grill grate

If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 20 minutes.

Heat the grill to medium-high heat.

Combine the honey, mustard, orange juice, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Set aside.

Halve the peaches and plums from the stem end to the blossom end and twist to separate the halves. Remove and discard the pits.

Cut the halved fruit into wedges about one (1) inch thick at the wide end.
Arrange the peaches, orange sections, and plums on the skewers.

Brush the mustard glaze generously over the fruit, reserving some to brush on after grilling.

Brush the grill grate and coat it with oil.

Put the skewers on the grill and cook until nicely grill-marked, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Brush with the remaining glaze and serve warm, using a wide spatula to lift them from the grill.

So, how did Andrew and David do with their $80 budget?!

1ST COURSE
colossal shrimp $24.95
grape tomatoes $5.98
fresh basil $1.99
garlic .39
pine nuts $3.75
parmesan cheese $2.24

2ND COURSE
pork shoulder $10.95
paprika .79
ancho chile .99
chipotle chile $1.19
cumin .95
lemon juice .75
tomato paste .89
oregano $1.49
rosemary $1.49
parsley $1.49
sub rolls $4.99
onions .80

3RD COURSE
honey $2.19
Dijon mustard $1.49
orange juice $0.75
nutmeg $0.99
peaches $2.98
plums $2.39
blood oranges $1.96

FINAL COST: $78.82
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