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Grill Without the Chill
by Pamela Rice Hahn
George Foreman may have started the
craze, but other manufacturers now make
worthy indoor grilling contenders, too.
Newer grills have hinged lids that
adjust to the depth of the food you're
grilling. So, on those days when you
don't want to venture outside to face
the elements, you can remain in the
element (and comfort) of your kitchen --
and use your grill in ways you may not
have considered before.
A Breakfast Bounty
Even the smallest George Foreman-style
grill is large enough to use to fix
yourself a complete breakfast in a
flash. Plug in the grill, remove a
sausage patty from the freezer, and put
it on the grill near the bottom to allow
any fat to drain away without crossing
the rest of the grill. Close the lid and
grill for 5 or 6 minutes, or until the
juices run clear. Once you have the
sausage on the grill, remove a frozen
leftover waffle from the freezer. (I use
yet another gadget to make mine: the
Cuisinart® 2-Slice Belgian Waffle
Maker.) About 3 minutes before the
sausage is done, add the waffle to the
back of the grill. For a meal for "on
the road," slice the waffle in half and
use it to make a sausage sandwich;
otherwise, serve the waffle with your
favorite toppings alongside the sausage.
Definitely Not Roughin' It Orange
Roughy Fillets Packet
You can substitute any mild fish in this
recipe. Farm raised catfish, snapper, or
halibut are other good choices. If
you're trying to avoid salt in your
diet, substitute a seasoning like Mrs.
Dash Lemon Pepper seasoning for the sea
or kosher salt.
Makes 2 Servings
2 orange roughy fillets, about 3/4-inch
thick
Sea or kosher salt
Freshly ground white or black pepper
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped basil leaves
2 tablespoons dry white wine
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1. Plug in your indoor grill and allow
it to preheat.
2. Rinse fillets in water and dry
thoroughly between pieces of paper
towels.
3. Tear off a piece of heavy-duty
aluminum foil about twice the width of
the fish fillets laid side by side.
Spray the middle of the foil with
nonstick cooking spray, leaving about a
two-inch perimeter around the foil
uncoated.
4. Arrange the fillets side by side and
flat-side down on the foil. Season with
salt and pepper.
5. Top the fillets with the mushrooms
and basil. Drizzle the wine and olive
oil over the fillets. (If not using
fresh basil, you can substitute 1
teaspoon of dried basil per fillet or
substitute 1/2 teaspoon of Mrs. Dash
Lemon Pepper instead.)
6. Fold the foil over and crimp the
edges to form a packet. Tear off another
equal-sized piece of heavy-duty foil.
Place the fish packet in the center of
this piece of foil. Fold the ends up
over the packet so the resulting seam is
at the top and crimp the other edges.
(This should prevent any of the juices
from escaping the packet and running
onto the grill. Why should you have to
clean it when you're done? This helps
ensure that you don't.)
7. Place the packet on the grill, close
the lid, and grill for 20 minutes. Allow
to rest for a minute or two before you
open the packet. Serve hot, garnished
with lemon wedges.
Pretty Red Packet Potatoes
If you don't have any leftover steamed
or baked potatoes to use, this one will
dirty one dish. The instructions assume
you need to partially precook the
potatoes. Once you experience the savory
goodness of these potatoes, you'll agree
that it's well worth that tiny bit of
inconvenience. The combination of butter
and olive oils adds an extra depth of
flavor. Studies have shown that olive
oil can actually help lower cholesterol,
so you'll be gaining that benefit, too.
Makes 2 Servings
2 medium to large red potatoes
1/2 red onion
2 teaspoons butter
1 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh dill or 1/4 teaspoon
dried dill
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1. Clean the potatoes and either thinly
slice them or cut them into cubes. Put
into a microwave-safe covered dish.
2. Thinly slice the red onion. Add it to
the dish along with the potatoes.
3. Microwave on high for five minutes,
or until potatoes are fork-tender and
onion is steamed and transparent. Allow
to sit covered while you prepare the
packet.
4. Plug in your indoor grill and allow
it to preheat.
5. Tear off a strip of heavy-duty
aluminum foil, about one and a half
times as wide as your indoor grill. Rub
the butter on the middle of the foil,
allowing at least a two-inch unbuttered
perimeter around the foil.
6. Remove the cover from the
microwave-safe dish, being careful not
to burn yourself on the steam. Stir the
potatoes and onion slices to mix.
Transfer them to one-half of the
buttered portion of the foil. (The other
half of the buttered portion will be the
packet "lid.") Drizzle the teaspoon of
olive oil over the potato-onion mixture.
Sprinkle with dill.
7. Fold the foil over and crimp the
edges to form a packet. Tear off another
equal-sized piece of heavy-duty foil.
Place the potato packet in the center of
this piece of foil. Fold the ends up
over the potato packet so the resulting
seam is at the top and crimp the other
edges.
8. Place the packet on the grill, close
the lid, and grill for 10 minutes. Allow
to rest for a minute or two before you
open the packet. Season with sea salt
and freshly ground pepper, if desired.
Serve hot.
Adapted from:
Lazy About Grilling: the feet up, hands
down easiest ways to barbecue
Laurel Glen, 2002. ISBN: 1571457992
Copyright © 2002 Pamela Rice Hahn
Used by Permission
All Rights Reserved
Celina, Ohio author Pamela Rice Hahn is
the author of
Lazy About Grilling: the feet up, hands
down easiest ways to barbecue,
The Everything Diabetes Cookbook,
and other books. In addition to writing
"The Lazy (About Everything) Gourmet"
column, Pam maintains her
CookingWithPam.com and
LazyAbout.com
Web sites, where she has links to other
indoor grilling recipes.
For information on how to run this
column in your newspaper,
send an e-mail to the author.
Permission is given to reprint this book
excerpt in a newspaper or on a Web site is
given, provided that the author bio, all
book title, Web site URL, and copyright
information remains in or appears with the
excerpt.
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