The grilling season is upon us, like a lion upon a gazelle. That means some 80 million of us will be out there, happily grilling hot dogs, steak and hamburgers.
Which is all well and good. Who among us does not enjoy a grilled hot dog, steak or hamburger? Or, for vegetarians, a grilled basket of vegetables?
But what if we want something more? Something different. And I’m not talking about chicken or fish, or even shrimp (though grilled shrimp is amazing, and not enough people make it).
What if we want grilled pizza?
What if we want grilled watermelon?
What if we want grilled Caesar salad, like restaurants used to make it in the 1990s?
What if we want a grilled cheese sandwich? Not one that is cooked on a pan or a griddle, but an actual grilled cheese sandwich?
All you have to do is change your way of thinking. You have to start thinking of your grill as nothing more than a source of heat. You can cook on a pan with it, as you would your stove. If it has a cover, you can use it to roast and bake, as you would your oven.
I next made a pizza. With some pizza parlors boasting that they are wood-fired, and others proclaiming the superiority of coal-fired ovens, grilled pizza is a natural.
It’s only a little different from the standard way of making it. You brush both sides of the dough with olive oil and cook one side over a medium-hot grill for just a couple of minutes. You turn it over, quickly add your sauce and toppings, and cover the grill. It will only take another minute or two to cook, and you end up with a classic pizza experience.
I kept to the unintentional theme of grilled carbohydrates with grilled polenta. This time I used store-bought, cooked polenta, the kind that comes in a tube. The store-bought polenta was fine, especially when fancied up with olive oil, garlic and rosemary. And after it was grilled, it was topped with grated Parmesan and black pepper. It’s just delightful.
A grilled cheese sandwich came next, and that brought with it a conundrum: How do you butter the bread? After all, the butter is the best part of a grilled cheese sandwich?
This is only a problem when you use cheap, squishy bread. But cheap, squishy bread is what makes the best grilled cheese sandwiches. I first tried buttering it, but that only tore the fragile slices. So I cheated, sort of. I melted butter in a skillet and dipped the sandwich in that before putting it on the grill.
Grilled cheese on a grill is definitely better than grilled cheese on a griddle.
I went back in time a bit for my next dish, grilled Caesar salad. It was a thing 20 years ago or so, and it is still good; grilling the lettuce adds an extra dimension to the salad that somewhat mitigates the richness of the dressing.
All you have to do is brush a little olive oil onto whole heads of romaine lettuce and place them on the grill. Serve the heads whole drizzled with Caesar dressing and Parmesan cheese. If you want, you can even turn grilled bread into croutons.
For a little something extra different, I ended by grilling slices of watermelon. Why not? First, I brushed on a mixture of lime juice, honey and olive oil, and then I placed the slices on the grill.
I’m not sure how or why this worked, but the grill seemed to change the nature of the watermelon. When I took it off the grill, the melon was more savory, less sweet. One taste tester said it reminded her of butternut squash, and I could only agree.
It’s a pleasant, if unusual, sensation. It’s certainly worth trying once.
Grilled Watermelon
Yield: 6 servings. Recipe by Lena Abraham via Delish.
Zest and juice of 1 lime
¼ cup honey
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small watermelon, cut into 1-inch thick slices
Mint leaves, for garnish
Flaky sea salt, for garnish
Heat grill or grill pan to medium heat. In a medium bowl, whisk together lime zest, lime juice, honey and olive oil. Brush mixture over both sides of melon. Place on grill and cook until grill marks form and fruit softens slightly, about 1 minute per side. Sprinkle with mint and flaky sea salt, and serve.
Per serving: 178 calories; 41 g carbohydrates; 3 g fat; 2 g protein; 505 mg sodium; 35 g sugar
Grilled Romaine Lettuce
Yield: 1 serving. Recipe by Daniel Neman
1 whole head Romaine lettuce
1 teaspoon olive oil
Prepare grill for direct heat and heat to medium-high. Brush or rub olive oil all over exterior of lettuce. Place whole head of lettuce directly over the coals or gas, and cook until charred grate marks are visible, about 2 to 3 minutes each side. For Caesar salad, serve drizzled with Caesar dressing, a sprinkling of lemon juice and optional croutons.
Per serving: 126 calories; 21 g carbohydrates; 7 g fat; 8 g protein; 50 mg sodium; 7 g sugar
Easy Pizza Sauce
Yield: Sauce for 2 pizzas. Recipe by Daniel Neman.
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, smashed
One (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon oregano
Pinch crushed red pepper
½ cup shredded
Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
Heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat and add oil. When hot, stir in onions and cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic clove and cook 30 seconds. Stir in tomato sauce, oregano, red pepper and cheese. Simmer until thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed.
Per serving (based on 4): 125 calories; 10 g carbohydrates; 7 g fat; 5 g protein; 852 mg sodium; 5 g sugar
Grilled Pizza
Yield: 2 servings. Adapted from Bon Appétit.
1 pizza crust dough, recipe follows, or use store-bought dough
1 tablespoon olive oil
¾ cup pizza sauce, recipe follows, or use store-bought sauce
2 to 4 ounces mozzarella cheese
Toppings (your choice)
Prepare grill for direct heat. Heat to medium hot. Lightly coat back of a baking sheet with nonstick spray or oil. Have toppings prepared and available.
On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Brush both sides with the olive oil and place on prepared back of baking sheet.
To transfer the dough to the grill, hold the baking sheet at an angle. Grab top edge of the dough and quickly invert it onto the grill (don’t worry if it is not a circle). Cook until bottom is golden, about 2 to 3 minutes, making sure the bottom does not burn. Flip the crust over with tongs and quickly add the sauce, cheese and toppings. Cover the grill and cook until the dough is cooked, the toppings are hot and the cheese is melted, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Per serving: 310 calories; 10 g fat; 2 g saturated fat; 10 mg cholesterol; 22 g protein; 33 g carbohydrate; 1 g sugar; 3 g fiber; 713 mg sodium; 548 mg calcium. Nutrition analysis does not include toppings.
Truly Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Yield: 1 serving. Recipe by Daniel Neman.
2 slices bread
1 ounce easily melted cheese, such as American or cheddar
½ tablespoon butter
Prepare a grill for direct heat and heat to medium-high. Melt butter in a small skillet. Place cheese between slices of bread and place both sides of sandwich in pan to soak up the butter. Place sandwich on grill and cook until bottom is golden brown and toasty. Flip and cook until other side is golden brown and toasty.
Per serving: 301 calories; 29 g carbohydrates; 17 g fat; 9 g protein; 929 mg sodium; 5 g sugar
Grilled Polenta
Yield: 8 servings. From “Steven Raichlen’s BBQ USA,” by Steven Raichlen.
1 package (1½ pounds) cooked polenta
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or other herb
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
Unwrap the polenta and cut it crosswise into 1½-inch thick slices. Combine the olive oil, garlic and rosemary in a small bowl and stir with a fork. Lightly brush polenta slices on both sides with the flavored oil.
Set up the grill for direct grilling and heat to high.
Arrange the polenta slices on the hot grate and grill until lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Sprinkle with Parmesan and pepper before serving.
Per serving: 390 calories; 8 g fat; 2 g saturated fat; 19 mg cholesterol; 11 g protein; 67 g carbohydrate; 1 g sugar; 5 g fiber; 170 mg sodium; 146 mg calcium
