Time flies by fast. Summer is already upon us. With the dawn of summer, you know what time it is, right? No? Well it’s time to grill, what else!  June marks the beginning of summer. It is also time to congratulate and celebrate the achievements of our school graduates. Majority of our children are beginning their summer holidays, and last but not least, June marks the time to show our dads how much we love and appreciate him. With so many events taking place in one month, grilling makes perfect sense. As for myself, I grill just about all year round, even in winter with weather permitting. My husband has been known to hold an umbrella over my head, during bad weather, so that he can have his grilled foods. Nonetheless, I rather grill outdoors than cook indoors as there is less clean up to do and the house does not heat up due to the oven.

Father’s Day falls on June 17^th this year.  As Dads are known to be the master grillers, surprise him this Father’s Day by doing the grilling for him. Treat him to a feast from the grill and show him you are quite adept at grilling yourself. It is not hard to grill. Just follow a few simple rules of grilling (read below) and you are well on your way to becoming a grilling goddess! To learn more about how to grill, try reading this website: http://www.barbecuen.com/begin.htm.

Here is one recipe that requires not much attention over the grill. All you have to do is make sure you have enough coals or that your gas grill is set on the right temperature and let it grill away. I am sure you have heard of the beer can chicken. It may look technically challenged but it is as easy as 1, 2, 3. The steam from the beer placed inside the cavity of the chicken keeps it moist and tender, and the spices that is in the beer imparts great flavor to the chicken.

Floating Grilled Chicken

I call it floating grilled chicken because the chicken is suspended like a tripod over the grill instead of sitting on it..

Spice Rub

1/4 cup Hungarian Paprika or regular paprika

1 tablespoon firmly packed dark brown sugar

2 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon MSG (optional)

1 teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 teaspoon Ancho chili pepper or cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dried thyme

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 shallot, minced

3 tablespoon each fresh thyme and rosemary, minced

2 tablespoon olive oil

A few grains of kosher salt

1 whole chicken, between 4-6 pounds

1 regular can beer, any kind (buy the standard size beer. Do not buy the large or tall can beers, will not fit on grill when closed).

1 disposal aluminum pie pan

Method

1. Place ingredients of spice rub in container, mix to blend. Place 3 tablespoon of rub mixture in a medium bowl.
2. Mix the minced garlic, shallot, and herbs together on the cutting board with the grains of salt. With the flat side of a chef knife, mash the mixture together by pressing and smearing the mixture on the board to form a paste. Blend the paste along with the olive oil into the spice rub until well mixed.
3. Remove the bag of innards from inside the chicken. Rinse the chicken inside out and pat the chicken very dry. Loosen the skin between the breast meat and along the thighs by gently pushing your fingertips up between the skin and the meat.
4. Rub the spice rub all over the chicken and  between the skin and meat of the chicken (chicken can be prep four hours ahead of time and chilled in the refrigerator at this point if not planning to grill right away). Let chicken rest at room temperature while preparing the grill.
5. Prepare the grill. If using charcoal, you will be grilling the chicken on *indirect heat.  You will also need extra briquettes to add to the barbecue while the chicken is grilling to maintain enough heat. When coals have turned ash white, spread the coals out on both sides of the grill, leaving the center of the grill empty with at least an inch on each side of the edge of the grill. If using a gas grill, heat grill on high.
6. Pop open the can of beer, even better if you can use a can opener and remove the entire top part of the beer can. Pour away about ¼ of the beer and add one tablespoon of spice rub into the beer can from the reserved spice rub (be careful, the beer will bubble up when adding the spice rub). The balance of the spice rub can be reserved for another use.
7. Place the beer can upright inside the chicken’s cavity, making sure it sits evenly. When the coal or gas grill. Place the pie pan in the center of the grill, and put the chicken with the beer can on the pie plate to catch any juices that runs down. Close the grill and let the chicken cook for about 45- 60 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken.  If using charcoal, at every 20 minutes interval add about two to three briquettes to the grill to ensure the heat is even throughout. If using a gas grill, place the chicken on the pie pan in the center of the grill. Turn the heat down to medium or keep the temperature at 350 degrees. Chicken is ready when the chicken is pierced at the thickest part (thighs) and the juice runs clear. Carefully remove chicken from grill and let it rest for about 20 minutes before carving. Enjoy!

This recipe is a great beginner’s guide to grilling. Try it for Father’s Day and I am sure your dad will love it too.

Okay, now that I got your juices going to try your hand at barbecuing, but you do not have a grill and need to buy one, but which one? Here are a couple of websites that will give you a comparison of grills to help you:  http://shopping.yahoo.com/s:BBQ%20Grills and http://shopping.yahoo.com/s:Charcoal%20Grills:06-Category=446:06-Category=447;_ylt=ArU_FcjVk9nh4WUo.7beWjlv4rsF;_ylu=X3oDMTBuNmJvZHZ0BF9zAzk2MTk5Mjc5BHNlYwN3ZXN0bmF2?clink=.

Books on Grilling--Okay, now that you are the queen of barbecuing and you want to expand your repertoire or increased your knowledge on barbecuing techniques. I would recommend reading Steve Raichlen’s, How to Grill: The complete book of barbecue techniques. His book teaches you several grilling techniques from simple to the imaginative. He also barbecues items that you never thought of doing. He even has the beer can chicken on there, which I have improvised, using his spice rub. This is a very easy, step-by-step book with lots of pictures and illustrations. It is truly a keeper.

Kitchen Tips-- Sometimes when you grill, you would like to add extra herb flavor. You can achieve this by basting the meat with an herb grill brush. What you will need is a few sprigs of herb, such as rosemary, a wooden chopstick, and a piece of cotton string. Just tie the rosemary sprigs around the wooden chopstick with the cotton string. Brush the meat with sauce or olive oil, using the herb brush, and the herbs will impart its flavor on the meat.

If you are lazy like me and hate cleaning many dishes, line your baking sheet with aluminum foil and place your meats on the baking sheet. Once the meat has been removed, throw the foil away and replace a new foil on the sheet. Once the meat is cooked, you can reuse the baking sheet without having to grab another platter or baking sheet to put the meat on. 

Ingredient Of The Month—Garlic, you either love it or hate it. I for one, can’t live without it. Everything I cook has to have garlic. Not having garlic in food is like leaving out salt—bland and tasteless. Garlic just perks food up. Garlic is a member of the lily family (Allium sativum); the highly aromatic and strongly flavored edible bulb (called a head) is covered in a papery layer and is composed of several sections (called cloves), each of which is also covered with a papery membrane; used as a distinctive flavoring in cuisines around the world. Garlic is thought to be heart-protective. It is believed to steady blood sugar levels. It is antibacterial, anti fungal, and may protect against cancer. Commonly used as a remedy for respiratory infection, garlic may also lower blood pressure, thin the blood, and lower the risk of blood clots and related heart attack and stroke. Garlic is also thought to raise the desirable form of cholesterol while lowering the kind associated with heart disease. Garlic keepers, covered ceramic pots with holes for circulation, provide the kind of cool, dark climate in which garlic bulbs keep best. Green shoots on stored garlic do not mean it can no longer be used, but the flavor will be milder. Neither freezing nor drying gives satisfactory results, but pickling, or storing peeled cloves in wine or vinegar in the refrigerator will preserve the plant for up to four months. Garlic scapes can be kept in the refrigerator for several weeks. Do not, on your own, store garlic in oil, even under refrigeration as is sometimes recommended, because cases of botulism have resulted. Commercial preparations of garlic in oil, by law, have been specially treated to prevent this possibility. I on the other hand prefer to use fresh garlic. I store heads of garlic in a cool dark place in a basket and just break off the amount needed to cook.

Here is a recipe using lots of garlic but the end result is a surprising aromatic and flavorful dish.

Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

Do not get put off by the amount of garlic. Garlic cloves are not as pungent when left whole. Instead, it mellows and becomes sweet as it cooks. This recipe is taken from Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa.

3 whole heads garlic, about 40 cloves
2 (3 1/2-pound) chickens, cut into eighths
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons good olive oil
3 tablespoons Cognac, divided
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Separate the cloves of garlic and drop them into a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds. Drain the garlic and peel. Set aside.

Method

1.      Dry the chicken with paper towels. Season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides.

2.      Heat the butter and oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. In batches, sauté the chicken in the fat, skin side down first, until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Turn with tongs or a spatula; you don't want to pierce the skin with a fork. If the fat is burning, turn the heat down to medium. When a batch is done, transfer it to a plate and continue to sauté all the chicken in batches. Remove the last chicken to the plate and add all of the garlic to the pot.

3.      Lower the heat and sauté for 5 to 10 minutes, turning often, until evenly browned. Add 2 tablespoons of the Cognac and the wine, return to a boil, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

4.      Return the chicken to the pot with the juices and sprinkle with the thyme leaves. Cover and simmer over the lowest heat for about 30 minutes, until all the chicken is done. Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

5.      In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the sauce and the flour and then whisk it back into the sauce in the pot.

6.      Raise the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of Cognac and the cream, and boil for 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste; it should be very flavorful because chicken tends to be bland. Pour the sauce and the garlic over the chicken and serve hot.

Serves 6

I hope this month’s article will inspire you to try your hand at grilling. Remember, grilling is not for men only. Women can be the grill goddesses if they want! With the hot sun beating down, make sure you protect yourself from the sun with lots of sunscreen while enjoying the outdoors. Have fun with friends and family or just lounging with a cool drink by your patio.  Until the next issue, eat well, stay healthy, and enjoy life to the fullest.

One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.  ~Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, Pavarotti, My Own Story