Grilled Maple Teriyaki Chicken

We had friends over this weekend to barbecue and one friend requested that we incorporate my Maple Teriyaki Sauce into the meal somehow. I decided to marinate chicken breast in the sauce and grill it on skewers.

The meat tenderizes and brines as it marinates in the teriyaki sauce. Maple flavor absorbs hints of smoke from the barbecue and fresh ginger adds just a enough spice to make things interesting. A final application of teriyaki sauce caramelizes and thickens, resulting in savory-sweet goodness – a nice change of pace from the usual barbecue players.

Maple Teriyaki Barbecued Chicken – serves  4

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
Yankee Cook’s Maple Teriyaki Sauce (below)

Prepare the sauce as directed and reserve 1/4 cup. Cut the chicken into 2″ pieces and place in a shallow, non-reactive dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the meat so that all of the pieces are well coated. Allow to marinate for at least 2 hours.

Skewer the chicken, 3 to 4 pieces per stick. Place on a 400 degree grill and allow to cook 3 to 5 minutes. Flip the skewers and allow them to cook for another 3 minutes. Brush with the reserved sauce. Flip again and brush the other side.

Serve with a salad or grilled vegetables.

Yankee Cook’s Maple Teriyaki Sauce – makes about 1 1/2 cups

1/2 C tamari soy sauce
1/2 C mirin
4 T maple syrup
2 T toasted sesame oil
2 T grated ginger

For marinade: Whisk all ingredients together until well blended. Pour over meat or fish in a shallow non-reactive dish. Allow to marinate for at least 2 hours.

For thick teriyaki sauce: If making just the sauce, continue by simmering over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, thickening to desired consistency.

Grilled Baby Artichokes

Who doesn’t love a barbecue this time of year when the weather is just starting to warm up? After a winter of stews and bundling up inside (which is also nice – I’ll usually miss the winter sometime in July), it’s good to get outside and enjoy dinner from the open flame.

Meats are great on the grill of course, but good nutrition is all about balance. A hamburger on a bun with a slice of cheese – as delicious as that sounds – does not a balanced meal make. Salads are great, but it’s also good to grill vegetables.

Cue the baby artichoke.

Baby artichokes are not local to New England, as they are grown in California, but they are seasonal – only available in April and May. They are also highly nutritious – rich in folate, magnesium, antioxidants and of course, fiber. Baby artichokes are much more tender than full sized artichokes, and the center choke is edible. Grilling brings out their earthy flavor.

Grilled Baby Artichokes – serves 2

12 baby artichokes
6 C ice water
2 lemons
1 T olive oil
1/2 t salt

Fill a large bowl with the ice water and the juice of one lemon.

Trim the artichokes by cutting off the spiny top, the stem, and pulling off the tough outer leaves until the softer yellow leaves are exposed. Trim the base of the artichoke (where the outer leaves had been based – see pic). Drop into the lemon water, as they rest are trimmed. This will prevent too browning.

Combine the juice of the second lemon and the olive oil in a large bowl. Chop the artichokes in half lengthwise and toss with the olive oil mixture. Dust with salt.

Skewer the artichokes through the thickest part at the base of the leaves.

Place over a 350 degree grill and cover to cook for 7 -10 minutes, until tender.

Ingredient origins: Baby artichokes – California; lemons – California; olive oil – Italy; sea salt – Italy (Yeah. Not the most locavore of posts.)

Barbecue Steamed Fiddleheads

Fiddleheads, a type of fern harvested before the plant has a chance to unfurl, are as much a harbinger of spring in New England – and as fleeting – as a migratory bird passing through. They come up in the middle of spring, around the end of April and into May, when the soil has thawed and early vegetation makes its presence known.

The flavor is fresh and grassy, and offers a good contrast to heavier meats.

The following recipe uses the grill, so that while you happen to have the barbecue fired up anyway, you can toss your fiddleheads on toward the end for a quick steam in a foil pouch. The fiddleheads absorb the butter as it melts, turning each into a little net of creaminess.

If it’s still raining where you are, this recipe works just as will in a pan on the stove.

Barbecue Steamed Fiddleheads – serves 2 – 4

2 dozen fiddleheads
1 T butter, cut into 1/8 inch cubes
1 wedge of lemon

Clean the fiddleheads by rinsing them with cool water and cutting off the stems to expose a fresher surface.

Place them in the center of a large piece of aluminum foil. Evenly distribute the cubes of butter over the fiddleheads.

Fold fold the two opposite sides together and fold and press the ends together to form a pouch.

Place on a 400 degree grill for 5 – 7 minutes, flipping once. To avoid overcooking, it’s a good idea to do this once any meats or fish are just finishing up on the grill, since the fiddleheads need very little time to cook.

Remove from foil, place in a serving dish and squeeze with fresh lemon.

Ingredient origins – Fiddleheads – Maine; Butter – Maine; Lemon – Mexico

Grilled Turmeric Salmon

Whenever we had fish when I was growing up my father would turn to me and say, in a feigned serious tone, “You know what they say about fish, don’t you? It’s brain food.” Oh yes, that’s right. It is.

Well, so are some spices. Turmeric, high in curcumin, the compound that gives curry its yellow hue, is said to potentially stave off Alzheimer’s and certain cancers. In fact, societies that use turmeric in their cuisine are known to have lower rates of Alzheimer’s than those that don’t. Whether it will save my memory or not, I like to use turmeric where I can. It adds flavor and color to boot. Adding spice is also a great way to avoid the need to add salt.

We just had a lovely weekend of warm weather, and so we decided it was time to bust out the grill for the first time this season. If you like fish, a fish broiler, also called a fish grill basket, is a great tool to have on hand for barbecue season. It allows the fish to grill over an open flame without falling apart when flipped or falling through the grates. The only other tool I would recommend is a grill thermometer, so that you know when the coals are hot enough to cook.

Turmeric adds a mellow flavor to the salmon and the grill does there rest.

Grilled Turmeric Salmon – serves 2 – 4

1 lb salmon fillets
2 T olive oil
1 t turmeric

Using a brush or your hands, coat the salmon wit olive oil. Dust the fillets with turmeric. I like to use a sifter to avoid clumps and get an even distribution.

Either secure the fish in a grill basket, or make a little pan out of tin foil.

When the grill is heated to 400 degrees, place the fish over the coals, skin side down, and cover for 5 – 7 minutes, checking once or twice to see that it isn’t burning. If using a basket, flip the salmon. If not, move it to a cooler part of the grill and cover another 3 – 5 minutes. It’s okay if the skin get a little charred. The meat is protected buy the skin, so charring will not effect the flavor.

The salmon is done when the meat just begins to seep white. Remove from heat. Place the basket, skin side up, over a dish or cutting board. Open cage and, allowing gravity to do its job, gently lift the top side of the cage. If the fish sticks, carefully press the fish from the top of the cage, allowing it to release.

Plate and serve with grilled vegetables.

Ingredient origins: Salmon – Alaska (I know, I know, I know. I live in New England, so why not go for Atlantic Salmon? Because it’s over fished and farmed salmon is just awful for the environment and for us); Olive oil – Italy, Turmeric – India