Kick your cookout  up a notch

These recipes from local caterers will keep the excitement in your summertime grilling

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By Aaron Epple, Contributing Writer Updated 5:19 PM Thursday, July 21, 2011

Grilling out this summer, are you weary of hamburgers, hot dogs, brats and metts? Is your family chef’s idea of a diverse side dish Fritos instead of classic Lays?

If you’re hungry for something different at your next summer cookouts, try these recipes recommended by local food pros. They say all are appropriate for casual grillers.

Dish #1: Vegetable Panini Sandwich

Recommending Chef: Jeff Blumer

His kitchen: Bellyfire Catering, 2462 Dryden Road, Dayton, (937) 479-8879

Field experience: 20 years

Ingredients: 1 summer squash, 1 zucchini, 2 portabella mushrooms, 1 tri-color pepper each (orange, red and yellow), 1 Vidalia onion, 1 loaf ciabatta bread, 8 oz. goat cheese, salt, pepper, granulated garlic, 1/3 cup olive oil

Instructions: Cut the squash and zucchini into four lengthwise slices, the peppers into four or five pieces, and the onion into six pieces. Mix into a bowl with the olive oil and sprinkles of salt, pepper and granulated garlic. Place the mixture onto the hot part of the grill for two minutes per side and then move to the warm part of the grill for 10 minutes. Just before the veggies are finished, place the ciabatta bread on the hot part of the grill for 30 seconds and then immediately spread the goat cheese onto it. Place the completed veggies on the bread.

Why it’s great: “When I do it at festivals, people remember it from the year before and are willing to wait in line for it,” Blumer said. “It has a lot of different textures because of the carmelization from the grilling, the crunchiness of the bread, yet there’s a coolness because the cheese isn’t as hot as the rest. There’s a lot of different flavors: salty, cheesy, smoky. It tastes like summer.”

Dish #2: Grilled Romaine and Portabella Salad (with lemon-orange vinaigrette)

Recommending Chef: Jeff Blumer

Ingredients: 3 large Romaine hearts, 3 portabella mushrooms, thinly chopped scallions, ½ cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil, 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard, 2 cloves of garlic mint, cooking spray, 2 small lemons and 1 small navel orange, zested and juiced.

Instructions: For the vinaigrette, whisk the lemon and orange zest and juice with the mint garlic, mustard, basil and salt while dribbling in the olive oil. For the salad, spray the Romaine hearts and mushrooms. Grill the Romaine for two minutes, or just enough to char. Grill the mushrooms for four minutes, then remove from heat. Use tongs to hold the Romaine hearts while slicing them lengthwise. Cut the core out of each stem, so you just have just the leaves. Cut the hearts in half again, so you have quarters. Slice the mushrooms at a 45-degree angle to make them longer and thinner. Place 2 quarters of the charred romaine and several slices of mushroom on each plate, drizzle with the prepared vinaigrette and garnish with the scallions.

Why it’s great: “At summer parties, when people say they want a different type of salad that’s not on the menu, this is what we do,” Blumer said. “Beyond the novelty of cooking something that’s normally served cold, it just tastes great. The light dressing gives it a smoky flavor, and with the Romaine being hot only on the outside, it gives a nice summer contrast, like having hot food with a cold drink.”

Dish #3: Pork Chops with Peaches

Recommending Chef: John Baker

His kitchen: Christopher’s Restaurant, 2318 E. Dorothy Lane, Kettering, (937) 479-8879

Field experience: 35 years

Ingredients: Pork chop loins ½-¾ inches thick (1 per person), fresh peaches, corn oil, salt, pepper, honey

Instructions: Oil the chops with corn oil, then salt and pepper to taste. Cut the peaches in half and remove the pits. Coat the peaches lightly with honey and a dash of salt and pepper. (If you don’t like honey, brown sugar and cinnamon are good alternatives). Put the chops on the grill and sear one side for 3-5 minutes, then flip over and cook the second side until the meat is firm. While the chops are cooking on the second side, place the peaches on the grill honey side down. They should brown for 2-3 minutes, then flip them for 1-2 minutes so the honey side is nicely glazed and the peaches are gently and thoroughly cooked.

Why it’s great: “You have the smoky flavor of the chop as well as the carmelized flavor and sweetness from the peach,” Baker said. “I’ve really been discovering over the last few years that any kind of firm fruit is wonderful on the grill. Especially if you have some ice cream, too.”

Dish #4: Red Snapper

Recommending Chef: John Baker

Ingredients: 1 whole red snapper (sized appropriate for the number of guests), chili powder, lime juice, salt, pepper, corn oil

Instructions: Sprinkle salt, pepper, chili powder and lime juice on the inside (the cavity), and coat the outside with corn oil, then salt and pepper to taste. Using a medium-hot fire, put the snapper on the grill and cook five minutes per inch, then flip it. While on its second side, a method for knowing it’s finished is to slide a toothpick into the snapper. If it slides right in, it’s done. If there’s resistance, it isn’t. The good news, according to Baker, is that snapper doesn’t get overdone as easily as other seafood.

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