Wines of Summer

Grilled Potato Salad
Makes 12 servings

Ingredients
12 small or new potatoes -- (12 to 14)
2 onions (such as Sweet Vidalia)
1/4 cup balsalmic vinegar
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil -- divided
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup fresh chopped Italian parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Place the washed potatoes in a large bowl, and rub with about 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Cut the onions into 1 inch slices, using wooden skewers or large toothpicks to hold them together. Grill both the onions and potatoes over medium heat until they are fork tender and browned.

To prepare the dressing, mix the rest of the olive oil, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Chop the onions and potatoes into bite sized pieces, and place in a serving bowl. Add enough dressing to coat well, and mix thoroughly. Save the extra dressing for another purpose. Add the fresh chopped parsely and mix again. Serve warm.

Italian-Style Grilled Corn
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
 4 ears fresh sweet corn -- in husks
3 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter -- (3 to 4)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

Directions
Soak corn in cold water for 30 minutes; drain. Meanwhile combine oil, oregano, and parsley; set aside.

Pull back husks on each ear of corn, leaving husks attached at base. Remove corn silk. Brush corn with seasoned oil. Fold husks back around corn; tie at top with string or strip of corn husk.

Place corn in center of cooking grate. Grill 12 to 14 minutes, turning once halfway through grilling time. Carefully remove husks. Sprinkle corn with cheese; season with salt and pepper to taste.

Barbequed Salmon with Grilled Romaine and Citrus Vinaigrette
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
 Barbecue glaze:
1/2 small red onion -- finely chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 cup dark amber maple syrup
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/8 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
1 teaspoon coarse black pepper

Vegetable cooking spray
4 salmon fillets or salmon steaks -- 6 to 8 ounces each
Coarse salt

Dressing for Romaine:
1 small navel orange -- zested and juiced
1 small lemon -- zested and juiced
1 clove garlic -- finely chopped
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil -- eyeball it
 2 large hearts romaine lettuce
3 scallions -- chopped

Directions
Prepare grill or preheat grill pan.

On your stove top or on your outdoor grill, place a small sauce pot over moderate heat and cook onion in oil for 3 minutes. Add vinegar and reduce by half. Add syrup, tomato paste, Worcestershire, curry, smoke flavoring and pepper. Bring to a bubble and simmer.

Spray salmon with cooking spray and season with salt. Grill for 3 minutes, turn and baste liberally with glaze. Turn again, glaze opposite side. If you care for salmon pink at center, remove after 6 minutes. For opaque salmon, grill 5 minutes on each side.

Whisk citrus with garlic, mustard, tarragon and salt. Stream in oil to combine.

Spray romaine hearts with cooking spray and place on grill 2 minutes, charring the outside leaves. Remove and cut each heart in half lengthwise, using tongs to help hold on to the charred lettuce. Cut away core at stem. Cut each half heart in half again lengthwise. Place 2 quarters of charred romaine on each dinner plate. Drizzle with dressing, working back and fourth, strapping the lettuce with dressing. Set salmon on top of the salad. Garnish with chopped scallions and serve.

Grilled Herb Rubbed Chicken
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients
 2 and 1/2 pounds boneless chicken legs -- skin on
2 lemons -- 1 halved and 1 cut into thin slices
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons minced rosemary
2 tablespoons minced thyme
2 tablespoons minced sage
6 garlic cloves -- minced
1 teaspoon black peppercorns -- coarsely crushed in a mortar
1 teaspoon salt

Directions
Rinse the chicken under cool water, dry it, rub it with 1 of the lemon halves, and place in a large container. Toss with the olive oil, wine, rosemary, thyme, sage, garlic, and black peppercorns; set aside to marinate for 2 hours at room temperature or up to 2 days in the refrigerator.

When you are ready to serve, season the chicken with the salt.

Heat the grill to a medium-high flame.

Place the chicken, skin side down, on the grill. Cook until it is browned on the bottom, about 8 minutes. Turn and cook until the chicken is browned on the other side and cooked all the way through, about 8 more minutes.

Arrange the chicken on a serving platter. Sprinkle with the juice from the remaining lemon half and serve hot, garnished with the lemon slices.

Cooks Note:
Marinate the chicken for up to 2 days in the refrigerator if possible; the longer you marinate meat, the more tender it will become, and the better the flavors of the marinade will penetrate. Before grilling the chicken, return it to room temperature.

Pork Skewers
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
1 3/4 Pound Pork Tenderloin Cut Into 1 1/2 Inch Cubes
1 Large Garlic Clove -- Minced
Salt & Pepper
2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 Package Mushrooms -- (8 oz.) Cleaned
2 Large Red Onions -- Quartered
24 Fresh Sage Leaves
1/4 Pound Thinly Sliced Prosciutto Cut Into Squares
Additional Oil For Grilling

Directions
Marinate the pork cubes with the following 4 ingredients listed, in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before dinner. Heat up the grill, and thread on 8 skewers a piece of pork, a few squares of prosciutto, a sage leaf, a few layers of the onion, and a mushroom. Continue in this manner until all the ingredients are used. Brush the skewers lightly with the oil, season with additional salt and pepper, and grill until the pork is golden brown, about 10 minutes per side.

Grilled Strawberry and Cream Cheese Dessert Pizza
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients
1 packet active dry yeast -- (1/4-ounce) (2 1/4 teaspoons)
3/4 cup warm water
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil -- plus 1 1/2 teaspoons
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 pound fresh strawberries -- rinsed and patted dry, hulled, and thinly sliced
1/4 cup orange liqueur
2 tablespoons sugar
8 ounces cream cheese -- at room temperature
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon Armagnac or brandy
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 fresh mint leaves -- torn into pieces

Directions
To make the crusts, in a medium bowl, combine the yeast, water, and 1 tablespoon of the flour. Whisk to blend. Let sit until the mixture becomes slightly foamy, about 5 minutes.

Combine the remaining flour and salt in a large bowl and stir to blend. Add the yeast mixture, 2 tablespoons of the oil, and the cream. Stir well with a heavy wooden spoon until it begins to come together and pull away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 4 to 5 minutes into a smooth, but slightly sticky dough. Oil a clean bowl with 1 teaspoon of the oil and turn the dough in the oil to lightly coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise until doubled in size in a warm, draft-free place, about 40 minutes.

Lightly grease a baking sheet with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of oil. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces and form into balls. Place on the greased sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

Combine the strawberries, orange liqueur, and sugar in a medium bowl, and toss to coat evenly.

Clean a grill very well with a brush, and lightly grease with vegetable oil. Preheat the grill to medium heat.

Combine the goat cheese and 3 tablespoons honey in a bowl and mash with a fork until smooth.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll each ball into a 10-inch round on a lightly floured pizza paddle or large chopping board. Transfer to the grill and cook on 1 side until golden brown, turning with a spatula to mark evenly, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the grill and place, cooked side up on, on a pizza paddle or large chopping board.

Spread half of the goat cheese mixture across each piece of crust using a rubber spatula. Spread half of the berries across the top, leaving the liquid in the bottom of the bowl.

Transfer the pizzas to the grill, cover, and cook until golden brown, rotating with a spatula to keep from burning, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to serving plates, sprinkle each with a pinch of black pepper and half of the mint leaves. Drizzle each pizza with 1 teaspoon of the remaining honey and serve.

Alternately, place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500 degrees F.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out into a 10-inch round on a lightly floured pizza paddle or large chopping board. Make "dimples" with your fingertips on the top of the dough. Spread half of the goat cheese mixture across the pizza using a rubber spatula. Spread half of the berries across the top of the pizza, leaving the liquid in the bottom of the bowl. Repeat with the remaining dough, goat cheese, and strawberries.

Transfer to the pizza stone (or 2 heavy baking sheets) and bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to serving plates. Sprinkle a pinch of the black pepper and half of the mint leaves over the top of each pizza, and drizzle each with 1 teaspoon of the remaining honey. Serve.


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