Summer cuisine can be so much more than hot dogs and hamburgers. Italian cuisine can be so much more than spaghetti and gravy. Why not add some flavor to your summer palate, and give these recipes a try? Your taste buds will thank you.In this post, I have included six lip-smacking selections sure to be the star of your next summer get-together. Each of these recipes is a surefire delight!
Authentic Italian Grilled Main Courses
Penne con Melanzane Grigliata (Penne with Grilled Eggplant)
Makes about four servings.
Ingredients:
1 pound eggplant, trimmed, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
1 pound tomatoes, halved lengthwise
olive oil spray
8 ounces penne pasta
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large garlic clove, pressed
1/4 cup freshly grated pecorino cheese (about 1 ounce)
Instructions:
1. Prepare barbecue (medium heat).
2. Spray both sides of eggplant slices and tomato halves with olive oil spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Grill eggplant slices until brown and tender; grill tomato halves until charred, turning occasionally. About 10 minutes for eggplant slices and about 7 minutes for tomato halves. Let cool.
4. Cut eggplant into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Cut tomatoes into 1-inch pieces. Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite.
5. Drain pasta. Return pasta to same pot. Add eggplant, tomatoes, parsley, olive oil and garlic to the pasta and toss to blend.
6. Stir in grated cheese.
7. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead.)
Of course, a popular dining choice for many Italian enthusiasts is pizza! Grilled Pizza with Yellow Squash, Mozzarella, and Lemon Thyme (Pizza alla Griglia con Zucchine Gialle, Mozzarella e Timo al Limone) is definitely not the same dish you have delivered to the front door. Try it out, listed below!
Pizza Grigliata al fresco
Ingredients:
1 garlic clove, chopped
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium zucchini
2 balls pizza dough, rolled out and chilled
3/4 cup cut fresh mozzarella (about 3 ounces)
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about 2 1/4 ounces)
4 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves (preferably lemon thyme)
fresh thyme sprigs (preferably lemon thyme) for garnish
Directions:
1. In a small bowl stir together garlic and oil and let stand 15 minutes.
2. Slice squash crosswise into 1/16-inch thick rounds, transferring to plate.
3. Prepare grill: Open vents in lid and bottom of kettle grill and put 25 briquettes on 2 opposite sides of bottom, leaving middle clear.
4. Oil rack and position with wider openings over briquettes. Light briquettes. (They will be ready for cooking as soon as they turn grayish-white, 20 to 30 minutes.)
5. Remove plastic wrap from 2 pieces of rolled-out-pizza dough (if grill is not large, work with 1 piece at a time, keeping remaining piece chilled) and lightly brush dough with some garlic oil.
6. Trying not to stretch dough, carefully transfer it, oiled side down, with your hands to rack of grill. (If it’s a very hot day, the dough may get too soft to transfer easily; if so, pop it into the freezer until firm again, about 15 minutes.)
7. Lightly brush top with some garlic oil. When grilling pizzas, rotate them if 1 side of grill is hotter than the other. Grill crusts, covered, until undersides are golden brown on bottom, about 4 minutes.
8. Flip crusts over with 2 metal spatulas and top each crust with half of cheeses, zucchini, and thyme.
9. Lightly brush pizzas with some garlic oil and grill, covered, about 5 minutes, or until undersides are golden brown and cheeses are melted.
10. Garnish pizzas with thyme sprigs and cut into wedges.
When it comes to the centerpiece of an outdoor Italian grilling experience, there is something for everyone. A classic dish is Grilled Italian Sausage (Salsicce Italiane alla Griglia). Not only are Italian sausages savory, but they are also easy to prepare.
Salsicce alla Italiane (Grilled Italian Sausage)
Ingredients:
Sweet or hot Italian sausages
White wine
Crisply toasted Italian bread
Directions:
1. Sweet and hot Italian sausages are delicious grilled over charcoal. First, poach them in white wine for 5-8 min. before grilling, to cook out excess fat.
2. Grill sausages quickly and to a delicious, even brownness.
3. Serve with crisp Italian bread.
If it is fish that you are craving, Grilled Tuna (Origanata Tonno Riganatu) is an ideal selection. This is a delicious Sicilian Recipe. Do not overcook tuna, because it becomes unpleasantly dry.
Tonno Origanato (Grilled Tuna)
Serves 2-3 people.
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh tuna steak, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/4 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons of fresh oregano or 1 tablespoon dried oregano
Directions:
1. Place the tuna slices in a 9×12-inch ceramic or glass baking pan, add the olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper to taste, and oregano.
2. Leave to marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
3. Remove the fish from the refrigerator 15 minutes before grilling. Reserve the marinade.
4. Prepare a hot charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill for 15 minutes on high.
5. Remove the tuna from the marinade, reserving the marinade.
6. Place the tuna slices on the grill and cook, basting with the marinade, until deep black grid marks appear, about 3 minutes on each side.
7. Serve with the marinade. Grill longer if the fish is thicker.
Authentic Italian Grilled Side Dishes
No meal is complete without vegetable side dishes, as they truly round-out the flavor of the feast. Mixed Grilled Vegetables (Verdura Mista) is a tasty compliment to any meat or seafood entrée.
Verdura Mista (Grilled Vegetables)
Serves 4-6.
Ingredients:
3 small yellow squash (about 3/4 pound)
6 Vidalia onions or large shallots, peeled and cleaned and sliced
4 yellow and/or red bell peppers, seeded and each cut into 6 pieces
2 medium red onions, peeled and each cut lengthwise into 6 wedges with root ends intact
2 tablespoons olive oil
Directions:
1. In a large bowl toss vegetables with oil and salt and pepper to taste.
2. Grill vegetables in batches on a rack, set about 4 inches over glowing coals. Turning them frequently, cook 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender, transferring them to a platter as they are done.
Authentic Italian Grilled Dessert
And last, but never least, what about dessert? Grilled Peaches with Raspberry Sauce (Pesche alla Griglia) is an utterly delectable treat.
Pesche Dolci
Ingredients:
5 oz raspberries, preferably fresh (frozen will do if fresh not available)
1-1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 medium fresh peaches, peel, halved
5 tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp butter
Directions:
1. In a blender or food processor, process raspberries and lemon juice until pureed.
2. Strain and discard seeds. Cover and chill.
3. Place the peach halves, cut side up, on a large piece of heavy-duty foil (about 18 x 12″).
4. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle into peach centers.
5. Sprinkle with vanilla; dot with butter.
6. Fold foil over peaches and seal.
7. Grill over medium-hot coals for 15 minutes or until heated through. You can also place in a broiler for 8-12 minutes for a similar result.
8. To serve, spoon the raspberry sauce over the peaches.
There you have it: a supreme Italian grilling adventure. All of these scrumptious recipes are courtesy of www.marialiberati.com and more selections await all visitors to the website.
