Bring It: Chicagoist Staff Grilling Dishes

By Carrie Becker in Food on May 28, 2010 6:20PM

T-G-I-F! This weekend could not have come soon enough for us. We are putting work behind us and are ready for the multitude of Memorial day grilling events to take place. We even have a special one planned for our staff (don't you love drunk staff parties).

In an effort to scope out what everyone may be bringing, we are sharing our favorite go-to grilling dishes (plus recipes).

Let us know if you have any to add to the list....some of us are still undecided and some of us should reconsider the cheddarwurst.

"Vegetarian Fruit Salad" by Laura M Browning
My favorite summer dish is something I had a vegetarian restaurant in York, England (of all places) years ago, and I've been making it ever since. Couldn't be easier!

Ingredients:

• 1 honeydew melon
• 1 bunch of green grapes
• 1 cucumber
• 1 bunch of Chives

Preparation:

1. Cube honeydew, halve green grapes, peel and slice cucumbers, coarsely chop chives.
2. Throw it all in a bowl and refrigerate for a couple hours to let the flavors mingle.

"Lentil Salad" by Prescott Carlson
I usually bring a simple lentil salad to ingratiate myself with any cute vegetarian women in attendance. It also holds up really well sitting around on the buffet table.

Ingredients:
Salad:

• 1 pound lentils, cleaned/rinsed
• 1 cucumber, peeled/seeded, chopped
• 1 red pepper, seeded, chopped
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved, or 2 large tomatoes, chopped

Dressing:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
• 3 tbsp. fresh chives, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Cook lentils to desired tenderness, let cool.
2. Whisk together vinegar, lemon, garlic, salt and pepper until well mixed. Add herbs and whisk to combine.
3. Add cooled lentils and other ingredients into a large bowl. Add dressing, stir until lentils are well coated.
4. Put in airtight container and refrigerate for at least several hours.

"Chicken Satay" by Michele Lenni
This is my famous Chicken Satay that I grill every year.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 lb boneless chicken breasts
• Satay sticks

Marinade:

• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 tsp light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 c soy sauce
• 4 tsp ginger, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 6 tbsp sesame seed oil

Preparation:

1. Mix marinade ingredients.
2. Cut chicken into 1 1/2-2 inch cubes. Add to mixture and marinate at least two hours.
3. Thread chicken pieces onto one end of satay sticks.
4. Barbecue, baste with marinade.
5. Notes: Number of servings: 5-6

"broo-SHEH-ta" by Kimberly Bellware
I like bringing the bruschetta (and my grams will pinch your face if you say it any way other than "broo-SKEH-ta") since it's colorful and fresh and can make a nice presentation.

Ingredients:

• Roma tomatoes (anywhere from 3-8 depending on your party size)
• fresh basil
• garlic
• balsamic vinegar
• extra virgin olive oil
• french baguette
• 8oz cream cheese package
• one package of crumbled feta

Preparation:

1. Mix the cream cheese and feta together and shape into a ball. Place to the side or set in the fridge.
2. Seed tomatoes and chop them into ½ inch cubes or however you like them chopped.
3. Place them in a bowl.
4. Chop up about 2-3 large basil leaves and throw them in the bowl with the tomatoes. Chop about 2 cloves of garlic and throw that in the bowl.
5. Toss the tomatoes, basil and garlic with a small amount of oil and about a tablespoon or two of balsamic vinegar (only toss with those right before serving otherwise the tomatoes can turn brownish).
6. Cut up the baguette into one-inch slices. Place them on a baking sheet and then with a food brush rub oil on the top of the pieces. Put them in the oven for about one minute on broil or until they turn golden brown. You can then flip them and place oil on the second side if you would like. If you like them a little soft on the bottom, just do the one side.
7. Put the clump of cheese on the plate, pour the tomato concoction over the top and put the bread around the sides.
8. Stick a butter knife in the center and serve.

"West Indies Yellow Bird Punch" by Rob Christopher
Well, this punch is strictly for when I'm hosting (it's too cumbersome to transport) but it's been a big hit whenever I've served it. My own recipe.

Ingredients:

• 40 oz. pineapple juice
• 40 oz. orange juice
• juice of 10 lemons
• juice of 2 extra-large limes
• 1 bottle white rum (750 mL)
• 10 oz. creme de banane
• 10 oz. Galliano

Preparation:

1. If possible, place bottle of rum in freezer the day before serving; it will not freeze solid but instead be delightfully icy when it's time to make the punch.
2. Combine all ingredients in punchbowl and stir. Serve immediately in glasses with ice.

"Pesto Sun-dried Tomato Dip" by Amy Perry
If I don't have time to cook something, I'll bring a pesto sun-dried tomato dip. It's super easy.

Ingredients:

• 1 block cream cheese
• 1 jar pesto
• 1 package sun-dried tomatoes

Preparation:

1. Pour the pesto over the block of cream cheese.
2. Dice the sun-dried tomatoes and place on top.
3. Serve with crackers.

"Strawberry Rubarb Crisp" by Barbara Kingsolver, suggested by Betsy Mikel
'll be bringing strawberry rhubarb crisp. The recipe comes from Barbara Kingsolver's "Animal, Vegetable,
Miracle."

Ingredients:
Fruit

• 3 cups strawberries, halved
• 3 cups rhubarb, chopped
• ½ cup honey

Crisp

• ½ cup flour
• ½ cup rolled oats
• ½ cup brown sugar (or a bit more, to taste)
• ¾ tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp allspice
• 1/3 cup butter

Preparation:

1. Mix fruit together thoroughly and place in an 8”x8” ungreased pan.
2. Mix crisp until crumbly, sprinkle over fruit mixture and bake at 350° for 40 to 50 minutes, until golden.

"Isreali Salad" by Benjamin Lipsman
A salad I had in Israel is something we now regularly make for BBQs, etc

Ingredients:

• 1 carton of grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes cut in half
• 1 cucumber, sliced (fresh pickle cucumbers best, or cut slices in half if regular one)
• 1 red onion, sliced into strips
• 1 red/yellow bell pepper cut into strips
• 1 bunch fresh mint leaves
• 1 can of flaked imitation crab meat

Preparation:
Chop all ingredients and place in bowl then toss with lemon juice and some olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.

"Meaty, Bacony Baked Beans" adapted from The Reinhard family by Carrie Becker
When I'm feeding a large group and especially if the crowd prefers sides that are meat, meat and more meat, I like turning to this hand me down recipe from family friends for meaty baked beans. I've made a few tweaks like swapping some ground beef for ground pork and you can always make your own twists, perhaps adding more bacon. Everything is better with more bacon.

Ingredients:

• 64 oz can pork and beans
• 16 oz pinto beans
• 16 oz butter beans
• 1 lb ground beef
• ½ lb ground pork
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup of ketchup
• 1 tbsp mustard
• 1 lb bacon
• 1 large yellow or white onion
• 1 tbsp vinegar

Preparation:

1. Cut bacon into matchstick size pieces. In a heavy deep pan, cook bacon until cooked through but not crispy.
2. Remove the bacon then add diced onion to the bacon fat.
3. Sauté onions until soft then add in ground beef and pork to cook through.
4. Combine all ingredients in a crockpot and set on medium for one to two hours (keep an eye on it to make sure it does not dry).