Issue Date: May 22, 2005
Salads from the grill
Keep the meal light and the kitchen cool.
One cool cabbage
Napa cabbage ("nappa" in Japanese) tastes milder and sweeter than regular cabbage and has long, pale green, tightly packed, crinkly leaves. Also called Chinese cabbage, it's used extensively in Asian cooking (stir-fries and kimchi, the spicy Korean relish, for instance).
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Walk through any neighborhood in the late afternoon, and chances are you'll catch the scent of grilling food. Like suntan lotion and freshly mowed grass, the smoky fragrance smells like summertime.
Today I've marinated three meats for the grill: adobo pork, mojo chicken and fajita steak. Serve any one on a bed of baby greens or shredded Napa cabbage, and you've got a dish worthy of hip Caribbean, Spanish or Mexican restaurants.
The flavoring mixtures, which account for most of the ingredients, are easy to assemble and, as a bonus, serve as both meat marinade and salad dressing. Simply siphon off some of the mixture as a marinade. Whisk extra oil into the rest for a first-rate dressing.
Follow my recipes or use them as guides. Try chicken with the adobo or fajita flavorings, or marinate the pork in the mojo juice. If arugula isn't available, use spinach. Don't like plums? Pick up some apricots. But do welcome summer with one of these satisfying salads.
Contributing Editor Pam Anderson is the author of three cookbooks, including CookSmart (Houghton Mifflin, $28).
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Grilled Adobo Pork Tenderloin Salad With Plums and Almonds
2 Tbs. chipotle chilies in adobo sauce (in small cans on Hispanic food aisle)
1 1/2 Tbs. chili powder
3 large garlic cloves
1/3 cup packed cilantro leaves, plus extra
1/2 cup orange juice concentrate
1/3 cup water
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. plus 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 2-pound package pork tenderloins (containing 2 tenderloins)
6 plums, halved and pitted
3/4 cup slivered almonds
1 pound Napa cabbage
Puree first seven ingredients plus 2 Tbs. oil in a blender until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pour all but 3/4 cup of mixture into a gallon-sized zipper bag. Add meat; seal and refrigerate 30 minutes to 4 hours. Whisk 1/4 cup olive oil into remaining mixture for a dressing.
Brush plums with oil; season with salt and pepper. Toast almonds in a 350-degree oven for 4 minutes. Finely shred cabbage. Set all aside.
FOR CHARCOAL GRILL: Build a fire on one side of grill, so you have direct and indirect heat. When coals are covered with white ash, place plums, cut side down, and meat over direct heat; cover and grill until meat is well seared, 5 minutes. Then turn pork to sear other side, 5 minutes more, rearranging plums to ensure even browning. Move meat and plums to indirect heat; cover and grill 12 to 13 minutes, or until meat thermometer inserted in thickest end of meat registers 145 to 150 degrees.
FOR GAS GRILL: At least 10 minutes before cooking, turn all burners on high. Clean rack with a wire brush, then use tongs to wipe paper towels soaked in vegetable oil over it. Place meat on rack. Cover; cook without turning until well seared, about 7 minutes. Add plums, cut side down, and turn meat; continue to grill, covered, until other side of pork is seared, about 6 minutes. Turn off grill and let pork and plums continue to cook, covered, for 5 minutes, or until meat thermometer inserted in thickest end of meat registers 145 to 150 degrees.
TO FINISH: Remove meat and plums to a platter; let sit 5 minutes or up to 1 hour. Cut pork, crosswise, into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Toss cabbage with almonds, salt, pepper and most of dressing. Arrange slaw in each of six shallow bowls. Place a portion of pork over each and 2 plum halves alongside. Drizzle with remaining dressing; garnish with cilantro.
Serves 6.
Per serving: 463 calories, 35g protein, 17g carbohydrates, 29g fat (5g saturated), 95mg cholesterol, 3g fiber, 127mg sodium
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Grilled Mojo Chicken Salad With Asparagus and Oranges
1/2 cup orange juice concentrate
1/3 cup juice from 2 limes
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 Tb. fresh mint, chopped
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. salt, and pepper, to taste
2 Tbs. plus 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 3/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 oranges
1 bunch medium asparagus, tough ends snapped off
12 cups mixed salad greens (about 7 ounces)
Whisk first seven ingredients plus 2 Tbs. oil in a 2-cup measuring cup. Pour all but 3/4 cup of mixture into a gallon-sized zipper bag. Add chicken; seal and refrigerate 30 minutes to 4 hours. Whisk 1/4 cup of oil into remaining mixture for dressing. Peel and section oranges. Sprinkle asparagus with oil, salt, pepper.
FOR CHARCOAL GRILL: Build a fire on only one side of grill (to conserve charcoal). When coals are covered with white ash, place chicken on rack over direct heat, cover and grill until well browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Turn, cover and grill another 4 to 6 minutes. Remove chicken and add asparagus, spears perpendicular to rack. Grill 3 to 5 minutes, until well browned and just cooked through.
FOR GAS GRILL: At least 10 minutes before cooking, turn all burners on high. Clean rack with a wire brush, then use tongs to wipe paper towels soaked in vegetable oil over it. Place chicken and asparagus on rack, being careful not to overcrowd. Cover and cook until chicken and asparagus are well browned, about 3 minutes. Turn and continue to grill, covered, until asparagus is just tender, 2 to 3 minutes longer, and chicken has cooked through, 5 to 9 minutes longer, depending on thickness.
TO FINISH: Remove chicken and let stand for 5 minutes or up to 1 hour. Cut, crosswise, into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Toss greens, oranges, salt and pepper with most of the dressing. Arrange salad in six shallow bowls. Place chicken and asparagus over each. Drizzle with remaining dressing.
Serves 6.
Per serving: 369 calories, 34g protein, 24g carbohydrates, 16g fat (2g saturated), 76mg cholesterol, 3g fiber, 310mg sodium
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Grilled Fajita Steak Salad With Pickled Pink Onions
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup juice from 2 limes
Salt and pepper, to taste
6 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tb. ground cumin
3 1- to 11/4-inch-thick New York strip or leanest rib-eye steaks (2 pounds total weight)
1 each: red and yellow bell pepper, seeded and quartered
1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced
2 Tbs. rice wine vinegar
12 cups (about 7 ounces) arugula or other prewashed baby greens
1/2 cup light sour cream
Mix garlic and lime juice; set aside 3 Tbs. of mixture for a post-grill marinade. For dressing, add a generous pinch of salt and pepper to the remaining lime juice mixture and slowly whisk in oil; set aside.
Mix cumin, salt and pepper in a small dish. Rub steaks on both sides with oil, and season with cumin mixture. Brush peppers with oil, then season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine onion with vinegar and a pinch of salt. Set all aside.
FOR CHARCOAL GRILL: Build a fire on only one side of grill (to conserve charcoal). When coals are covered with white ash, place steak and peppers on rack over direct heat, cover and grill until steaks are well seared, 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium to medium-rare meat.
FOR GAS GRILL: At least 10 minutes before cooking, turn all burners on high. Clean rack with a wire brush, then use tongs to wipe paper towels soaked in vegetable oil over it. Add steak and peppers; cover and cook without turning until well seared, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn steaks and peppers and continue to grill, covered, 3 to 4 minutes longer for medium to medium-rare meat.
TO FINISH: Transfer steaks to plate and immediately drizzle with reserved lime mixture. Transfer peppers to a cutting board, and cut each quarter in thirds to get 24 pieces of pepper. Let sit 5 minutes or up to 1 hour. Thinly slice steak across grain. Toss greens with dressing. Arrange in six shallow bowls. Top with steak, peppers, pickled onions and a dollop of sour cream.
Serves 6.
Per serving: 520 calories, 30g protein, 6g carbohydrates, 42g fat (13g saturated), 100mg cholesterol, 1g fiber, 130mg sodium
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