What are you serving as appetizers when you entertain outdoors this summer?
Too often, grill cooks think only about their main courses and maybe side dishes like grilled vegetables and old standbys such as potato salad or coleslaw. When it comes to first courses, though, most default to dishes like guacamole or other dips, prepared away from the grill, accompanied by the inevitable chips.
I’d like to propose another approach. As long as you’re making the effort to heat up your backyard grill, why not be fuel-efficient (as well as conserving your own energy) and cook an appetizer on the grill, too?
The point, of course, is to be creative while also making less work for yourself, not more. Most importantly, you want a recipe that will be fairly quick and easy to prepare and serve so you have time to get the larger main dishes cooking while everyone is enjoying your appetizer.
One appetizer recipe that meets those requirements is the slender Asian kabob known as a satay. These are basically small thin pieces of meat, poultry or seafood threaded onto skewers, designed to cook almost instantly over an open fire for less than 5 minutes. And the individual skewers make passing and serving the satays both easy for you, the cook and host, and fun for your guests.
As a great example, I’m happy to share my recipe for a beef satay I’ve served from time to time over the years in my restaurants. For a special occasion, you can prepare it with good-quality, tender New York strip or fillet, but it’s just as good made with less costly skirt or flank steak, which is the traditional choice in Asian kitchens.
For convenience and authenticity, I suggest preparing the satays on individual bamboo or wooden skewers, which you’ll need to soak briefly in water so they won’t scorch or catch fire on the outdoor grill. You can also cook the satays indoors on a countertop grill, under the broiler, or in half the time with an electric panini grill or hinged contact grill that cooks the meat from both sides at once.
The satays are so easy that they also allow you time to prepare a delicious dipping sauce to go with them. My recipe takes only a few minutes to make, yet it delivers big flavor.
Once you’ve tried this dish, feel free to vary it with different seasons or by substituting other proteins such as pork, chicken or shrimp. You can also serve the skewers as a main dish, accompanied by rice and vegetables.
Have creative fun with your grilling this summer!
HONEY-MARINATED BEEF SATAYS WITH SPICY BUTTER SAUCE
Makes 24 skewers, serves 8 to 12
Beef Satays:
3/4 pound New York strip or fillet steak, trimmed
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or peanut oil
Spicy Butter Sauce:
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 green onion, finely chopped
1 cup organic chicken broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce or bottled barbecue sauce
1 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
Directions:
Soak 2 dozen 6-inch bamboo or wooden skewers in water for 30 to 60 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
With a sharp knife, cut the steak into 24 long, thin strips. Thread 1 strip onto each skewer, weaving the skewer back and forth along the length of each steak strip. Arrange the skewers on a large platter or baking tray. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.
Until 30 minutes before you plan to grill the skewers, combine the soy sauce, honey, red-pepper flakes, cumin, turmeric and oil in a small bowl. Pour this marinade over the steak skewers, turning to coat the meat evenly. Leave the skewers to marinate at room
temperature for about 20 minutes.
Heat an outdoor grill, stovetop grill, broiler, panini grill or hinged grill.
Meanwhile, make the sauce: Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the garlic cloves, and blanch them in the boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds. Drain well, pat dry with paper towels, and chop finely.
In a small skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger and green onion; saute just until they begin to soften and smell fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the broth, soy sauce, honey, hoisin or barbecue sauce, and red-pepper flakes, and bring to a boil. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer. Pour the sauce through a strainer into a clean pan and, over medium heat, whisk in the remaining butter a little bit at a time. Keep warm.
Grill the skewers, in batches if necessary to prevent overcrowding, until cooked through and nicely browned, about 2 minutes per side on the outdoor grill or in the grill pan or broiler, or 2 minutes total in the panini grill or hinged grill — or 1 minute total for rare. (Take care that the skewers don’t prevent the panini grill or hinged grill from closing properly.) Transfer to a platter, pour on the sauce, and serve; or serve the sauce on the side for dipping.