Summer is here and grilling season has begun. But if you are like most families, grilling meat is the man's domain. Men fuss over their meat and grill with the care that people give newborns and puppies, but their grilling duties are usually confined to cooking meat. While men baste and lovingly turn the steaks, fretting about direct and indirect heat, women are still chained to the stove, preparing the corn on the cob, fruit salad, garlic bread, French fries, salads and beverages that will accompany the grilled meat. And after all of your effort behind the scenes, the men will still claim to have cooked dinner. 'Why do you look so tired? I made dinner tonight!'
So, in an effort to get you out of the kitchen every once in awhile and ask men to shoulder more responsibility for getting dinner on the table, here are some side dishes that can be cooked on the grill right alongside that hunk of meat. Just hand them to your grill master and go sit down ' you look tired, after all.
Baked beans are a classic grilling side dish. Hearty, substantial and full of smoky flavor, baked beans are terrific next to a steak, pork chop or chicken breast. They can also be cooked on the grill. Just pour them into an oven-safe pan and put them on the top shelf inside the grill. Serve them when they are hot and bubbling.
Vegetables are another side dish that pair particularly well with grilled meat. In the heat of summer, corn on the cob is a favorite that can easily be grilled. Pull back the husks, remove the silk and add some butter and a few stems of thyme. Pull the husks back over the corn and tie the ends with string. Place the ears of corn on the top rack next to your bakes beans and let them cook. In about 15 minutes, you will have smoky, herby and already buttered corn on the cob.
Root vegetables also do well on the grill. Zucchini, summer squash, potatoes, onions and green peppers all carmelize beautifully on the grill. Spray the inside of an aluminum cooking pan with cooking spray and add your veggies. Let them roast with the grill lid closed while the meat cooks. Your veggies will be crisp, browned and sweetly tender.
Did you know you can grill pizza? Grilled pizza requires a stiffer dough than oven baked, but grilled pizza has an addictively smoky flavor that you will love. Roll out and top your pizza and slide it on to the grill to bake. The crust will blister and brown and the cheese will take on the grill's distinctive outdoorsy flavor. No need to heat the oven or buy smoked cheese again!
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