Veteran food writer Irene Sax tells us about a new cookbook and shares healthy and delicious recipes, including one that's been lightened up with tips from the book's author. This month's book is Latin Grill: Sultry and Simple Food for Red-Hot Dinners and Parties by Rafael Palomino (Chronicle Books, 2010).
Summer isn’t truly here until the grill appears. We bring out the long-handled tongs and the long-sleeved oven mitts. And if this is the summer when we’re ready to move beyond burgers and franks, we open up Rafael Palomino’s inspiring new book, Latin Grill: Sultry and Simple Food for Red-Hot Dinners and Parties.
Colombian-born Palomino owns several pan-Latin restaurants where he serves this kind of food. The recipes in his book are definitely sultry because of the hot peppers in some — but by no means all — of them. But it’s their simplicity that will endear them to hurried cooks who are looking for healthful meals.
How simple? A Nuevo-Latino Caesar salad made by tossing grilled romaine leaves with sliced avocado and shards of Parmesan.
Chicken chunks skewered with red onion and avocado, then seared over heat that caramelizes their mango-honey glaze.
Shrimp grilled with a ceviche-like marinade. Portobellos brushed with mint pesto and sprinkled with chopped pecans. Panini made by folding a tortilla over shaved Parmesan and thin-sliced prosciutto.
And if these aren’t easy enough, Palomino provides sauces that can be made ahead and used with anything you decide to throw on the coals: sauces such as sun-dried-tomato chimichurri, Colombian aji rojo made of lime-spiked onions, tomatoes and chiles, or the braised-garlic oil that’s in the scallop recipe below.
There’s a clear connection between easy cooking and healthy eating. When a recipe uses just a few simple ingredients — scallops, garlic, avocados — you know exactly what you’ll be getting. And when the techniques are basic and straightforward, you’re more likely to cook at home and not order pizza or some other takeout packed with heaven-knows-what extra calories.
This isn’t a book that will teach you the ABCs of backyard cooking. If you want to know how to start a fire or test steaks for doneness, you’ll have to look elsewhere. (Although it’s worth noting that Palomino prefers gas to charcoal grills because they’re faster to light and give a more consistent heat.) But if you’re looking for ideas that will add sparkle to summer meals, you’ll find them here.
No-Apologies Scallops
Serve these tender, garlic-scented scallops over a bed of brown rice or a salad of baby greens. A speedy dish that is elegant enough for company.
Grilled Sea Scallops with a Cumin and Garlic Rub
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 8 garlic cloves, cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 Tbsp cilantro
- Juice of 1/4 lime
- 12 large sea scallops, side muscles trimmed, halved horizontally
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and lower the heat to the lowest possible setting. Cook, covered, for about 5 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking over the lowest possible heat until the garlic is barely colored to pale brown and tender, about 8 minutes. Stir it frequently and be sure not to let the garlic brown too much, or it will be bitter. Add the cumin, cilantro and lime juice and mix well. Scrape the mixture into a blender and pulse just until well blended. Set aside.
- Thread the scallops onto 4 metal skewers (3 to a skewer) and coat them with the braised garlic mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Light a fire in a charcoal or gas grill. Grill until the scallops are just opaque in the center, occasionally brushing with more garlic, about 3 minutes per side. Serve immediately.
Notes from Palomino
- Braising brings out the best in garlic, whether it’s for a pasta sauce, for a rub, or even just for a spread on crisp toasts (yes — and it does cure everything!). This is a super-simple recipe that you can put together in no time at all.
Easily Improved Burger
You know what’s wrong with this recipe, right? Two pounds of meat is enough to serve eight people, not four, especially when you add the richness of cheese and avocado. One pound of good ground beef is enough for four delicious Latin-influenced burgers.
Grilled Palomino Burger with Manchego Cheese and Avocado
Serves 4
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- Vegetable oil
- 2 lbs ground sirloin beef, formed into four 8-oz, 1/2-inch-thick patties
- 8 slices (or as desired) of Manchego cheese or white cheddar cheese
- 4 brioche or your favorite rolls
- 1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
Instructions
- Light a fire in a charcoal or gas grill. Spread a dash of the salt and a squirt of vegetable oil to both sides of each beef patty. Cook the burgers until medium-rare (or just below the desired degree of doneness), about 10 minutes on each side. Add the cheese to the burgers after you’ve flipped them the first time. Then place the rolls on the grill to toast. (They may take less time to toast than the burgers take to finish, so keep your eye on them!)
- When the cheese starts to melt, remove the patties from the grill. Place the toasted buns on individual plates, top with the burger and add the avocado slices before serving.
Notes from Palomino
- I was born in Colombia and raised in Queens, so this burger is an illustration of my cultural connections…I like putting avocado or guacamole (my Latin American roots!) on top as much as I like adding a bit of melted Manchego cheese (the Spanish in me!). My kids, however, generally prefer their burgers with white cheddar cheese.