Good morning. I’ve been cooking outside as much as I can these last few weeks, turning meats and vegetables over fire. Sometimes the fuel is wood, other times charcoal, many times propane. Grilled food is the song of my summer.
I’m not alone in feeling that way. It seems my whole neighborhood is smoke-scented these days: the dude across the street with the Big Green Egg on his roof making short ribs; the couple down the block at it with their slab of salmon on the gas grill in the yard. I ran into one family coming up from the park after dinner with a kettle grill mounted to a pushcart from the local grocery store. They’d made burgers, they said, and would be back the next night to make ribs. “Beats cooking at home,” the dad said. “I’m mobile now. Cook wherever I want.”
Here’s a recipe for him, then, and for anyone cooking in a park or at a campsite, on a patio, fire escape, deck or sidewalk: huli huli chicken (above), a taste of Hawaii wherever you stay. The name comes from the Hawaiian word for “turn”; the chicken is marinated in soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar and ketchup, with plenty of garlic and ginger for bite. Grilled over a hot fire (huli the meat a lot to prevent it from scorching), it’s a perfect Sunday dinner alongside mac salad and a platter of green beans.
Featured Recipe
Huli Huli Chicken
As for the rest of the week. …
Monday
This colorful radish, cucumber and farro salad from Yasmin Fahr has a punchy acidity that comes from chopped pepperoncini and lightly pickled vegetables. While the grains are cooking, toss scallions, sliced radishes and cucumbers with parsley and white beans in a sherry-Dijon dressing amped up with the peppers. The combination is, as the poker players say, aces high. You could add some feta, too, or torn mozzarella.
