Urban BBQ

by Paulette Licitra
(Page 3)

TANDOORI MARINADE
1/2 cup yogurt
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and crushed
1 tbsp dried red chili, or crushed red pepper flakes
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp salt

This traditional tandoori recipe is meant for chicken to be cooked in a clay oven, but it works great as a marinade for barbecue. Skin the chicken pieces and make slashes in the flesh so that the marinade can seep inside. When grilling, make sure the coals radiate steady, hot heat -- no flames. (You know chicken is done when you prick the flesh and the juice runs clear, not pink.) Tandoori shrimp is great, too.

Making a marinade is the supreme opportunity for creativity! Make one of your own (or vary the ones above) with some of your favorite flavorful ingredients. I know some people in Las Vegas who make a marinade from anything that happens to be in the refrigerator that day -- including grape jelly and Kraft imitation parmesan cheese foodstuff. They get great results!

How can anyone live without a grill? I do. Excuse me while I go prepare some burnt toast.

A Nice New Grilling Cookbook of Particular Note: Low-Fat Grilling by Melanie Barnard. Everything from Grilled Tomato and Basil Pizza to Grilled Potato "Chips" to Pork Fajitas. Melanie gives plenty of tips about getting the most from your grill, providing menus for entertaining, and helpful guidelines for selecting and using a grill.

The book is a handsome paperback from Harper Perennial and costs only $10.00.

CREDITS:
Photos - Peter Guagenti