Cookout Week: Grilled Eggplant

We recently hosted a BBQ for a few dozen people, grilling Drive-Through Burgers, hot dogs, and eggplant. There wasn't a vegetarian in the bunch, so I was surprised that it was the eggplant that people were raving about. It's a dream to prep for a party: no salting, no marinating, and minimal seasoning. It doesn't get much simpler -- or tastier.

Grilled Eggplant

This is wonderful fresh, and the leftovers work well in just about any eggplant dish you can imagine. We've enjoyed the eggplant diced with noodles and peanut sauce.

eggplant, any type or size
olive oil
salt
freshly ground pepper
chopped fresh oregano and marjoram, or other herbs

Slice eggplant into half-inch-thick slices. Lightly brush olive oil on each side. Grill over medium-high heat for a few minutes on each side, until you see grill marks, brushing with more oil if the eggplant looks dry. Remove from heat, season with salt, pepper, and herbs, and serve.

Cookout Week: Marinated Tri-Tip

Summer's in full swing, and Fourth of July cookouts are just around the corner. To celebrate, this week we have a handful of great dishes for summer parties.

This marinated tri-tip is a favorite of mine, originally posted last spring. It's a simple preparation that brings out the best of this lean, tender, and inexpensive cut. It cooks in mere minutes on the grill, and the leftovers -- if there are any -- are fantastic.

Growing up on the East Coast, I had never heard of tri-tip. Apparently it's a West Coast thing, but is spreading in popularity in the U.S. It's also known as triangle roast, triangle tip, or bottom sirloin butt; if you don't spot it where you buy meat, ask the butcher. It's worth hunting down.

Marinated Tri-Tip

I top the grilled slices with sliced scallions from the garden. A little green decoration on top makes me think it’s healthier than it is.

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon water
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
black pepper
2 pounds beef tri-tip, cut into 1/2-inch slices

Stir together the soy sauce, olive oil, water, garlic, and pepper in a bowl. Add the tri-tip slices, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least four hours.

Oil the grates of a medium-hot grill. Grill slices 3 to 5 minutes on each side, or until they’re done to your liking.

On the Road: Kids Meals? Indeed.

At some point during our short trip to London I realized that something might be really healthier on the Kingdom. Perhaps it's a Jamie Oliver thing. Check it: all brits are grateful of the changes he made on school menus that resulted (serioulsy) in academic improvement. 
Besides that positive influences of the "Eat your 5 a day"culture, all the classics of American kids meals, - including chicken nuggets to the  good old burger are in the menu of most places we visited. Margherita pizza is also a very popular option for the little ones. Add to that some other traditional foods like Minced Beef and Onion Pie. But always accompanied by garden peas or other greens besides those delicious chunks of British style chips.
Diana Memorial Park at Kensington Gardens (forget the formal name, it's really a Pirate's Park inspired in Peter Pan's story), we had the chance of buying organic snacks at the Playcafe,  and mostly very fresh. Ice cream from Cornwall was the best ever. At the South Bank Center, the Riverside Cafe was not just showing to support good commerce selling Fair Trade, as all the cups, forks and knives were made of  biodegradable materials. The ingredient of the month was Spelt Flour. How very charming.
In one of my favorite restaurants, Wagamama, we had a wonderful experience of a kids "friendliness". Easy going chopsticks helped the kids to eat the best gyoza (Japanese potstickers) ever. Kids meal  itself was huge and good: noodles, grilled chicken and veggies composed one of the coolest plates I've ever seen. Besides the crayon and the paper to draw.

Although we had a great time at the Natural History Museum and its awesome dinosaurs, one of the inspiring sighs was the cakes table: I and grandma Myrna  could not refuse, and instead of the 5 a day veggies and fruit, kids indulged on a slice of lemon pound cake. Also, I must not forget about all the temptations of flapjacks, jacket potatoes and traditional pastries. They were all there for fast options at the street. But for emergency picnic lunch at Holland Park, we ended up choosing the Boots Meal Deal. It is buying lunch at a drugstore, a kind of londoner institution.

Unfortunately we didn't make it to one of the Naked Chef restaurants in London. And therefore could not witness his food revolution on the table. I know he welcomes kids in his Jamie Oliver Italian, serving smaller portions of his home made pasta with the same sauce he brews for the grown ups, with some free range chicken. And also always a small salad goes with it. If the kids eat their greens, they get a badge.  The day I planned to go there we were surprised by a storm, and we got stuck and soaked at Covent Garden Transport Museum.
The change of plans was not that bad. Kids ended up devouring Quiche Lorraine at Le Pain Quotidien. Grandma had the pleasure of tasting a nice green salad while I was eating a delicious mushroom and chickpeas soup. And, better than that, they could taste some special dessert of the day, made with red berries, cream and meringue. Look at the yummy picture. Not very British, but very very good. We finally understood that sometimes,  when on the road, the best bet is - like we do when eating out at home: To split a grown up meal and forget all about the comfortable zone of kid's meals.