Relish Cooking

Pineapples were on sale at the market last week, so I bought one, hoping my family would indulge while I was in San Francisco over the weekend. But as I sit here staring at this nearly-too-ripe specimen from Hawaii, I’m reminded of my years as a kid, growing up in a small town not far from the birthplace of this very fruit. Back then, it seemed that our little community shared a certain familial feng-shui, so much so that I’m willing to bet that every parent in Kona had gathered one night over Mai Tais, and together, wrote their child-rearing version of the Geneva Convention. Local family law included, but was not limited to something like the following:

1. Children under the age of 12 must remain outdoors until the sun goes down (encouraging “creative play”)
2. Unless separated by (salt) water, walk. (promoting exercise and good health)
3. All animals and/or children must have complete access to all areas of the neighborhood, (hence, the term “free range”).

My favorite shared philosophy in our humble zip code, however, by virtue of living far from markets and stores, was always “waste not, want not.” In fact, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if over half of the block had a kitchen plaque displaying this daily reminder. We were amongst a population of hunters, farmers and fishers that proudly passed the freshest of island bounty from family to family. Local-grown coffee, fresh-caught Ahi, macadamia nuts picked from our backyards and every possible tropical fruit and vegetable were definitely ours to consume, but never to waste. Aside from an occasional “treat”, life wasn’t full of fillers. We didn’t have pantries stocked with chips, cookies, candy, crackers and pop tarts …we ate what we grew, or what our friends brought to our doorstep, and found creative ways of consuming every last bit (a novel idea). Food, any food, got thrown on the hibachi for grilling and what we couldn’t finish, mom froze and later disguised with two ingredients, calling it some fancy Hawaiian name like lau-lau. It was a conservation technique that worked like a charm.

Now fast-forwarding a couple of decades and traveling several thousand miles east, I’d be hard pressed to find many ‘a fellow farmer who’ll be dropping off ice-packed coolers full of mangoes and Ono out here in Coto; however, I do have a slight habit of being a little over-zealous at Farmer’s Markets and the likes. Coming home with several bags chock-full of beautiful fresh zucchini, lettuce, apples, herbs, and anything else in full season is not uncommon for me. The challenge isn’t knowing what to buy, so much as what to do with it before it all rots. Refrigerate plump, sweet peaches? Blasphemy! Freeze 5 pounds of Wild Copper River Salmon? NEVER!

But what is this? You’re staring at 4 wilting yellow beets that called your name from the organic display and now you’re dying to hear my suggestion of how the heck to make them edible?! Well here it is…I’m going to give you one simple suggestion. Whether its green and savory, colorful and sweet, land, river or sea…just GRILL IT!
The smoky flavors that develop as food cooks over fire are about the tastiest I can think of, and grilling is just about the easiest preparation known to mankind.

Here's a few simple, but very delicious, suggestions and tips to grill just about anything (plus a recipe for those poor beets) and at the end of the day, you can hang your little plaque with pride as you watch the kids devour speared cold grilled asparagus in basil-olive oil, lemon & sea salt (my version of leftovers).

TIPS TO GRILL JUST ABOUT ANYTHING

Zucchini, summer squash, cabbage, broccoli spears, thick slices of sweet onion, whole bell peppers artichoke, bok choy and even leafy lettuce like red leaf or romaine are delicious when cut in half or quartered lengthwise and generously brushed or rubbed with a mix of olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon and sea salt then placed on a pre-heated grill. For added depth of flavor, add finely minced herbs to the mix like rosemary, thyme, tarragon or dill. Once nice dark grill marks develop, simply turn with tongs and repeat. Cut into large bite-sized wedges and toss into angel hair pasta with a tablespoon of butter, a splash of Marsala wine & a little extra salt.

Disks of pineapple, halved (and pitted) peaches, plums, mango & figs…even a bamboo spear loaded with ripe red strawberries name just a few of summer’s sweet delicacies that are just waiting for you to set on a nicely-oiled hot grill for a few minutes on each side, drizzle a bit of honey or 6-year aged Balsamic then top with a Tablespoon or two of Crème Fraîche (Bristol Farms) and finely chopped fresh mint…yum!

All root vegetables and nearly any fish can be thrown in a simple tin-foil “pouch” with a nice slab of butter, a good sprinkle of sea salt & fresh-ground pepper and chopped herbs, then set directly over charcoal or on the grill until caramelized and slightly charred (about an hour for root veggies like peeled & quartered carrots, beets, parsnips, potatoes or 20-30 minutes for fish such as salmon, halibut, Ono, swordfish…less for lighter fish such as snapper, cod, tilapia & sole).