Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Foiled For An Easy Barbecue!

As I wrote in yesterday's entry it is still the season to grill and barbecue. However unlike the lazier midsummer ones , the barbecues now are a little more rushed. Blame it on our busy schedules which seem to kick it up a notch come September. however there is a solution. Foil packing your meats and veggies. The result is a quicker and actually tastier way of barbecuing done right.

Foil cooking was the subject of the Al Fresco section in the Dining section of today's New York Times. The piece, written by new regular, Alice Hart, explains the simplicity of this easy cooking method. What's great is that it goes the best on a hot grill but you can also use it in an oven or even on a campfire.Another plus is that you can make the packets up in advance (think your own Swanson TV Dinner line). They can also be transported in a cooler to any camp site and the foil also used as plates later on.. As far as with wrapping use a double layer of foil. . This ensures that the insides will be well cooked and that the package won't tear apart, creating spills.

What to put into a foil pouch or packet? Ms. Hart includes a delicious halibut recipe that is heavily spiced with coriander , cumin seeds and lemons to give it a North African flavor. Fish or chicken really are the best meat s for pouch cooking. They are the juiciest, (although I can see a flank steak also being used) and the most flavorful. Use steak cuts or in the case of poultry breast meat. There are recipes where you can cook veggies this way too. You can add butter and white wine and let it heat up in the packet, marinating the contents.

Foil cooking is an easy way of making , moist and tender meals. It's also fuss free because you can just throw away the foil afterwards. What a perfect way to have a fall barbecue.

No comments: