Fire For The Barbecue

 Barbecue food can be somewhat routine. It's the same old burgers and dogs or ribs and chicken. The salad are blah as are those ears of corn. What do do ? Add some spice and fire to your grilling.

Fiery marinades are nothing new. They've been in Asian cooking foe centuries, livening uup all sorts of meats and veggies.One such ingredient chili crisp is becoming flavor of the summer with many home chefs adding it to their menus.It's actually an easy make and can be used in not just grilled food but to liven up omelets and even spaghetti and pizza sauces.It starts with frying shallots and garlic in peanut oil. Since it;s the crisp part that makes it so special, you can also add some peanuts or sliced ginger. Add to tat sugar soy sauce and the appropriate heat.Gochugaru, or Korean chili flakes is highly recommended but if you can;t find it a mix of cayenne and paprika will do the trick..Also add a cinnamon stick and star anise which brings some sweetness as does the sugar to the chili crisp. The peppery mix is added to the shallots and garlic after they've been removed from the oil.This allows them to  crisp up and give the mix that nice crunchiness. They're added back into the oil while the cinnamon stick and star anise pods are taken out. The entire oil is them left to refrigerate , usually overnight. Use a few tablespoons of this on burgers or even slather ribs in it before grilling.

Of course sriracha also works well in spicing things up. Add a few drops of it to ketchup to liven up sliders and any sausages. Sriracha mustard is another great condiment that can be drizzled on dogs or added to any potato salad. It's an easy make by combining a cup of yellow mustard with a quarter cup of the hot sauce, two tablespoons honey and a teaspoon of lime juice. Mix and serve how you like. Simple salads such as macaroni can easily get a lift from diced pepperoni. Spiced ham can also be added to this to make it more substantial. A teaspoon of pepperoncini flakes can also bring up the heat and make any salad  - even three bean much more interesting.Even grilled seafood can get a lift from some tasty fire. Whip up some bang bang shrimp sauce that's a signature Bonefish Grill dish.It's combining  half a cup of mayonnaise with two tablespoons Thai chili sauce (this can be found in your grocery's international aisle) with one tablespoon Sriracha sauce . A teaspoon of rice vinegar is added to thin it out. This is also good on grilled crab legs too.

Liven up your Memorial Day barbecue by adding some heat.  There's nothing like  some zing with the hamburgers or hot dogs, ribs chicken or shrimp. It's makes for a more exciting grill.

Going Back To The Outback

Outback Steakhouse is one of those chain restaurants that guarantees good fun and good food. it does live up to its' promise and proved to be entertaining. What was the big surprise is that it also promises healthy food. Who knew that the place that offers the Blooming Onion could offer blooming nutritious. ? It was  time to go back to the restaurant from Down Under.

There was a twenty year gap between this visit and my last to Outback Steakhouse. It still had the long wait (nearly half an hour) even at nine PM  - although it was a Saturday night, the most popular time to go. A new generations of servers were on hand to sing Happy Birthday to other diners as well as to eagerly wait. The decor is still the same, with those many nooks and booths that give semi privacy. The menu is as big as ever. Yes, there still is the Blooming Onion which has always been there and not going anywhere,despite protests from nutritionists and health nuts. There are still steaks and the only thing that sort of rings Aussie is the New Zealand lamb. Surprisingly the restaurant is all American , originating out of Tampa, Florida in 1988. It was created by Bob Basham, Chris T.Sullivan,, Trudy Cooper and Tim Gannon. Chris T. Smith went on to create other  popular chain restaurants, Carrabba's Grill,Fleming's Steakhouse and Wine Bar, Bonefish Grill and Cheeseburger In Paradise. Outback is a fun place, whether for a date or a family night out. Happily they've changed their menu to reflect the push for healthier foods.There a smaller version of the Blooming Onion along with meals that are under six hundred calories. There are also more nutritious sides to choose from.

How is the food? Still good. I did have qualms going there however after seeing the 600 calorie meals, felt better. They start you off with a warm loaf of sweet brown bread and butter which is a nice opener. My group and I ordered the Bloomin Petals a smaller version of the onion.It was still a
 copious pile of deep fried batter dipped "petals" served with a spicy chipotle sauce, a bit oily to eat so late but crunchy and delicious. I liked the fact that there as a choice of soup and salad with the  meal and opted for the bowl of French onion soup (to be honest I would have just preferred this, given the late hour).It was rich with a good beef stock and perfect amount of cheese. Outback is first and foremost a steak house and there was a multitude of cuts to choose from. I went with the most healthiest the smallest cut of sirloin with a side of mixed veggies.. The meat was just the right size and cooked to a tender and juicy medium. The mix of broccoli and carrots was a bit plain but that was remedied with a ramekin of butter. Their burger was equally good, dense  and juicy. Dessert was a huge wedge of their six layer chocolate cake served with ramekins of whipped cream and raspberry coulis. The crumb was suitably moist and the icing fudgy, made a bit more palatable with the tangy fruit sauce.

Will there be another gap between this visit and my next visit to the Outback Steakhouse. No, I was impressed with the quality and flavor as well as many healthy and nutritious choices.It's definitely on my must visit again list.