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Spring Sizzle Don’t Settle For Burgers: Adorn That Grill With Fresh Favorites

Jane Snow Akron Beacon Journal

With the appearance of the first crocus, out pop the barbecue grills and onto them go the lovely foods of spring - hot dogs and hamburgers.

Now wait just a pea-pickin’ minute. The stores are flooded with fat asparagus, spring lamb, new potatoes and Vidalia onions, and you’re settling for hamburgers?

This is the time of year to revel in the heady scent of crushed fresh mint and bite into a ripe strawberry, the harbinger of sunny days to come. Save the hamburgers for later.

If you’re wondering how to grill asparagus - let alone strawberries - most cookbook authors are wondering, too. There aren’t many recipes for grilled spring foods, so we started from scratch.

Into the shopping cart went the foods of the season: mint, dill, new potatoes, lamb, sweet onions, asparagus and strawberries.

Out came grilled asparagus wrapped in prosciutto and melted cream and fontina cheeses; grilled lamb fajitas with a vibrant Mediterranean “salsa” of diced sweet onions, tomatoes, fresh mint and crumbled feta cheese; grilled new potato salad with fresh dill, and grilled strawberry angel cake.

The dishes have sophisticated flavors but are so easy to make you can prepare dinner and still have time to work in the garden.

For example, dessert is made with store-bought angel food cake that is cut into wedges, buttered on the cut sides and grilled until delicately crunchy. It’s great as-is, but rivulets of hot fudge sauce and a cascade of sliced strawberries put it over the top. The only preparation required is cutting the cake and slicing the berries.

The asparagus appetizer is awesome, and will sell you on the marriage of vegetables and smoke - not to mention prosciutto (a spicy Italian ham) and cheese.

Although prosciutto is expensive, the six thin slices called for in the recipe should only cost about a dollar. The slices are cut in half lengthwise and spread with a mixture of softened cream cheese and grated Swiss or fontina. The prosciutto is then wrapped around the asparagus in a spiral, cheeseside in.

When grilled, the prosciutto turns golden, the cheese bubbles and the asparagus takes on a faintly smoky flavor. Three or four stalks make a substantial appetizer.

When buying asparagus, look for fat, unwrinkled stalks with tightly closed tips. Frayed tips and wrinkled stalks mean the asparagus is wilting and losing flavor.

Some cooks prefer thin to thick stalks, but unless you grow your own asparagus, thick will have better flavor. Most asparagus in stores is grown in California, which is a long way for a perishable, thin stalk to travel.

Fresh dill is available in big bunches in many supermarkets at this time of year. Just a teaspoon or two turns ordinary potato salad into a spring treat. Try it in a regular mayonnaise-based potato salad, or use our recipe for grilled new potatoes drizzled with olive oil and fresh lemon juice. Grilled potatoes tend to toughen when chilled, though, so eat the salad at room temperature.

The centerpiece of the meal is lamb fajitas, which can be made with just about any lean cut of lamb. Cubed leg of lamb is ideal, but if lamb arm bone or rib steaks are on sale, buy them. Choose cuts that are lean and without a lot of connective tissue, so they can be cut into cubes. Those who don’t care for lamb can substitute grilled pork or chicken.

Flour tortillas heat and soften beautifully on a grill, and unlike in a skillet, several can be warmed at one time.

Here are our recipes. You may never go back to burgers again.

Grilled Asparagus and Prosciutto

12 fat spears of asparagus (about 1 pound)

6 thin slices prosciutto (about 2 ounces; see note)

3 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup grated fontina or Swiss cheese (about 2 ounces)

Wash asparagus and trim the tough ends. Place in a large, shallow skillet with about 1/2-inch hot water. Cover and bring rapidly to a boil. Boil two minutes. Drain immediately and cool under cold, running water. Drain and pat dry.

Cut prosciutto slices in half lengthwise, so that each slice produces two long strips. In a small bowl, beat together the cheeses until creamy. Spread about two teaspoons of cheese mixture on each strip of prosciutto. Cheeseside in, wrap strips around asparagus stalks in a spiral.

Grill asparagus over hot coals for about two minutes, turning once, until prosciutto starts to brown and cheese is bubbly.

Yield: 4 servings.

Note: Prosciutto is a spicy Italian cured ham available in the deli section of most larger supermarkets.

Grilled New Potato Salad

2 1/2 pounds small red potatoes

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Scrub potatoes and place in a large kettle. Cover with hot water. Cover pan, bring to a boil and boil over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until slightly tender but still firm. Drain and plunge into cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain and pat dry.

When cool enough to handle, cut potatoes in halves and place in a large, sealable freezer bag. Add olive oil and salt and turn to coat potatoes evenly.

When ready to grill, thread potatoes on skewers so that cut sides will lie flat on the grill. Save remaining olive oil in bag. Grill over hot coals, turning once, until golden.

Cool potatoes to lukewarm. Remove from skewers and place in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil remaining in bag. Add dill, sea salt and lemon juice. Toss well. Serve at room temperature.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Grilled Lamb Fajitas

2 pounds lean lamb, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (pork or chicken may also be used)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 large tomato, cut into small cubes

2 tablespoons chopped mint

1/2 cup chopped sweet onion, such as Vidalia

4 ounces crumbled feta cheese

8 flour tortillas

Place lamb cubes in a bowl, add olive oil and soy sauce and mix well. Thread lamb on skewers. Grill over hot coals, turning occasionally, for about 7 to 10 minutes or until desired degree of doneness.

Meanwhile, combine tomato, mint, onion and cheese in a bowl and stir well. When lamb is done, place four tortillas in a single layer on grill, cover with grill lid and cook for about 30 seconds. Turn and cook 30 seconds longer. Tortillas should be soft and warm but not brown. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Remove lamb from skewers and place a few cubes in each tortilla. Top with mint-feta mixture. Roll up and eat out of hand.

Yield: 4 servings.

Grilled Strawberry Angel Cake

1/2 of a round commercial angel food cake

Softened butter

1 pound strawberries

2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste

1 jar (about 12 ounces) hot fudge sauce, warmed

Cut cake half into four wedges and spread cut sides with softened butter. Hull and wash strawberries and cut into slices. Add sugar to strawberries and stir well. Transfer fudge sauce to a microwave-safe container and heat on high power until warm, about two minutes.

Grill cake over low coals until cut sides are golden. Place each wedge on a dessert plate and spoon on some hot fudge sauce. Top with a few spoonfuls of berries.

Yield: 4 servings.