Summer Shabbats Are for Grillers
During the winter I long for summer meals — laugh if you must, but I dream of grilling and cold beer. There is nothing better than food that’s been cooked over an open flame and is served only moments later on a table in a backyard. Since Shabbat comes late in the evening during summer months, Friday afternoons are the perfect time for grilling. The season’s fresh vegetables and fruit also opens up options for the menu, so I like to leave tradition behind and prepare an entire Shabbat meal on the grill with a little Mexican flare.
Here’s one of my favorite summer menus.
Main: Grilled Fish Kebabs
For me, grilled fish kebabs are the essence of the summer. Even if I’m in the city, they make me think of the beach. Try this recipe (sans sesame oil) and top it with the delicious and complex flavors of orange-tomatillo salsa.
Side: Mexican Esquites Corn Salad
Esquites is a classic Mexican street food made from corn, limes, cilantro and a creamy dressing. I like to make this recipe with a slight twist. Instead of cooking the corn in a pan, I grill it. Simply remove the corn husks and silk and throw the ears of the barbie until they start to char a bit. Let them cool for a few minutes and then cut the kernels from the cob and follow the rest of the recipe.
Drinks: Pomegranate Mojito Mojitos are perfect for summer sipping. Add in some pomegranate and you have a fresh take on the classic, something just a bit fruity. If you prefer raspberries, they also work well.
Dessert: Grilled Peaches with Ice Cream and Pecans
In August peaches are so ripe and juicy that I refuse to cook them in any way. But when peach season is just starting or ending, throwing them on the grill can help the flavor along. In this recipe, the Pioneer Woman cooks her peaches on an indoor skillet. A grill works just fine. Top them with ice cream and pecans for dessert.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you move on, I wanted to ask you to support the Forward’s award-winning journalism during our High Holiday Monthly Donor Drive.
If you’ve turned to the Forward in the past 12 months to better understand the world around you, we hope you will support us with a gift now. Your support has a direct impact, giving us the resources we need to report from Israel and around the U.S., across college campuses, and wherever there is news of importance to American Jews.
Make a monthly or one-time gift and support Jewish journalism throughout 5785. The first six months of your monthly gift will be matched for twice the investment in independent Jewish journalism.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO