Grilled Asian Chicken - Looks Good, and Almost Simple Enough to Consider

BBQ & Grilling
allrecipes.com

That link is to the home page. They've got information about sauces, marinades, and rubs; appetizers; beef; burgers; chicken; desserts; lamb; pork; seafood; side Dishes; skewers and kabobs; smoked; even vegetarian. All "-grilling" I presume.

There's also a "Today's Recipe" - today it's "Grilled Asian Chicken."

The recipe calls for soy sauce, which is a deal-killer for this family: I can eat it, but others can't. Also sesame oil, honey, ginger root, crushed cloves of garlic - two of them - so you know it's going to taste good, and - finally - chicken breasts.

They claim it only takes 15 minutes of preparation - which seems about right.

Given my family's dietary limitations, I doubt we'll try it - but this is close to being simple enough for me to grill.

As I've written before: I appreciate and applaud people who toil over fancy dishes. But I can't see me doing that. There's too much good taste in simple, well-grilled foods.

Grilled Octopus?!

It took me a few minutes to figure out how a discussion of King Kong (1933) led to my wondering how you'd grill an octopus. There's a fairly short connection - but right now I'm writing about what to do with an octopus and a grill.

My ancestors, by and large, came from northwestern Europe, where people knew about octopi, but didn't eat them: at least, not as a rule. I've never eaten octopus myself, and understand it can be a bit on the rubbery side.

But that doesn't keep me from being curious.

In other parts of the world, it's a different story. In Greece, htapothi is part of the menu now and again; Hawaii it's called he'e; and in Japan, tako. And, although the local species aren't the same, those are all names for that eight-armed creature with an impolite stare.

I found the names of a few ways to fix octopus, not all of which involve grilling:

• "Htapothi sti Skhara – Flame-Grilled Octopus" (Greece)
  RecipeThing
• Polipo (Hawaii)
• "Takoyaki" (Japan)
  BigOven

Takoyaki, I've been told, is fried, not grilled - and there is oil involved. Still, if I read the recipe right (by no means a sure bet), the process takes place - or could take place - on a conventional outdoor grill.

Polipo is apparently a Hawaiian preparation for grilled octopus: but I didn't find a reliable-looking recipe.

Htapothi sti Skhara, now, is grilled. After it's boiled.

I haven't tried any of these preparations: and aren't likely to. You'll find quite a few critters swimming in the lakes and rivers of Minnesota: but octopus isn't one of them. Besides, I'm not sure how fresh the things would be, if I had any shipped in.

If you're as clueless about octopus as I am - maybe even if you're not - check out:

• "Octopus"
  Ingredients - Chow

The page gives names for "octopus" in several languages; what regions generally supply them are (the closest is about 2,000 miles from my front door); and how to choose, store, and prepare octopus; and the 'flavor affinities.' There's also a reasonable-looking recipe for grilled octopus there.

Almost-related post:

• "From the 1933 King Kong to Grilled Octopus: a Short Mental Journey"
  Apathetic Lemming of the North (August 6, 2009)

Cool Weather, Hot Grill, Brown Burgers

Not bad at all. I grilled lunch today, before the drizzles started, and didn't incinerate the burgers.

And without supervision! Much as I like the company of our #2 daughter, it's nice to know - and have others know - that it wasn't her influence that kept me from converting burger patties to imitation hockey pucks.

Not the greatest of accomplishments, but an accomplishment nonetheless.

From Marshmallow Incinerator to Outdoor Griller

Or, A Griller is Born
Or, Where There's Smoke, There's Fire: and a Well-Grilled Burger

Aside from the occasional hamburger flambé and incinerated marshmallow, grilling was not a part of my formative years. So my wife was surprised that, when we finally got an outdoor grill, the challenge was not so much inducing me to prepare the occasional meal, as keeping me inside during severe weather warnings.

My family and I got along without a grill for many years. At first, it was an out-of-reach luxury. Our budget dictated a bargain priced apartment. There wasn't room in either for an outdoor grill.

Later, our sense of fiscal responsibility got in the way. A grill, even a small one, is not cheap. And, there was always something that we needed more. There still is, but that's a whole different topic.

One day, for reasons which I still do not fully understand, my wife decided that it was time for the family to relive her memories of hamburgers grilled in the back yard. We took a look at what was available locally, and purchased what looked like a good starter grill.

I remember my early days of grilling when, user's manual nearby, I first opened the valve and ignited the escaping gas. Hearing a soft "foof" and not singeing a single hair on my hand was a satisfying experience. Then, placing hamburger patties on metal frame and carefully timing their exposure on each side, I removed meaty disks which not only recognizable, but fit for human consumption.

In fact, the hamburgers tasted pretty good. That was the start of my life as a year-round weekend griller.

With a little practice, I learned how to grill burgers with brown-verging-on-black outsides, brown insides, and that grilled taste that only comes from hood-down grilling on a veteran grill.

Preparing food that occasionally transcends such concepts as "edible" and soars into the realms of "tasty" or even "delicious" still fills me with a warm glow.