Grilled Bell Peppers - Video Recipe

Fire up the backyard grill and let's get cooking with The 99 Cent Chef. My summertime stop motion animated video series features a kaleidoscopic selection of grilled veggie recipes. With fresh summer produce stacked in roadside fruit and vegetable stands, local farmers markets and regular grocery stores, this Frugal Forager is buying canvas bags full -- and cheaply too.

Some of the veggie recipes that will be featured in my warm weather grilling video series are: Curry Carrots, Italian Squash with Fresh Herbs, and Spicy California Chile Peppers. So do keep checking back all summer!

I'm starting off simply with Grilled Bell Peppers. It's my favorite way to cook them. First slice in half and take out the seeds, then just rub or brush on some olive oil and season with salt and pepper. And finally cook them 5 - 10 minutes on your backyard grill. This sweetens them considerably.

I have a cheap gas grill, so it's easy to keep track of how long it takes to cook veggies thoroughly. If you have a charcoal or wood burning grill the cooking time will vary according to how intense the fire is, and you will have to watch things closely. What you are looking for is a medium brown, to black, blistered char and for the Bell Peppers to soften.

The Grilled Bell Peppers will continue to steam and soften after removal from the fire. And you can easily peel off the most blackened skin parts, if you like. Me, I like some of that charred flavor.

You can adapt this recipe for indoor cooking. I like to broil them in the oven, too. Just check on them every minute or so. You lose some of the smokiness, but the sweetness still comes through. You could even roast the Bell Peppers in the oven, especially if you are baking a chicken; it takes about the same amount of time -- just pull them out after they collapse and start to blacken.

And be sure to cook plenty. Grilled Bell Peppers make a low calorie side dish and can easily be reheated anytime. Pull them out of storage from the refrigerator and zap them in the microwave for 30 seconds or so - they add warm heft to your favorite salad.

When I'm grilling protein, bell peppers are a nice lighter contrast to typical heavy sides like potato salad or french fries.

In my stop motion recipe video I go overboard with the olive oil, but that's just for show -- you can lightly brush on a minimal amount or use your favorite oil spray. I've even grilled them with only a pinch salt and pepper. (Start grilling them, and as they soften, sprinkle on a little salt and pepper.)

My Grilled Bell Peppers recipe works with almost any  crisp veggies like: ears of corn, thick slices of cauliflower and eggplant, broccoli florets, whole carrots, halved yellow neck squash, onion slices (or whole green onions,) and spears of asparagus. If you've never put vegetables alongside that summertime barbequing burger, hot dog or chicken leg, now is the time to start. And you can't do better, or easier, than the Green Thumbed Chef's Grilled Bell Peppers.

Grilled Bell Peppers - VIDEO

  Play it here, video runs 2 minutes, 12 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here. 

Ingredients (serves about 2-3)

• 2-4 Bell Peppers - any color on sale, including: green, red, yellow or orange.
• 2 teaspoons of olive oil - or your favorite cooking spray. Use as little as you want. It's okay to brush (or rub) on oil for a light coating, on the outside of the bell pepper.
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Directions
If you are using a charcoal or wood burning outdoor grill then get it going first.

Slice Bell Peppers in half, lengthwise. Remove white membranes and seeds. You can chop off the stem (I usually just leave it on -- it becomes a handle to grab.)

Lightly coat the shiny outer Bell Pepper halves with oil. You can just spray with oil or brush it on, or even use your fingers and rub on the oil.

Finally, lightly sprinkle the Bell Peppers with salt and pepper to taste.

Now time to grill the Bell Peppers. I have a cheap patio gas grill. I like to use a low/medium heat to control the charring. I usually cook the inside of the Bell Pepper first for 3-5 minutes until the edges blacken.

Next I turn them over and finish the grilling until the oiled skin starts to blister and blacken. It's up to you how much blackening you want. There will be some burnt spots, but they rub off easy enough once the Bell Peppers are removed from the grill and have set for a couple of minutes. (They will keep cooking and steaming, softening considerably.)

If you have a charcoal grill then keep the Bell Peppers closer to the outer edge of the fire for more control. You will have to babysit the veggies to keep them from becoming totally burnt. And remember, burnt spots actually have flavor.

Ready to eat right off the grill.

Hindsight
Simply coating a crunchy vegetable with olive oil, salt and pepper is a good way to practice backyard grilling. Once you've done it a few times, my grilling technique may become your default recipe.

Shucked corn, whole carrots, yellow neck or Italian squash, and thick slices of cauliflower and eggplant work well with this recipe.

For an indoor version, you can broil the Bell Peppers in the oven. Don't set the oven rack up against the heating element, it's too easy to smoke up the kitchen. It almost takes the same amount of time as a patio gas grill to cook the Bell Peppers.

You could just simply roast the Bell Peppers in a 375 degree oven for about 30-45 minutes. Bake with the shiny outside skin up. When I roast a chicken I always like to fill up the other oven racks with a metal pan of foil-wrapped sweet or regular potatoes (may take an hour to cook through,) carrots and bell peppers.

Chicken Satay With Peanut Sauce

Like L.A. with its taco carts, Thailand has its own street food, and that is grilled Chicken Satay. The Chef has only been to Thailand through travel cooking shows like Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" and food websites that describe street vendor food, but he likes nothing better than pulling over to the curb to investigate what's cooking on the corner. And now the Chef brings his whisk to this corner of Southeast Asia.

Skewered Grilled Chicken Satay may be a humble dish, but it seems to be a favorite on the party circuit - I had it recently at an opening for an exhibition of movie posters at the Motion Picture Academy in Beverly Hills. Not many street vendor dishes make it that far. For your own party, The Chef will show you how easy it is to make a platter of these tender and flavorful fowl fillets.

Chicken breast and skinned, boneless leg quarters are available for 99 cents or less at local Latin markets. There is little preparation to do; just slice into strips for skewering. Chicken breasts are simple to fillet -- just slide the knife blade along the middle breast bone and see how easily the flesh separates. Dark meat is the most foolproof -- it doesn't dry out as easily as white, and works best for a party where the cooked skewer satay may set out awhile.

The chicken strips must then be marinated in a mixture of condensed milk, powdered ginger and cumin. Without bones or skin, the chicken skewers cook in 5 minutes, so you can leave the chicken marinating until the last minute for a quick grill or broil. If you are cooking ahead of time, dark meat is better; white meat tends to dry out. Either way, set aside some coconut cream for basting, to help keep cooked chicken moist while it stays covered and warm in the stove. But there is nothing better than chicken satay hot off the grill !
To make a tasty Thai-style dipping sauce, mix peanut butter into heated coconut milk or coconut cream.

This dish pairs perfectly with my Thai Cucumber Salad and Coconut Rice. Just click on the names to see my recipes.

Ingredients (serves 3-4)

• 2 whole chicken breasts - or about 2 lbs white or dark meat
• 1 can (about 11 ounces) of condensed milk - OK to substitute 13oz. can of coconut cream or milk. Reserve a tablespoon for Peanut Dipping Sauce.
• 1 tbsp. ground cumin or curry powder
• 1 tsp. ground ginger - optional

Peanut Dipping Sauce 

• 1/2 can of coconut cream or milk
• 2 tbsp. peanut butter  - I used a cheap smooth type.
• 1 tbsp. condensed milk (optional)

The dipping sauce is made by mixing coconut cream, condensed milk and peanut butter together in a saute pot. Heat and mix until blended, about 5 minutes. Set aside until serving time. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Directions
Soak bamboo skewers in water. In a large bowl add condensed milk (or coconut milk) and mix in cumin and ginger. Reserve 1/4 cup of marinade for basting when grilling. On a cutting board slice chicken into strips or cubes. If you are using whole chicken breast it is easy to slice along middle bone/cartilage to remove large fillets to cut into strips. Dark meat thighs take a bit more work; the meat does not seperate from the bone as easily, but it is the cheapest way to go. I do find 99 cent per pound boneless chicken on sale at my local Latin market once a month.

Add sliced or cubed cut chicken to condensed milk bowl. Allow to marinate an hour or more covered in the refrigerator.

Heat your grill or broiler oven. Thread chicken pieces onto bamboo skewers. This is messy, so assemble skewers on a large platter. Grill or broil for 2 -3 minutes each side for white meat; dark meat may need an extra minute more. Use extra marinade or coconut milk for basting during grilling. Because the meat has no bone, it cooks fast. It is easy to overcook so keep an eye on it. Serve with Peanut Dipping Sauce on the side or in a shallow dish.

Chicken Liver Yakitori

1 1/2 pound frozen containers of Tyson Chicken Livers are showing up at the 99c only Stores.
One of the first jobs the Chef had in Hollywood was video editing. The owner was from Japan, so the Chef was lucky to be squired around to every Japanese dining establishment in town; from highend sushi bars to yakitori hideaways in Little Tokyo. Walking into a yakitori room is similar to entering a South Central bbq joint, you are hit with the smell of smoke -- you are in the presence of grill masters.



While southern bbq is slow cooked, yakitori is quickly grilled over an open flame. Like a sushi bar, you order individual skewers of chicken offal or meat and vegetables, which quickly arrive lightly charred and perfectly done. In the Chef's version he uses his handy outdoor bbq gas grill. The chicken livers are combined with vegetables like a shish kebab and basted with an oriental sauce.





Ingredients for 2 skewers
8 chicken livers (about 4 per skewer.)
Chopped vegetables: onion, bell pepper, carrots or whatever you have on hand, salt & pepper to taste.
Sauce
3/4 cup total of oyster sauce, sweet & sour, plum sauce or any combination.


Directions
Drain the chicken livers and mix with1/4 cup of your favorite oriental sauce. Chop vegetables in large chunks. Skewer alternately, veggies then chicken livers, making sure both parts of the chicken liver are piecered (the liver is delicate so try not to rip.) Salt and pepper to taste. Place skewers on a hot grill. Because the liver flavor is so intense, use plenty of sauce on the liver during cooking. The trickiest part of grilling liver yakitori is it may stick to the grill; use a knife between the grill and liver to gently loosen before turning.