Grilling Time

With that headline, I'm sure you are expecting BBQ chicken or ribs or burgers or something equally yummy on the grill. I'm starting small with mushrooms. 

Why mushrooms you ask? They are yet something else I learned to like when I got older. I have had a lot of people poke fun at me for my weird food issues, but mushrooms remind me of a time where I had some fun of my own. The jerk that I'm thinking of this time used to just push my buttons for the sheer thrill of it. So, one night, we were playing the "What vegetables does Alyson eat?" game and yours truly belted out a convincing argument that mushrooms in fact a vegetable even though we all know they are a fungi. Boy did that irritate him! Anyone who knows me would have figured out pretty quick I was just sticking to this lame argument because I was getting a reaction. I just can't help myself - I have a sick sense of humor!

Ok, so back to my yummy mushrooms .....

Grilled Wild Mushrooms with a Teriyaki Dressing

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. fresh shitake mushrooms                    1/2 lb. fresh wild mushrooms        
10-12 scallions, cut into 1 1/2 in. lengths       bamboo skewers, soaked in cold water for 1 hr.

Dressing:
1/2 c. soy sauce                  1/3 c. rice wine          3 tbsp. water           2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil   1 1/2 tbsp. minced fresh ginger

Directions:

1. Trim the stems of the mushrooms, rinse lightly and drain thoroughly.
2. If the caps are particularly large, cut them in half.
3. Thread 2 mushrooms and 3 scallion sections alternately on each skewer, starting and ending with scallions.
4. Arrange skewers on a cookie sheet.
5. Combine the dressing ingredients in a saucepan.
6. Heat until boiling, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
7. Use 1/3 to liberally brush the mushrooms and scallions with the sauce.
8. Pour the remaining 2/3 in a serving bowl.
9. Once your grill is fired up, make sure the grate is about 3-4 inches from the heat.
10. Arrange the skewers and cook, turning frequently, about 4-5 minutes or until golden brown and slightly crisp at the edges.
11. Arrange on a serving platter and serve the dressing warm for dipping.

Now that the weather is nice, I'll be posting more grill recipes and fresh fruit desserts. There's nothing better. As always, have fun!