It’s getting to be grilling time. We all do hamburgers, and hot dogs, and ribs, and brisket, and pulled pork, and probably don't have to share recipes for them. I thought, though, it might be fun to share our favorite side dishes.

Here are some of mine:

Zesty Sauerkraut Relish

1 cup sugar
1 cup vinegar
2 tsp prepared mustard
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp black pepper
½ large red pepper
1 medium onion
½ cucumber

Heat the sugar and vinegar until sugar dissolves. Stir in the mustard, garlic and salt. Allow to cool.

Slice onion thinly in half moons. Cut pepper and cucumber into short julienne strips. Drain and squeeze kraut.

Mix vegetables in a large bowl. Add the vinegar mixture and combine well. Allow to stand in fridge at least four hours.

There are probably more recipes for slaw than any other single salad type. But this one is a big different:

Jicama Slaw

2-3 large oranges
½ cup red onion, minced
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tbls frozen OJ concentrate
1 tbls sugar
1 jalapeno or Serrano, minced
2 cups jicama, shredded
3 cups green cabbage, shredded

Grate orange peel; measure 1 tablespoon. Put in large bowl and set aside. Cut away remaining white pitch from oranges, working over a bowl to collect juices. Separate segments.* Set aside.

Add onion, cilantro, mayo, OJ, sugar and chili to orange zest. Add jicama and cabbage and stir to combine. Reserve several orange segments for garnish; cut rest in halve and stir into slaw. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with reserved segments, orange curls and cilantro.

*I actually go to the bother of cutting the oranges into supremes. But most folks won’t take that trouble.

One thing I hate about grilling is going to the trouble of preparing a great charcoal bed and then cooking only one item on it. So I’m always on the lookout for side dishes which can be made on the grill. Here are a couple:

Grilled Butter-Rum Pineapple

2 rip pineapples
¼ cup butter
1 tbls fresh ginger, minced
½ tsp nutmeg
¼ cup brown sugar
Zest of 1 lime
¼ cup lime juice
1 cup dark rum

Melt butter in medium saucepan. Add the rest of the ingredients except rum and cook over medium heat, 3-4 minutes. Stir in the rum, bring to low boil, and continue cooking for a few minutes to let the flavors blend. Remove from heat and strain out the ginger. Set aside.

Slice pineapples in half lengthwise, including the tops/leaves. Remove the cores. Carefully cut the fruit from the skin as much as you can with a sharp narrow knife, keeping the outer pineapple intact.

Slice the pineapples into ½ inch slices, being careful to not cut into the “bowls” formed by the skin. Pour some of the warm butter-rum sauce over the fruit.

Grill the pineapple bowls in a medium to medium-hot grill until fruit is hot and tender, 20-30 minutes, basting occasionally. The bowls can then sit on a warm spot on the grill until ready to use.

Grilled Garlic Potatoes

4 medium baking potatoes
8 garlic cloves
Fresh parsley sprigs
Fresh rosemary sprigs
2 tbls extra virgin olive oil
2 tbls butter
Additional butter
Salt & pepper

Scrub potatoes and peel if desired (I usually don’t). Slice potatoes in ¼” x ¼” x 2” strips. Peel garlic and slice.

Butter a large square of heavy duty foil. Place half the potatoes and half the garlic in center. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Lay parsley and rosemary springs on top of potatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and dot with half the butter. Seal package. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Place packet over hot grill. Let cook 15 minutes, turn pouch, cook another 15 minutes.

Years ago I had the great fortune to share some time with Tony Lia, formerly a chef at The Stinking Rose, a restaurant that specializes in garlic dishes. Tony taught me his marinade for grilled veggies. While this is particularly good with wild mushrooms (Tony was using it to feed Shiitakies to a crowd), it also works wonderfully with other veggies, such as summer squash, onions, even tomatoes. And it lends an incredible zip to grilled fruit, such as plums, necterines, and peaches.

Tony Lia’s Grilled Veggie Marinade

1 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbls sugar
2 tbls chopped garlic
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp paprika
½ cup olive oil
Fresh herbs to taste, chopped (I like parsley, basil, and tarragon for this, 2-3 tablespoons total after chopping)

Combine vinegar, sugar, garlic, pepper and paprika over low heat. Cook until reduce by half. Add the EVOO and fresh herbs.

Soak veggies 15-20 minutes. Lay out on grill. Cook until done, turning as necessary, and basting with marinade.

I myself love cooking summer squash on the grill. I just hit it with some EVOO, and salt and pepper and grill about 2-3 minutes on each side. Delicious!

KY, that slaw looks really, really good. Love jicama and it is popular with my crews too. Since I often have little or no help I like sides that can be served room temp such as roasted veggies, especially asparagus, broccoli, or cauliflower. Also have a roasted root veggie salad that rocks.
Here is another, I use frozen petite whole green beans-- from Ina Garten--
The more garlic
flavor you can get into the oil the better, I put quite a few extra cloves in the oil to munch as I prep the rest of the dinner!!

Broccoli with Garlic and Soy Sauce

1 head garlic, peeled (about 16 cloves)
1 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 stalks broccoli, cut into florets (8 cups
of florets)
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Put the garlic cloves and oil in a small
heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil
and cook uncovered over low heat for 10 to
15 minutes, until the garlic is browned and
tender. Turn off the heat and add the red
pepper flakes and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Immediately pour into a heat-proof
container to stop the cooking. Allow to
cool to room temperature. For the salad,
blanch the broccoli florets in a large pot
of boiling salted water for 2 to 3 minutes,
until crisp-tender. Drain well and immerse
immediately into a large bowl of ice water
until the broccoli is cooled. This process
stops the cooking and sets the bright green
color. Drain well. In a large bowl, toss
the broccoli with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4
cup of the oil used to cook the garlic, the
soy sauce, and 8 or more cloves of cooked
garlic. Taste for seasonings and serve cold
or at room temperature.

enjoy, Nan

These sound sooooo delicious, that grilled butter rum pineapple Oh my goodness I can not wait, hey KYH I see a theme here...me and pineapple:) You post 'em I'll cook 'em! I even considered moving to Hawaii at one point in my life because of my great love for pineapple!:o
I do grilled potatoes almost exactly like you do! And the asparagus go on the grill even if we are not grilling out, I just love them the best cooked that way! Also like Jafo the squash as well. Nan your salad sounds terrific! I am going away this weekend to South Alabama and I will try impressing the family with some of these new found recipes you guys have shared!
Thanks, Cathy

Can't wait to try these.