HOTTIPS for Good Grilling
What’s cooking?
That can be anything from an informal
greeting, to an inquiry about work, to trying
to find out what’s for dinner.

In this case, what’s for dinner this summer?
According to some top area chefs, if you take
the proper time to prepare and season your food —
and pay enough attention so it doesn’t overcook or
undercook — you just might be able to put
something on your table as tasty as they do.

There’s a certain art to summertime cook-
ing, especially since much of it will be on
the grill.

“Grilling should be about simplicity,”
said Michael Solomonov, renowned chef
from Zahav in Society Hill, who just re-
turned from a trip to Israel. “It’s about high-
lighting the product that you’re working with.

“Over-complicated sauces aren’t necessary.

Marinating your product is important, as are stur-
dy skewers and, of course, charcoal.”
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JEWISHEXPONENT.COM JON MARKS I JE STAFF
Yehuda Sichel
That brings up an important debate: What if
you don’t have a charcoal grill — only a gas one?
“There are pros and cons,” replied Yehuda
Sichel, chef at Abe Fisher, a sister restaurant to Za-
hav. “Charcoal is harder to maintain and harder to
clean, but the flavor is better because you’re getting
flavor from the charcoal and not just the gas.

“But whatever you use, make sure the grill is hot and
clean and the meat is seasoned with salt. And the important
thing is to pay attention. A lot of people just overcook
their meat because they don’t pay enough attention.

“I’ve been cooking 15 years, and I still pay
attention.” So does chef Erin O’Shea of Percy Street Bar-
becue, who loves making the seasonal transition.

Erin “Cooking in the summer is quite different from
O’Shea cooking in the winter,” she explained. “It’s a whole
different feel, as the food we prepare is lighter in
every sense. Think of lots of salads and fish — gen-
erally dishes that require less cook time with simpler,
cleaner flavors than a long winter braise.

“At the restaurant, we always tease the cold-side crew
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that, as summer approaches, they better get ready
to step up their game.”
The game’s also on at Abe Fisher, where Sichel’s
signature summer dish is a steak unlike anything you’ll
find at Ponderosa.

“In summer, I usually do a dry-aged 35-day ribeye steak for
two,” said Sichel, a Baltimore native now living in Elkins Park. “I like
an on-the-bone ribeye, usually about two pounds. With the fat from
the steak, some will render out and go into the flame. That gives the
steak a smokier flavor, which comes from the fat dripping.

“It’s a showstopper.”
But don’t be afraid to try it at home.

“This steak is easy to do at home,” Sichel said. “Make sure to pull
it out of the refrigerator about an hour before [grilling] so it can
temp up, and put lots of salt and pepper on there.

“The bigger the steak, the better opportunity to get a really nice
char and caramelization. It’s not as easy to overcook because you
have a larger window.”
The window is wide open when it comes to choices. The key is
not just throwing something on the grill, forgetting about it for a
while, then coming back to see something barely recognizable.

“If you’re going to grill, be sure to know what cut of meat you’re
working with,” O’Shea suggested. “A leaner cut of beef requires
some sort of marinade or brine before grilling, whereas a fattier
cut can go without.

“And be careful with fish and chicken. For fish, you need a
nice, hot grill. Not just the fire but the grates themselves, so that
the fish doesn’t stick. Chicken needs to be cooked through, so
don’t get it too hot. If you’re too hot, you’ll burn the outside before
Grilled Fish
cooking the center through.”
But suppose meat, chicken and fish aren’t your thing. Suppose
you’re a vegetarian.

Not to worry.

“In the summertime, it’s more about fresh local vegetables and
their accompaniments,” Solomonov said. “We use lots of sweet corn
and August tomatoes that are ripe for the picking.

“In general, we grill tons of vegetables — like eggplant, which is
always a favorite, and zucchini. Right over the charcoal. But few
things beat simply skewered fresh tomato, drizzled with good olive
oil and cooked right over the charcoal.”
Even Percy Street Barbecue has options you probably have
never considered.

“You can grill anything — even lettuce,” O’Shea said. “What
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