As I’m writing this, Arkansas restaurants are just now beginning to slowly traverse the idea of re-opening; a delicate balancing act between keeping customers and staff alike safe while trying to calculate how exactly to reduce volume and capacity without going broke. The restaurant business already has a razor thin margin for success, but this “Dining in the Time of Covid” makes an insanely difficult endeavor even more challenging...and the real impact won’t truly be realized for months and years to come.

In the meantime, as lovers of cuisine wait their turn to support and eat out, we opt to nourish and entertain ourselves by cooking in. This year’s Thrill of the Grill feature showcases four delicious, simple recipes that were specifically designed to create with your family or close friends. Many of the ingredients may already be in your fridge or pantry, but feel free to substitute like items in any of the recipes, especially in regards to herbs, oils, and vinegar; in fact, sometimes nothing in the world is more satisfying than playing “mad scientist” in the kitchen, especially under the guidance of other family members.

Each of these techniques are also great to include the kids in your quarantined clan; stirring fresh ingredients into the soft cheese for the Herbed Ricotta with Grilled Bread; or slathering rich sauce onto the Spiced Cauliflower Steaks throughout the grilling process; shaping and skewering the fragrant meat mixture for Chicken Meatball Yakitori; and finally, tossing together the sugar and cornstarch with fresh blueberries and other ingredients before pouring into a skillet for a delicious Cast Iron Ginger Blueberry Crisp dessert.

Home isolation is tough, but it DOES have its own surprising silver lining, especially when contemplating dinner (alone) with the kids...and the family grill.

See all the recipes at https://www.citiscapes.com/feature-eats-drinks

Photos: Kerri McMahon

Wine: Jason Willems | Diamond Beverage Group

Chicken Meatball Yakitori

Serves: 4 to 6 | Prep: 45 Minutes | Cook: 15 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Sauce:

½ cup soy sauce

½ cup mirin

¼ cup dry sake

¼ cup light brown sugar

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

5 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed

2 tablespoons of fresh ginger, minced

½ tablespoon black pepper

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Meatballs:

2 pounds ground chicken thighs

1 cup panko bread crumbs

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 medium scallions, minced

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced

1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground pepper

Garnish:

Thinly sliced green onions

Sesame Seeds

TECHNIQUE

Sauce:

Combine soy sauce, mirin, sherry, brown sugar, vinegar, garlic, ginger,black pepper, and crushed red pepper in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to simmer. Cook until mixture is thick and syrupy, about 30 minutes. Once cooled a bit, pour through a fine mesh strainer. Set aside until ready for meatballs..

Meatballs:

In a large mixing bowl add chicken, panko, corn starch, scallions, egg, ginger, garlic, cilantro, sesame oil, salt, and pepper. With your hands, mix until thoroughly combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Using wet hands, shape mixture into 2-inch thick meatballs. Thread 3 meatballs onto each skewer.

Prepare the grill to high-heat. When hot, oil the grill generously, then gently place each skewer a few inches apart. Cook until the bottom side is well browned, about 5 minutes. Cently rotate meatballs and cook until well browned on the second side.

Brush sauce generously over meatballs and allow to cook for 2 or 3 more minutes. Transfer skewered meatballs to a platter and brush with sauce, and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.