Preparation
Step 1
Few foods cry out for smoke and fire louder than the big, bold ingredients of the Middle East. And yes, that includes grapes, which can produce the best 5-minute grilled dish of the summer.
Appetizer: Grilled-eggplant dip with grilled pita
Use a fork to poke a 1-pound eggplant. Rub it with olive oil and grill over a hot fire, charring it on all sides. Brush pita rounds with olive oil, grill lightly, and cut into triangles. Scoop the flesh from the eggplant and mash it with 1 tablespoon of tahini, 1 minced garlic clove, the juice of a lemon, salt, pepper, chopped parsley, and olive oil.
Main: Grilled lamb with fresh mint puree
Make a rub of cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, salt, and olive oil, and smear it all over lamb chops or a whole butterflied leg of lamb. Let the meat rest while you puree 2 cups of fresh mint leaves with a garlic clove and 1/4 cup each of water and olive oil. Grill the lamb over a moderately hot fire; serve with the sauce and lemon wedges.
Side: Pan-grilled string beans and olives
Drip a thin film of olive oil into a skillet set over the grill. Sauté a thinly sliced onion and a handful of pitted olives until fragrant, and then add a pound of string beans and stir-fry until crisp-tender. Taste, and add salt (if needed) and lots of black pepper.
Dessert: Grilled grapes with almond cream
Blend a couple of handfuls of almonds with 1 cup of cream until thick; chill. Place a few bunches of grapes on the grill over a very low fire and turn them a couple of times until they're warmed. Serve the grapes with a spoonful of the almond cream on the side.