Vegetables Aren’t Just for Vegetarians
July 27, 2009
On Saturday and Sunday D and I had been invited to two BBQ’s and because we had offered to bring grilled vegetables to both, D and I were up and out early Saturday morning to the Farmer’s Market a mile down the road and we returned home one hour later with bags filled with vegetables, only a portion shown in the photo above. There was white corn, yellow and green zucchini, yellow onions, sweet ‘taters, red and white baby potatoes, purple spuds, Italian purple garlic, eggplant, yellow peppers, red peppers, carrots, dill and basil, purple kale, snap beans, and St. George’s mushrooms. We didn’t share the mushrooms but instead I sliced them thin, sauteed them in a light coating of vegetable spray and layered them in our lunch sandwiches. The mushrooms were exquisite providing a light earthy taste with the texture of tender chicken.
And then the prep began.
I shucked the corn, whacking each ear into three pieces that makes it easier for people to manage on their plates and between their fingers of one hand. Before putting the corn on the grill I dropped them into salted boiling water for five minutes and then put them in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. After a light coating of olive oil (or a spray of vegetable oil) they went onto a hot grill, to finish cooking and get a crisp grill browning before buttering and dusting them with grated Parmesan cheese.
The red and white potatoes were halved and the sweet and purple potatoes were cut into pieces equal in size with the potato halves. I roasted the potatoes in the oven rather than on the grill because the overcome of oven-roasted has always been best for me. Preheat the oven to 400, toss the potatoes in a light coating of olive oil (or vegetable spray), sprinkle with garlic powder and kosher salt and roast for about 35 minutes in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. After 35 minutes, shake the baking sheet so the potatoes flip around on the pan and roast for another 10 minutes or until they’re fork-tender. The white, red, and purple potatoes cook in the same amount of time and so can be roasted together. Sweet potatoes take less time so check them after 20 minutes, flip them onto the other side and continue roasting until fork-tender. If desired, sprinkle some cinnamon sugar on them during the final five minutes. I used the cinnamon-infused Indian spice Garam Masala instead of the cinnamon sugar which gave it a sweet taste without sacrificing the savory.
The beauty of grilling peppers is that the whole point is to burn those bad boys and burning food is something that comes naturally for me…even when that’s not my intention. Just put the whole peppers on a hot grill and flip them as each side burns. When they resemble charcoal, drop them into a mixing bowl and cover the top of the bowl with a tight tug of plastic wrap or foil. Allow the peppers to steam for a while and then remove them one at a time and scrape away the skin with your fingers or a dull knife edge. Cut off the tops, discarding the stem and cut into serving pieces. Sprinkle with a smoke-infused finishing salt if desired. I usually make double of what I need and store the extra in the fridge in a layer of olive oil, rinsing them before I use them later in the week.
I could make a meal of nothing but grilled onions! I peel the onions, cut them into 1/2 inch thick slices, brush them with olive oil (a spray of vegetable oil) and a sprinkle of kosher or sea salt. To keep them from falling apart on the grill, I run a skewer through them and when I flip them half way through I do so by picking up the center onion slice with my tongs and turning rather than trying to grab onto the skewer end. There are two not-so-secret secrets to great grilled onions. The first is start with GREAT onions. Walla Walla Sweets or Maui onions are the best. Fresh yellow onions work well too. Just be sure they’re fresh. The less potent the smell of onions is when you cut them, the better the end result will be. The second secret is slow grilling the onions so that you get a finished onion that’s soft and carmelized throughout rather than crispy brown on both sides and raw on the inside. The way that works for me is to have my grill set at High for about 10-15 minutes and then as I put the onions on the grill I turn the temp down to Medium. If you have an electric grill like me, then close the lid during their grilling time so they have a chance to steam cook. If you’re a charcoal griller then put a disposable baking pan over the top of the onions to hold in the steam. In the last couple minutes of grill time do yourself a favor and sprinkle the top of one side of the onion with a generous glob of blue cheese, allowing it to melt into the onion. Life-changing.
Like the corn, I drop the carrots in boiling water for five minutes and then soak in ice water until taking the lightly oiled (or sprayed) carrots to the grill to pick up the final couple minutes of cooking and browning. This weekend the carrots looked a little too plain for me when I went to put them on the plate so I went to the fridge for inspiration, and finding a jar of sugar-free orange marminade and some butter, I melted a generous dab of both in a saucepan, zested one lemon peel over the top and dropped in the carrots for a nice glazing. They were pronounced “Delicious!” by other BBQ guests seated near me who didn’t know I had brought them.
One reason most people don’t like grilled squash and eggplant is because of a soggy texture and bitter taste but the solution to both those problems is the same. Salting!
Slice the squash in half. Cut the eggplant into 1/2 inch thick slices. Lay the squash cut side up on paper towels along with the slices of eggplant. Sprinkle kosher salt over both. Leave for 30 minutes and then dab dry with a paper towel. (Some people recommend rinsing the salt off at this point and drying off the rinse water but unless you dump a bucket of salt on top, this step is unnecessary.) By salting, resting, and drying the squash and eggplant in this way, some of the bitter taste held in the liquid of the vegetables is removed. The salt also changes the naturally spongey texture of the eggplant so that less of the oil used in grilling will be absorbed, making the finished product less greasy and soggy.
With the vegetables already salted and dried, give the cut fleshy sides a light brushing of olive oil (rub oiled surface with a cut garlic for added flavor) and drop onto a clean, freshly oiled grill surface, browning each side for a couple minutes. Remove from the heat and place on a wire rack to keep dry until serving. If you want to punch up the flavor right before serving, drizzle lightly with reduced balsamic vinegar (heat a good quality balsamic vinegar in a saucepan until it has been reduced in volume by half or more).
In addition to the vegetables I described above you’ll also notice roasted yellow beets, grilled scallions/green onions, and portabello mushrooms on the plate to your left. Here’s what I want you to notice. I started with nothing but vegetables, added nothing but olive oil (for guests), vegetable spray (for D and I), salt, a little seasoning, and even less cheese and the end result was two platters filled with an incredible variety of delicious flavors, textures, and colors. At both BBQ’s this weekend, the platters of grilled vegetables received more comments than the richest looking desserts, because there’s something incredibly beautiful and surprising about the bounty of fresh produce.
Vegetables are uncomplicated. We all know them. We know they’re fresh and not preserved with unpronounceable ingredients. They’re delicious and guilt-free and full of all those minerals and vitamins that you’re never going to get adequately no matter how many supplements you pop down your gullet. So turn on your oven, heat up the grill, grab a fistful of veggies, a splash of oil, a sprinkle of salt and feast well!
Posted in Apron Adventures, Farmers Market/Street Food, Maintaining Weight, Our Town
