A summer combo: zucchine, peppers, eggplant and cherry tomatoes.Here's one of our warm weather stand-bys, a big platter of grilled vegetables seasoned with salt, pepper and a generous drizzling of olive oil. Simplicity itself, but as with all simple dishes, execution--and the quality of your raw ingredients--is everything.
Back in the Spring, I made green onions, asparagus, radicchio, zucchine and--as a kind of experiment--a couple of baby artichokes. More recently, I've been using typically Summer vegetables: eggplant, zucchine, peppers and tomatoes. I find that grilling the vegetables over fairly gentle heat, until they are lightly spottled but far from charred, produces the best results. I sometimes brush the vegetables lightly before grilling--it helps them soften and brown. But last night, I just cut them up and slapped them on the grill.
Back in the Spring, I made green onions, asparagus, radicchio, zucchine and--as a kind of experiment--a couple of baby artichokes. More recently, I've been using typically Summer vegetables: eggplant, zucchine, peppers and tomatoes. I find that grilling the vegetables over fairly gentle heat, until they are lightly spottled but far from charred, produces the best results. I sometimes brush the vegetables lightly before grilling--it helps them soften and brown. But last night, I just cut them up and slapped them on the grill.
The smoky but sweet taste of grilled vegetables is wonderful with some creamy aged cheese, like camembert or taleggio. Take a bit of veggie, a bit of cheese and eat them together. Yum! (This combination was a 'trick' I learned from a couple from Milan, who cooked their vegetables on a griddle rather than a grill.)
A springtime combo: asparagus, spring onions, radicchio, peppers, zucchine and baby artichokes.
NOTE: The choice of veggies is, of course, up to the cook. I find that eggplant is also tastes great grilled (they really do need to be brushed with a oil, however, or will never attain the right texture.) Belgian endive is also very nice, as are scallions, regular onions. Never tried leeks, but I bet they'd be good, too. Tomatoes, in season, are wonderful: the grilling intensifies their flavor. I like to cut them in half horizontally, sprinkle them with some chopped garlic, salt, pepper and parsley (a persillade in French) and drizzle them with olive oil before grilling. And let's not forget grilled corn on the cob in season, with either butter or oil! Another way to grill vegetables is to wrap them in foil. My friend Susan Faeth does with onions and string beans, and they're absolutely delicious that way. Some people also grill fruit, but I've never tried it.
By the way, the artichokes did not turn out very well. The dry heat produced a still hard, rather bitter flesh. I'll have to look into it--better to parboil them first, I think. Or perhaps they are just not a good vegetable for grilling?
Because some vegetables are so small or thin, it is wise to use either a grilling basket or a special perforated grill that you can place over the barbecue. Otherwise you risk the vegetables falling into your fire!
A springtime combo: asparagus, spring onions, radicchio, peppers, zucchine and baby artichokes.NOTE: The choice of veggies is, of course, up to the cook. I find that eggplant is also tastes great grilled (they really do need to be brushed with a oil, however, or will never attain the right texture.) Belgian endive is also very nice, as are scallions, regular onions. Never tried leeks, but I bet they'd be good, too. Tomatoes, in season, are wonderful: the grilling intensifies their flavor. I like to cut them in half horizontally, sprinkle them with some chopped garlic, salt, pepper and parsley (a persillade in French) and drizzle them with olive oil before grilling. And let's not forget grilled corn on the cob in season, with either butter or oil! Another way to grill vegetables is to wrap them in foil. My friend Susan Faeth does with onions and string beans, and they're absolutely delicious that way. Some people also grill fruit, but I've never tried it.
By the way, the artichokes did not turn out very well. The dry heat produced a still hard, rather bitter flesh. I'll have to look into it--better to parboil them first, I think. Or perhaps they are just not a good vegetable for grilling?
Because some vegetables are so small or thin, it is wise to use either a grilling basket or a special perforated grill that you can place over the barbecue. Otherwise you risk the vegetables falling into your fire!
