creative cooking
Grilling from the garden
A new summer taste sensation
Skewered Lemon-Rosemary
Cherry Tomatoes
64 ;e Costco Connection JUNE 2012
By Judith Fertig
CHALK IT UP to the beginning of summer
vacation or Father’s Day, but June is a great
month for grilling.
It’s also the perfect time to try something
colorful, fresh and good for you: fruits and
vegetables. You can grill just about any garden
goodie, from asparagus to strawberries, apples
to sugar snap peas—even edamame!
Vegetables and fruits retain their color
and flavor much better when cooked on the
grill. They taste wonderful. And they’re easy
to prepare.
For vegetables, a simple brush of olive oil
and a sprinkle of salt are all you need. Fruits
can be directly grilled or planked, grilled on
garden skewers (such as branches of rosemary or lavender) or served with grilled
pound-cake slices.
Grilling gives even familiar foods a new
and exciting makeover—and your backyard
barbecue a colorful edge. For example, try
cutting a head of cabbage into quarters. Brush
each cut side with olive oil, then grill, just on
the cut sides, until they have good grill marks.
Chop up the cabbage and drizzle it with a
Gorgonzola vinaigrette for a slaw that will
make family and friends come back for seconds. Arrange a platter of grilled vegetables
around a bowl of dipping sauce, and watch
them disappear. Toss a large bunch of seedless
grapes on the grill, then turn with tongs once
so each side has good grill marks—grilled
grapes are wonderful to serve on a platter
with crème fraîche mixed with a little cinnamon and sugar.
8 to 12 wooden skewers, pre-soaked
24 cherry tomatoes
Three great ways to grill
fruits and vegetables
4 sweet onions, peeled and cut into sixths
¼ cup chopped fresh rosemary leaves
Direct grilling. Most tender fruits and vegetables can go right on hot grill grates. The tricks
are a medium-hot to hot fire (so fruits and veggies don’t dry out from long cooking) and a cut
shape that’s easy to grill. For example, slice vegetables such as zucchini, yellow squash and eggplant lengthwise so you don’t end up chasing
little circles around (and losing them) on a hot
grill. Cut peaches or nectarines in half and grill
them, cut side down, just until they have good
grill marks. Corral small vegetables such as
sugar snap peas or fruits such as berries in grill
baskets and woks, or thread them onto skewers.
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
Fine kosher or sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper to taste
Thread cherry tomatoes and onions alternately
on pre-soaked wooden skewers. Place skewered
vegetables in a large, shallow baking dish. Combine rosemary, olive oil, lemon juice and seasonings, and pour over vegetables, coating well.
Marinate at room temperature for at least 30
minutes, turning 2 or 3 times. Prepare a hot fire
in your grill. When ready to grill, place skewered
vegetables directly over the fire. Grill for about
Plank-roasting. Planking is placing foods
on a flat piece of untreated hardwood—usually
cedar—then placing the planked food on the
grill grates. When you want planked foods to be
scorched, as with the Plank-Roasted Pear Salad
with Blue Cheese and Walnuts (see recipe),
instead of gently burnished, place the plank over
direct heat, close the grill lid and cook for a
short time (so your plank doesn’t burn up),
about 12 to 15 minutes.
10 to 12 minutes, basting frequently with the
marinade, until the vegetables are slightly
charred. Makes 4 servings.
Skewering. You can use metal or wooden
skewers to create a different vegetable side dish
every week. Simply thread what’s freshest onto a
wooden or metal skewer without crowding. If
you like, marinate them first, as with the
Skewered Lemon-Rosemary Cherry Tomatoes
(see recipe).
Judith Fertig and Karen Adler
COURTESY OF THE AUTHORS
You won’t need any prompting to eat your
fruits and vegetables when you give them a delicious sizzle on the grill. C
Costco member Judith Fertig has written several books on grilling with Karen Adler (www.
bbqqueens.com), including their latest, The
Gardener & The Grill (Running Press, 2012).
