Everyone loves a good “Q”—firing up the barbie and dining alfresco. Whether you use charcoal, wood or gas, once you've got the grill going, you might as well use it for as much of the meal as possible. And on warm summer nights everything tastes better cooked on the grill.
I finally got a gas grill this last year—though I hated to give up charcoal. I have to say my new gas grill is so easy to use—I can just fire it up at a moment's notice, so we're likely to have a healthy grilled dinner anytime! (And my husband might actually cook- yea!)
Grilling adds a nice smoky-char character to vegetables. And a definite advantage to grilling veggies is that you can cook them before you start the entree, as they are just as enjoyable served warm or at room temperature. This is a real plus when entertaining!
SUNSET® Produce has an array of veggies that work especially well on the grill. Just half or quarter Sunset Peppers—from colorful sweet bells, to exotic Ancient Sweets™ to the new super-cute Baby Roy's™ (which are great grilled whole). Just lightly rub with a little olive oil and season before cooking.
Any of the smallish tomatoes, such as Splendido™, Champagne™, One Sweet™ Tomatoes or mini Kumato™, can be threaded on skewers and grilled on a very hot fire for just a few seconds per side, only until they start to soften and char. Serve them k-bob style or pull out the skewers and toss the tomatoes with a touch of extra-virgin olive oil, fresh minced garlic and chopped fresh herbs. Delicious piled on a juicy steak, mounded on crostini or mixed into cooked pasta.
Veggies that respond beautifully to grilling cover the range from A to Z—asparagus to zucchini, that is. Hot off the fire, warm or even chilled, grilled fresh asparagus is wonderful with a great dip, such as homemade aioli. Cut medium-sized zucchini in half lengthwise or thickly slice large ones. Then rub with a little olive oil, cumin and sea salt before grilling. These can be served either hot or at room temperature and are excellent topped with fresh tomato salsa, such as
SUNSET® Campari® Salsa.
And one of my all time favorite uses of grilled vegetables is in a panzanella salad: combine chunks of roasted peppers with chunks of rustic Italian bread, your favorite SUNSET® Tomatoes, crisp SUNSET® Cucumber, tangy kalamata olives, torn basil leaves and salty feta cheese—then dress with a red wine and oregano vinaigrette. Now that spells summer!
Here’s to many d’lish sunny days and warm evenings with friends!
– Kathy Casey
