Q and A: Grilling
Dear Readers,
I don’t know about you, but summers of my childhood were based on meat. Barbequed chicken, grilled steak, the occasional pork chop. Now family members who have become older and wiser are calling me up asking for advice on what on earth can a person grill that is NOT meat? The sad fact is, I have no idea. I apparently am the only one of us who has not grown older and wiser. What do I grill? Barbequed chicken, steak, and the ocassional pork chop. Throw in also the random salmon or shrimp and that’s pretty much as far as I’ve evolved.
I would like to do a good ole’ fashion recipe share to help answer my sister’s question. What is your favorite all-veggie dish you love to throw on the barbie? (Not the insanely proportioned plastic doll)
I’m waiting to hear from YOU!
Thanks,
Gourmet Grrl
She Who Eats 
Just found your blog this afternoon as I was looking for a number to make reservations (anniversary is today!) at Tamarind. Love that joint. Saw your questions d’ jour and thought I would throw out my idea:
When I am grilling a side of cow, pig, or chicken, I also grill our veggies for the meal. (When I say “I grill”, of course I mean my husband.) I (me) take 5 yellow squash, 2 zucchini, and 2 onions (I hate peppers (except the hot ones) but you could use them if you like), and cut the s and z in half length wise and put them in a zip lock bag and generously add italian dressing (not low fat – ick!). I slice the onions into half inch rounds (leaving the in their concentric circles) and season them with a little EVOO, garlic and italian seasoning. I let all that set for about 2 – 3 hours. After the meat is done and resting to retain all the juices, we put the veggies straight on the grill and get a good sear on both sides – takes about 4 minutes on each side. You will impress all those who thought you could just do the meat thing. These numbers are for a dinner party of 6 – 8 folks. Adjust accordingly.
Enjoy. ~CS
I love to grill tofu. I buy extra firm tofu and slice it length wise. Place the tofu on papertowels and thoroughly pat dry (this may take a few papertowels!). Then marinate tofu for about 30 minutes in whatever your favorite marinade is, or go the simple route and just brush on some olive oil and salt & pepper. Throw it on the grill for about 5 minutes each side. Delicious!!
Another great grilling idea is Halloumi (greek cheese). Again, slice it length wise. Grill for about 2 minutes per side (or enough to get a good sear and grill marks). At the same time grill slices of your favorite bread. This past weekend I used a great kalamata olive loaf from EarthFare. This is a delicious appetizer or wonderful served with a salad.
I made these awesome grilled tomatoes from American Cookery by James Beard. Top them, then scoop out some of the seeds and gunk from the top, then turn them upside down to drain for about 10 minutes. Stuff them with things that are good with tomatoes: basil, oregano, cheese, salt pepper, and sausage (or not). put them on the grill in a pie plate with a little olive oil in the bottom to keep them from burning. They shouldn’t be on the main heat, but just off to the side. They should be small-medium size. When the skins get peely, they’re done and sweet and warm and very, very good. You should probably look this up before you actually make it, since I didn’t bother to look it up and I made it a year ago.
Also, what’s the Official Gourmet Grrl reaction to the smackdown delivered to us by H-ville in the Best NC Dish competition? Have you had any of the nominees?
Okay, Pixiedyke. The sad truth is that I haven’t sampled any of the finalist’s dishes. But I do know one thing: North Carolina chefs pretty much all look like they could be top contenders. . . in America’s Most Wanted. At last! A second option for shady looking people who don’t want to become serial killers! I’m sure they are all fine chefs, I’m just sayin.
Especially that Landon dude from Charlotte. He looks like he would lick the knife after he carved you up.
Thanks for the fab suggestions folks. Tonight my partner in grilling (and most other things) thought up mini polenta pizzas. Buy the hard kind, slice it, grill the slices and then add your favorite toppings. Lovely.
Pineapple. simple, easy, and quite tasty.
I like kebabs of mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. Grilled onions (halved, salted, peppered and wrapped in tinfoil with some butter) are INSANE good on the grill. As are sliced zucchini and yellow squash.
You can also halve and grill an avocado. And I’m with Shad about the pineapple, also nice on skewers.
Lightlife Tempeh has a great satay sauce which works wonderfully as a marinade for tempeh, onion, red & yellow peppers, and eggplant. If we aren’t making kebobs, then I like to grill sliced eggplant, portobello mushrooms, or sliced tempeh especially when the summer starts out like this one.
when i grill there always has to be vidalia onions and a small pan of melted (real) butter to baste them until they caramelize … if you don’t have a vegetable/fish grill basket (they will fall apart as they cook), you can slice them in thick slabs and run bamboo skewers through the rings in two directions (think of a large X or cross that intersect in the middle) … the skewers can be presoaked in water for awhile to prevent their burning up.
i always grill extra as they are extra good in recipes throughout the week … i add skewers of fresh mushrooms if i have them …