By Karen Paulk
Summer is here, and half the year has flown by. I am sure that a certain percentage of the population has started thinking about the holidays; and even scarier, some of you even have your holiday shopping started or done. Not me! I am still trying to figure out what happened to spring. Now that summer’s here, I want to appreciate the season. I want to celebrate summer with all the fresh produce and fruit the season brings. Our local farmers markets bring us all types of choices. With all these choices, we could talk about so many things, but I decided to stay with the subject I wrote about last issue, and that would be grilling. Not grilling protein, but the great side dishes you can create while your main course is also on the grill.
Grilling vegetables is so simple! The hardest part is prepping the vegetables, but the results are great. With grilling, the colors and the flavor of the vegetables seem to intensify when their sugars caramelize. The great part about grilling vegetables is it only takes 3 to 10 minutes, depending on the produce:
Onions: Grill 5 minutes on each side
Corn: 8 to 10 minutes
Eggplant (my personal favorite): 2 to 3 minutes on each side
Sweet Bell Peppers: 5 minutes skin side down then flip and grill for 2 minutes on the other side
Summer Squash: 2 minutes
Asparagus: 3 to 5 minutes
Portobellos: Grill sides up for 3 minutes, flip, and grill for additional 2 to 3 minutes.
Prep is easy: simply toss your vegetable of choice in a bowl with a little olive oil, garlic, and your choice of herbs, or you can do a simple marinade. You then grill and eat.
If you need a carb fix, just have some cooked pasta ready (cold or hot) and add it to your vegetables, and now you have a great side that takes no time at all to prepare.
Another interesting side is a grilled salad. Substantial and slightly bitter greens in the romaine and chicory families are perfect for the grill. Iceberg lettuce is also a great choice because its sturdy wedges grill up nicely. Radicchio has a bitter flavor, which marries well with a little smoke, and sweet, orange balsamic vinaigrette. Endive pairs well with an herbal dressing. Little gems work like romaine, but they are a bit sweeter.
Grilling your greens is both easy and fast. They absorb other flavors very easily, so a clean grill is a must. If you use charcoal, avoid lighter fluid, which can leave a chemical taste. You should have your dressing and toppings ready, as grilled salads are best served immediately.
A grilled Caesar salad is a very tasty choice. A grilled iceberg wedge with tomato, bacon, and blue cheese will also be a winner.
Another great choice for the summer grill is pizza. A wood-burning pizza oven would be a dream, but all you really need is a grill. At first, grilling dough was a little intimidating to me, but give it a try. You will be a pro once you grill or burn one or two pizza doughs (just a little practice is needed). You can make your own dough (which is very easy) or save a little time and buy pre-made pizza dough at the store. You should be able to find pre-made dough at almost every grocery store now.
You will want to start with a hot grill. Turn the heat on high for one side and the other as low as possible. If you’re using charcoal, get the coals white hot, and then brush them into a ring around the perimeter of the grill. You won’t need to invest in a pizza stone, but a pizza peel is very helpful.
First, roll out dough that best fits your grill. Fold the dough in half, lift it, place it on the coolest part of the grill, and unfold it so the whole crust is on the cool side. NOTE: there is no need to oil the grill.
Cover and wait about 3 minutes. Inspect to see if the dough has started to bubble on top. Once the bubbles appear on the top, carefully lift an edge with a spatula to check for grill marks (make sure they’re not too dark). Once you have the color you want, pick the dough up with a couple of spatulas. Have your peel readily dusted with cornmeal or flour, set the dough on the peel, raw side down. Away from the grill add your toppings. You can add the toppings over the grill, but that does take some skill not to burn yourself. Once you have placed your toppings, slide the dough back onto the grill (cool side) and close the lid. You will need about 10 minutes to finish the pizza to get nice grill marks, though not burnt. The toppings, sauce, and cheese are your call; however, I would recommend taking advantage of your grilled vegetables to also use as a topping.
Let’s not forget dessert. Grilled peaches with a nice balsamic reduction topped with vanilla ice cream would complete any meal.
Enjoy your summer days and stay out of the hot kitchen because before you know it, fall will be here.
