Grilled Vegetables
Simple. Easy. Delicious.
Summer is all about grilling and being outside. It's also about bringing home healthy, seasonal veggies from the farmer's market or in from your own garden.
Grilling vegetables is one of our favorite ways to serve them up. What's great about this recipe is that you can grill the vegetables a day ahead to save yourself the work on the day of your barbecue - and free up the grill for meats.
Serve grilled vegetables hot or at room temperature, for a barbecue or for brunch like we did here. Yum.
Grilled Vegetables
Grilling brings out all the vegetable flavor, especially with a basting of olive oil and fresh herbs. Easy to make ahead and serve at room temperature.
Ingredients
- about 2 pounds fresh, seasonal vegetables
- 2-3 whole, fresh artichokes (optional) For steaming artichokes:
- 1/2 lemon, sliced
- a few whole peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon celery seed (optional) For grilling:
- 2 tablespoons fresh herbs, minced, such as any mix of rosemary, thyme, or oregano
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
1. Use a pot with a steamer insert and fill with about 3” water. Bring to a boil. Cut spiky points off artichoke leaves and trim stems. Add lemon, peppercorns, bay leaf, and celery seed to boiling water and turn heat to medium. Place artichokes in steamer insert. Cover and steam for 30-45 minutes, depending on size of artichokes, until a leaf pulls away easily. While cooking, check water level and add more if it gets too low.
2. Fill 6- to 8-quart pan with water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, wash and trim the rest of the vegetables. When water boils, blanch one type of vegetable at a time, as directed below. Remove with tongs, immerse in ice water until cooled. Drain.
3. To grill, mix together olive oil and fresh herbs. Cut artichokes lengthwise in 4 to 8 long pieces, depending on artichoke size, so that each serving is about 1 ½” wide. Brush vegetables with oil and herb mixture.
4. Grill over medium heat, turning often, and brushing with more oil mixture if needed. Cook until tender and browned. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Vegetables:
Arthichokes: Grill fully cooked pieces until warmed through and turning brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
Asparagus: Blanch for 3 minutes. Grill 5-7 minutes. Bell peppers or fresh chiles: No need to blanch. Cut in halves or quarters. Remove seeds. Grill 8 to 10 minutes over high heat.
Eggplant: Slice Japanese, Chinese or ‘baby’ Indian eggplant into 1 ½” slices. Blanch for 2 minutes. Grill 10-15 minutes, until very soft when pressed.
Mushrooms (button, crimini or baby portabella): No need to blanch. Thread whole mushrooms on skewers and grill over high heat for 10 minutes.
Onions (green onions): No need to blanch. Trim root ends and a couple of inches of the green tops. Grill for 6 to 8 minutes.
Summer squash (zucchini, crookneck, or pattypan): Cut in half lengthwise. Blanch for 2 to 3 minutes. Grill for 8 to 10 minutes.
Tomatoes: No need to blanch. Cut in half or skewer whole cherry tomatoes. Grill for 8 to 12 minutes.
Notes:
To make ahead, refrigerate after blanching and ice water bath. Continue with Step 3 when ready to grill.
Or, blanch and grill up to one day ahead. Refrigerator and bring to room temperature when ready to serve. Can be reheated in a 350° oven for 8 to 10 minutes.
Save the salt for after the vegetables are finished cooking. Don’t add to blanching water or while grilling. Salt added to vegetables while they cook can make them tough.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 8 servings 
