Previous
Grilling Veggies is Healthy Option for Fall Bounty
September 17, 2008
LOCAL PICKS
Grilling Veggies is Healthy Option for Fall Bounty
By Denise Miller
For the Journal
What do you do when the bounty of the harvest season is so beautiful and inspiring that you simply overpurchase?
It's perfectly understandable that our culinary imaginations get fired up when we see growers' market tables piled high with exquisite purple eggplants, mixed beans, yellow squash and spotted melons.
The conundrum occurs when I get home and look at the purchase in its entirety and wonder how I will cook everything during the busy week ahead.
First, I try to remember what my intentions were as I shopped. Carrots for the kids' lunches, salad greens for the week, fruit for snacks, zucchini for baking, maybe a potato salad to go along with dinner. But what about everything else?
One great method for easily preparing lots of vegetables -- and making sure your ambitious purchases go to good use -- is to turn to the grill.
Grilling vegetables provides great taste, a healthy cooking method and even versatility. Once considered a summeronly activity, it seems grilling is seen as a year-round possibility, especially in temperate climates like New Mexico.
Whole cookbooks and Web sites are devoted to the topic. Generally I prefer to keep it simple with a brush of oil or a quick marinade.
Start with vegetables that do well on the grill such as eggplant, peppers, squash, onions and corn. Corn can be left unshucked and should be soaked in water before setting on the grill. Other vegetables should be sliced large enough so they don't fall through the grates.
Another option is a basket for the grill that makes it possible to cook smaller food easily. While I rarely use this inexpensive accessory, it was useful last week for grilling a veggie mix that included fresh beans.
Some vegetables, such as eggplant and peppers, take longer than others to cook, so start with them. Don't stray too far from the grill as the veggies take a little tending.
While any good olive oil will do, I've long been attached to a specialty garlic oil with a sweet flavor by M.J. Malmud of Valley Garlic Company in Placitas.
She has been selling her oil in small, brown, rocket-shaped bottles at area growers' markets for more than a decade. It is made with garlic grown in the South Valley by Mary and Elias Macias.
Those who don't like garlic can make an easy marinade with balsamic vinegar and fresh herbs. Refrigerate for an hour.
Cooking has a way of shrinking the food, and it never fails to surprise me that what starts out as an imposing pile of raw produce becomes a beautiful assortment of meals.
Try a grilled vegetable sandwich with goat cheese, mix them with morning eggs or add them to fajitas or quesadillas. These veggies also can flavor homemade soups or even spaghetti sauce.
Any you way slice it, grilling up the season's harvest means flavor and nutrition will be as bountiful on your table as it was at the market.
GRILLED HARVEST VEGGIES WITH GARLIC OIL
About 8 servings
2 medium eggplant, trim off top leaves and bottom, slice into ¾-inch thick pieces or to your preference
2-3 peppers (bell, sweet or chile), cut into large pieces
1 large onion, peeled and sliced ¾-inch to 1-inch pieces
6 ears of corn, soaked in water (a few minutes)
2-3 summer squash (yellow or zucchini), sliced the long way, ½-inch thick
olive oil
garlic oil (if available)
salt & pepper
Wash vegetables, grab a cutting board and sharp knife. The goal is to cut vegetables into pieces that will cook evenly and won't fall through the grill's grates.
If vegetables have rounded sides (like squash), trim off a slice to make it a flat surface. Brush with olive oil and a few drops of garlic oil. Place vegetables on medium-high heated grill. Check frequently, turn over when partially cooked and grill marks appear. Take off the grill and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately and/or reheat leftovers.
