Summer. A season of long days wading through the heat, surviving overpriced, under-ventilated buses; of long nights watching England’s fate bounce around the feet of 11 sweaty men. It’s all pretty hungry stuff. In times like these you can usually find me levitating towards the savoury smoke of next door’s barbecue in a jealous rage as they gleefully huddle round a small pile of browning meat.
Some of us, however, have evolved beyond this primal urge to consume the flesh of other creatures, and stick to the green stuff. This is my salute to summer, to vegetarians and to the elusive and delicious art of the veggie barbecue.
THE FORMULA
Yes, it’s easier to work to a recipe, but something I’ve found really fun, especially when cooking for lots of people, is knowing how to make your own. Your taste, your budget, on your terms. Another upside is that when everyone, already thoroughly impressed with your culinary expertise, is begging for where you found the recipe, you can tell them it’s actually one of yours. Personally, I make sure every meal I make for friends comes with an extra side of smugness, but tastes differ. Veggie barbecue recipes are the best too; when you break it down, there are just two steps:
TP 1 – GRILL YOUR VEG
Find seasonal vegetables. Consult the list of recommendations and their cooking times at the bottom of this step.
Prep your veg. They should be sliced big enough to skewer or to stick directly on the grate and not fall through, and small or soft enough to cook after a few minutes of direct heat.
Dry your veg by leaving them out at room temperature for 15 minutes, then patting the surface dry with a paper towel if necessary. This will improve browning and prevent sticking. Oil is controversial. Dry veg on a clean, hot grate should be fine, but if you worried about sticking, a tiny brush of oil on the surface will give you some peace of mind.
Grill your veg and turn when one sideins some colour. If you are uncertain if they are cooked, use your senses of sight and smell, or even take a small piece to taste. Keep some tin foil on standby if you need to wrap something up and keep it warm for a few minutes.
Salt your veg after you grill or towards the end of cooking.
Recommended grilling times
Corn (whole): 15–20 minutes.
Onion (skewered): 10–12 minutes. * Portobello mushroom (whole): 8–10 minutes. * Bell pepper (skewered): 8–10 minutes. * Aubergine (skewered): 8–10 minutes. *
Asparagus (skewered): 8-10 minutes (whole): 5–7 minutes. * Courgette (skewered): 8-10 minutes (sliced): 5–7 minutes. * Summer squash (sliced): 5–7 minutes.
Cherry tomato (skewered): 4–6 minutes. *
Spring onion (whole): 3–5 minutes.
Romaine lettuce (whole/halved): 2–3 minutes.
* A little oil might make these vegetables easier to grill
STEP 2 – ZHUZH IT UP
Be creative but try to stick to one or two of each…
Fatty: cheese, butter, cream, hummus, seeds, nuts [~30g]
Acidic: citrus zest + juice (lemon, lime, orange) / vinegar (balsamic, red, white, apple cider) [~15ml]
Fresh: parsley / dill / mint / basil / thyme / rosemary [~10g]
Sweet: honey / maple syrup / pomegranate molasses [~10g]
Starchy: crusty bread / jacket potato / flatbread / gnocchi / polenta / rice [~200g cooked]
* If adverse to eyeballing quantities, I’ve given a very rough estimate of how much you’d need for 400g total grilled veg to serve 4
IDEAS TO TRY:
Portobello mushrooms grilled whole, placed in a jacket potato topped with lemon zest, cream and parsley.
Red pepper and onions grilled on skewers, removed into a flatbread with hummus and pomegranate molasses.
Courgettes, onions and gnocchi grilled on skewers, removed into a bowl, topped with maple syrup, soft cheese, thyme, and apple cider vinegar.
Example recipe:
GRILLED ASPARAGUS AND CHERRY TOMATO BRUSCHETTA
Ingredients
2 thick slices of garlic bread 150g cherry tomatoes
100g asparagus (woody ends snapped off)
1 tbsp of sunflower seeds (optionally toasted)
1 tbsp of fresh lemon zest
2 tbsp (approx. 5g) of fresh basil leaves (finely chopped)
2 tbsp (approx. 10g) of grated hard cheese (pecorino/parmesan work best) 2 tsp of balsamic vinegar (or balsamic glaze for a sweeter finish)
1 tbsp of olive oil
A pinch of salt and pepper
Method
Preparation
- Reheat your garlic bread if you bought it frozen
- Optional: toast your sunflower seeds, then leave to cool for 5-10 minutes
- Measure out balsamic vinegar
- Snap off woody ends of asparagus spears
- Finely chop basil
- Skewer cherry tomatoes
- Optional: brush veg lightly with oil
- Zest half a lemon to get 1 tsp of zest
- Grate cheese
- Mix cheese, lemon zest, basil and seeds in a small bowl
Service
- Ensure veg has been at room temp for 15 minutes before cooking
- Grill the oiled asparagus and tomato skewers over medium-high heat for 4–6 minutes, turning occasionally. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt during the final minute of cooking.
Assembling
- Slide the grilled cherry tomatoes off the skewers directly onto the garlic bread. Drizzle the 2 tsp balsamic vinegar evenly over the tomatoes.
- Layer the grilled asparagus spears neatly across the tomatoes.
- Scatter your pre-mixed lemon, basil, seed, and cheese topping generously over the top of both bruschettas and serve immediately.
Notes
- You can theoretically do the preparation steps in any order, even the night before if you are extra prepared. The order I’ve listed here just helps keep things cleaner and more structured if you are making it on the day of serving.
- When writing a recipe, it helps to think veg first; they are the star of the show after all, but when actually cooking, I would recommend gathering your toppings first – that way, when you finish cooking, throw on the zhuzh, and it’s done. No one wants to watch you chiffonade basil for half an hour, as cool as you think you are for knowing what chiffonade means.
FOOD FORECAST: AUGUST
Vegetables – Broad beans, Beetroot, Courgette
Herbs – Basil, Dill, Mint
Fruit – Figs, Raspberries, Blackberries
Fish – Mackerel, Herring
Meat – Lamb
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
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