_grill Roasted Peppers Hot Little Numbers Recipes

*VEGETABLES

Steps:

• For generations, mothers and grandmothers alike have extolled the virtues of vegetables. More recently, health experts have practically gone hoarse reminding us that we need our A, C, E, and B12. Antioxidants are the superheroes of the moment. And yet very few of us manage to choke down our "five a day for better health." What gives? We suspect it's not all our fault. So where does it start? At the grocery store, we argue. Countless polls confirm how bored we've become with the shopping process. Most of us make do with a pit stop after work, or fly in to grab a couple of things on a Saturday morning. Just enough to get us by. Why? Of course, we're all time-pressed. But maybe our taste buds are just a little bored with the same old routine. Face it, once you've steamed one asparagus spear, you've steamed them all. America, isn't it time we gave vegetables another chance? Imagine, instead of trolling the produce aisle, going through the motions, we could put some fun back in the courtship! We might start looking forward to that chance encounter with a perfectly ripe tomato or significant moment with a handsome acorn squash. We might find unimagined fulfillment with an artichoke. Of course, if you're wise enough to grow a vegetable garden, you don't have to look any farther than your own backyard for veggie bliss. There's nothing better than homegrown sweet corn or a vine-ripened tomato. But what about those of us who don't have a garden? First, it helps to learn the season for each vegetable and then eat it when Nature meant it to be eaten. (This seems totally obvious, but it's easy to be misled when just about everything is available all year round.) We know tomatoes in winter are just never going to taste like summer's. August's asparagus can't hold a candle to April's. And trying winter squash in June is just setting yourself up for a letdown. Still, it's hard to resist when special offers beckon from the food section of the local paper. And it's so easy to be seduced by looks. (We've all fallen for the gorgeous but tasteless type, no?) Much of today's grocery produce is bred for uniformity, color, and the ability to survive a long haul on a truck. Sadly, most is picked too early to reach its full potential in smell and taste, then left to "ripen" under the glare of artificial lights. The cure? Shop whenever you can at a farmer's market, where you'll find food grown for the table (not the produce bin) and that has had a chance to ripen in the field. Small farmers have the advantage of being closer to their retail outlets, so they can wait to pick the produce when it's ripe. Since this produce is grown as food and not necessarily beauty-pageant material, you'll often find odd-shaped specimens. These quirky profiles just add charm to the pursuit. You could love a zucchini with a crooked nose, couldn't you, if it was sweet and tender? But wherever you find your vegetables, you'll do right by them if you put them on the grill. The grill does something to vegetables that makes us all a little weak in the knees. It draws out their natural sugars and caramelizes them on the surface right where you can taste them. Add that little hint of smoke and they become downright irresistible. And because the grill cooks them quickly, it heightens their color and appearance, too. All those veggies need is a light coating of olive oil to prevent them from sticking to the grate and to keep them nice and moist. That, and a dash of salt and pepper. We have plenty of recipes in this chapter that feature vegetables as the main course, as well as side dishes that round out a great grilled meal. Once you're hooked on grilled veggies, you'll discover their amazing versatility. Grilling vegetable ingredients before you add them to a dish can make an ordinary meal spectacular. Soon you'll be grilling up extra asparagus, peppers, and onions for tomorrow's omelette, sandwiches, soup, or pasta dish. And more importantly, you'll be eating your veggies because you want to. Mom would be proud.From Weber's Big Book of Grilling. Copyright © 2001 Weber-Stephen Products Co. All rights reserved. First published by Chronicle Books LLC, San Francisco, California.

ROASTED OR GRILLED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place the peppers on the foil and bake in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, using tongs to turn the peppers every 10 minutes. The peppers are done when their skin is brown and puffed. It won't be black the way it is when you grill them.
• Transfer the peppers to a bowl. Cover the bowl with a plate or with plastic, and let sit for 30 minutes, until cool.
• Carefully remove the skins, then, holding the peppers over the bowl so no juice escapes, separate into halves or quarters and remove the stems, seeds and membranes Cut into strips if desired, and place in another bowl. Strain in the juice. If storing for more than a day, toss with 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Refrigerate until ready to use. If you wish, toss with the optional ingredients shortly before serving.
• Using a Burner: Light a gas burner and place the pepper directly over the flame. As soon as one section has blackened, turn the pepper, using tongs, to expose another section to the flame. Continue to turn until the entire pepper is blackened. Place in a plastic bag and seal, or place in a bowl and cover tightly. Allow to sit until cool, then remove the charred skin. You may need to run the pepper briefly under the faucet to rinse off the final bits of charred skin. If so, pat dry with paper towels. Cut the pepper in half, holding it over a bowl, remove the seeds and membranes, and store as instructed above.
• Using the broiler: Preheat the broiler. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Place the baking sheet under the broiler at the highest setting. Turn the peppers every 3 minutes or so, until uniformly charred. Proceed as above. Using a grill: Place on a grill directly over hot coals and turn as each side becomes charred and blackened. When the entire pepper is charred, remove from the grill and proceed as above.

EASY ROASTED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
• Cut the peppers into quarters. Remove the seeds and the membranes. Roast the peppers until the skin blisters and turns black. Remove from oven and cover with plastic, or a tea towel, or place in a paper bag until cool. The skins should peel away off of the peppers easily when cooled.

_GRILL-ROASTED PEPPERS: HOT LITTLE NUMBERS

Steps:

• Place whole red, yellow, or orange bell peppers over Direct Medium heat. Grill until evenly charred on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes, turning every 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the peppers from the grill and place in a paper bag close tightly. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes to steam off the skins. Remove the peppers from the bag and peel away the charred skins. Cut off the tops and remove the seeds. Slice, chop, or use as desired. You can use the same grill-roasting and skinning method for large chile peppers, such as Anaheims and poblanos, or even the smaller jalapeño. Just grill them until charred all over, turning as needed. (Be careful not to rub your eyes while working with these hot ones you may even want to wear rubber gloves.) Meaty chiles are particularly impressionable when it comes to taking on smoky undertones from the grill. Try them whole in stuffed pepper recipes (such as the Poblano Rellenos), puréed in sauces, diced in salsas, or as a garnish.From Weber's Big Book of Grilling. Copyright © 2001 Weber-Stephen Products Co. All rights reserved. First published by Chronicle Books LLC, San Francisco, California.