Perfect Grilled Vegetables Recipes

PERFECT GRILLED VEGETABLES

Steps:

• After grilling, brush the vegetables with herb oil (opposite), or drizzle with any of the vinaigrettes on page 356-357. They can also be marinated in vinaigrette or herb oil up to several hours; brush off excess before grilling.
• Use spears that are no thicker than 1/2 inch. If desired, bunch together 6 or 7 trimmed spears; thread a skewer through upper third of spears, gently turning skewer to keep spears from breaking. Repeat at bottom. Or simply place the spears perpendicular to the grates, and take care in turning them. Brush with olive oil or herb oil; season with salt and pepper. Grill over medium-high heat, turning once until marked and just tender, about 9 minutes total. Serve with grilled lemon halves, if desired.
• Grill whole peppers over high heat, turning occasionally until charred all over, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from grill and place in paper bag or place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand 10 minutes. Rub off skins using paper towels. Halve peppers and discard seeds.
• Halve lengthwise and cook in salted boiling water until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain. Brush with olive oil or herb oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over medium heat until heated through and marked, 8 to 10 minutes. Brush with herb oil before serving, if desired.
• Halve lengthwise and cook in salted boiling water until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain. Brush with olive oil or herb oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over medium heat until heated through and marked, 8 to 10 minutes. Brush with herb oil before serving, if desired.
• Remove husks and silk; discard. Brush cobs with oil. Season with salt. Arrange cobs on grill parallel with the grates. Grill over medium-high heat, turning occasionally until slightly charred and kernels are tender, about 15 minutes total. Serve with regular or compound butter (page 166). In-husk variation: Peel back husks without completely removing. Remove silks. Return husks to original position, and soak corn in water 10 minutes. Grill until charred and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with compound butter.
• Halve eggplant lengthwise; cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch wedges (or 1/2-inch-thick slices lengthwise). Brush cut sides with olive oil or herb oil. Grill slices, one cut side down, over medium-high heat, until just golden and marked in spots, about 3 minutes. Transfer to cooler part of grill (medium heat). Grill, other cut side down, until marked, 5 to 6 minutes. Or grill wedges, skin sides down, until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt.
• Trim and cut into 3/4-inch wedges or 1/2-inch-thick slices. Cook in salted boiling water until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain. Brush with olive oil or herb oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over medium heat until heated through and marked, 8 to 10 minutes. Brush with herb oil before serving, if desired.
• Trim leeks. Halve lengthwise, rinse well. Add to a pan of boiling salted water. Reduce heat and simmer until slightly softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Brush with olive oil or herb oil. Grill, cut sides down, over medium-high heat, with grill covered, until marked and softened, about 6 minutes. Flip; grill until soft, about 3 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cut onions into 1/2-inch-thick pieces and keep rings intact. Thread a skewer horizontally through several slices. Brush generously with olive oil or herb oil, and season with salt and pepper. Grill onions over low heat with grill covered, until marked and softened, about 15 minutes. Flip; grill until cooked through, 15 to 18 minutes more.
• Cover potatoes with cold water. Add salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until just tender (they should offer slight resistance when pierced with the tip of a knife), 12 to 15 minutes. Drain. Halve or leave whole. Drizzle with olive oil. Season with spice mix (page 348) or salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly. Thread onto skewers. Grill cut sides down over medium-high heat, turning once, until charred in spots and tender, about 10 minutes total.
• Halve through stem if small, quarter if large, stem end left intact to hold leaves together. Brush with olive oil or herb oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill over medium heat until marked and cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes, turning once. Brush with herb oil before serving, if desired.
• Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over medium-high heat until charred and tender, about 2 minutes per side.
• Slice lengthwise about 1/3 inch thick. Brush with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over medium heat, turning once, 2 to 4 minutes per side.
• Halve tomatoes. Brush with olive oil or herb oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill tomatoes over medium-high heat until slightly charred and flesh is soft and heated through, 8 to 10 minutes total.
• Cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Brush with olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Grill slices over medium-high heat until marked and tender, 6 to 8 minutes total. Or, cook chunks of squash until tender in salted boiling water, about 5 minutes. Brush with olive oil or herb oil and grill over medium heat until marked and heated through, 8 to 10 minutes. Brush with herb oil before serving.