Season To Taste

This time of year, I’m still using my outdoor grill as much as possible.  The air may be getting crisper, but I still think it is perfect grilling weather.  The other night I was planning on making sweet potato spears to go along with a marinated flank steak, but decided that rather than dirty my kitchen, I’d try them on the grill. 

I’d learned from previous adventures with sweet potato spears that too much oil will ruin the entire batch, rendering them soggy, limp, and well, oily.  This time, I tossed my spears with just a touch of olive oil, a generous amount of salt, and some freshly ground pepper.  I also found a red bell pepper left over from my CSA farm share the previous weekend, so I sliced it up and tossed it in as well.  The orangey-gold of the potatoes and the bright red bell peppers looked beautiful together…harvest colors perfect for fall.

Now the trick was going to be keeping all those spears from falling through the grill grates!  Because my main objective was not to do any dishes that night, the metal grill basket I had was not an option, since it is NOT easy to clean.  So, I decided to fashion my own grill basket out of disposable tin foil.  The heavy-duty variety is best, but if you don’t have any, just use a double layer of regular foil.  I folded and crimped the edges on all four sides large piece of foil, to mimic a baking sheet (see photo below).  Be sure to spray the foil with some non-stick cooking spray, place on your hot grill, then spread your veggies around evenly.  As long as you’re careful not to poke through the foil when turning your food, this is an easy solution for grilling your spears.  The result is great looking spears with some great color, crispy edges, and terrific grilled flavor.  They won’t be as crispy as fries, but they are just as tasty and leave no mess in your kitchen!

Grilled Sweet Potato and Red Pepper Spears

Serves 4

1 ½ lbs sweet potatoes, peeled (if desired) and cut into2 inch long fries

1 large red bell pepper, cut into spears

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt/pepper

Non-stick cooking spray

Heavy duty tin foil-a piece approximately 24 inches long

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

Fashion the tinfoil so it resembles a baking sheet by folding up the sides about an inch and crimping them so they stay up.

In a large bowl, combine the sweet potatoes, red peppers, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.

Spray the foil “pan” and place on the grill grates.

Spread the vegetables around the “pan” so they are in an even layer, close grill, and allow to cook for approximately 15-20 minutes.  Be sure to carefully toss them around a few times during cooking.  Potatoes and peppers should be tender and cooked through.

Remove to a bowl and serve hot.

Inspired by a colorful plate of grilled veggies I had in Italy, I decided to turn some of this week’s farmers market finds into a healthy and tasty wrap.  Grilling renders veggies soft and sweet, and gives that wonderful smoky flavor.  Roasted red peppers are a particular favorite of mine, and are surprisingly simple to do on the grill.  By placing them directly over an open flame (or even under your broiler if weather keeps you indoors), the skin blackens and easily peels off, revealing the bright red flesh of the pepper.  They require only a few turns, and are largely cooked unattended (because hey, no worries about burning them-that’s the goal!). Once charred, I like to place them in a bowl covered tightly with plastic wrap, which allows the pepper to steam and loosen the blackened skin.  Be sure to allow the pepper to cool a bit before trying to remove the skin-your hands will thank you!  

 For this easy dinner, I place some sliced eggplant alongside the peppers on the grill, and then place everything (plus a few other ingredients) into a wrap.  I love using whole wheat wraps, but was shocked when I looked at the calorie count and fat content of most commercial varieties. Ouch!  Opt for the “low-fat” or “carb conscious” types, which are often higher in fiber too. 

This dish makes a great weeknight meal, or you can wrap those wraps in some tin foil and pack them in a picnic basket for a fun alfresco meal.  They are just as good at room temperature, and great on the go.

Mediterranean Grilled Veggie Wrap

Serves 4

1 medium eggplant, cut lengthwise into ¼” slices

1 red bell pepper

4 cups loosely packed baby spinach leaves

1/ 2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

4 - 12 inch whole wheat wraps

Preheat your outdoor grill (or an indoor grill pan) to medium-high heat.

First, get the pepper roasting, since it will take the longest.  Place the whole red pepper directly on the grates, and allow to completely blacken on one side.  Turn, and repeat until the skin is black.  Place in a bowl, cover, and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, brush the eggplant with olive oil on both sides, season with salt and pepper, and add to the grill.  Cook approximately 2-3 minutes per side, until grill marks appear and eggplant is softened.

Next, peel the pepper by gently removing all the blackened skin (which will be very loose at this point and should come right off).  Remove the stem and seeds and slice the pepper into strips.

Spread 1 cup of raw spinach leaves on top of each wrap.  Layer the grilled eggplant and red peppers over the spinach, and sprinkle crumbled feta on top. 

Roll each wrap by folding in each of two ends about an inch, and rolling the opposite sides together to form a wrap (see photos below).

Fold the sides of the wrap about one inch.

While holding each side in, roll the wrap as shown.

Tuck the top of the wrap around the contents and then up under them to secure. Be sure the short ends do not come unwrapped.

There is quite a bit of controversy about salmon.  Some experts say eating salmon up to twice a week is a great idea.  It is rich in protein and heart-healthy Omega-3 fatty acids.  Others say to eat salmon, but make sure it is wild-caught, because the high levels of mercury, PCBs, and other toxins in farm-raised fish is extremely unhealthy.   

The vast amount of research on this topic is a lot to wade through, but it seems as if the general consensus is that the benefits of eating salmon outweigh the risks.  However, I have to admit that after reading this article, I was pretty disgusted by the idea of farm-raised fish, so today I buy only wild-caught.  Yes, wild-caught is a little “fishier” tasting than the more mild farm-raised variety, but it is lower in fat and calories, so it’s definitely worth trying.

Salmon is a very versatile fish because it is great steamed, poached, pan-fried, baked, broiled or grilled.  Pick your method— it holds up to all these techniques.  During the summertime, I favor using my outdoor grill to cook salmon.  It gives great flavor, in addition to keeping the heat (and the smell!) out of the house. 

I recently purchased a smoker box for my grill, which adds additional flavor to the fish.  By adding wet wood chips to the metal box and placing it on the grill next to the salmon, a fair amount of smoke is produced, gently flavoring and perfuming the fish (the result will not taste like traditional smoked salmon—it’s just subtly flavored fresh fish).  If you do not have a smoker box, simply add wet wood chips to a small metal pot, which gets placed on the grill.  Wood chips for this purpose are available at specialty food stores and most hardware stores in several varieties, like hickory, apple wood, etc. 

So make some healthy salmon tonight—- and try adding some smoke to your fire! 

Grilled Apple Wood Salmon

Serves 4

3 handfuls apple wood chips, soaked in water for 30 minutes

1 ½  lb wild-caught salmon fillet (preferably skin on, lessening the chance it will stick to the grill)

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

Lemon wedges

Preheat outdoor grill to high heat.

Place the soaked wood chips into a smoker box or small metal pot, and place on grill grates.  Once it begins smoking, move to a cooler (but still hot) part of the grill.

Brush the salmon fillet on both sides with olive oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place the fillet skin-side down on grill and reduce heat to medium-high.

Allow to cook approximately 12-15 minutes, until firm to the touch.  It is not necessary to flip the salmon.  Note:  if you press flesh with your finger and it leaves an indent, the fish is not cooked.  When it is, the flesh will spring back up after being touched).

Remove from grill and serve hot with lemon wedges.

 Basil is my absolute favorite herb.  Sage plays a close second, but basil—-it just livens up anything it touches!  Basil plays a part in many of my summer recipes, and for good reason.  Its fresh color, flavor, and abundance this time of year makes it the perfect accompaniment to so many dishes.  Basil is great on its own, but I particularly love to make it into pesto.  I’m somewhat of a pesto fanatic.  I make it all the time to toss with pasta (it’s great on both hot pasta and cold pasta salads), stir in soups or sauces, or to brush on meat, fish, or poultry.  It is also fantastic on grilled veggies…but more on that in a second.

It is important to know how to choose basil when at the farmers market or grocery store.  Look for bright, shiny green leaves which are free of brown spots and are not wilted.  It is also important to make sure you choose a bunch that has not yet flowered.   Once basil has begun to flower, the flavor is not as good.  This photo is an extreme example of a plant that has already flowered, but it gives a good idea of what to look for:

Photo by "Image Gratification"

Once your basil is at home, store it with the stems in a glass of water, in the refrigerator.  You can also freeze it for longer storage.  A great way to accomplish this is to, yup, you guessed it, make pesto (recipe below), which freezes extremely well.   

For this fantastic summer dish, I grill a variety of vegetables, then brush them with fresh pesto.  It is great as an antipasto or as a side dish to any meal.  

Grilled Vegetables with Pesto

Serves 4-6

For the pesto:

Makes about 3/4 cup

1 large bunch fresh basil, thick stems removed
1-2 small cloves garlic

1 T pine nuts, toasted

3 T grated Parmesan cheese

Olive oil
Salt and pepper

 Wash and thoroughly dry the basil.
In the bowl of a food processor, fitted with the metal blade, pulse the garlic and pine nuts until finely chopped.
Add the basil and process until finely chopped (you may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula a few times during chopping).
With the blades still running, add the olive oil in a stream through the feed tube until the “pesto” begins to form and easily flows around the bowl.

Remove to a bowl, and mix in Parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Set aside.  Note: Press a piece of plastic wrap over pesto so the air does not turn it black.

For vegetables:

2 Italian eggplant, halved lengthwise

1 zucchini, halved lengthwise

1 yellow squash, halved lengthwise

1 red pepper, halved lengthwise and seeds/stem discarded

1 red onion, quartered

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

Brush all vegetables with olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place on grill and cook approximately 5-7 minutes per side (keep an eye on them, because depending on size, some may cook faster than others).

Remove to a platter and brush with pesto.

As a kid, I hated eggplant.  Okay, maybe that is a bit of an overstatement; I thought I hated eggplant.  To start, I didn’t like the name.  I wasn’t wild about the egg, and figured that anything bearing its name, much less a plant, couldn’t be much better.  Besides, it was brown and mushy and there was no way I was eating it.  

I’m happy to report that things have changed. 

Eggplant is available year round, but is in season in late summer to early fall.  The deep purple, elongated pear-shaped variety is the most common, but other types are becoming more popular too.  Baby eggplant, sometimes referred to as Italian eggplant, is a smaller version of the ones we’re most used to seeing at the grocery store, and is typically a bit more tender.  Japanese eggplants are long and thin, and work well sliced into stir-fries and other mixed vegetable dishes.   

But how do you choose a good one?  Pick an eggplant that feels heavy and is free of soft spots.  Many years ago I remember hearing that you should also look at the eggplant’s blossom end (the one opposite the green stem/cap).   If it were round and flat and smooth, then it had fewer seeds and would be sweeter.  If the end was indented like a belly button, it would be loaded with bitter seeds.  One was supposed to be the “male” eggplant, and the other was “female”.  I could never keep straight which was which—- I just knew to avoid those innie-belly buttons like the plague.  Now I know that the innies are females and the smooth ones are male…..so stick with the boys on this one.

I love to grill eggplant— it gives it a great smoky flavor and a nice, crisp skin.  I slice it in thick rounds (so they don’t fall through the grates), brush with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and fire up the grill.  I like to leave the skin on for two reasons;  it helps the rounds stay intact while cooking, and I love its flavor.  Once grilled, I either use the rounds for sandwiches, as part of a grilled vegetable platter, or better yet, I spoon on tomato sauce and cheese for little individually-sized eggplant parmesans.  They are light and delicious!  You get all the flavor of this classic dish, without any of the breading, frying, assembling, and baking, all of which can be very time consuming. 

When I prepared these grilled eggplants the other evening, I used a smaller, light purple and white striated variety I got at the farmers market (photo above).  They were fresh and tasty, but the beautiful color was completely lost on the grill.  Next time, I’ll stick to the larger, dark purple ones I normally use, which get richer looking as they cook. 

I wasted a lot of years not eating eggplant…so now I’m making up for lost time. Fire up your grill and let me know if I’ve converted you too!

Italain Style Grilled Eggplant

Serves 2

2 medium eggplant (about __ lbs), sliced into ½” rounds

Olive oil for brushing

Salt & Pepper

1 cup tomato sauce (your favorite variety)

½ cup ricotta cheese

¼ cup parmesan cheese

Preheat grill to medium high heat.

Brush eggplant rounds on both sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Place on grill and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until grill marks appear and the flesh begins to soften.

Flip rounds, and on the cooked side, place about a tablespoon of tomato sauce, a teaspoon of ricotta cheese, and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. 

Continue grilling an additional 3-5 minutes, until softened and sauce/cheese is hot and bubbly.

Serve with a green salad and crusty bread for a complete meal.