My new mantra for pretty much everything, especially as summer continues to heat up, is: "I think we can grill that". The result is that we have shifted many food items that we traditionally made in the oven to the grill- and with results so delicious, I think the transition might be permanent. It also is really fun and satisfying to turn the grill- so long the land of MEAT MEAT MEAT into a tool for veggie heaven. A few things to try:
Grilled Quesadillas
Check out my quesadilla post from last summer for a recipe for zucchini quesadillas- but really, the filling doesn't matter, it's the grillin'! I used to slave over a pan on the stovetop to make these, but a little tinfoil and a trip to the grill adds a ton of flavor and saves a lot of time! Watch carefully so they do not burn, and flip them once or twice to get an even cook on both sides!
Grilled Pizza
A friend of ours (Brian!) introduced us to the idea of grilling pizza over a year ago, but for some reason we held off on trying it ourselves until this summer- and wooooaaah nelly! Forget the 500 degree oven I call for in my red pepper pizza recipe- and use the grill instead. It's so simple: prepare the dough for the crust on a piece of oiled tinfoil, and then complete with your chosen sauce and toppings. Grill open-faced until ingredients soften and cheese melts, again, checking the bottom to make sure it does not burn. I found it develops a flavor that mimics the wood-oven taste of many artisinal pizza shops, so I'm going this route even when there's snow outside!! (SOme folks will try and sell you a pizza stone for your grill, I'm sure that is good, too, but tinfoil works juuuusst fine).
Grilled Potatoes
Forget oven roasting! Dice red/white/purple creamer potatoes into equal-sized, small pieces, then place on tinfoil. Generously season with olive oil, sea salt, pepper, fresh sprigs of rosemary, and garlic cloves, and bundle in the foil. Grill until the potatoes are tender.
Grilled Corn
Again, I will never stick corn in a pot of boiling water ever again. My original recipe for grilled corn calls for the slightly fancy-pants technique of partially peeling back the husk, removing the silk, and then leaving on for grilling. For a more simple approach, simply remove the husk and silks completely as normal, wrap in tinfoil, and throw it on the grill. Some recipes also call for soaking, but we skip right over that too, and the results are darn good!
