Veganomicon_ The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook - Isa Chandra Moskowitz [20]
SPATULA: So you don’t need a spatula for turning vegetables, but don’t worry, it doesn’t have to join the unemployment line just yet. Spatulas are great for flattening things out on the grill to ensure even cooking. Just be sure to get a really long-handled one for the grill, or feel free to use the little guy used for flipping pancakes if your hands are made out of asbestos.
PASTRY BRUSHES: Kitchen supply stores sell pastry brushes that are just a little too dainty and precious for our tastes, not to mention more expensive. So we use the kind of fat, round, nylon brush that you can find in a hardware store. Grill like a Veganomicon author and keep two at your side: one for brushing the grill with oil and one for brushing the veggies with oil or marinade during cooking.
METAL SKEWERS: For some reason, grilling vegetables in kebab form makes them 76 percent more fun to eat, according to our studies. You can also use wooden skewers, but to make sure that they don’t burn: soak the wooden skewers in water beforehand for at least an hour. Get those freeloader picnic guests to assemble bite-size veggie chunks onto skewers while you make the marinades or just work on your fierce tan.
LIDDED PLASTIC CONTAINERS: They make for easy transport of your veggies, and you can shake them to coat your veggies in oil or marinade with no worries.
LARGE, RESEALABLE PLASTIC BAGS: For some vegetables, such as asparagus, it’s difficult to find a container that’s the right size. Hence bags.
ALUMINUM FOIL : You always need it for something. It’s almost a mystery how aluminum foil saves many a grilling day.
THE GRILL : We don’t live in the suburbs, so therefore we never really developed an unhealthy obsession with obtaining the perfect grill. Use any charcoal, gas-fired grill or campfire that pleases you. Generally we like the permanent, for-the-people kind you’ll find in the park (a good a reason as any to leave the house on a Saturday before 11 a.m., just to lay claim on the good ones), or anything under thirty bucks. The great part about cooking veggies is that it takes a fraction of the time the meaty stuff does, so you really don’t need that monster grill that costs as much as a down payment on a car.
GRILLING VEGETABLES
Vegetarians are sometimes at a loss for what to put on the grill. It’s often a sad toss-up between the oddly orange-hued tofu hotdogs or frozen disks of veggie burgers. We know this is a crazy thought but how about . . . vegetables?! Grilling brings out so much flavor in vegetables that you don’t even need to dress them up too much. So pretty to look at and toothsome, perfectly grilled vegetables are like the Spring Break of parties in your mouth. A little olive oil and you’re good to go, or if you’re feeling especially inspired, some garlic and lemon juice never hurt. You don’t have limit your grilling skills to the outdoors or miss out because it’s snowing outside—a cast iron grill pan works wonders on the stovetop as well.
The #1 Tool for Indoor Grilling
CAST aside your fears and get a cast-iron grill pan!
We probably say this about ten times throughout the book, but since this section is specifically about grilling it would be remiss not to mention it here. You absolutely need to get one! Once you have procured this, the most important purchase you will ever make in your life, then you can follow these same directions for outdoor grilling, only you will be indoors. (See Grill, page 19.)
Asparagus
Grilled asparagus is at once chewy and crispy, savory and sweet.
Prep: Remove rough end of stems. Place in a plastic bag. Add enough olive oil to coat, and a few cloves of minced garlic. Close the bag and rub all over to make sure the asparagus is coated. Let it sit for 10 minutes or a few hours—whenever you are ready