Veganomicon_ The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook - Isa Chandra Moskowitz [23]
Tomatoes
We generally don’t recommend grilling tomatoes, but we can recommend making cute little kebabs with firm, ripe cherry tomatoes and plenty of oil. These don’t take very long, maybe only 2 to 3 minutes, tops, so don’t go wandering over to finish off the last of the guacamole when these babies are on the grill.
Zucchini or Summer Squash
Zucchini really takes to the grill and rewards you with those perfect grill lines you see in magazines. For best results, use young to middle-aged squash, avoiding those really huge, old zucchini that are nothing but tough skin and lots of seeds.
Prep: Cut off the stems. Slice on a bias (angle) into just less than ½ -inch slices. The reason for cutting on a bias is so that you get nice big slices that won’t fall into the grill, but it also has the added benefit of being a nicer presentation. Brush with olive oil.
Grill: Cook one side for about 3 to 4 minutes. Check the bottom to see if your grill marks have appeared. When they have, brush with olive oil, flip over, and cook for a few minutes more. The squash should be tender but not completely falling apart. Remove from the grill and lightly salt.
Other Vegetables
Maybe someday you’ll have the burning desire to grill a sweet potato or a rutabaga. And who are we to stop you? In general, it’s helpful to keep in mind that whatever you put on the grill should ideally: (a) be completely cooked in fewer than 10 to 12 minutes, and (b) not fall apart when put under such intense heat. Generally, it helps to keep vegetables sliced less than ¾ inch. Root vegetables should be precooked—usually by boiling—until just tender but not cooked all the way, then sliced into ½-inch-thick pieces. Same applies to winter squash; just make sure not to overcook it before putting on the grill. Use plenty of oil to protect against sticking, and have ready a spatula if anything appears to be too fragile or soft to handle with tongs.
Kebab Advice
MAYBE you didn’t ask for it, but we’ve got it. Our basic kebabs generally consist of: peppers, whole mushrooms, onions, and zucchini. Prep the peppers by blanching them, then cut them into inch-thick slices. Chop the zucchini and onions into ½-inch slices and leave the mushroom whole. If you need to add cherry tomatoes, fine, but make separate little skewers just for them. They cook far faster than other vegetables and will end up falling off the skewers and into the fire before the other vegetables are done.
For heartier fare, add chunks of seitan or pressed tofu. Place it all into a plastic bag or container, coat with olive oil and a few pinches of coarse sea salt, and squeeze a lemon over it. Or, use a marinade. For the professionally lazy, we’ll even let you use your favorite bottled oil and vinegar dressing as a no-effort marinade. Let them sit for about 15 minutes, then place on skewers, alternating vegetables and seitan. Cook for 7 to 10 minutes, turning every few minutes and brushing with oil. Drizzle with Miso Tahini dressing (page 93) for optimal yumminess.
So now that you have the basics of grilling down, it’s time to serve these babies up. If you are going the sandwich route, it’s a good idea to grill the bread as well—why not? Fire is free. If not using hamburger buns, we like to use chewy peasant bread. Simply brush with oil and lightly grill each side until faint grill marks start to appear. You can also opt for garlic bread. It’s simple—just puree two cloves of garlic with ½ cup of olive oil, brush onto bread, and grill. Once your bread is grilled, spread with Basil-Cilantro Pesto (page 214), pile on veggies, and enjoy!
You can also serve grilled veggies on top of