Non-stick tricks

Vegetable tips. You have several choices when it comes to grilling vegetables or meat alternates. You can use frozen, unthawed vegetables or sliced, washed fresh vegetables. You can cut up vegetables or cook whole, small vegetables, such as tomatoes, baby carrots or petite sweet onions. If you think your ingredients are too delicate to place directly on the grill rack, put them in foil packets and let them steam on the grill rack. Heartier ingredients, such as carrots, potatoes or tempeh (a chewy, fermented tofu found in the refrigerator case in the market) can be placed directly on the grill or under hot coals for 10 to 15 minutes. Or you can grease a grill rack above the coals and use thick slices of mushrooms, peppers and tomatoes. If want to cover your grilling items, use an upside-down metal colander, sealing in some of the juices by creating a steaming effect.

Marinating. Grilling does take a lot of moisture out of foods, so some people like to marinate ingredients before grilling. Marinating also adds flavor to grilled items. For an elegant touch, use a wine and tarragon mixture for lean meat, potatoes or tofu. White wine, oil, garlic, onion and celery salt make a good marinade. Non-fat dairy or soy yogurt, garlic, pepper, curry and cardamom can give an Indian or Indonesian flavor to grilled foods, and they add a nice flavor and color to grilled items. If you prefer not to use wine, then vinegar, soy sauce, oil, sweetener and ginger can give an Asian flavor to grilling.

Lemon juice makes a good base for grilling marinades. Use a simple lemon juice and olive oil blend, or get a little fancier and mix lemon juice, hot sauce, onion, dry mustard and paprika. Try pineapple juice, soy sauce, lemon juice and garlic with firm vegetables. Orange juice, turmeric, ginger, garlic and lemon zest are a light marinade for summer squash or tofu. Experiment with some of your favorite salad dressings as a grilling marinade. If you are in the mood to cook, you can create a marinade with sautéed celery, onions, carrots, oil, parsley, thyme, basil and pepper that are cooked and then pureed. Or you can stew and puree dried apricots or nectarines, onions, garlic, curry powder, vinegar and cayenne and use it as a marinade.

Beets take on an inky glaze and their sweetness is magnified with grilling. Grilled potatoes are crisp on the outside and sweet and moist on the inside. Tofu and veggie burgers take on a smoky flavor that enhances their interest. Try pairing mushrooms marinated in white wine and tarragon with roasted beets and roasted white potatoes or portobello mushrooms marinated in balsamic vinegar and basil with a roasted skewer of tomatoes and summer squash or roasted sweet potatoes.

Grilling can add a new elegance to ingredients. Grilled eggplant slices stand regally on the plate. Portobello mushrooms attain a smoky richness on the grill. Marinated, grilled mushrooms or tofu paired with braised greens and sun-dried tomato pasta is reminiscent of nights on the Mediterranean coast. Be sure to grill several extra portions so you can serve your gourmet grill chilled the next day.

• Previous Page
• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page