The Recipe!
Introduction This is an excellent template recipe for the end of summer, when CSA fatigue sets in. You can get through nearly all of your share with this single recipe, and it keeps in the fridge for a week. Use it as a side dish for proteins, over a grain bowl, or as a tangy component to a salad. One of my favorites is a sandwich with a slice of fresh mozzarella, some basil, and good bread. Yield: 8 servings Marinade:
1 cup olive oil (not the super fancy kind)
1⁄3 cup sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
2 T whole-grain mustard (or to taste)
1⁄4 c thinly sliced shallot
Salt and pepper to taste
Vegetables:
3-ish pounds of anything you can put on a grill:
zucchini, eggplant, radicchio, onion (any kind, even scallions), bell peppers, padron and shishito peppers, green beans, cabbage, fennel, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, brussels sprouts.
Directions:
1) Fire up the grill on medium-hot heat. It’s possible to do this under the broiler, or on a cast-iron skillet. I like the grill because a little char is nice.
2) Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl that can hold all the veggies, but don’t put the veggies into the bowl yet!
3) Prep the veggies: cut them into pieces that are easy to grill. Soft veggies like zucchini and eggplant work well if you cut them into long slices 3⁄4” thick. Leave scallions, green beans and padrons whole. Peppers can be long strips 1⁄2” wide. Cabbage can be cut through the core into wedges 3⁄4” thick. Broccoli and cauliflower into large florets, and onions into quarters or slices depending on their size.
4) As you cut the vegetables, put them onto a big sheet pan. Coat them lightly with some more olive oil and season gently with salt and pepper.
5) Grill them! Different vegetables will take different amounts of time, depending on how delicate or dense they are. Eggplant and small peppers go fast, green beans and cabbage take longer. Retain the heat by closing the grill between check-ins.
6) As they come off the grill, put them into the bowl of marinade, and stir lightly so they’re all coated. Serve warm or at room temperature.