Have you ever dared to challenge how much you can pile up on the grill? Well, I have dealt with that question more than one time and it is time that I share my secrets. Last night my friends and I had the ultimate bbq feast, piling up so much organic goodness that we had to move some veggies inside!
Grilling veggies is not very tricky, it is just all about the timing. You must know how long your meat ta
kes to cook if you are going to tackle your whole meal on the grill at once.
I have the privilege of having 4 farmers markets around
me every week. It is t
he end of summer squash season but peak for heirloom tomatoes! I brought together the best of both seasons during my last shopping day which paved the way for this wholesome bbq feast at my good friend Saeed and Yi
sh's place.
Last nights feast consisted of:
3 varieties of local summer squash
1 small eggplant
2 (1 small and 1 large) heirloom tomatoes
3 cobs of corn
1 white onion
1.5 packets of chicken tenderloins (from the large costco pa
ck)
For the Chicken:
Marinate the chicken a few hours before grillin' time in a large pan (I used 9"x5") to let the juices work their way in. Pour about 1/3 cup of olive oil and 3/4 cups of balsamic vinegar and work around the tenders.) Season with salt and pepper (enough to your liking), garlic, basil, and
whatever other herbs you have laying
around. Be creative!
For the veggies:
Slice all of the squash into thin pieces, about 1/4" thick
. Circular shapes work well for the grill. Coat them in a s
mall amount of olive oil and sprinkle with your favorite vegetable seasoning. I used costco vegetable seasoning (hmmm I wonder where I do my groceries?)
Tomatoes:
Now tomatoes cook pretty quickly on the grill and they tend to stick. Know that going into grilling tomatoes, you are bound to lose one or more slices. It is ok....it has happened to me numerous times. Knowing this, definitely slice your to
matoes a little thicker than the veggies.
Grillin' Time!
Usually you are going to want to throw the corn on t
he grill first because they take the longest. If we were grilling full chicken breasts we could let the two grill simultaneously on medium heat, but today we are working with tenderloins so they cook through very quickly. Go right ahead and place the corn on the grill....husk and all! (Believe me it is best this way!) Once these have served about 15 minutes on the grill go ahead and start piling on the rest of our little food crew. The squash and chicken will probably take about the same time to cook so lay those on first. Since we are cooking small pieces of chicken be strategic about where you place your chicken so they don't escape through the grill into the fire. Tomatoes go on last. After about 10-15 minutes on medium to high heat it is time to flip everything. In the meantime, you can be caramelizin
g the chopped onion inside (unless you still have enough room on your grill to lay them on) by heating up a pan with a little olive oil and tossing them around for the last half of grilling.
The corn should probably come out before everything else since it has been there so long. Once you see some kernels starting to brown...that corn
is ready! You can eat it plain or season it with butter and garlic. My friend Yishian usually takes up this chore.
Another tip for dealing with these veggies: once you flip the chicken and squash the first time, you can lay the grilled tomatoes right on top of them. This will infuse their rich and sweet juices as they continue grilling. This will keep the tomatoes from burning and you get some extra flavors.
What I love about grilling is that there is only a little bit
of prep work involved. Once you actually begin grilling you have the chance to catch up with everyone and just have a great time. I hope you enjoy this fun, easy, healthy, and wholesome meal combining the best of 2 seasons!
