Authors Karen Adler and Judith Fertig are wondering, “How does your garden grill?” Celebrate your garden harvest by grilling, roasting and smoking to perfection each fruit and vegetable with their new cookbook, The Gardener & the Grill (Running Press, 2012). Grilling what you grow gives you twice the sense of accomplishment, so check out these savory recipes taken from Chapter 2, “Appetizers.”
Great Grilled Appetizers:
Mesquite-Smoked Jalapeño Poppers Recipe
Grilled Zucchini and Yellow Squash Stacks With Feta and Black Olives Recipe
Whether you live in an apartment with a small outdoor space, a house with a yard, or a country place with acres and acres, you can go from garden to grill to great appetizers in minutes. With a brush of oil and a sprinkle of seasoning, many vegetables can be quickly grilled or slowly smoked to perfection. All you need to accompany them is grilled bread–French baguettes, artisan rye, flat pita, or airy ciabatta–to soak up all the delicious juices and sauces.
Many garden goodies like fava beans and edamame in the pod, asparagus, bell or chile peppers, and fingerling potatoes can simply be harvested, rinsed, dried, brushed, and grilled. Larger vegetables like eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash can be sliced lengthwise for easy turning on the grill. Greens such as chard make great wrappings for bundled cheeses and other ingredients.
As gardeners and grillers, we try to take advantage of good fortune and good weather by harvesting and grilling more than we really need for a meal. Leftover grilled vegetables can be easily frozen to up to 3 months to star later on in dips, spreads, or other appetizers.
Reprinted with permission from THE GARDENER & THE GRILL, © 2012 by Karen Adler & Judith Fertig, Running Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group.
