Greens In-Coming
By Graydon Chapman, Victoria National Head Chef
No doubt that across this country, even in these times, you have noticed the nature around us coming into life. It is spring, and that brings about weather that at times seems inclement but will yield a wide variety of bounty as we head into the summer months.
After being cooped up inside for the last several weeks, we are all itching to be outdoors, going for hikes, bike rides, and hopefully more than a few rounds of golf. The other benefit to this time of year, as the daytime temperatures begin to climb in the late mornings is the ability to cook outdoors at that most American bastion of gastronomy: The Grill.
Vegetables to Try on the Grill
I encourage you to dust off those grills, gas, and charcoal, and begin to look past the usual parade of burgers, sausages, and the occasional chicken thigh, and instead look to the often forgotten vegetables that work so well on the grill. These are hardy vegetables that can stand up to the heat on and around the grill, like asparagus, ramps, and large mushrooms that will help ease into summer months of corn, summer squash, and stone fruits.
Chilled asparagus with deviled eggs
Charred broccoli with lemon butter, truffle-honey glazed heirloom carrots and turnips
How to Season and Marinate Your Vegetables
Like meats, grilling veggies requires vigilance and heat control, time to cook, and time to rest, and seasoning. I prefer to lightly salt my vegetables before putting them to the grill, marking them, and seasoning afterwards with vinegars, citrus juice, oils, and fresh herbs—and more salt. Apart from mushrooms, nude vegetables keep the colors vibrant and keep the grill from scorching any oils and leaving a film of smoke soot and acrid taste on the vegetables themselves. For mushrooms like portabellas, try marinating them for a few hours in a mixture of olive oil and balsamic vinegar with thyme and black pepper.
Grilling outdoors at the end of the day is a great way to spend some time with family, away from the television and the distractions of our daily lives. Fresh air and sunshine, fire and family—these are deep rooted in our species and help make times like these more bearable. So, scrape clean those grills, remember to season and taste, (a perk of being the cook), and don’t forget your veggies.
For more reading (and I have a bit of an addiction to cookbooks), here are some of my favorites:
Six Seasons, by Joshua McFadden
On Fire, by Francis Mallman
Franklin Barbecue, by Aaron Franklin
