Barbecued Fruit

Oh and you thought fruit was only cooked in pies? Well look again you can now barbecue fruit on a skewer and it comes out very tasty. I remember the first time my daughter came home from her friends house and told us she had peaches cooked on the grill. We thought she was crazy but as usually I'm game for anything and grilled some peaches to only find out how delicious they are hot from the barbecue!

Below you will find a recipe for the best way to barbecue fruit. I've found putting fruit on skewers and cooking kebab style leaves the fruit. This style of cooking renders delicious results, especially when slightly marinated in an alcoholic sugar syrup, so that the outside of the fruit pieces caramelise.

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Ingredients

pineapple, cubed
apple, cubed
pear, cubed
melon, cubed
strawberries, whole
mango, cubed
grapes, whole

Marinade

75g / 3oz sugar
60ml / 4tbsp water
liqueur (any)

Method

1. Thread alternative fruit pieces onto skewers.

2. In a medium pan gently heat the sugar and water until all the sugar has dissolved, and the syrup has thickened slightly.

3. Allow to cool before adding the liqueur of your choice.

4. Brush the fruit with the marinade and leave to one side to enable the flavours to develop.

5. Before barbecuing, brush the kebabs once again with the marinade.

6. Barbecue over the grill, turning frequently, until the outside of the fruit begins to caramelise.

Grilled Tofu and Sauteed Asian Greens

My family likes Asian food and foods that tend to have a little kick. This is a tasty recipe which can be done on the barbecue and adds flavor to that outdoor summer dinner party.

INGREDIENTS

1 (14-ounce) block firm tofu, drained
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco or dried hot red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 (5-ounce) bags Asian greens or baby spinach

PREPARATION

Cut tofu crosswise into 6 slices. Arrange in 1 layer on a triple layer of paper towels and top with another triple layer of towels. Weight with a shallow baking pan or baking sheet and let stand 2 minutes. Repeat weighting with dry paper towels 2 more times.

Stir together soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, Tabasco, and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a glass pie plate. Add tofu slices in 1 layer and marinate, turning over every couple of minutes, 8 minutes total.

Heat a lightly oiled well-seasoned ridged grill pan over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Lift tofu from marinade with a slotted spatula (reserve marinade) and grill, turning over once carefully with spatula, until grill marks appear and tofu is heated through, 4 to 6 minutes total.

While tofu grills, heat remaining teaspoon vegetable oil in a 12-inch skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté greens, tossing with tongs, until beginning to wilt. Add reserved marinade and sauté, tossing, until greens are just wilted, about 1 minute. Lift greens from skillet with tongs, letting excess marinade drip off, and divide between 2 plates.

Serve greens with tofu slices.

I've used a well oiled vegetable basket to cook the tofu on an outdoor grill.

Not Just Another Eggplant Recipe

This is another easy to prepare eggplant dish for the grill. It always amazes me how tasty such simple grilled dishes can be. When doing summer entertaining I like to prepare recipes which take minimal time. This gives me more time to enjoy my guests & the beautiful day outdoors.

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Thai Style Vegetarian Grilled Eggplant Recipe
Ingredients:

3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 onion
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tbsp lime juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
2 eggplants

Preparation:
In a food processor or blender, process the garlic, cilantro, onion, sugar, lime juice and basil, adding more liquid as needed.
Slice the eggplant in thick, flat slices and place on grill, basting with the garlic, onions and herbs mixture, reserving half of the mixture.

Allow eggplants to grill for about 15 minutes, or until done.

Top with remining onion and herb mix and serve hot.

Tasty Grilled Eggplant Recipes

Eggplant is not just limited to Parmigiana style, it can be prepared in so many different ways. One of my favorite and easiest is barbecue Eggplant. This dish made a big hit with my summer guests last year and it was so easy to prepare.

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Barbecue Eggplant with Tomatoe & Basil

1/4 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch-thick slices
2 ripe tomatoes, sliced
4 little fresh mozzarella cheese balls , sliced
1/3 cup basil leaves

Preheat a greased barbecue on medium-high. Combine oil,
garlic and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Brush both sides of
eggplant with oil. Barbecue eggplant for 3 minutes on
each side or until tender.
To assemble; place eggplant slices on serving plates. Top evenly with
tomatoes, mozzarella and basil leaves. Season with salt and
pepper.

You can serve this with toasted bread or just eat as a side dish to your meal.

Summer Breeze, Sunshine & Barbecuing

It's funny how ignorant people can be. They hear the word vegetarian and they think the barbecue season seizes to exist for a non-meat eater. Shame on those naysayers! Over the next few weeks Chef Mom will be sharing vegetarian recipes for the barbecue. This week will hit off the barbecue season celebration with a basic recipe for the grill.

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Summer Marinated Grilled Vegetables

Ingredients

1 pound Eggplant, sliced
4 Summer Squash, cut lengthwise
2 Zucchini, cut lengthwise
2 Patty Pan Squash
1 tablespoon Kosher Salt
3 large Ripe Tomatoes, cut in 1/2 think rounds
1 Yellow Bell Pepper, seeded, deveined,
1 Red Bell Pepper, seeded, deveined,
1 Red Onion, peeled, sliced into 1/2" thick rounds
1 cup coarsely chopped Basil
2 cups Marinade

Marinade:

1/3 cup Red Wine
1/3 cup Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 tablespoon grated Orange Rind
1/2 cup minced Sage Leaves
1/4 cup minced Rosemary
1 tablespoon Black Peppercorns, crushed


Preparation:

Marinade:

Combine all marinade ingredients in glass bowl. Refrigerate in an air tight container for up to 3 days.

Vegetables:

Trim and wash all vegetables. Cut eggplant, squash, zucchini, in 2" rounds or lengthwise.

Place eggplant, zucchini and squash in a colander. Add salt. Toss and allow to drain for 30 minutes. Rinse, pat dry, and place into a casserole dish. Add remaining vegetables and basil. Cover with marinade. Refrigerate at least 8 hours. Grill directly over medium coals until tender, about 5 minutes each side

(Serves 6)