Barbecues needn't be meatfests. Cook up a storm with some Mediterranean vegetables, write Hugo Arnold.
As the weather improves, and aprons find themselves strapped to those generally unaccustomed to cooking, you could be forgiven for thinking that man was born to barbecue. Step forward the steak-eating alpha male; he for whom no steak is worth eating unless it is crusted on the outside and blue within.
Inevitably, what is put on the grill is meat, in one form or another. Steak is at the top of the list, followed by burgers, sausages and chicken. I am all for eating meat, but there are strong arguments for using vegetables, too. Consider aubergine steaks, all meaty in attitude but smooth and silky, or charred peppers, their sweetness enhanced by the intense heat of the grill. Courgettes - vegetables that are often watery - turn into something with attitude over the hot coals of a barbecue.
On the whole, it is summer vegetables from the south of Europe that barbecue the best; a pile heaped on a large plate make for very satisfactory eating. Yogurt laced with garlic and mint is a good accompaniment, as is hummus, heady with coriander, perhaps. Both mix with the juices from the vegetables to provide a sauce.
A brochette, or skewer, is often made with both meat and vegetables, but a vegetable-only version makes a change. Rice or couscous provide good texture when served alongside, but there is also a need to provide some moisture.
To this end I made a fresh tomato salsa the other night, pepping it all up with a good dusting of hot paprika, to give edge to what started as a simple midweek supper. On another occasion I used a good jar of tomato relish, a store-cupboard item discovered in the nick of time.
I am all for slicing vegetables for grilling, yet many of these vegetables are also glorious when left in one piece. The flesh of an aubergine roasted whole - don't forget to stab the skin in a few places, to stop it exploding, and, while you're at it, insert some slivers of garlic - can then be blended with tahini to produce a smoky, meaty-tasting puree to be scooped up with flatbread.
Grilled courgettes will eventually collapse to make a fine, if messy, dish. Red peppers can be torn into strips, to make a salad, or left whole and loosely stuffed with mozzarella and anchovies to make peppers Piedmontese.
Recipes serve 4
GRILLED COURGETTES AND AUBERGINES WITH RICOTTA AND CHERRY TOMATO SALSA
2 aubergines, trimmed and cut into 1cm discs
4 courgettes, trimmed and cut on the diagonal into 2cm slices
olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
1 punnet cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
½ tsp hot paprika
½ tsp cumin seeds, lightly toasted in a hot, dry pan
½ tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp mustard
small bunch parsley, finely chopped
small bunch basil, roughly chopped
250g ricotta
Scatter rough sea salt over the aubergine slices, pile them on top of one another and set aside. This helps to wilt the flesh slightly before cooking.
Brush the courgette with a little oil and grill on both sides until lightly charred. Put the slices in a bowl covered with cling film.
Wash the salt off the aubergine, then dry the slices and brush with olive oil. Grill until lightly charred on both sides and add to the courgettes. Season the contents of the bowl with salt and pepper and toss with three tablespoons of olive oil and the garlic. Transfer to a shallow plate.
Combine the cherry tomatoes, paprika, cumin, mustard seed and mustard in a bowl with two tablespoons of olive oil and the parsley and basil. Stir to combine. Crumble the ricotta over the grilled vegetables. Spoon the tomato salsa over the top and serve.
BLISTERED PEPPERS WITH MOZZARELLA AND ANCHOVY
4 red peppers
olive oil
4 handfuls rocket
2 balls of mozzarella
8 anchovy fillets (a good brand to look out for is Ortiz)
1 lemon
Place the peppers on or under the grill until they're well charred on all sides. This can be quite a challenge if you have not done it before; the skin should be really black. Transfer them to a bowl, cover with cling film and leave to steam for 10 minutes. Peel and deseed the peppers, then tear them into strips. Combine the peppers and the collected juices with two tablespoons of olive oil and the rocket. Season with salt and pepper. Tear the mozzarella roughly and arrange over the peppers and rocket. Lay the anchovy fillets on top and serve with lemon wedges.
An alternative method with the same ingredients is to grill the peppers as halves, seasoned with salt and pepper, skin side towards the heat. Put a mozzarella half inside each pepper, criss-cross the anchovies over the top and replace near the heat, to warm through slightly. Serve with a slick of olive oil and the rocket.
SPICED VEGETABLE KEBABS WITH TABBOULEH AND RAITA
2 red onions
2 courgettes
1 small aubergine
2 red peppers
½ tsp hot paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
pinch chilli flakes
olive oil
100g bulgar
juice of two lemons
2 large bunches flat-leaf parsley
2 large bunches mint
4 tomatoes, deseeded and diced
½ cucumber, deseeded and roughly chopped
250ml full-fat Greek yogurt
1 garlic clove, peeled and mashed with a little salt
½ cucumber, finely sliced
bunch coriander, roughly chopped
Roughly chop the vegetables and thread on to skewers. Combine the paprika, cumin and chilli with three tablespoons of olive oil and brush this on to the vegetables.
For the tabbouleh, pour boiling water over the bulgar, then simmer for five minutes. Drain and rinse in plenty of cold water, then squeeze out as much of the water as possible. Add the juice of the lemons, season with salt and pepper and set aside for five minutes. Add four tablespoons of olive oil. Finely chop the herbs and add to the bulgar with the tomatoes and chopped cucumber. Just before serving check the seasoning; you may need more lemon juice.
For the raita, combine the yogurt, garlic, sliced cucumber and coriander and mix well.
Season the skewers with salt and pepper and grill until the vegetables are lightly charred. Serve with the tabbouleh and raita.