ROAST/GRILL ASPARAGUS |
Trim the asparagus as you would normally. Lightly oil with olive oil or Pam® spray and season with salt and pepper.
| Grill, turning now and then until you get grill marks, or roast in the oven at 400ºF for 10 - 15 minutes. The time depends greatly on the freshness of the asparagus. I like a little snap left in mine! |
ROAST/GRILL BEETS |
Peel beets and cut into rounds or wedges ½ inch in thickness. Lightly oil with olive oil or Pam® spray and season with salt and pepper.
| Grill on each side for 5-7 minutes or Roast in the oven at 400ºF for 30 minutes. |
ROAST/GRILL BELL PEPPERS |
Dry bell peppers and spray lightly with cooking spray |
Place pepper on a very hot grill and grill all sides until they are charred and blackened. Or place in a 400º F oven until outside is blackened. Carefull remove from the grill or oven and let cool. Remove the charred skin and the internal seeds and membrane. Use or preserve-**See Cooks Notes |
ROAST/GRILL BROCCOLI |
Cut the broccoli into large flowerettes and lightly oil with olive oil or vegetable spray and season with salt and pepper |
Place on a hot grill until the broccoli shows good grill marks, or place in a 400º F oven and roast for 30 minutes or until beginning to brown. |
ROAST/GRILL BRUSSEL SPROUTS |
Cut the brussel sprouts in half lengthwise, spray with vegetable oil, season with salt and pepper |
Place the brussel sprouts on a hot grill until there are good grill marks. Turn over once. Or, place in a 400º F oven until just beginning to brown a bit. |
ROAST/GRILL CAULIFLOWER |
Cut the Cauliflower into large flowerettes and lightly oil with olive oil or vegetable spray and season with salt and pepper |
Place on a hot grill until the cauliflower shows good grill marks, or place in a 400º F oven and roast for 30 minutes or until beginning to brown. |
ROAST/GRILL CORN ONTHE COB |
Shuck corn and remove the husk and silk. Spray lightly with Pam®. |
Place on a hot grill and turn occasionally until almost half the kernels have turned brown. Let cool and with a sharp knive, cut the kernels from the cob or just eat them from the cob with butter, salt and pepper. You can also roast them in the oven at 400ºF |
ROAST/GRILL EGGPLANT |
Trim the bottom and the stem side and cut the "round" eggplant into ½ inch round slices. If they are long eggplant, cut in ½ inch lengthwise slices. Spray well with oil and season with salt and pepper. |
Cook on a hot grill until you have very definite grill marks. You can also roast in the oven a 400º F until browning occurs. If oven roasting, remember that eggplant need a lot of oil, so add a bit more than usual. |
ROAST/GRILL WHOLE GARLIC |
Remove excess paper from a whole head of garlic. With a sharp knife, cut the stalk side of the garlic head just until you see the fresh garlic cloves inside. Cut a piece of aluminum foil 12 inches X 12inches and place the head of garlic in the center. Gently pour olive oil into the cut top so that it oils the inside of the head of garlic. Crush a good pinch of dry oregano on top of the oil. Fold up the corners of the foil and completely encase the garlic. |
Place the foil with the garlic inside into an ovenproof bowl or pan and roast in a 425ºF oven for 45 minutes. Let cool and open packet and squeeze out the roasted garlic from the cloves. |
ROAST/GRILL GREEN BEANS |
Prepare the green beans as you normally would, and then spray them with some oil and season with salt and pepper. |
Place the green beans on the grill crossways so they won't fall thru the grates, or use a mesh grilling pan. Grill until they have nice grill marks. Remove and serve. |
ROAST/GRILL JALAPEÑO PEPPERS |
Spray the peppers with vegetable spray. |
Place on a hot grill until they are charred or blackened. Remove and cool, then remove the charred skin and seeds. You can also place them in a 400ºF oven and roast them there. These are small peppers compared to a bell pepper, so keep your eye on them or you might end up with burnt peppers. |
ROAST/GRILL ONIONS |
Peel and slice the onions in ½ inch thick rounds. Brush with olive oil or spray with vegetable spray. |
Carefully place on the grill without breaking up the rounds and grill until you get good grill marks and the onions get translucent. You can also roast in the oven at 400ºF until they get translucent and begin to brown. |
ROAST/GRILL PARSNIPS |
Wash parsnips and peel or don't peel, your choice. Cut off tops. If the parsnips large, cut them in half lenghwise, Spray with vegetable spray |
Place the parsnips on the grill turning over once . Make sure you have good grill marks and the parsnips are soft. For the oven, 400ºF until they begin to soften and brown a bit. |
ROAST/GRILL POTATOES |
Slice the potato into ½ inch thick rounds or lengths. Coat liberally with olive oil or vegetable spray. |
Place on the grill, turning once until you have nice grill marks on both sides. Check with a fork to see if the potato is fork tender. For oven roasting, preheat oven to 400ºF place on a sheet pan and roast until potatoes are fork tender. |
ROAST/GRILL ROMAINE LETTUCE |
Wash romaine, towel dry, cut whole head in half lengthwise and brush both sides with olive oil. |
Place on the grill and get visible grill marks. Turn over and get marks on the other side. The roasting adds a whole new dimension to a Caesar Salad. NOTE: Oven roasting is not recommended. |
ROAST/GRILL SNAP PEAS |
Wash, dry, spray with vegetable spray |
Place on the grill so they won't fall thru the grates, or use a basket pan. Grill until you see grill marks. NOTE: Oven roasting not reccomended. |
ROAST/GRILL SNOW PEAS |
Wash, dry, spray with vegetable spray |
Place on the grill so they won't fall thru the grates, or use a basket pan. Grill until you see grill marks. NOTE: Oven roasting not reccomended. |
ROAST/GRILL SUMMER SQUASH |
Slice squash into ½ inch thick lengths or rounds. Coat liberally with olive oil or vegetable spray. |
Place on the grill, turning once until you have nice grill marks on both sides. For oven roasting, preheat oven to 400ºF place on a sheet pan and roast until edges begin to turn brown. |
ROAST/YAMS |
Wash yams and peel or not peel, your choice. Slice the yams into ½ inch rounds or longitudinal slices. Spray liberally with vegetable spray. |
Place on the grill, turning once until the yams become soft and have good grill marks. For the oven, 400ºF on a sheet pan until they feel soft, or fork tender. |
ROAST/GRILL ZUCCHINI |
Slice zucchini into ½ inch thick lengths. Coat liberally with olive oil or vegetable spray. |
Place on the grill, turning once until you have nice grill marks on both sides. For oven roasting, preheat oven to 400ºF place on a sheet pan and roast until edges begin to turn brown. |
COOK'S NOTE |
**Roasted peppers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks after roasting. |
Mix ½ cup of olive oil with ¼ cup of wine vingar and pour over roasted peppers until they are just covered. Place in a covered tupperware type container and place in the refrigerator.
WARNING:If you see any sign of mold, TOSS! |
GRILLING AND/OR ROASTING FRUITS
Fruit is more often grilled than oven roasted. Grilling brings out the caramelization of the sugars in the fruit and it does not take very long to grill fruit to perfection. Most food that are meant to eat without cooking need only be on the grill long enough to get good grill marks. By the time you see grill marks, the fruit is done grilling and ready for enjoying. **(1)See Cook's Notes.
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ROAST/GRILL APPLES |
Core the apple and slice into ½ inch rounds. Spray with Pam® spray.
| Place on the grill. When you see grill marks, turn the slices over. Grill marks on that side means the apples are done. |
ROAST/GRILL APRICOTS |
Halve the apricots and remove the pits. Lightly oil with olive oil or Pam® spray.
| Grill on each side for 3-4 minutes or Roast in the oven at 400ºF for 15-20 minutes. |
ROAST/GRILL BANANAS |
Peel the banana. Cut the banana lengthwise or leave whole. Brush with clarified butter. |
Place on a hot grill and get good dark brown grill marks on both sides, or roast in the oven or under the broiler until they turn a light golden brown. |
ROAST/GRILL CANTALOPE |
Cut the cantalope into 1 inch wedges and remove the skin. Spray with cooking spray. |
Place cantalope wedges on a hot grill until you see good grill marks. Oven roasting leaves a little to be desired. |
ROAST/GRILL FIGS |
Cut the figs in half lengthwise, spray with vegetable oil. |
Place the figs on a hot grill until there are good grill marks. Turn over once. Oven roasting is not all that desireable. |
ROAST/GRILL GRAPES |
Leave the grapes in small bunches so they will stay on the grill. Spray with cooking spray. |
Place on a hot grill until the grapes show good grill marks. Oven roasting is not recommended. Grilled grapes are an excellent sweet garnish to a salad. |
ROAST/GRILL LEMONS |
Slice the lemon into ¼ inch rounds, peel on. |
Place on a hot grill and turn occasionally until you see good grill marks. Oven roasting is not reccomended. Great for use as a garnish. |
ROAST/GRILL MANGOES |
Peel the Mango and slice the meat away from the large flat seed. You will have two large flat slices that are ready to grill. Any excess mango you can salvage from the seed can be used raw. |
Place the mango slices on a hot grill and grill each side until there are noticeable grill marks. Oven roasting is not nearly as spectacular. |
ROAST/GRILL NECTARINES |
Cut the nectarine in half and carefully remove the pit (not usually a freestone pit). |
Place the nectarine halves on the grill and grill until definite grill marks are visible. Oven roasting will work, but not nearly as rewarding. |
ROAST/TOAST NUTS (OVEN METHOD) |
Make sure nuts are shelled and of uniform size. |
■ Spread nuts in a single layer on a baking pan (one with walls is best) for toasting in the oven. Cook at 400°F for 7 to 10 minutes or until the nuts start to turn golden. Shake the pan halfway through toasting.
■ Remove them from the cooking pan as soon as they're done.
■ Toasted nuts have a deeper, more concentrated flavor than raw nuts
■ Nuts have high concentrations of natural oil, so it is not necessary to add oil when toasting nuts. |
ROAST/TOAST NUTS (SKILLET METHOD) |
Make sure nuts are shelled and of uniform size. |
■ Place nuts in a single layer for toasting in a skillet. With the skillet over medium-high heat, stir or shake the nuts continually for 5 to 7 minutes or until they start to turn golden.
■ Remove them from the cooking pan as soon as they're done.
■ Toasted nuts have a deeper, more concentrated flavor than raw nuts
■ Nuts have high concentrations of natural oil, so it is not necessary to add oil when toasting nuts.
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ROAST/GRILL ORANGES |
Slice the ends off either end of the orange and then slice into ½ inch rounds. |
Place the orange slices on a hot grill and get grill marks on both sides. A tasty garnish for a salad, Asian dish or a seafood brunch or dinner. |
ROAST/GRILL PAPAYAS |
Depending on the size of the papaya, small Hawaiian or large Mexican, Cut the fruit into ½ inch thick strips, remove the seeds and skin. |
Place on a hot grill until they have good strong grill marks. Here they can be cubed for a salad or accompaniment for Ahi, salmon, or albacore tuna. |
ROAST/GRILL PEACHES |
Wash the fuzz off the peach, cut in half lengthwise and remove the hopefully freestone pit. |
Place on a hot grill and grill until you have good strong grill marks. Oven roasting is just so-so. Grilled peaches will accompany almost any dish from steaks and chops to soups, salads and everything in between. |
ROAST/GRILL PEARS |
Cut the pears in half and remove the core and seeds |
Put the pears on a hot grill until you have well defined grill marks. Oven roasting is a poor second. Grilled pears are very delicate in taste and will pair well with Pasta, seafood and in salads. |
ROAST/GRILL PINEAPPLE |
Remove the outer surface of the pineapple until all the scales have been removed. Cut in half lengthwise or use a pineapple corer. This will determine whether you will have spears or rounds. Either way they should be about ¾ inch thick. |
Place the pineapple pieces on the grill and wait for the grill marks, turning once. Oven roasting is OK, but grilling is where it's at. Pineapple like peaches go well with about anything. Grilled pineapple add wonders to a salad. |
ROAST/GRILL PLANTAINS |
Peel the plantain and cut in half lengthwise. Brush on oil or use cooking spray to the halves. |
Place on the grill and get visible grill marks. You will want to test the plantains to be sure they are fork tender before removing from the grill. They may darken quite a bit, but that's OK as they will get sweeter and less starchy. Again, oven roasting is OK, but the grill is where they should be cooking |
ROAST/GRILL PLUMS |
Cut the plums in half lengthwise and remove the pit. |
Place plum halves on the grill and grill until you see grill marks, turning once. Grilled plums are an excellent side for meat and poultry dishes. Here again, oven roasting is OK, but grilling is stillthe best. |
ROAST/GRILL TOMATOES |
Wash, dry, spray with vegetable spray or olive oil. Large tomatoes should be cut into halves or ¾ inch rounds. |
Place on the grill so they won't fall thru the grates, or use a basket pan. Grill until you see grill marks. Some charred skin is a plus so don't let that worry you. NOTE: grilling and oven roasting will sweeten tomatoes a lot, so remember that if you want a tomato sauce that is not very sweet. |
COOK'S NOTE |
**(1) Remember that hot sugar will burn you, so let the fruit cool a bit before putting it in your mouth. |
If you are into making Jams, Jellies, or fruit preserves, try grilling them first. Instead of starting with fruit, start with grilled fruit. No one is going to make a jam or jelly that tastes as good as yours.
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