Summer begs for grilling. Many people think a grill is just for meat, but once you’ve had a little experience with grilling fresh produce, the grill will become your best friend in the hot summer months. There is something unique about cooking on a grill — it just makes the flavors of ingredients blend superbly well and brings out the best in vegetables.
In this recipe Veronica Bosgraaf, author of Pure Food, combined chimichurri—a green, herby sauce usually used to marinate meat—with a colorful array of vegetables. The hearty squash really takes on the chimichurri flavors. It’s the perfect summer grilling dish!
Ingredients:
Makes six 10-inch skewers
Chimichurri
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Skewers
- 12 large garlic cloves
- Olive oil, for drizzling
- 1 medium zucchini, sliced ½ inch thick
- 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
Directions:
1. For the chimichurri, in a large bowl, combine the parsley, basil, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
3. For the skewers, place the garlic cloves on a small baking sheet, drizzle with the olive oil, and toss well. Roast until lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of sauce. Add the zucchini, yellow squash, and bell pepper to the bowl and toss well. Thread the vegetables and garlic cloves onto skewers and set aside.
4. Preheat a grill pan over high heat or an outdoor grill to high. Grill the skewers until lightly brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Drizzle with any remaining sauce and serve hot.