BBQ Season

The weather is finally warm enough to break out the BBQ. Last night, we had a family dinner at my mother's and the plan was to BBQ. While walking there, I could smell BBQ everywhere, and I was looking forward to the first batch of real grilled veggies and steak. Unfortunately the BBQ died over the winter and didn’t start. Three people tried to get it working and it was finished. We decided to use an indoor grill pan, sear the steaks and finish them in the oven, which is what I do all winter long for steak and veggies anyways. My mother has never used that technique before, and was not very excited about the prospect of 8 steaks going to waste. I promised her they would be good, and they were. I must admit that the smoke alarm did go off because a lot of smoke developed while they were in the oven, but we managed to save dinner.

Someone half joked that we should ask one of the neighbors to borrow theirs. The whole ordeal reminded me of those public BBQ’s in parks, large picnic areas and even some apartment buildings. For so many reasons those public BBQ’s gross me out, but there is an allergy concern as well. The cross contamination is very risky on any shared kitchen equipment. A BBQ is no exception.

I thought I’d share this recipe. During the summer I make these at least twice a week if not more. The leftovers find themselves in my salad the following day for lunch, or as a topping for pizza on pita.

My favorite grilled vegetables

1 red pepper cut in 4
1 yellow pepper cut in 4
1 zucchini cut on the diagonal
1 box Portabella mushroom slices (the large slices)
1 onion cut in 4 (make sure you keep the root intact otherwise it will fall into many pieces) note- after grilling cut the root off each piece
(you can also use eggplant, asparagus or any other vegetable of your choice)

Marinade:
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
1 Handful of chopped fresh oregano (or your favorite herb)
Salt/pepper

Combine all the vegetables in a large freezer bag, mix the marinade and pour into the bag. Let it sit for minimum 1 hour max 24.


:)

J.