Tonight’s meal was inspired by garden and farmers’ market finds, as well as two recipes from the November 2010 Cooking Light.
I had a small eggplant and tomatoes ready to harvest in my raised bed, and one of the vendors at the Saturday Greensboro Farmers’ Curb Market had beautiful kale. Cooking Light had two roasting recipes in their November issue, but I didn’t want to heat the kitchen on this warm, summer day, so I adapted the recipes for roasting on the grill. For all the veggies, I created foil packets, which I placed on a high-heat, gas grill.
Roasted Kale with Garlic (inspired by Nov. 2010 Cooking Light recipe, p. 162)
1 lb kale
3 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
To prepare the kale, remove the stems, rinse and drain. While you could cut the stem away, it’s just as easy to grasp the leaves close to the stem with one hand and pull the stem away with the other; this method has the benefit of pulling some of the stringy veins away from the leaves, as well.
Overlap two sheets of aluminum foil and pile the kale in the middle. Drizzle with the olive oil. Thinly slice the garlic and sprinkle it over the kale. Fold the aluminum foil over the kale and fold up the ends of the foil to form a pouch. Place on a high heat grill for 20-30 minutes, until kale is tender, but not limp.
[Note: The next time I fix this grill-roasted kale, I would be tempted to try grilling the kale in a vegetable basket for a few minutes before packaging it in the foil.]
Roasted Eggplant (Inspired by Nov. 2010 Cooking Light recipe, p. 258)
1 small eggplant
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/8 tsp salt Provencal
Leaving the stem end intact, make 1/4-inch slices down the length of the eggplant and fan the eggplant on a sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with dried basil. Fold the aluminum foil over the eggplant, folding the ends to form a pouch. Place on a high-heat grill for 15 minutes.
Remove the packet from the grill and open it, being mindful of the steam escaping the packet. Extend the fan of the eggplant and sprinkle with the salt Provencal. Refold the pouch and return to the grill for another 10-15 minutes.
[My eggplant lost its purple hue, but it was incredible tender.]
Roasted Tomatoes
Place the desired amount of tomatoes on a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle very lightly with salt Provencal. Fold aluminum foil into pouch and place on grill for ~20 minutes.
In addition to taking advantage of what was in season locally, roasting these veggies on the grill made for very easy clean-up. The recipes stay simple to take advantage of the rich flavors of the fresh produce.