What is Grilled Seasonal Vegetables?
Grilled seasonal vegetables may be cooked with any assortment of what veggies are in season, a summer example may include zucchini, bell peppers, and onions. The vegetables are seasoned with complementary spices and herbs and grilled until tender, gently charred, and soft. The flavors may range from sweet to vegetal and taste salty and savory.
Ingredients
Zucchini is a summer squash and vegetable that grows rapidly. They can reach over a foot in length and will have a lesser quality of flavor and texture the larger they are. Most grocery store zucchinis are less than a foot in length and a few inches in diameter. They have thin, dark green skins that are smooth and sometimes shiny. The inside of the zucchini has a dense, yet spongy texture when raw and a pale green, or cream color. Seeds grow down the center of the vegetable and are soft and edible. Cooked zucchini is soft and mild tasting with a sweet vegetal flavor.
Baby Bella Mushrooms, also called Cremini mushrooms, are immature portobello mushrooms. They are dark brown with a smooth, rounded cap. Their flavor is deep and earthy. They are tossed lightly with olive oil and grilled until tender and juicy. They can be served as appetizers or a side dish for a meat course, or with pasta or rice.
The bell pepper is a vegetable by culinary measures, but botanically it is a fruit. Bell peppers grow in warm to hot climates and are somewhat bell shaped, hence the name. They are large, with wide ridges and smooth, shiny, thin skin. The flesh of the bell pepper is thin, crunchy and a bit juicy. They four main colors of bell peppers are red, green, orange and yellow, some are purple. The flavor is sweet, vegetal and mild. The inside has seeds that should be remove before consuming the flesh of the pepper. These peppers are used in dishes, both raw and cooked.
The red onion is a type of onion and a bulb vegetable, meaning its bulb and not its leaves are eaten. Onions come in many varieties, including white, yellow and red. The onion is usually round and has a thin dry skin around its juicy layers. The skin is a purple/red tone as is the flesh. The body of the onion is made of multiple round layers, that get smaller towards the center. The flavor of onions are sharp and sweet when raw, with an astringent taste. When cooked, these flavors mellow and the sweetness emerges. Onion are a very common flavoring and ingredient for many savory dishes.
Olive oil is extracted from the fresh olive, which grows on a tree. Many olives are needed in the extraction of the oil. This is done by a mechanical process and sometimes by a chemical process, though the mechanical method is highly preferred. Olive oil is a golden color and changes slightly due to whether it is extra virgin, or first cold pressed. The flavor of olive oil depends on how it was processed. Lower quality oils will taste mild, while high quality olive oils will have a robust flavor that is green, or may have a spicy quality. Extra virgin and first cold pressed or preferred. Olive oil lends a depth of flavor to any savory dish.
Lemon juice is made from the flesh of the pulpy yellow lemon fruit. The juice is squeezed from the flesh of the lemon and is a pale yellow color. The flavor is very sour and bright. Lemon juice is used in multiple cuisines around the world to brighten and enhance the flavors of the other ingredients. Lemon juice is used to make lemonade and goes well on fish. It has many uses.
True balsamic vinegar is a non-alcoholic vinegar made from cooked grapes. It has a rich, dark red/brown color and a flavor that is tart, fruity and strong. True balsamic vinegar is slightly thick, though many balsamic vinegar brands are thin and paler in color and made from wine vinegar rather than traditional methods. Balsamic pairs well with many foods from salad dressings, to fish, meat vegetables and even dessert.
Garlic is used in cuisines around the world and is extremely popular for its depth of flavor. The garlic bulb forms underneath the soil and is harvested once it reaches maturity. The bulb typically has thin, dry, white and flaky skin, surrounding the individual cloves. Often there are 10-12 cloves to a bulb/head of garlic. The cloves are cream colored with a strong smell and flavor that is spicy and sharp. Garlic takes on a nutty flavor in addition, when cooked. It is used in countless dishes, sauces, breads and more.
Italian seasoning is an herb blend used in many Italian or Italian-American dishes. The flavors lend themselves well to the hearty and often rich flavors of Italy. This blend is composed of dried and ground herbs, including oregano, marjoram, thyme, basil and rosemary. These flavors create a sweat and spiced blend of peppery and and mildly sharp tastes. The spice is a mix of muted green colors.
Red chili flakes are usually made from cayenne peppers that have been dried and ground into small red flakes. The seeds are included and add much heat. The flavor is spicy and can be used as a topping for savory dishes such as pizza, meats and veggies.
Salt is a mineral composed mostly of sodium chloride. It is the main flavoring used in food and is naturally occurring in certain foods, such as cheese, beets, meat and celery, plus many others. Salt is white and has finer granules than sugar. Many commercial salts include iodide, while others exclude it. Most salts are white, while some are naturally pale pink with minerals. Salt brings out the flavor of something and can create a tangy mouthfeel, if used in excess.
