Recipe: Mixed Grill of Garden Vegetables with Charmoula

the appetizer:

The Culinary Institute of America presents Vegetables, a comprehensive single-subject cookbook, with recipes like Lemon-Infused Greek Salad with Grape Leaves , Mixed Grill of Garden Vegetables with Charmoula, and Tomato Sampler with Pan-Fried Calamari.

Cookbook

Mixed Grill of Garden Vegetables
with Charmoula

Serves 6

Mixed Grill of Garden Vegetables with Charmoula

Charmoula is a fresh, pungent, pungent sauce made with fresh lemon juice, parsley, cilantro, paprika, cumin, and cayenne pepper, perfect for brightening and enhancing the rich, smoky taste of grill vegetables.

Charmoula

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tsp minced garlic
3/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper as needed

3 artichokes, cooked
1 zucchini, halved lengthwise
2 new potatoes
1 fennel bulbs, trimmed
12 baby carrots
12 asparagus stalks, trimmed
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tbsp minced garlic
Salt and pepper as needed
2 onions, sliced 1/2-inch-thick
18 mushroom caps, trimmed
2 red or yellow peppers, cored and cut into thirds

1. Combine the ingredients for the charmoula and set aside. (The charmoula is best when freshly prepared, but it can be made up to 8 hours in advance and held in a covered container in the refrigerator.)

2. Halve the artichokes and remove the chokes. Set aside. Score the zucchini with the tines of a fork. Set aside.

3. Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and let cool to the touch. Cut the potatoes in half. Set aside.

4. Blanch the fennel, carrots, and asparagus separately for 2 minutes, or until tender-crisp. Drain and let cool to the touch. Cut the fennel into quarters and core them. Set aside.

5. Combine the olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add all the vegetables, turn to coat, and let sit for 30 minutes.

6. Light a fire in a charcoal or gas grill. Grill the vegetables, adding them to the grill in the order given in the ingredients list. Grill the vegetables until they begin to take on color and are cooked through.

7. Arrange the grilled vegetables on a platter, drizzle them with the charmoula, and serve either hot or at room temperature.

Grilled Vegetables with a Parsley Salad

Dress 2 cups of curly parsley sprigs with a dressing made from 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan. Sprinkle the salad over the grilled vegetables instead of preparing the charmoula.

Greek Grilled Vegetables

Top the grilled vegetables with 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese and 3 tablespoons minced dill before seasoning with lemon juice, salt, and cracked pepper to taste.

Serve either hot or at room temperature.

from:
The Culinary Institute of America
Vegetables
Recipes and Techniques from the World's Premier Culinary College
by the Culinary Institute of America
Lebhar-Friedman, 2007
$40.00; hardcover
More than 100 color photographs
ISBN: 0-86730-918-0
Recipe reprinted by permission.