Flip for grilled sides
One of the great delights of cooking at this time of year is local markets are beginning to overflow with seasonal summer produce, from bright beans and colorful summer squash to juicy berries and the promise of sweeter tomatoes, says Jack Bishop, chief creative officer at America’s Test Kitchen.
“It’s time to start thinking about what’s growing around the corner,” he said. “Now that the weather is getting warmer, this is a great opportunity to highlight something you get from a local farm.”
“The Side Dish Bible: 1001 Perfect Recipes for Every Vegetable, Rice, Grain, and Bean Dish You’ll Ever Need” (America’s Test Kitchen; $35) can help.
The cookbook devotes an entire chapter to vegetable grilling, from simple husk-grilled corn to grilled proscuitto-wrapped asparagus with make-ahead savory butters (hello, rosemary pepper butter).
A showstopper, Backyard Barbecue Beans, scratches the continuing itch for comfort foods, an outgrowth of the pandemic.
“One of the things we’re seeing at America’s Test Kitchen is people leaning in to family favorites,” he said. “There’s a certain comfort in familiar things.”
Talk about clever.
This recipe starts with canned beans — baked, pinto and cannellini — and their juices, which helps the dish retain a hearty, viscous quality.
Bacon, browned bratwurst and an easy pantry sauce made with cider vinegar, granulated garlic, cayenne and liquid smoke yield offthe-grill flavors even though the dish is baked in the oven.
Looking for a salad side dish?
The options are endless, from spinach studded with berries to slivered celery and fennel topped with pecorino. If you want to try grilling your salads, look no further than “Martha Stewart’s Grilling: 125+ Recipes for Gatherings Large and Small” (Clarkson Potter; $26).
The cookbook offers two, both vegan and hearty enough to double as a meatless meal.
Grilled ratatouille and bulgur salad brings together the components of the quintessential Provençal vegetable dish on the grill, giving them a smoky undertone and caramelization that beats the watery version made on the stove.
Meanwhile, for grilled romaine and radicchio with polenta croutons, you can use a log of prepared polenta to make your croutons, which give the salad substance.
While the halved or quartered lettuce heads can stand up to high heat, they only need about one minute on the grill, cut-side down.
Finish with a simple shallot, mustard and red wine vinaigrette.