GARDEN GRILLS
EMMA GALLOWAY BECOMES THE CHAMPION OF SUMMER VEGETABLES ON THE GRILL.
I HAVE TO BE COMPLETELY HONEST with you, as a life-long vegetarian barbecues have always freaked me out. Back when I was growing up, barbecues were the domain of meat-lovers; so they were either off limits to us, or on the odd occasion when we took vegetable sausages along , my siblings and I would look on in horror as our dinner was cooked alongside regular sausages, rolling around in their fat. It took me a while to let go of these memories of childhood trauma but once I realised that barbecuing is really just a supercharged way to inject flavour into food – and that goes for veges just as much as meat – I’ve come to recognise that far from being something to be endured or declined, the barbecue has a lot to offer vegetarians and vegans. I often roast vegetables to intensify their flavour and when you barbecue them it’s just the same, but turned up another notch. Baby carrots are one of my favourite vegetables to BBQ, taking them right to the edge of burnt-ness gives the tastiest results. Eggplant features a couple of times, as it always fares well with fire. Tossed with slippery noodles, grilled green beans and a flavour-packed dressing, this will become a summer favourite, I’m sure. Or try it grilled, then doused in salsa verde for a vegetarian burger to die for. Did I mention smoky potatoes served with preserved lemon aioli? Yeah, they’re here too. There’s also a lovely little charred and marinated capsicum dish, topped with mustard crumbs. Go forth and barbecue, friends.