Grilled salad

Summer = BBQ

The BBQ giveth flavour and depth to (everthing, including) boring vegetables.

I have been surprised to learn how true this indeed is. For years, I have made a standard delicious grilled salad that I learned from my Uncle Michal. It made enough of an impression that the newly minted Dr. Sue requested it for her graduation party. I was happy to be asked and happy to oblige. I love making this salad for parties because its always a sure hit.

Uncle Michal's grilled salad

2 zucchini

1 large eggplant

1/2 large red onion

6-8 medium tasty tomatos (the 'on-the-vine') variety are good in the off season:

yellow and orange tomatos add a splash of colour that makes the salad even prettier

Dressed with:

lots of fresh basil, chopped coarsely

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup good olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Use some of the olive oil to coat the zucchinis and eggplant and grill them whole on a hot BBQ (400-500F) until blackened (20-25 minutes, usually) . The eggplant should be super squishy. Err on the side of black, that's the flavour source. Meanwhile, cube the tomatos and thinly slice the onions. Throw these into a large salad bowl.

Once they are blackened, chop the zucchinis and eggplant (bite size cubes are great). I don't wait and I chop them hot, but I also always burn my fingers in the process. If you have the time/patience, let them cool first. Even if they are piping hot, they will cool once they are chopped and you end up with a warm salad, which I am happy with. It is just as tasty when its cool. Your choice. Throw them into the salad bowl with the tomatos.

Add the basil, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper straight into the bowl and mix with a large spoon. It'll be mushy, but that's a good thing. The colour looks amazing; especially if you can get yellow and orange tomatos to throw into the mix. Lots of fresh basil really makes this salad, so add more if you're not sure.

The delightful lesson I learned this weekend is that this salad is easily adapted to whatever you have in the fridge. I was invited to a BBQ and didn't have time to prepare. I would normally not fret over something like this, but we were heading to meet new people and I didn't want to come empty-handed and empty-stomached. So, I took a chance. I grabbed:

Grilled Red Pepper and Zucchini salad

cremini mushrooms (sliced prettily, served raw)

zucchini (stolen...er...borrowed from my housemate)

1 red pepper

1 white onion

Grill all, get some blackening happening.

same dressing ingredients as above: fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper.

I grilled the pepper and zucchinis. I figured roasted red peppers are good in the jar, so they must be good in a salad. Was I ever right! The taste brought out by the BBQ complex and earthy and almost meaty. Super super nice. I grilled the onion too...it certainly was rendered more edible than the raw red onions I've used before.

I left the mushrooms raw, which I was glad for. Cremini mushrooms have a delicious flavour when raw and they are great in salads otherwise. Besides, I didn't need them to be soggy. This salad needs something raw to add to the texture. They absorb the dressing really well too.

Again, delicious salad! I had to snap this photograph quickly before it all disappeared.

I have made Uncle Michal's salad twice this week and I made the Modified Red Pepper and Zucchini last night. I really don't know which I love better, but I will certainly make them both again and again. Especially to impress friends at parties ;)