Matters of Taste

By Dorothy Hartz

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Grilled veggies

When royal watchers in England announced last week that a détente between Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles’ paramour, Camilla Parker Bowls, had occurred at a barbecue, of all places, I amused myself by picturing it. Was Charles wielding a spatula while wearing an apron imprinted with “Grillmeister” or “Who invited all these tacky people?” Did the Queen Mum give a ceremonial turn of the spit? Did a white-gloved Liz chow down on ribs and Camilla’s potato salad? Such a spectacle should help to remind us that open air cooking is characteristically American, having been perfected by the Indians long before English, Dutch and Spanish explorers caught their first whiff of roasting venison or corn.

With that inspiration, and with Fathers’ Day weekend upon us, it’s prime time to dust off the grill if you haven’t already done so. Since almost everyone’s father already has THE best technique and recipes for steak/chicken/pork, I’m passing on some dishes adapted from “Gourmet” to complement them, or to stand alone as a vegetarian cookout.

Hint: Experiment with different smoky flavors by placing wet bundles of fresh herbs or citrus peels directly over the coals right before grilling.

Grilled sweet potatoes

2-1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp ground Cumin
1 scallion
2 tsps lime juice

fresh coriander leaves

1. Parboil whole potatoes until soft enough to slice easily. (15-30 minutes)

2. Drain, rinse to cool and peel potatoes. Cut into ½-inch slices. Crosswise slices look like potato salad; lengthwise make a more substantial presentation.

3. Whisk oil, salt and cumin. Brush onto both sides of potatoes, reserving remaining oil.

4. Grill slices on an oiled rack set five to six inches over coals until brown, about one minute per side. Transfer to platter and sprinkle with diagonally-sliced scallion. Whisk lime juice into remaining oil and drizzle over potatoes. Garnish with lime wedges and coriander leaves. Serves 6.

Grilled endive with orange vinaigrette

Amounts listed are for one serving. Multiply as desired.

1 tbsp fresh orange juice (retain whole orange)
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 Belgian endive

1. Remove an inch of zest from orange with a vegetable peeler and slice into very thin strips.

2. Whisk together zest, orange juice, vinegar and oil with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Halve endive lengthwise without separating into leaves. Brush all over with additional olive oil. Season to taste and grill, cut side down on a rack set five to six inches over coals for six minutes. Turn and grill other side for six minutes. Drizzle with vinaigrette and serve.

Grilled scallions

Perplexed by recipes that call for one scallion, as above? Here’s something to do with the rest of the bunch. Plan to use one bunch per person for a serious portion, less for a side dish.

Trim scallions, leaving six to eight inches of green. Rinse and dry. Place scallions in a sealable plastic bag or large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and coarse salt. Mix to coat. Grill on a rack set five to six inches over coals for five to seven minutes or until softened and slightly charred. Turn three to four times with tongs. Transfer to platter and serve with lime juice, soy sauce or balsamic vinegar, depending on the rest of the menu.

Eat well.