With the fun addition of herb-infused oils, flavored vinegars, herbs and spices accenting our food, cooking has evolved incredibly over the last few years.
I love to use herb-infused oils to marinate all those fresh veggies before I grill them. Here is one of the tastiest and easiest preparations of vegetables you
will ever enjoy.
Gourmet Alaska Grilled Herb Vegetables
Serves 4
This is one of the tastiest and easiest preparations of vegetables you will ever enjoy. Cooking these vegetables requires the use of my favorite outdoor cooking
vessel, a grill pan with sloping sides and holes in it. You can find them locally for
about $13. Any combination of vegetables works. These are some of my favorites and what I usually have on hand. Don’t cut your pieces too small, or you will
end up with a big mess in your grill pan.
Ingredients
3 Alaska-grown carrots, peeled and cut 1/4-inch on the diagonal. You want to have a large cooking surface, so make your cuts long.
1 large sweet onion. Cut onion in half lengthwise, then cut the halves into 1/4-inch slices lengthwise, four cuts per half.
1 medium size zucchini, cut in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 1-inch chunks.
1 red or yellow pepper cut into 1-inch chunks
2 cups white mushrooms, cut in half if they are small, quarters if large
2 cloves garlic minced
1/3 cup olive oil
Fresh herbs
Sea salt, fresh ground pepper
Put all cut up veggies in large Ziploc bag. Add olive oil and your favorite herbs. Basil, oregano, thyme, parsley and rosemary are good. Use small amounts of each
herb to your preference. Rosemary is a strong herb, so use sparingly.
Sprinkle fresh ground sea salt and pepper into your bag.
Shake bag and let veggies marinate until you are ready to cook them.
Prepare your grill for cooking. Spray some Pam in your grill pan, toss your veggies in the pan, stirring occasionally, and cook until just done, about 10-15 minutes
depending on how hot your grill is. You can also roast your vegetables in a hot oven (400) on a cookie sheet for about the same time it takes to grill them. I prefer
the grill flavor.
Makes about 1 1/4 cups
Balsamic vinegar can vary greatly in strength and quality. This recipe was written using the less expensive vinegar. If you are planning on using a good quality aged
balsamic, you will want to reduce the quantity.
For basil oil, blend 1 cup olive oil in a food processor with 2 cups tightly packed fresh basil. Puree in processor. Strain through 4 layers of cheesecloth. Pour into
clean glass bottle. Keep in refrigerator up to one week.
Ingredients
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh, finely chopped garlic
2 teaspoons finely chopped shallots
1 cup basil olive oil
Whisk together vinegar, garlic, and shallots in a small bowl. Whisk in basil oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Keeps up to 4 days refrigerated in sealed container.
Grilled Halibut with Basil-Orange Marinade
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups fresh orange juice
1 bay leaf
8 whole black peppercorns
1/2 cup basil oil
2 pounds fresh halibut fillets, cut into 4 equal pieces
Sea salt, fresh ground pepper
Strain orange juice through a fine sieve into a non-reactive saucepan. Add bay leaf and peppercorns and bring to a boil. Simmer and reduce to 1/2 cup and let cool.
Remove and discard bay leaf and peppercorns. Slowly whisk in basil oil to form an emulsion.
Place halibut into Ziploc bag and pour half the marinade in. Refrigerate at least an hour.
To cook, prepare a grill to medium high heat.
Drain fish from marinade, and discard used marinade. Set fish on a plate and season with salt and pepper.
Place fish on well oiled grill grates and cook about 10 minutes per inch of thickness of fish. When fish is half cooked in about 5 minutes, turn fish over and
brush with some of the remaining marinade. Continue to cook until done and serve immediately with remaining marinade as sauce.
Serve this sauce with fresh cut vegetables, as a sauce gently warmed and drizzled on cooked vegetables, with cold cooked shrimp, grilled fish or just dip away
with a bag of your favorite thick, crunchy potato chips.
Green Herb Dipping Sauce
Makes about 4 cups
Ingredients
1/2 bunch of Italian parsley
1/2 bunch of fresh dill
1/2 bunch of watercress
3/4 cup drained, cooked fresh spinach, all liquid squeezed out
2 scallions (green onions) sliced thin
2 cups of good quality mayonnaise
1 cup dairy sour cream
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Sea salt, fresh ground pepper
In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, place parsley, dill and watercress. Chop fine and transfer to a medium size bowl.
Process spinach in the same way in food processor and add to herb mixture.
Combine herbs with scallions, mayonnaise, sour cream and lemon juice, folding together gently. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use.
This week I am out at HRM Sports fish camp with the “other fisherman” in my life. We will be enjoying the trip I won when I competed in the Fish Alaska
magazine recipe reader contest last summer. It is a dream vacation for an amateur chef and her husband who both love to fish. Three gourmet meals a day, guided
fishing on the Nushagak River until your arms ache from catching so many and a world away from my Homer life to relax and enjoy on the river. I will tell you all
about it in my next column. Until next time, have fun in the kitchen and savor these incredible Alaska summer days.
Cooking with fresh herbs and spices add flavor, depth and interest to meals. They allow us to explore our world by transporting us to exotic destinations easily.
A little kitchen magic can be performed by simply adding something a bit out of the ordinary, and that may be all it takes to enjoy that piece of freshly caught
fish like you never have before.
Bay Balsamic Basil Vinaigrette
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