Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Grilling lettuce and other veggies
There was a whole lot of grilling going on in my neighborhood over the holiday weekend! My suspicion is that it was mostly meat, however, grilling your vegetables is mighty tasty. Including lettuce! Grilled Romaine lettuce in particular. The author of “Grill Your Veggies”, Elizabeth Millard, says that the crisp leaves and sturdy stalk of romaine make it perfect for the grill.
For June, she grills radishes, asparagus and green onion. Peppers and carrots will also be delish coming up later in July.
Her tips include:
- Cutting the pieces into similar sizes so they cook more evenly. You want to grill the largest amount of surface so cut the pieces to allow for that.
- Slice them at a diagonal.
- Invest in steel kabob skewers. While you can certainly grill veggies in foil, Elizabeth says you lose some flavor that way.
- Toss your vegetables in oil before grilling. A little goes a long way. Too much and you’ll cause fire flare-ups.
- Lightly season after lightly oiling. Here you can play with your own tastes.
- As for the romaine lettuce, wash the bunch and dry thoroughly.
- Leave the leaves attached to the base, this holds the lettuce together on the grill. Cut the romaine in half or in quarters.
- When oiling, you can rub the oil into the leaves to help char them more evenly.
- Season to taste and throw it on a pre-heated medium heat grill. Then stay there, lettuce grills up fast. About a minute per side.
Grilled butter lettuce with buttermilk-chive dressing
Grilled lettuce with creme fraiche
There are TONS of sites that offer information on how to grill various veggies.