Ask Professor Produce

Dear Professor, we like to do lots of grilling in the summer, kebabs, that kind of thing. Got any hot suggestions for cool new ways to eat grilled produce?

Ah yes, grilling. Since the dawn of time humans have been enjoying a good chunk of food cooked over the open flame. Here, in the 21st Century, we have the privilege, the responsibility, even, of continuing this impressive tradition in ways our early ancestors could never have comprehended, let alone imagined. Yes, truly, how lucky, how fortunate we are, to be living in this time of immense bounty and a proliferation of ideas, so that we can participate in this, humanity's glorious shared history and further the development of our species' relationship to food. Wait, what's that you say? Ahem. Oh you just wanted some ideas of good food to eat. Right, well, I can't help it if the professor part of my name just takes over sometimes.

Heading back on course then, here in Minnesota we live in a crazy climate, we all know that. Grilling is a novelty; sure, sure some of us think that because we occasionally light up the grill when it crests 40 in December that we're "hardcore," but when it comes to offering you advice, I want to talk about people who are out there grilling as a way of life—those in the sunny places where outdoor cooking is the norm and not the exception. And out there, there are three main ways people like to use produce when grilling—and they are: the Marinade, the Grilled Vegetable, and the Salsa. When used correctly and in the appropriate order, these methods will elevate your grilling experience immeasurably—you or your guests may wonder how this simple cooking method that the earliest of our ancestors discovered could produce something so elegant, refined, and nuanced, but you won't wonder for very long because if you're like me it's often hard to think when your mouth is full of delicious food.

Marinades are sauces that you use to soak food in before you grill it. Produce plays a key component in these because of one small word: flavor. Pungent and small things stack up big in the marinade department—so think lemon and lime juice, chilies, fresh herbs, garlic, and shallots. There are two marinades I use: one I learned in Kenya where grilling is the cooking method (much like the oven is around these parts). It is for making "nyama choma" which is Swahili for "roast meat." This is the kind of marinade that is by far greater than the sum of its parts. You won't believe how good this is:

You need:

• the juice of two-to-three limes
• one minced Serrano chili
• one garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/4 tsp each, turmeric and coriander

Soak any red meat of choice in this (goat is traditional, but beef and bison work well) for at least two hours, and up to one day, and then grill to desired doneness. This creates the salty, tangy, spicy treat lovingly known as Nyama Choma, one of the national dishes of Kenya, where, I repeat, people know how to grill.

Another easy marinade is to use a variety of fresh herbs, plenty of parsley, and enough olive oil to coat the meat or vegetables you're soaking (usually a 1/4 c per pound or so). If you put that on chicken and vegetable kebabs, and mix the grilled results with cooked couscous, you have the easiest dinner that everyone will love.

You know where else people love to grill? California. What are they about out in California? The healthiness factor. So California just keeps shocking the food loving world by grilling things you wouldn't have dreamt of before—the two words that have changed my entire paradigm of grilled vegetables are: Romaine Lettuce. If you are tired of "kebabs," rejoice in this new discovery with me. You can grill tender vegetables, with success.

To grill Romaine lettuce or any other tender green you should do it like this:

• one head of lettuce, washed and quartered with stem-end intact to keep leaves together
• olive oil for the grill
• salt and pepper
• Caesar dressing or balsamic vinegar

Fire up that grill and get it good and hot. Oil it down with tongs and a paper towel soaked in olive oil. Place the lettuce cut-side-down, and sear it on both cut sides for 2-5 minutes or until grill marks are present. The inner lettuce will remain watery and crunchy, and the outer leaves sport a smoky grilled juiciness.

You can actually grill any vegetable. Some of my other favorite unconventional grilled vegetables include: chopped cabbage, whole Japanese eggplants, sliced radishes, heirloom tomatoes (cut in half and grilled open sides up), radicchio, and baby Bok Choy (that bok choy, done in the fashion of the lettuce, is a killer companion to grilled fish and seafood).

And to top it all off, there is salsa. Salsa is the perfect fresh accompaniment to grilled foods that is used in all kinds of grill-friendly places (think Argentina, Brazil, Mexico). Classic tomato-based salsas are wonderful, but what about trying something new, like a fresh or grilled fruit salsa? Pineapple, peaches, mangoes, even apples become delicious on the grill; the sugar in the fruit caramelizes and the texture changes to create a dessert-worthy item, or the perfect sweet and sour topping for grilled meats, seafood, and tofu. You will probably need to use a tinfoil packet to contain the juices these fruits release, but on a very well oiled grill you can do some larger fruits like pineapple rings and mango halves directly on the grate.

Whether you are participating in the celebrated tradition of outdoor cooking for the first time or the hundredth, I challenge you to try something new this year—help us to expand the horizon of that infinite of human innovations— cooking. Because since the dawn of time, human beings just like you and me have been enjoying a good chunk of food, cooked well, over the open flame.