Grilled Salads? Yes!

By Wendy Gordon

You needn't restrict barbecue grilling to protein. Almost any kind of food sturdy enough to stand up to the grilling process benefits from the sweet smoky flavor that results. These recipes showcase grilling three different categories of food: vegetables, fruits, and bread. A good grill rack lets heat through but keeps food from falling into the fire.

Midsummer Night's Green Bean Salad

You can substitute other vegetables, but I found this combination works well. Flat pole beans (which grow to Jack and the Beanstalk proportions in my garden) grill the best.

• One-and-a-half pounds fresh beans
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1 jar marinated artichoke hearts
• One-third cup olive oil
• Juice of one lemon
• 2 T white wine vinegar
• 1 T fresh tarragon, minced
• 3 T Parmesan cheese, grated
• Dash of granulated sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Grill vegetables until tender and slightly blackened, using a grill rack. You may wish to brush the veggies with a small amount of olive oil. Cut into bite size pieces. Combine in a bowl with artichoke hearts.

Whisk together the rest of the ingredients to make dressing. Toss with vegetable mixture. This salad tastes best at room temperature.

Cuban Bread Salad

This is a sultry take on the popular Southern Italian bread salad.

• One-half cup orange juice
• 3 T shallots, minced
• 4 T fresh lime juice
• One-half tsp ground cumin
• One-half cup extra virgin olive oil plus 1 T olive oil
• 2 fresh jalapeño chilies, minced (leave the seeds in if you want it super-hot)
• 12 oz tomatillos
• Approximately 6 oz crusty artisan bread
• 8 oz arugula or other spicy greens
• One-half cup manchego cheese, grated
• Salt and pepper to taste

Boil orange juice until reduced by half. Let cool, then add lime juice, shallots, cumin, and olive oil. Whisk until emulsified (an immersion blender works well for this purpose). Stir in chilies. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Remove husks from tomatillos and cut into quarters. Slice bread into one-inch slices. Brush with 1 T olive oil. Grill both items on high heat until browned on all sides (the tomatillos will take longer than the bread). Let cool, then cut bread into one inch cubes.

In a large bowl, combine bread, tomatillos, arugula, and dressing. Top with grated cheese.

Grilled Pepper and Cherry Salad

This is great for that month or so in midsummer when cherries are abundant!

• One-third cup balsamic vinegar
• 3 T olive oil
• Additional olive oil for basting
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 T fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tsp sea salt
• Dash black pepper
• 2 cups sweet cherries, pitted
• 1 cup thinly sliced sweet onion
• 2 yellow bell peppers, halved and seeded
• 2 red bell peppers, halved and seeded

Combine vinegar, 3 T olive oil, garlic, basil, salt, and pepper. Reserve.

Brush peppers with oil and cook until blackened. Place in a paper bag and let stand 10-15 minutes; then remove from bag and peel off skin. Slice peppers into half-inch strips.

Meanwhile, grill cherries briefly (don't let blacken). Let cool, then slice in half.

Combine peppers and cherries with dressing. Mix with onion.

Wendy Gordon is a writer and restaurant reviewer who lives in Portland, Oregon. She has a Masters Degree in clinical nutrition from the University of Chicago.