KEY POINTS:
Cooking on the barbecue in the heat of summer doesn't necessarily
mean wrestling with fillets of meat or bundles of bangers.
In fact, as revolutionary as it may seem, even the slightly crusty bottle of tomato sauce - which is always hanging around the fridge - can be tossed aside.
That smoky aroma everyone loves from a barbecue can be replaced by the sweet scent of vegetables sizzling with fragrant herbs and garlic.
Vegetables are an absolute delight on the barbie, regardless of the time of year. And summer means an abundance of fresh, colourful and flavoursome options available at any local vegetable store or farmers' market, so why not use them to their full advantage?
The simple process of preparing the barbecue, tossing vegetables in a ripe and fruity extra-virgin olive oil, adding a little flaky sea salt and a grind of pepper is all that is needed. Pour a glass of wine and have a chat. Toss the vegetables a couple of times and you're done.
Succulent seasonal vegetables that aren't cooked to death, but juicy
and retaining a slight firmness with all the flavour intact, are fantastic.
Of course, offering your guests a pile of grilled veges may not satisfy everyone so it's a good idea to have a few "flashier" recipes up your
sleeve. To add oomph to a grilled vegetable salad, add wholegrain mustard and creme fraiche sauce with a little lemon. It's deliciously
creamy and tangy drizzled over the warm vegetables.
Eggplant is best barbecued mainly because it tastes so good when it's all smoky and soft but doesn't need all the oil associated with pan frying it. Making a little harissa paste and brushing it over the
eggplant before and during cooking imbues it with a delicious flavour, which is highlighted when eaten with the fresh mint, lemon, crumbled feta and spoonfuls of hummus.
Simply add a pita bread or three warmed on the grill and you're good to go.