origanum majorana

Marjoram sounds like the name of a homely, studious girl in your mother’s eighth grade biology class.  I don’t know about you, but the scientific classification for the herb Marjoram, origanum majorana, sounds like a naughty phrase from the boy’s locker room. Utter its cousin, origanum vulgare, and it’s study hall for you.

However you like to address fresh herbs, I have a spunky friend for your new pal Marjoram. Oregano is her sneak-out-the-window older sister, so the same flavor rules apply. If you’ve visited A Pear to Remember before, cue palm-to-forehead smack as I gush over eggplant and feta YES SERIOUSLY AGAIN. (I find affordable, abundant varieties of eggplant at Korean/Latino grocers, discussed here).

Andrew is a newly inducted member of the eggplant fan club and still weary of initiation rituals. When it’s not breaded or covered in cheese, eggplant in-the-nude lingers suspiciously longer on his fork on the slow ascend to his mouth. He liked this salad. Really, genuinely liked this salad. I like to think the Andrew-Stamp resides in the same circle of Kid’s Approval since, let’s face it, men aren’t always so excited about new veggies.

If you thought eggplant was only for Italian food, well, obviously you’re new here. Even if you’ve cooked it twelve ways, here’s a strikingly simple Middle Eastern salad for your expanding culinary repertoire.

Spinach Salad with Grilled Eggplant and Feta

from Gourmet, June 2009

serves 4 as a main dish, 8 as a side

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon minced garlic (I’ve got a sexy Brit to show you how)

2 teaspoons chopped marjoram or oregano

1 (1 1/4-pounds) eggplant, trimmed and cut into 8 (1-inch-thick) rounds (here’s how)

10 ounces baby spinach

1 cup crumbled feta (1/4 pound)

1/4 cup pine nuts (1 ounce), lightly toasted

Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking over hot charcoal (high heat for gas); we use this stovetop fellow year round. Whisk together oil, lemon juice, garlic, marjoram, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl.

Brush both sides of eggplant slices with some of dressing. Season with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper—you know, pinch it, don’t fret over measures. Oil grill rack, then grill eggplant, covered only if using a gas grill, turning occasionally, until tender, 12 to 15 minutes total. Cut into pieces.

Toss spinach with enough dressing to coat and season with salt and pepper. Add eggplant, feta, and pine nuts and toss again.

Serve atop fluffy couscous and sprinkle with some baby tomatoes. I imagine this salad would gladly accept an invitation from my juicy roast chicken to get together after school and “study”.

plenty: color splash

The long blank wall behind the couch has had me stumped for the 11 months Andrew and I have lived in our suburban condo. Of course we all find things when we’re not looking (like yesterday when I hunted 10 minutes for my ipod that was smack in the middle of the empty kitchen table). I spent last week catching up Mom and Pops in Delaware, and the hot weather had us exploring air-conditioned antique stores throughout the week—the very place I found Mastisse’s “The Parakeet and the Mermaid”, framed decades ago in Belvedere Square where the hubs and I spent much time in Baltimore. The print is my perfect mix of sophisticated and quirky. Hello, wall funk.

Pasta is another blank canvas enriched by bright color, and plenty of it. It’s the perfect excuse to return to our Plenty reader’s series, where I interpret select recipes from Yotam Ottolenghi’s enchanting new cookbook.

The printed recipe calls for deep-frying zucchini and whipping up a homemade herb puree. Time limitations and nutrition concerns had me adapting this recipe to a faster, lower-fat version well worth sharing with friends this summer.

Please, if you can, pick up some beautiful buffalo mozzarella (in brine) for this one—it’s where the magic resides. I accidentally grabbed Burrata mozzarella, which has a creamy center, and is easily the last cheese I ever need eat on this good earth.

Pasta and (Not) Fried Zucchini Salad

from Plenty, serves four

3 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices (a mandolin makes this a breeze)

1  1/2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

3/4 cup frozen edamame

1 cup basil, shredded coarsely

1/4 cup pesto (I used storebought)

9 oz. strozzapreti or penne (I used rotelli)

grated zest of 1 lemon

7 oz. buffalo mozzarella, torn by hands into chunks

1  1/2 tbsp. small capers (optional)

1 cup heirloom baby tomatoes (my addition)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat a grill (or stovetop grill pan) to medium high—heat a cast iron/heavy skillet over high heat if you do not have a grill. Using a pastry brush, brush both sides of the zucchini slices with vegetable/canola oil. Grill the thin zucchini slices two minutes on each side, or until charred and slightly tender. Transfer the grilled zucchini to your serving bowl, pour over the red wine vinegar, stir, and set aside.

Blanch the edamame for 3 minutes in boiling water; drain and toss into the zucchini and vinegar bowl. (I only had frozen shelled edamame, so I blanched, cooled, and then popped the beans out of the pods into the zucchini).

Cook the pasta until al dente; drain and rinse under cold water. Add the pasta to the zucchini, vinegar and edamame; add the pesto, lemon zest, capers, tomatoes (if using), and mozzarella. Stir gently together, then taste and season with  coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Before serving, stir in the torn basil.

Stick around and check out another of Yotam Ottolenghi’s exquisite recipes: Eggplant with Buttermilk Sauce. You’ve never seen anything like it.

What is the best cookbook on your shelf?

cheap eats

For over twenty years I was the vegetarian who didn’t like beans. It was a texture and taste thing, mostly a texture thing. So I found ways to disguise them: crunchy, roasted chickpeas became a favorite snack, followed by white bean dip.

As it’s important to vegetarians to consider iron-rich foods, I have been on a quest for more enjoyable bean recipes. I have two stellar recipes to share—the Tuscan Beans in next week’s post is unforgettable. Both are best enjoyed with fresh grilled bread, which makes such inexpensive dishes a dash more decadent. This lunch manages to be an elegant 5-minute meal as simple as it gets: bread and beans.

Mixed Bean and Parsley Salad

from Cooking After Five, serves 4, or 2 with leftovers

2 cans chickpeas, drained

2 cans canellini beans, drained

1 cup parsley, lightly packed, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced (on your microplane)

Juice of 1 lemon

Extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

In a large bowl, combine beans, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, and a couple splashes of extra-virgin olive oil. Toss to combine and season with salt and freshly cracked pepper. Grate enough cheese so it looks like a mound of snow, about 1/2 cup, then toss. Taste. Serve with grilled bread.

For grilled bread:

Slice a fresh loaf (cheese or herbed bread is extra fun)  into one-inch pieces. Brush both sides lightly with olive oil and grill over medium heat. If you don’t have a grill, place the oiled slices on a flat baking sheet and grill under the broiler until golden brown. With tongs, turn the slices and brown the second side. For fun, rub a halved garlic clove over each hot slice—it adds a special, tangy touch.

Note: Parsley has a grassy flavor not everyone prefers. Chives, basil, or a combination of fresh herbs would be a fantastic substitute for the parsley here. Basil and white beans are a wonderful combination.

Click here for my other favorite recipes featuring garbanzo beans.

rosemary’s baby (back ribs)

In the spirit of Halloween, I could not help myself.

If you salivated over read Andrew’s meat-lovers’ birthday menu from my last post, it might have also dawned on astute readers that ribs with a side of grilled hot dogs left little for the vegetarians in the group. Yes, I whipped out my top-secret, future award-winning mac and cheese, but thought the menu could use a little greenery.

Here’s a swift budget-friendly side dish to feed a crowd, a tasty last-minute Linvention. Like the rest of Andrew’s birthday dishes, it’s only five ingredients.

Rosemary Grilled Vegetables

a Linvention, serves 12

1 sweet onion

1 bunch petite asparagus

3 large redskin potatoes

olive oil

2 large sprigs of rosemary

you will also need

aluminum foil

a mandolin

Scrub the potatoes. Keeping the asparagus tied in a bunch, remove the woody asparagus stalk by slicing 1.5 inches from the bottom. Discard the woody asparagus ends and cut the bunch into thirds; the asparagus pieces should be about 2 inches in length. (If you can only find jumbo asparagus, remove woody ends and cut each stalk into 1-inch pieces).

Peel the onion. Using a mandolin or slicing disc, slice the potatoes and sweet onion into very thin slices. Because the potatoes take longest to cook through, you could cut each potato in half before slicing to decrease grilling time. Add the potatoes and onion slices to the bowl with asparagus. Drizzle with enough olive oil to coat, and sprinkle with two large pinches of coarse salt.

Snip the rosemary sprigs into 1-inch pieces and toss with the vegetables.

Add one handful to each sheet of aluminum foil (at least 12 x 15 inches). Make sure each packet has at least one sprig of rosemary. Enclose the vegetables leaving an accessible opening on top.

Put each foil packet, opening face up, over direct medium high heat—checking after about 8 minutes. The potatoes should be tender enough to pierce with your fingernail. Once the potatoes are cooked, remove from the grill and serve.

I had never combined asparagus with rosemary or potatoes, and what a delightful combination. Of course, this would also be a lovely melange for roasting in the oven on the coldest days. There are still lovely autumn days ahead to grill outdoors! What are you grilling?

scary good

new kitchen, good witch

On Halloween, my school held a sweet Dress Like Your Favorite Book Character day. Maybe walking around both my workplace and the grocery store as Amelia Bedelia inspired this fun, casual dinner. But this was one of those meals where the first, divine bite was this melting moment of, “That’s the best taste in a looooooong time.” Really, it’s just a sandwich, jarred pantry ingredients, nothing fancy. And you need to grill it this week.

I should also mention that you really don’t taste the artichoke, if that’s a dealbreaker for some Andrews readers out there.

Artichoke and Eggplant Panini

from Gourmet 2009, serves four

1 (6 oz.) jar marinated artichokes, drained and chopped

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 small garlic clove

1 (3/4-pound) eggplant

olive oil

1 (1-pound) loaf Italian bread, 8 (1/3-inch-thick) slices cut from middle

1/4 pound Fontina, thinly sliced or shredded

1/3 jar roasted red peppers (optional)

1 tablespoon drained capers (optional)

Prepare a gas grill (or stovetop grill pan) for direct-heat cooking over medium-high heat. (If you do not have a grill, brown both the eggplant and sandwich in your oven broiler).

Pulse artichokes, mayonnaise, capers (optional), and garlic in a food processor until coarsely chopped.

Trim off a thin slice from 2 opposite long sides of eggplant, then cut eggplant lengthwise into 4 thin slices. Brush both sides of slices with olive oil and season with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.

Grill eggplant slices, covered, turning once and brushing grilled sides with olive oil, until golden-brown and tender, about 4 minutes, then transfer to a tray.

(Since Andrew isn’t “into” eggplant, I hammered one chicken breast into an even piece and grilled along with the eggplant. Literally, with a hammer).

Brush both sides of bread with olive oil and grill, covered, without turning, until grill marks appear, about 2 minutes. (We used regular hearty sandwich bread).

Top each of 4 bread slices, grilled sides up, with cheese, peppers, and an eggplant slice. Spread artichoke mixture on remaining 4 bread slices, grilled sides up, then assemble sandwiches.

Put sandwiches on grill and press down with a metal spatula, then grill, turning once, until heated through and grill marks appear, about 4 minutes total.

Enjoy with pickles, maybe some soup, and a slightly spooky movie. We love Young Frankenstein. What’s your pick?

rethinking the bean

Research Andrew’s favorite vegetable on wikipedia and you find the unfortunate truth:

Green beans are often steamed, boiled, stir-fried, or baked in casseroles. A dish with green beans popular throughout the United States, particularly at Thanksgiving, is green bean casserole consisting of green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and French fried onions. Green beans are of nearly universal distribution. They are marketed, canned, frozen, and fresh.

Precisely the problem.

I’ve told you before, I am not a green bean gal. Perhaps because I knew them only in canned form for most of my life.

The market on Saturday had a few touches of summer remaining: eggplants, peppers, peaches. Then I spied a few crunchy beans, encouraged to find there is still time to try something new. Before we move into canned casserole season (good grief!), give it a try: grill your greens.

Lindsey’s Grilled Green Beans

1 lb. fresh green beans

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

crushed red chili flakes (preferable not from a jar living in your pantry since the last presidential election)

three cloves fresh garlic, crushed

coarse salt, fresh black pepper

Wash the beans well. Using kitchen scissors (one of my favorite tools), snip just tip of the closed ends.

With the side of a large knife (or bottom of a small skillet), whack each clove of garlic until it comes out of its papery skin and is well smashed. Into a gallon-size bag, put the washed and trimmed beans, a drizzle of olive oil to coat the beans, a small drizzle of balsamic vinegar, the garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and pinch of red chili flakes.

Marinate the beans at least 20 minutes—though you could refrigerate for an hour or so; they’re hardy.

Distribute the beans on the grill (or grill pan) over medium heat, turning occasionally. Cook until they have grill marks and are tender when pierced with a small sharp knife.

Should you want to dress things up a bit, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds or freshly toasted almond slivers.

If you don’t have a grill or grill pan, use this same recipe for green beans roasted on a metal baking sheet (or two, don’t crowd the veggies!) at 400F until tender—about 30 minutes.

What food do you love that your significant other absolutely does not?

 

 

 

a vintage photo, ringing in the new 2010 with more spectacular string beans… roasted sicilian-style for my closest girlfriends.

much ado about a (new) kitchen

Hi. I’ve missed you, and I can’t believe I have yet to tell you about last week’s memorable cheese flautas or pistachio pesto! But my final exam in Epidemiology is tomorrow, and then life will resume.

an announcement

It’s time to say goodbye to my cooking days… in our itsy apartment kitchen!! Okay, maybe sufficient for the average Joe, but not for those Lindseys who love using five bowls, two pans, and four appliances…

My present disaster zone:

looks deceivingly spacious with this panoramic camera feature.

The new place (we get the keys on Friday!) is just around the corner from our apartment. It has a charming, spacious stone patio where Andrew intends to grill to his heart’s content. Though we’ll need a grill first.

Besides converting the dining room to a music room (my piano + flute + retro reading chair), here’s the kicker:

A kitchen! With space! And counters! A built in pantry! And a new stove going in this Saturday!

This photo is taken from the breakfast room, yes a charming little spot for our teeny table beneath a second window looking out to the woods.

Two windows! In a kitchen! Oh, imagine.

Look around. Do you notice anything missing that may be in your kitchen? I’d love to see if you can guess in the comment section. If you’re closeby, perhaps the first commenter with the correct guess will win an invite to dinner?

Over on the left side with the 16 foot blank wall, I would like to put my cookbook shelf and storage island with cooking surface (as affordable, but maybe not as unattractive/boring as this). Suggestions?

the view from our breakfast room

Being vertically challenged, I am eager to organize our kitchen within my reach—Andrew will love the fewer calls to “fetch the brown sugar, pretty pleeeease“. Any thoughts? Innovative systems in your kitchen?

Come back soon for some memorable meals and do-able recipes I made last week (it’s whole grain pasta and frozen veggies for Lindsey during Study Days). And remember to answer the What’s Missing In This Kitchen Photo puzzle below in the comment section!

side yard and guest room view

a mighty (frugal) menu

I love cooking grand things, but the reality is the only adjustable expense in our budget is groceries (trickier to negotiate car payments, tuition, insurance). So I still cook grand things, just with minimal ingredients. Of course you can find recipes aplenty on this blog with less than five ingredients.

Feast on the Cheap is a stellar blog that calculates each meal expense for readers. No time to do that here, but I do want to share a few ways we have managed to keep eating healthy, delicious, fresh meals. You know, on top of paying the bills.

I know frozen meals are cheap, but I simply won’t compromise health for “easy”(ouch, look at those sodium counts). Meals often need to be homemade if controlling fat, calories, salt and nutrients is important to you. But I’m a super, super busy full-time grad student this summer, so I’m looking for do-able and delicious budget meals. A few thoughts…

Keep the cabinet/fridge/freezer stocked with the basics. Like ravioli.

It’s amazing how much you can make with ingredients from your cabinet alone. One of our favorite Indian meals is mostly canned goods (beans, tomatoes) with ingredients from our spice rack and a scoop from our basmati rice supply. Click here for my cabinet basics. When truly stuck, roasted garlic linguine is always a favorite and delicious possibility.

Plan your meals for each day of the week.

This also includes days you know you will be going out or provided dinner somewhere—less meals to purchase/plan for the week! This seems easy enough, but for me this requires sitting down for about 20 minutes with a few favorite cookbooks/cooking blogs to decide what is compatible with ingredients we have + meals for which I have time. Oh, yes, and the double task of planning ways to make each meal vegetarian/carnivore-compatible. 20 minutes is truly sufficient with a pen, paper, and some inspiration. Easier to make meals you’re excited to eat. This saves tremendous time when you know what you will have each night of the week—nothing so expensive as indecision. Indecision is the gateway to carry-out.

Double-duty ingredients.

Have a plan for all your perishable ingredients. Do something interesting and different with chicken on both nights, make small salad variations to use up your romaine (or grill it!), use mushrooms in a pre-made sauce one day, on pizza the next. Have a plan for all your food so it won’t go to waste, and freeze what you can.

Cook and eat smart.

Preheating the oven when you don’t have to? Not in our hot apartment. Quick methods make for time-saving meals (one skillet; salad in a single bowl). We cook on this stovetop grill to save time and cook our non/vegetarian meals simultaneously. Plus grilling is fun. We also do leftovers for lunch, so our sandwich supplies tend to last us through the weekend.

Know what is in your fridge at all times, and clear out leftovers every week. Eat leftovers within four days, according to the mayo clinic’s food safety recommendation. I find a stuffed fridge unappetizing.

Buy wisely.

We keep our weekly grocery store bill to $70 a week. Not intentionally, it just almost always happens this way; the more expensive weeks are when we let our “stock” items get too low and we’re desperate.

I do not do coupons because they are often for processed/unhealthy stuff I wouldn’t purchase anyway.

Now, there are only two of us, yes, but $70 each week gets us both meals for the week on top of the basics to re-supply (milk, OJ, cereal, olive oil). We find Trader Joes far more affordable than the grocery stores more geographically convenient, but worth the drive when we’re paying nearly half. Really.

What does this look like?

Last week’s plan (all purchased at Trader Joes to complement current cabinet supply):

MONDAY:

cookout with family and friends for the Fourth

I contributed this completely free-from-the-pantry appetizer

TUESDAY:

burgers (him) and mushrooms (me) on the grill with Indian potatoes

bought whole-wheat hamburger buns (freeze the rest for free meals in the future), beef patties, bag of baby red potatoes, pre-cut baby bellas

WEDNESDAY:

grilled pepperoni (him) and mushroom (me) pizza with cantaloupe salad

bought whole-wheat refrigerated pizza dough, small whole cantaloupe, head of lettuce

THURSDAY:

chicken (him) and eggplant (me) on the grill with Indian corn

bought free-range chicken thighs, small eggplant, and one bag frozen corn kernals (student time saver)

FRIDAY:

chicken (him) and paneer-mushroom (me) masala with cumin-basmati and naan bread

one jar curry sauce (me), one jar masala sauce (him), frying cheese, frozen naan

IN-BETWEEN:

breakfasts, snacks, desserts

bananas, apples, strawberries, whole-wheat pretzels, almond-flaxseed butter, assorted juices, milk, eggs (French toast is a bi-monthly go-to), whole-wheat sandwich bread, sliced turkey, cheese, yogurt, nuts, bag of lemons, coffee, tea

This week:

Dinner with Andrew’s family

Greek salad with flatbread

Grilled cheese quesadillas with corn-scallion sauté

Stir-fry with rice

Improvisation on Artichoke in A minor

Barley with corn and basil

Cold pesto tortellini salad

(free! frozen tortellini + lots of windowsill basil)

frugal Fridays: happy hour picnics at a vineyard just 6 miles from our house. free music! cheap wine!

What’s cooking at your place?

out with the stud, in with the spud

I like beautiful food on small plates when I’m alone. Andrew, on occassion, is off with The WoodsBoys, and I cherish the solitude to make elegant meals. Get out the good cheese, the 14-ingredient salads, the three-hour dinners—it’s all for me. Yes, I’m the girl who wears pearls on most days and dresses up for the post office.

I was planning a more extravagant dish, but, with the school year near its end, my Friday afternoon energy was only enough for a simple potato. Not to say it was anything short of amaaaazing. Lucky for us (yes, I had you in mind), this is an effortless entrée worth repeating—for company, next time. With caramelized onions.

Lindsey’s Friday Night Potato

serves one, a Linvention easily adapted for a crowd

1 sweet potato, rinsed and scrubbed

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

1 small bunch chopped chives (or scallions)

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

fresh pepper

On a hot day, I was thrilled to find one can easily cook a potato whole on the grill[pan]. Who wants to heat up the dang apartment and turn on the oven for a whole hour for one measly potato?? If you don’t have a grill, bake it in your oven sans judgement 😉

Rub the entire potato with oil and place directly on a medium-hot grill. Turn occasionally and prick with a fork after about 40 minutes, cooking until the potato is completely tender. As the jury is still out on eating potato skin, I wasn’t so worried about charring the exterior. I did wrap the potato in foil for a little bit to see if this decreased cooking time, but it didn’t seem to make much difference. The charred potato was shockingly moist, to my delight.

Once tender, slice the potato into a “t” and push the edges towards the middle to push the flesh out (Mom’s trick). Sprinkle with cheese and chives, and pepper if desired. The salty cheese melts and flavors the potato beautifully.

Serve with tender greens (mache or baby spinach) dressed in lemon and olive oil. Then, if you’re me, turn on Bringing Up Baby or another silly flick, get on your jammies and put your feet up.

we all need some veggie to love

Yes, the Jefferson Airplane song popped right into my head this Sunday afternoon as I took my first bite of An Artichoke. Ever. A truly psychedelic experience. The lyrics ask the ultimate question (about terrifying, hypothetical circumstances): When the garden flowers, baby, are dead and your mind is so full of red, don’t you want some veggie to love? Don’t you need some veggie to love?

You see, Andrew and I were on our regular Sunday afternoon Trader Joes trip, already in the checkout line and this basket of nestled artichokes (where one might find magazines or candy at a lesser grocery store) made me want to dance like the hippies in the video above.

Mom and Dad always wanted me to try new things, though I believe they had steak in mind. I felt very adventurous with my little green friend and wanted to do this right. I think if foods are prepared with care and proper technique, anyone can make any food fabulous. I feel like there are few occasions where high heat can do a food wrong, precisely why I turn to roasting and grilling most often. Though I hadn’t a clue what to do with an artichoke (thank you, internet videos), I figured it would surely enjoy sitting a spell on my favorite blue grill.

A special thanks to The Killer Griller for the confidence to grill my artichokes. I’m also sending you once again to my Harris Teeter friend to learn how to prepare an artichoke for steaming through his brief instructional video.

Lindsey’s Garlic Grilled Artichokes

serves one as a main course, easily adapted to serve more

an artichoke

olive oil

four garlic cloves

half a lemon

coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

you will also need:

a pastry or silicone brush and aluminum foil

for optional Let’s-Pretend-This-is-Aioli dipping sauce

1/4 cup mayonnaise

Prep the artichoke

Preheat your grill to medium heat. Cut an inch off the top of the artichoke, cut the outer tips, and use a vegetable peeler on the stem (more visual instructions here). Immediately rub the exposed parts with a cut lemon to prevent browning. Reserve the lemon.

Steam the artichoke

Place the artichoke on a large sheet of aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil (or melted butter if you’re feeling naughty). Wrap the foil around the ‘choke and seal well. (Make individual packets if you’re preparing more than one artichoke). Place on the grill for about 40 minutes, or until a paring knife slides easily into the middle—you can test right when it’s on the grill.

Make the marinade

While the artichokes are steaming on the grill, crush the garlic cloves with a firm whack of your wide chef’s knife. (If you only have a narrow knife, you can smash it with the bottom of a pan, a meat pounder, etc. Get creative). Stir the smashed garlic pieces into 1/2 cup of olive oil, and season very well with coarse salt and fresh pepper.

When the artichoke is tender, remove the bundled ‘choke to your cutting board and carefully open. Cut the globe in half and scrape out the fuzzy middle—click here to watch The Killer Griller demonstrate. Brush both sides generously with your garlic marinade.

Grill that baby

Place the artichoke halves cute cut side up on the hot grill, the garlic cloves snuggled in the middle of the heart (sigh). Grill for about four minutes and turn gently with tongs, setting the garlic aside. Turn again if you like, until the vegetable has gorgeous char marks. Put on a serving plate.

Chop the softened garlic very fine and stir into the mayo along with a big squeeze of lemon. Add coarse salt and lots of pepper. Get out a big napkin, rip and dip away. Don’t bother with a fork.

Three minutes later, the marvelous massacre:

What is your vegetable/cooking Everest?