Grilled Vegetables

and Summertime memories

Fourth of July fills me with many memories. Pretty much all of which can be summed up by asking you to conjure the feeling you get when watching the Fourth of July scene in “The Sandlot.” The one where all of the kids are running around the baseball diamond with big smiles plastered on their faces, fireworks going off in the background. That’s what Fourth of July feels like to me.

I grew up as a military kid. Fourth of July has always been a big deal.

On Marine Bases, there are big festivals, usually near a body of water somewhere on the base, filled with loud music, loud fireworks, loud people, and the all-encompassing smell of kids drenched in bug-spray. Almost no one wore shoes, preferring the feeling of soft, Southern grass under their feet as they looked up at the stars and the pyrotechnics.

I remember standing knee-deep in lake water and reeds catching frogs during one Fourth of July celebration. My parents had bought me one of those firecracker popsicles that are striped with red, white, and blue. I, along with every other kid there, was wearing an Old Navy shirt with an American flag on it.

My parents called me over when the fireworks started. Everyone around me was saying “Oooh” as the fireworks went off. I remember my dad telling me that it was very important to say “oh” and “ah” consistently as the fireworks went off. He told me it made them look bigger.

When you wanted food at these festivals, you would walk up to the nearby pavilion where several eager young Marines with aprons and grins stood attentively next to a line of charcoal grills. “Burger or brat?” they’d call to you. You’d hold out your paper plate, and they’d give you way too much of whatever you asked for.

I, like many people around the country, associate Fourth of July with grilling. Hot dogs, hamburgers, corn on the cob, maybe even some s’mores. My dad, like many American dads, loves to grill. The summer is a very busy time for us as a family, and every time my mom and I talk about what we’re going to cook for dinner with a note of panic in our voices, my dad pipes up and says “I’ll grill!”

It’s always delicious. And the smile he wears as he stands over the grill reminds me of the smiles the Marines wore at those Fourth of July festivals — lots of excitement and a sense of pride in being able to cook something that makes people say “yum.”

I think grilling has gained a reputation as a type of cooking that only allows for unhealthy foods — grease and fat and other things that fill the heart with both happiness and cholesterol.

But there’s more to grilling than that.

One of my very favorite ways to eat vegetables is when they’ve been cooked straight on the grill. The black lines that cook into the vegetables from the grill grate are not only pretty, they also add a delicious and savory flavor to the veggies.

Another excellent addition to any grilled-vegetable is an aioli sauce. I’ve included my own recipe here.

This more free-form recipe for grilled vegetables below can be used to enhance the flavor of pretty much any veggie. I hope you enjoy them with an ice-cold beer and grass between your toes.

Grilled Vegetables

You will need:

Whatever veggies you want! Some family favorites are red bell peppers and red onions.

What to do:

Heat the grill as you normally would. Make sure to scrape the grates free of any charred bits from your last grilling excursion, as you’ll be putting the veggies directly on the grates. Cut the veggies in quarters (this works for pretty much any vegetable), drizzle them with olive oil on both sides and season them with salt.

Get the heartier vegetables (peppers, onions, etc.) cooking first, as they will take a bit longer. Squash, zucchini, mushrooms, and tomatoes all take a bit less time to cook. You can plan on about 10 minutes total for peppers and onions and closer to five minutes total for any other veggie. Make sure to flip your vegetables halfway through the time.

Aioli Sauce

You will need:

3/4 cup mayo

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

5 Tablespoons olive oil

A pinch of cayenne pepper

What to do:

Mix mayo, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper well in a bowl with the olive oil and cayenne. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before use.

That’s it for this week. I hope you have a fun and safe Fourth of July. Paying subscribers — tune in next week for a delicious story-recipe about State Fairs and Apple Fritters! As always, I’m so thankful for the support that you all show for this project. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.

In other news — the audiobook for my debut novel, “No Regrets,” will be available for sale through Audible, Amazon, and iTunes in just a few days! Be sure to check it out.

Thanks,

Juliana Nicewarner