Prepare Vegetables for Skewers
Barbecued meat and vegetables are staples of summer fare. Skewers are particularly tasty with fresh, in-season vegetables straight from the store or farmer's market. With a few simple ingredients, a grill and wooden skewers, you can create marinated kebabs. This article will tell you how to prepare vegetables for skewers.
Steps
- Wash 6 red potatoes, medium zucchini, medium yellow squash, pepper, 15 mushrooms and 15 cherry tomatoes.
- Quarter 6 small red potatoes. Boil them in a large pot of salted boiling water for 3 minutes. Rinse in cold water and drain the potatoes. Set aside to dry after they are rinsed or pat dry.
- Prepare your marinade while you are waiting for your potatoes. Pour 4 tbsp. (59 ml) vinegar into a bowl. Apple cider, white wine, red wine or sherry vinegar are good choices.
- Add 4 tbsp. (63 g) Dijon mustard.
- Mince and add 2 small shallots or 1 small onion.
- Add 2 tbsp. (30 ml) lemon juice.
- Add 2/3 cup (158 ml) olive oil. Whisk to combine. It should take a few minutes for the olive oil to combine with the other ingredients.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. For a bolder flavor, add 2 tbsp. (30 g) fresh chopped rosemary. Set the mixture aside.
- Cut a medium zucchini and a medium yellow squash into approximately 12 rounds each.
- Cut a medium red onion and a medium red or green pepper into 1-inch (2.54 cm) pieces.
- Remove stems from 15 to 20 cremini or button mushrooms.
- Toss the cut vegetables and the tomatoes with the marinade in a large bowl, making sure they are well-covered.
- Marinate the vegetables for 2 to 24 hours before grilling.
- Soak about 12 wooden skewers in warm water 30 minutes before you intend to grill. You do this so that they don't break or burn when they are on the grill. If you are using metal skewers, you can skip this step.
- Preheat the barbecue or grill to medium-high heat.
- Thread your vegetables on your soaked skewers after they have soaked for 30 minutes. If you are intending to serve them on the skewers, alternate the vegetables. Leave about 1/4 inch (2/3 cm) room between each vegetable.
- For the most even grilling, thread the same vegetable on each skewer. Cooking times between vegetables will vary between 3 and 10 minutes. You can remove the quicker cooking vegetables and leave others on the grill.
- Brush the grill with vegetable oil right before grilling.
- Place the skewers on the grill and cook them for about 5 minutes on each side. They should be soft but darkened on the outside.
- Remove the skewers and serve the grilled vegetables immediately.
Tips
- If you do not have a grill, place the skewers on a broiler pan brushed with vegetable oil and broil for 6 minutes on each side.
Things You'll Need
- Wooden or metal skewers
- Red potatoes
- Zucchini
- Yellow squash
- Cherry tomatoes
- Cremini or button mushrooms
- Red onion
- Red or green pepper
- Vinegar
- Olive oil
- Dijon mustard
- Shallots
- Lemon juice
- Salt
- Pepper
- Whisk
- Grill
- Bowl
- Knife
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