Two Fer Grilling with Hugh

Always wear something sensible when cooking at the barbecue. – Lady Godiva

This week over at the cooking club the theme is “Get to Grilling” which is a little hard to do with on and off rain all day, but alas I do own a grill pan and a range top grill for indoor grilling. I had planned on grilling artichokes at some point this week and Hugh has a great recipe for grilled lemons and artichokes that I made for lunch and to finish off some small zucchini and spring onions I grilled them and made a quinoa dish to go with our shrimp tonight. So let it rain!

I’ve been lazy about cooking lately and without a doubt because of the very hot days so quick dishes using a minimal amount of cooking time unless of course you can walk a way from a hot grill for an hour or more of grilling time. If you are as serious about grilling like I am, you must own just about every grilling accessory or gadget on the market, my favorites, anything for the primo grill works for me and for our gas grill the essential rotisserie option is a must along with the grilling basket which surprisingly holds 2-3 or so pound chickens a real bargain when you are in hot weather grilling and want to make great dishes with the leftover chicken.

Roasted artichokes and lemons adapted from Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall

6 small to medium-sized artichokes
4 tbsp olive oil
2 large lemons, quartered lengthways
Flaky sea salt or kosher salt

Simmer or steam the artichokes whole until just tender, about 15-25 minutes – you can tell they’re done by tugging at one of the lower leaves: it should pull away easily.

Lift the artichokes from the pan and leave for a few minutes to steam and lose some of their moisture, then cut in half lengthways and use a teaspoon to scrape out the hairy choke. Brush the cut sides with olive oil. Brush olive oil over the lemon quarters, place on the grill and cook until just charred on one side, about three minutes, then turn and cook on the other side for two to three minutes.

Now grill the artichokes cut side down, until the leaves just begin to char – about three minutes. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkling of sea salt and the grilled lemons to squeeze over the top.

Notes: Alternately, cut artichokes in half, trim bottom leaves peel stem and remove fuzzy prickly core leaves with a spoon, soak in lemon water until all of the artichokes are prepped. Bring a large pot of water to boil, season with 2 teaspoons salt and half of a juice lemon…toss in the lemon half, drop in the artichokes, cover and cook for at least 15-20 minutes or until tender. Plunge the artichokes into ice water and then drain in a colander until ready to grill…can be prepped ahead of time. Drizzle with EVOO and season with salt and pepper. I grilled mine for 4 minutes on the cut side, turn and grill the uncut side for another 4 minutes.

Roasted Zucchini,Spring Onions with Quinoa, adapted from Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall

5 zucchini (small to medium sized) cut 1cm slices
10 spring onions, trimmed
2-3 tbsp olive oil
2 cups bulgur wheat, couscous or quinoa
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 handful fresh mint, tough stalks removed and chopped
1 handful fresh parsley, tough stalks removed and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Brush the courgettes and onions with oil and grill, turning from time to time, for about five minutes, until lightly charred and tender.

Cook the bulgur wheat, couscous or quinoa according to the packet instructions, toss with the zest of half the lemon, a good squeeze of lemon juice, a trickle of oil and the herbs, season and serve with the grilled vegetables.