Grilled Veggies, Italian Style

If you haven't officially opened BBQ season, now's the time!
The most difficult thing about making these is actually growing the veggies. We're so fortunate in the Willamette Valley that they're available at the farmer's market as well as every natural grocery in town.

Since these are thin-skinned I stick with organic when I buy squash.
In this case, we were lucky enough to score the yellow squash out of my niece's garden (thanks Jess!), the pattypan and zucchini from the local farmer's market and the basil right from my sister's herb garden.

I wrote this blog post while I was visiting family in Northern California. The grill was hot, the Imburgios were cooking and the kids were noisy. Does it get any better - or any more Italian? Okay, the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and basil had something to do with the Italian part.

When you make this, cook plenty of it. I wish I had prepared more of the pattypan in particular. It was more popular than I expected and two little pattypans weren't nearly enough. The food blogger in me likes to think my 3 year-old nephew loved it because it's mildly sweet and, though thoroughly cooked, it was still firm (my brother did grill it perfectly). However, I leave room for the fact that pattypans look like flying saucers and he's in a Buzz Lightyear phase these days.  Anyway, whatever you have leftover will be a terrific addition to summer salads and are really wonderful cold or at room temp.




Time: 30 minutes
Yield: Serves 6 as a side dish
Level: Easy


Ingredients:
2 zucchini squash (medium sized)
1 large yellow squash
2 pattypan squash
2 ears of corn (husks and silk removed)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Dash of paprika
A bunch basil

Directions:
Clean all vegetables and pat dry. Cut the yellow and zucchini squash in half, lengthwise. Slice the pattypan squash into 1/2 inch discs. You can grill the corn whole or break it into 2 or 3 equal pieces. Since we weren't using a grilling basket, I thought it easier to grill whole and broken later.

Heat your grill to a medium high heat.
Brush all the veggies lightly with some of the olive oil. Place long squash, flesh side down directly on the grill. Cook approximately 6 minutes and turn over. The second side wont take as long, maybe 4 minutes. It should remain firm - not too soft or mushy.
The pattypan should be ready to turn after about 4 minutes and the corn needs to rotate about every 2-3 minutes. All of the cooking times depend on how hot your grill gets and how thick you slice the veggies
Once they're all cooked, remove to a serving bowl and brush with the remaining olive oil (if necessary), drizzle with balsamic vinegar, and sprinkle with paprika, salt and fresh cracked pepper (to taste). Garnish with basil and serve.