Recipe: Grilled Vidalia Onions, Grilled Sweet Peppers

Grilled Vidalia Onions, Grilled Sweet Peppers
rec.food.veg.cooking/EskWIRED (1997)

I make grilled onions and veggies often. I use sweet onions, like vidalia. Cut them in half through the root and stem end (rather than the equator). Pour balsamic vinegar into the onion so that it flows between the layers. Coat with olive oil, and grill for about 1/2 hour over fairly hot coals. Flip it a couple of times, but be sure to blacken the cut sides. It comes out very sweet and very tender!

I also like to grill red, yellow and orange peppers. They look great together. Prepare them by cutting them into thirds or quarters, depending on how many lobes there are. Cut them through the curved part, top to bottom, so that the pieces you are left with are as flat as possible. Towards the top and bottom they curve inwards, so cut these parts off too. you will be left with fairly flat, fairly consistent pieces which will grill evenly, and which will not hold the oil like a bowl. If this happens, the oil might spill onto the coals and burn. Yuck! Bad smell, bad taste, etc.

I brush the peppers with a marinade made as follows:

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup (or more) finely chopped fresh basil
2 minced garlic cloves (or more)
1 teaspoon seasoning blend (below)

Seasoning Blend:

2 Tablespoon onion powder
2 Tablespoon dried basil
1 Tablespoon dried thyme
1 Tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard

Try to get as much of the chopped basil onto the veggies as possible. Leave them sitting around "marinating" on a tray while you prepare other stuff--your guests will love the way they look.

Grill the peppers until the skin is somewhat burned (don't overdo it!), and the peppers are soft. They too will be very sweet.