Cooking vegetables on a grill pan
It is well known that plant foods are especially beneficial for humans. Such products contain a large amount of vitamins and useful trace elements necessary for the full functioning of the human body.
In order to replenish your diet with vegetables, traditional side dishes can be replaced with salads. In addition, grilled vegetables are a popular way to diversify the menu.
How to cook vegetables on a grill pan at home? In our article you will find simple and delicious recipes for preparing healthy meals at home.
What vegetables to choose?
First, let's figure out which vegetables can be fried on a grill pan.
First of all, it should be noted that the general rule for choosing suitable products is the fact that only young and juicy vegetables should be purchased. Stale, overripe and other low-quality products are not recommended.
Seasonal vegetables should be preferred. By choosing such products, at least you will be sure that they are more natural and do not have critical doses of chemical impurities. If possible, purchase products at farmers' markets or from familiar gardeners.
There is a traditional list of vegetables that can be cooked on a grill pan. Among them are:
- potato;
- eggplant;
- zucchini;
- tomatoes;
- mushrooms;
- bell pepper;
- corn;
- pumpkin;
- carrot;
- onion;
- asparagus.
When preparing a vegetable grill menu, you should look at these products. However, do not forget about your own preferences, according to which you can add any other additional ingredients.
Popular condiments
Despite the fact that vegetables remain the main ones in the dish, their natural taste can be shaded and emphasized with the right seasonings. Of course, the choice of spices is a matter of taste, but there are several win-win options that can easily add interesting and unusual notes to your dish. Cooks are advised to use:
- dried onion and garlic;
- Bay leaf;
- dried parsley or dill;
- turmeric;
- caraway;
- oregano;
- basil;
- Provencal herbs;
- cumin;
- allspice;
- hot red pepper.
In addition to the above, you can use other ingredients that suit your taste and culinary preferences. However, you should not combine a large number of seasonings, stop at several options so as not to overdo it with flavor combinations.
Recipe
There is a huge variety of ways to cook vegetables on the grill. They can be cooked individually or together. Assorted vegetables are one of the most popular cooking methods. Already from the name it becomes clear that this is a mix of several products.
To prepare this dish, you need to take (the amount of each of the ingredients depends on your taste preferences):
- vegetable marrow;
- eggplant;
- bell pepper;
- tomato;
- onion;
- vegetable oil (olive, sunflower, sesame or any other to your taste);
- balsamic vinegar;
- any hot sauce;
- garlic;
- salt and pepper;
- oregano;
- thyme.
First of all, before cooking, you need to do the preparation of vegetables. To begin with, they must be thoroughly washed under running water and dried. For drying, you can use specialized dryers, a regular towel, or spread the products for a while on paper towels.
In addition, vegetables must be cleaned of unnecessary parts. For example, we cut off the end parts from eggplant and zucchini, get rid of the seeds and partitions of the bell pepper, peel the onion from the husk.
After the preparatory processes are over, it is necessary to cut the vegetables. You can do this in any order and in any convenient way.
Then you should place all the chopped vegetables in one deep container (bowl or pan) and add balsamic vinegar, hot sauce, as well as salt, pepper, oregano, thyme to them. And also here we squeeze out a few cloves of garlic with the help of a garlic press.
Now everything should be mixed (it is best to do it with your hands) and leave for 10-15 minutes for impregnation.
Next, put the pan on the fire and wait until it warms up. Pour some oil on it.
Important! Vegetable oil can be added directly to the marinade. In this case, it should not be poured into the pan.
It's time to lay out the vegetables. Depending on the size of your pan, they can be laid out in parts or completely (the order does not matter).
Fruits should be laid out strictly in one layer.
Fry for 1-2 minutes on each side - until a golden crust appears, but the products will still remain crispy.
Before serving, the dish can be decorated with herbs or served with sauce.
In addition to Assorted vegetables, you can cook other combinations.For example, it is believed that tomatoes and mushrooms, corn and asparagus, pumpkin and carrots complement each other well. And you can also fry individual vegetables that will complement your main dish.
Some chefs recommend supplementing vegetables with other ingredients, in particular cheese. In order to use this product, it should be grated and added to the last few seconds of cooking vegetables.
Helpful Hints
In order to make a tasty and healthy dish, use simple tips.
- If you are using a modern grill pan or gas grill pan, fry vegetables without oil. In this case, they will turn out to be less high-calorie and more useful.
- Use a marinade to add extra flavor to vegetables when cooking. It can be made from sour cream or mayonnaise with the addition of spices and spices to your taste. The dish will turn out more tender and juicy. Another option is cooking vegetables in soy sauce.
- In the absence of a specialized grill pan, vegetables can be fried in a regular cast iron pan. The main thing is to make sure that they do not burn.
- Baked vegetables can be not only a side dish for meat, but also an independent snack. Wrap them in foil and place them in a container - a healthy snack for work is ready.
- Put vegetables only on a well-heated pan, otherwise they may stick to the surface.
- Cut vegetables into uniform pieces (large or small). So the dish will look more aesthetically pleasing and cause appetite.
- In the cooking process, only fresh vegetables, devoid of signs of any disease, should be used.However, if you notice minor damage to the skin of the fruit that does not affect the general condition of the vegetable, then it is not necessary to throw it away - just cut off the skin.
As we were able to see, it is quite simple to cook grilled vegetables - even a novice in cooking can make such a dish. At the same time, it will become a useful and healthy alternative to fatty and high-calorie foods.
Especially for such a dish, you should look at those people who are committed to a healthy lifestyle and try to eat right. Grilled vegetables can also be eaten by those who are on a diet and want to lose extra pounds.
For how to cook delicious vegetables on a grill pan, see the following video.