Either you've had more than enough of merguez and square skewers, or you've decided to quit eating meat and fish, and you're craving a vegetarian barbecue. So we show you 10 ideas to please your taste buds with simple and original recipes, to twist your BBQ!
Exit the prime rib, the chipo and the dry chicken fillets! Let's think outside the box and open our chakras: what if we invited vegetables to the grill? With little time spent in the kitchen, you can still prepare THE veggie recipe that will hit the spot with your guests.
Because there is no shortage of gourmet vegetarian ideas, so we can help you with culinary inspiration!
Whether it is with a grill on embers, on the gas barbecue or on a plancha, what to cook and how to season your dishes? We tell you everything!
Prepare the key ingredients for your vegetarian barbecue!
1. Vegetables to grill : peppers, zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, sweet potato, and even carrots, cauliflower, broccoli florets, mushrooms, onions … The list goes on. Eggplants, zucchini or sweet potatoes will be grilled in thick slices. Onions and tomatoes just need to be cut in half.
You can use the grilled sweet potato slices as bread, and spread them afterwards. Without forgetting the famous potatoes in a field dress, these potatoes wrapped in aluminum foil, which can be placed directly to cook in embers.
Trick : To avoid getting slices of eggplant or zucchini that are too dry, sprinkle them with salt 10 minutes before serving to bring out the moisture on the surface of their flesh, and brush them with olive oil. brush before putting them to the grill. Please note that the cooking time is longer for eggplant than for zucchini or peppers, for example.
2. The sauces: Don't forget about them, and just having a barbecue party doesn't mean that barbecue sauce is all that matters! Grills go well with all kinds of sauces, and it's about being inventive. You can definitely use dip recipes (see our article on dipping recipes here, they are all hellish) that you will use for your veggie BBQ.
3. Herbs and aromatics : First thing, do not forget to salt and fry your vegetables before cooking, so that they soak up and are not bland. But take the refinement a step further and dare the spices. Among the spices that go very well with grilled meats, there are zaatar, Provence herbs, of course, paprika and also curry or ground cumin on potatoes in the field.
And if you can have fresh herbs, like basil or cilantro, chop some generously on your dishes.
Trick : You can even grill a head of garlic cut in half without peeling it, which you can taste with a spoon with a touch of grilled sesame oil.
4. The oils: By using quality and racy oils, you will sublimate your grills in no time. Before cooking, oiling your grilling vegetables will tenderize them, they will be less dry. After cooking, a dash of a very herbaceous olive oil, restricting limit on a half-cooked garden tomato with just a little salt, mmmm!
Trick : To bring roundness to the flavor of your grilled meats, consider roasted sesame oils, argan oil or hazelnut oil. To be used less generously than olive oil.
Ottolenghi-style burnt eggplant recipe
Yotam Ottolenghi is THE chef who knew how to instill glamor in vegetables and make our mouths water with recipes of Levantine influence. His recipe for burnt eggplant has made the rounds of the foodisphere and we love it. The burnt side of eggplants gives their flesh a flavor close to smoky. Here's how to adapt it with barbecue cooking.
Ingredients for 4 people
- 4 to 5 medium eggplants
- 3 tbsp tahini (sesame puree)
- 3 small cloves of garlic
- 1 red onion
- 1 large lemon (or 2 small)
- 1 bunch of mint
- 1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tsp olive oil
- salt pepper
and if you find any: 1 grenade
Recipe
Cooking time 5 to 10 minutes
Preparation time 10 minutes
1. On a hot barbecue, place your whole eggplants with their skin on. Turn them regularly: the skin should literally burn (and the flesh inside cook).
2. While it's cooking, take the zest of your lemon and squeeze out the juice.
3. In a bowl, whisk some tahini with the juice of your lemon. Chop the garlic, parsley, mint and red onion in a bowl. Add the lemon tahini mixture obtained previously. Salt and pepper to your liking.
4. When the eggplants are soft to the touch (and their skin is all black and wrinkled), remove them from the barbecue, let cool, then gently open them in half.
5. Pour a little of your tahini sauce over it and if you have any, sprinkle with pomegranate seeds. Serve lukewarm, a delight!
Vegetarian barbecue skewers recipe
Ingredients for 15 skewers
- 3 organic long zucchini (to keep the skin)
- 500 g cherry tomatoes
- 600 g feta
- olive oil
- oregano or rosemary, or both!
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- freshly ground pepper
1. Wash your vegetables and cut thin slices (if they are too thick, you will not be able to roll them) of zucchini lengthwise. If you have a mandolin, better!
2. Cut your feta into not too narrow rectangular blocks so they don't break when you skewer them.
3. Using a kitchen brush, oil your pieces of feta, then wrap them each in a slice of zucchini, like spring rolls.
4. In a bowl, marinate the rosemary and oregano with the chopped garlic.
5. Prepare your skewers: 1 cherry tomato, 4 or 5 pieces of wrapped feta cheese, and finish with another cherry tomato. Oil with the oregano and garlic marinade, no need to salt because the feta is. On the barbecue for 2 minutes, just long enough for the feta to soften a little and the slice of zucchini to cook slightly.
Tips : Do not make skewers too loose, because the pieces reduce a little while cooking. Pepper as desired after cooking. You can serve with a virgin sauce or a homemade tomato sauce.
Vegan version
If you are careful not to eat any food of animal origin, then substitute feta for tofu. In organic stores, you will find tofu flavored with herbs or Japanese fermented tofu; both of which will be perfect for this recipe. A gourmet tip: avoid the tofu that you find in the supermarket, which is often inedible!
Other ideas to try on the grill
Your special vegetarian barbecue shopping
> An original oil: On good potatoes, small whole cooked carrots, ball celery trnaches or small bunches of grilled cauliflower, a truffled walnut oil will bring an incredibly chic flavor! A good investment knowing that only a trickle is poured. The Moulin de la Veyssière walnut oil with truffles is sold on the Tentationnel site (a great site to find rare and high-quality products), € 15 per bottle to keep cool to prevent the oil from going rancid.
> The gomasio : Gomasio is a condiment of Japanese origin that we love! This mixture of roasted sesame seeds with salt allows you to salt and add a nice subtle flavor to your dishes. You can prepare it yourself if you have time or buy it ready-made, organic. The Lima brand uses unrefined sea salt and you can find it at Greenweez, the online organic supermarket for € 3.85 a jar.
Your bibliography on the grill
- The great barbeuc 'specialist is Steven raichlen, who even studied medieval cooking (sui used fire cooking directly) and rode his bump around the world. From his experiences was born a real barbecue encyclopedia, aptly named The barbecue bible, a large book of over 600 pages published by L'Homme. A treasure with recipes from around the world, but the book is hard to find. You can buy it second-hand on the Fnac website here.
- The creator and food photographer Emilie Perrin publishes many vegetarian and vegan recipes on its Payettecuisine blog. She has also published at Hachette Pratique, in the "Fait maison" collection, a very inspiring book entitled Barbecue and veggie board, which provides ideas from starter to dessert. To order on Amazon for only 9.95 €.
- Another gold mine and a precious source of inspiration, the book of Marie Laforêt, culinary author, who published a book for LaPlage editions that allows you to get out of the grilled vegetable solution. More original recipe ideas to find on Vegan barbecue, to order also at the price of 9.95 € on Amazon.
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