Aren’t you glad you joined AMA’s Backyard BBQ community?
We are—and we hope you’re picking up oodles of new ideas and inspirations to try.
For example, if potatoes and corn are your usual go-to veggies on the grill, here are a few suggestions (including fruit!) to help, uh, squash your routine:
PINEAPPLE (AND OTHER APPLES, TOO)
“It’s my fave,” says Calgary chef Liana Robberecht of the prickly tropical fruit. “Barbecue pineapple and then drizzle it with Chinook Honey and a few chili flakes. It’s the best.”
She also likes grilling apples and apple-pears—then tossing them in malt vinegar and sprinkling smoked Maldon salt over them. Robberecht recommends serving these with barbecued pork tenderloin, homemade spiced quick pickles and onions.
KALE
Edmonton chef Doreen Prei swears by this often-maligned leafy green vegetable. “Use lemon juice, salt, olive oil, and a few chili flakes,” says the executive chef of Zinc restaurant. “Mix it up and massage it into the kale. Put it on the hot barbecue for a couple of seconds until it wilts. So amazing. It’s absolutely divine.”
She also suggests adding a little Pecorino cheese while the kale is on the barbecue.
PEPPERS
For chef Brad Smoliak, grilled peppers make the perfect side dish. “We mix them with little bit of vinegar, a little bit of olive oil or cold-pressed canola, Maldon salt, and whatever fresh herbs we’ve got,” says the owner of Edmonton’s Kitchen by Brad.
“It’s a really easy dish, it’s great for a group, you can serve them hot, you can serve them cold, and then if you have leftovers, you can puree them and mix it into butter and put it on a steak.”
ZUCCHINI
This summer squash is also easy to prepare. “I really like zucchini, sliced thin and charred on the barbecue, then drizzled with really good olive oil and lemon juice,” says Edmonton butcher and cooking instructor Elyse Chatterton.
Like Smoliak, she’s also a fan of grilled peppers—she recommends adding them to salads.
HOW TO SAVE
Visit AMA’s Backyard BBQ partners to pick up all your grilling needs.