Grilled
Littlenecks and Vegetables
Nothing says summer like grilling, and one of the things that I like most about cooking on the grill is the easy cleanup, especially on those hot nights. The other thing about the grill is that just about anything can be cooked on it.
I’ve started experimenting a bit more and have actually surprised myself with how flavorful food can be when you throw it on the grill with just a few ingredients. My grilled bok choy recipe, for example.
Don’t get me wrong, I love barbecue sauce, but sometimes the best flavor comes from keeping it simple and letting the ingredients flavor the dish. The first time I made this recipe I was hooked, and have eaten it probably once a week for the past few weeks since then.
The best thing about it is that you can use whatever vegetables you have available. For me, I used Swiss chard, turnips and cauliflower that I received in my CSA from Simmons Organic Farm this week, along with local littleneck clams.
There are two steps in this recipe so it can be a bit time consuming, but they are easy. The first step is grilling the vegetables; the second is creating a packet with tin foil with them, along with the clams. You will be amazed by how much juice those littlenecks actually have inside of them. You’ll want to serve this with crusty bread to sop up all of those delicious juices.
Serves 2
1 bunch of cauliflower
1 bunch of Swiss chard
6 radishes, stem removed
3 small turnips
1 onion, quartered
6 small, red potatoes
1 zucchini, halved
3 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt
Freshly cracked pepper
2 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed
Light the grill, and in a large bowl toss all of the vegetables with olive oil and then season with salt and pepper. Grill the cauliflower over high heat until lightly charred, about a minute per side and transfer to a large plate. Grill the Swiss chard over high heat until lightly charred, about a minute, and transfer to the same large plate. Continue grilling all of the vegetables until lightly charred and then add them to the other vegetables.
Tear four 16-by-18-inch pieces of heavy-duty foil and layer in pairs. Divide the clams among the two, and drizzle each with about a half-tablespoon of olive oil.
Cut the florets off the cauliflower, remove the stems of the Swiss chard and roughly chop, and cut the zucchini in half-inch pieces. Divide them along with the radishes, turnips, onion and potatoes among the two packets. Fold the foil tightly into rectangular packets. Make sure to try and fold it as tight as possible so you don’t lose any of the juices.
Arrange the packets on the grill and cover. Cook for about 25 minutes, rotating a few times, until the packets are puffed and sizzling. Transfer the contents of the packets into bowls and serve immediately with crusty bread.
