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Jun 05, 2023

Carrots, broccolini and rhubarb: Yotam Ottolenghi’s grilled vegetable recipes

Grilled carrots and tofu in a salty-sour sauce; charred broccolini and asparagus

Grilled carrots and tofu in a salty-sour sauce; charred broccolini and asparagus on a butter-bean mash doused in pepper salsa; and griddled rhubarb with burrata, peppery oil and honeyed ginger

Grilled food always brings with it an element of drama and anticipation, be that via the lick of a flame, the smoke of an outdoor barbecue or the ferocity of high-heat cooking on an indoor griddle. It evokes memories of bustling foreign markets and fun-filled barbecues, of family gatherings and summer carnivals, of sunny days and sticky, melty marshmallows. More than anything, however, it evokes joy: of deliciously cooked food made even better with its black tiger stripes and deep, smoky flavours. So here are three dishes that have grilled vegetables at their core, to be enjoyed both indoors and out.

Rhubarb walks that very fine line between almost-fruit and kind-of-vegetable, even though it is technically the latter. It usually appears in sweet desserts, but here's a wonderful way to use it in savoury cooking, alongside creamy burrata and fiery peppercorns and ginger, to serve as a starter or side.

Prep 20 minCook 20 minServes 4

400g rhubarb, trimmed and sliced on the diagonal into 4-5cm lengths (this gives the cut sides a greater surface area; 350g)2 x 170g burratas, drained and torn into 8 pieces (240g)10g basil leaves

For the peppercorn oil 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp pink peppercorns1 tsp coriander seeds½ tsp chilli flakes Flaked sea salt

For the ginger honey 90ml runny honey 15g fresh ginger, peeled and julienned

For the peppercorn oil, put the oil in a small frying pan on a medium heat. While it's heating up, put the peppercorns, coriander seeds, chilli flakes and a pinch of flaked salt into a mortar and lightly crush. Stir this mix into the hot oil, cook for 30 seconds, then tip into a small bowl to cool. Rinse out the pan.

Put the honey, ginger, two teaspoons of water and an eighth of a teaspoon of flaked salt in the same small frying pan on a medium heat, cook for five to six minutes, until the ginger is almost candied, then take off the heat and set aside.

When you’re ready to serve, put a griddle pan on a high heat, then, once hot, grill the rhubarb on its cut sides only for a minute or two, and in two or three batches, until charred and just softened; try to avoid charring the pink sides, because otherwise it will lose all that beautiful colour. Set aside in a medium bowl and repeat with the remaining rhubarb. Once all the charred rhubarb is in the bowl, pour over half the honey mixture and a quarter-teaspoon of flaked salt, toss gently and leave to cool for at least 10 minutes.

To assemble, arrange half the burrata on a medium platter, followed by all of the rhubarb. Put the remaining burrata on top, then sprinkle over another eighth of a teaspoon of flaked salt. Drizzle over the remaining ginger honey, scatter over the basil leaves, then spoon over the peppercorn oil and serve.

This makes a striking addition to a barbecue spread. Strictly speaking, it's not all cooked on a grill, but most of the various elements can be made well in advance, leaving just the tofu to be braised in the sauce and assembled just before serving.

Prep 10 minCook 25 minServes 4-6

100g silken tofu2 tbsp tahiniFine sea salt50g rose harissa1 tsp maple syrup2 tbsp apple cider vinegar2 tbsp soy sauce5 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 20g fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated3 spring onions, trimmed, whites finely chopped, green tops julienned and put in a bowl of ice-cold water1 tbsp olive oil, plus ½ tsp extra1 x 280g pack extra-firm tofu, drained and patted dry250g bunched baby carrots, tops trimmed1 lime, halved

Blitz the silken tofu, tahini and a quarter-teaspoon of salt in the small bowl of a food processor until smooth, then set aside.

Put the harissa, maple syrup, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, chopped spring onion whites and a tablespoon of oil in a medium saute pan on a medium-high heat, and cook for five minutes, until the oil splits and the sauce is slightly reduced and fragrant.

Put a griddle pan on a medium-high heat and ventilate the kitchen. Cut the firm tofu lengthwise into 2cm-thick pieces, to give you six slices in total, then cut each piece in half lengthways, to give you 12 slices in total. Grill the tofu in two batches for a minute on each side, until charred, then transfer to the pan of sauce as they’re ready. When all the tofu is in the sauce pan, stir in 100ml cold water and simmer on a medium heat for five minutes.

Meanwhile, toss the carrots with the extra half-teaspoon of oil and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, and grill, turning as necessary, for five to 10 minutes (the timing will depend on the size of your carrots), until charred and tender. Gently stir the carrots into the tofu pan, to coat in the sauce.

Spread the tofu cream on a medium serving platter, then arrange the hot tofu and carrot mixture on top. Drain the spring onion tops, scatter these on top, squeeze over the lime halves and serve immediately.

The creamy butter beans and spicy salsa make these grilled spring vegetables really shine. Double up on the salsa, if you like – it's great on eggs, pasta or anything that needs a bit of oomph; simply put it in a clean jar, cover with olive oil, seal and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Prep 20 minCook 40 minServes 4-6

Fine sea salt and black pepper250g broccolini, trimmed 200g thick-stemmed asparagus, woody ends trimmed1 green pepper (225g)6 garlic cloves, unpeeled3 tbsp olive oil, plus 1 tsp extra 3-4 hot red chillies, stems discarded (50g)30g fresh coriander10g parsley, leaves and soft stems only1 tbsp lemon juice 2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and lightly crushed in a mortar

For the fried almonds3 tbsp olive oil 30g flaked almonds

For the mashed butter beans 1 x 750g jar butter beans, drained (500g) 2 tbsp lemon juice

Bring a large saucepan of well-salted water to a vigorous boil, turn down the heat to medium-high, then drop in the broccolini and asparagus and blanch for 30 seconds. Quickly drain through a colander set over the sink, then run the vegetables under the cold tap until completely cool and drain well.

Put a griddle pan on a high heat and ventilate the kitchen. Once the pan is very hot, grill the pepper for two to three minutes on each side, until the skin is nicely charred all over; add the garlic for the last minute or two, and grill until just softened and charred. Set both aside to cool.

Grill the broccolini and asparagus, in batches if need be, for a minute or two on each side until lightly charred. Transfer to a baking tray and sprinkle over a teaspoon of oil, an eighth of a teaspoon of salt and a generous grind of pepper.

Once the pepper and garlic cloves are cool enough to handle, peel and discard the skins, and remove and discard the stem, pith and seeds from the pepper. Put the peeled pepper and three of the garlic cloves in a food processor, add the chillies, coriander, parsley, lemon juice and three tablespoons of oil, and blitz for two to three minutes, until almost smooth. Transfer to a bowl, stir in half the cumin and a quarter-teaspoon of salt and set aside. Rinse out the food processor because you’ll need it again later.

For the almonds, put the oil, nuts and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt in a small frying pan on medium heat, and cook, stirring, for three to four minutes, until golden. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the remaining cumin.

Put the butter beans, remaining three peeled garlic cloves, lemon juice and half a teaspoon of salt in the food processor and blitz smooth.

Spread the butter bean mash over a large platter, then spoon on and swirl in about three-quarters of the pepper salsa. Arrange the broccolini and asparagus on top, then dollop the remaining salsa on top of that. Scatter over the fried almonds and serve.