Firing up the grill for skewered veggies

Many types of vegetables lend themselves beautifully to grilling, and meat lovers as well as leaf eaters will want to try these marinated delicacies.

Your vegetable appreciation will soar, and you might even have more room for dessert by not eating a hamburger or steak.

Preparing the grill: Oil the grate while it is still cold, then heat the grill as you normally would. To determine when it’s hot enough, use the hand test: Place your hand a few inches above the cooking grate and count the number of seconds until you need to pull your hand away from the heat.

For vegetable grilling, this interval should be about 4 or 5 seconds. (If it’s a charcoal grill, make sure the coals are glowing and white ash has formed.)

About the skewers: Metal skewers are safer to use on an open fire than wooden ones. Just remember (and remind your guests) that they get hot and must be handled carefully.

Grilled vegetables

MARINADE (can be doubled if you want extra for basting; see note):

2/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

5 medium cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

5 medium sprigs fresh marjoram or oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried) (see note)

2 sprigs each fresh thyme, rosemary and basil (or ½ teaspoon dried)

SKEWERS:

1 medium eggplant (1 pound), cut in 1½-inch cubes

12 large cherry tomatoes

12 medium-sized mushrooms

2 bell peppers (any color), in 2-inch pieces

12 shallots, peeled

1½ pounds very firm tofu, cut in 1½-inch cubes

Optional:

1-inch pieces of corn on the cob

1½-inch chunks of parboiled (al dente) potato or sweet potato

1-inch chunks of zucchini or summer squash

Combine marinade ingredients in a long, shallow baking pan.

Add all other ingredients and stir gently. Marinate, stirring occasionally, for at least 2 hours and as long as overnight.

Arrange the marinated tidbits on standard skewers. Grill over hot coals, basting frequently with the remaining marinade and turning the skewers every few minutes to allow for even cooking.

The cooking time is not exact, so watch carefully, and remove them from the heat as soon as the vegetables seem done to your liking. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature. Yield: 6 servings (2 skewers apiece)

Note: You will need at least two hours for marinating the ingredients ahead of time. It is also fine to marinate them overnight.

Note: Sprigs of fresh herbs are an imprecise measure, and that is fine. Just eyeball it.

TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES