Winter Squash Skewers

Winter veggie skewers

It still feels like summer, but all of the winter veggies are starting to get ripe. Winter veggies are usually vegetables that are ready to harvest late in the summer season and can be kept as food through the winter. Their thick skins help them to stay good longer to help provide food though the cold winter months when nothing grows. The ones I used in my skewers are zucchini, eggplant, onion and butternut squash.  It’s the perfect time to get these goodies out on the grill!

I think the taste of smoke makes everything better. There is something almost primal about grilling. You feel connected to thousands of years of humanity just by cooking some food over a flame. I have an electric stove, so when it is really cold, I miss the fire. I don’t mind grilling when I start to get chilly outside, but I can’t deal with it anymore when the grill has to work so hard to cook your food because it’s fighting the freezing temps.

We had an end of season potluck to attend last weekend. I’ve been making salads all summer, and while they’re delicious, I was starting to get bored. There were going to be people bringing corn, hotdogs and hamburgers, so we decided to make some veggie skewers for a side or for a main dish for those who don’t do meat.

The longest part of this preparation is putting the veggies on the skewers. Some of them, like the squash, were hard to get on. You can add or remove veggies as you see fit, but some such as mushrooms or peppers may have a shorter cook time.

When you cut your vegetables, it is important to try to get evenly sized pieces. If they’re too different, you’ll end up with part of your skewer raw and part of it burnt. I like pieces approximately 1 inch square. If you do not know how to cut any of these veggies, check out these tutorials.

Should you leave the skin on your grilled zucchini, squash, or eggplant? Its partially up to you. Skins are usually full of vitamins and nutrients. Thinner veggies such as the zucchini, or small eggplants would be okay to skip. The butternut squash I used on these skewers cannot be eaten with the skins attached. The zucchini and the eggplant that I have were both pretty large, so I decided to take the skins off of all of my veggies. My zucchini was so huge it had seeds like a pumpkin. I had to use a spoon and take the middles out like you would with a cantaloupe, and just sliced the outsides. The seeds didn’t seem pleasant to bite into.

Ingredients:
1 eggplant

1 zucchini

1 butternut squash

2 medium onions

Marinade:

1 c your favorite oil

1 T minced garlic

2 T parmesan

1 T Italian Spices

Method:

1. SkiSkinur eggplant first. Cut it into 1 inch chunks. I do this by cutting the eggplant in half lengthwise. I tip each half up on one long side and slice it in half lengthwise again. If your eggplant is small, you may not have to do this. I then lay it back down with the original cut on the cutting board, and the other piece stacked on top as if I had not made the second slice. Cut it into lengthwise strips about 1 inch wide. Finally, cut the strips into squares about 1 inch wide. Repeat for the other side. You can cut zucchini and summer squash with the same method. Butternut squash needs to be prepared differently. You can find out how here.
2. Spreadthe chunks out on a cookie tray with sides. Sprinkle salt over all of them and allow them to rest while you attend to your other veggies. This will pull some of the extra moisture out of the eggplant. They tend to be less bitter. You can let it drain for up to 4 hours.
3. Makeyour marinade. Mix oil and all spices in a small bowl. If you’re feeling a little lazy, you can use any sort of Italian dressing, or other garlic marinade.
4. Cutyour squash and zucchini. Remove the skins, then cut your squash and zucchini into 1 inch chunks. I tossed mine straight into the pan where I will marinate the skewers.
5. Slice your onions. I had very small onions, only an inch or an inch and a half. I wanted the flavor of onions, but I don’t like eating them. I wanted to have one or two layers of onions to sandwich between two of my squash, so I cut them small and peeled the layers apart. They will be very charred when I take the skewer off of the grill. If you want to eat grilled onions, you can skewer onion quarters or halves.
   Remove the salt from your eggplant.
6. Usedry paper towels and pat the eggplant chunks until no more moisture comes out.
7. Usea damp paper towel to remove any excess salt.
8. Slide the veggies onto the skewers. Be sure to pierce the thickest part of the veggie. This will help stop the veggies from falling off of the skewer while it cooks. I put a slice of onion between every other squash to get the flavor. I was able to put on two pieces of eggplant to every one piece of each other squash.
9. Let them marinate. Pour or brush the marinade over the skewers. You can use any container that will allow the marinade to cover the veggies. For best results allow the skewers to marinate for at least two hours and no more than eight. If you don’t have time, even 30 minutes of marinade will transfer flavor and help the veggies stay moist and tasty. I used a ½ hotel pan and snipped the ends of my skewers to make them fit in the pan.
10. When the marinating is done, grill your veggies. I find it is best to cook them on the top rack of the grill. The lower temperature seems to work better for the vegetables, and gives them time to cook all the way through without turning black. The smaller grill racks leave better looking grill marks, and do not seem to stick to the veggies as much. Cook each skewer for approximately 10 minutes, turning it once about half way through.
    Serve! You can serve them alone, or with your favorite dip such as yum-yum sauce, ranch dressing, or Alton Brown’s Vanilla Lime Skewer Sauce.

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