by Megan Minnick, Purchasing Director
First off, let me list my credentials: I’m the mother of a nine-year-old and a four-year-old, and the stepmother of a fourteen-year-old. I know a thing or two about being a mom.
I’m all for Mother’s Day. I’d be happy making it a monthly or weekly holiday. But I have a beef with whoever came up with the notion that Moms should be celebrated with a fancy breakfast or brunch (lovingly prepared by children who don’t really know how to cook), while a backyard grill-out is reserved for Father’s Day… because believe it or not, us moms like grilled food too, maybe even as much as dads do. Many of us even like red meat.
I know. Crazy, right?
A perfectly cooked medium rare grass-fed sirloin on the grill sounds like a pretty good Mother’s Day to me, but like most moms, I also want to make sure that everyone eats their fruits and veggies, so here are a few springtime fresh produce grilling ideas — you know, stuff to go with the steak.
Grilled Vidalia® Onions
May is Vidalia onion season. By law, in order to be marketed as a “Vidalia,” these sweet onions must be grown in one of the 20 Georgia counties designated in the 1986 Vidalia Onion Act (yes, that’s actually a thing). The mineral composition of the soil in that region is what gives Vidalias their trademark sweetness, and all that sugar is just begging to be caramelized on a grill.
The best way to grill a Vidalia is to cut the onion into thick, 1/2 to 1 inch circles, and then skewer lengthwise through all the layers with a wooden skewer. This makes the onion easy to flip on the grill, and you won’t lose any of the oniony goodness to the coals. Coat the onion slices in olive oil, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, then place on a medium hot grill. Flip every ten minutes or so until the onions are golden brown.
If you really want to impress your Mom, garnish with freshly chopped dill, parsley, or sage.
Potatoes with Green Garlic
Green garlic is one of the most underappreciated local spring veggies. It’s simply immature garlic plants that are harvested as they begin to grow in the spring—just as scallions are immature onion plants harvested before onion bulbs form—and it’s a wonderful ingredient to add fresh, spring-y flavor to almost any savory dish.
To make perfect potatoes on the grill, slice either red or gold potatoes in 1/4-inch slices. Toss with a little chopped green garlic (you can use both the white and green parts), salt and pepper. Place this mixture on a square of aluminum foil, and top with a generous pat of butter. Fold up the foil to make a pouch, and place on a hot grill for 30-45 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
Garnish with fresh parsley, and maybe a little sour cream.
Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus
There is absolutely no better way to enjoy asparagus than on the grill. While this veggie is perfectly suitable for grilling solo, why not add some bacon and make it something special?
First, coat the asparagus in a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Make little bundles with 2-4 spears each (depending on the diameter of your asparagus), and wrap each bundle with a strip of bacon. Secure with a toothpick, and cook on a medium grill. You’ll need to flip these babies every few minutes to ensure they cook evenly, but it will be worth it, I promise.
Add the final touch of flavor by sprinkling with chopped local chives.
Fruit Kebabs
This is my all time favorite grilling recipe. It’s incredibly easy—you’ll find yourself wondering if you did something wrong because it’s almost too simple—yet it’s delicious, and fun to boot!
Cut your favorite seasonal fruits into 2-3-inch cubes. In May, strawberries are a great choice, and apricots, maybe the first peaches or nectarines of the year…. You could also try apples, pears, mango, melon, or even citrus. Place the fruit cubes on skewers and grill until they’re cooked through. Really, it’s that easy. There’s something special about the way the heat from a grill caramelized the sugars in fresh fruit… like pie without the crust.
You could sprinkle the finished kebabs with powdered sugar and fresh mint when you’re done if you want. Mom might like that.
Happy Mother’s Day y’all!
PS. While it’s true there are fewer dishes when you grill, there are still dishes. Don’t make Mom do the dishes.,