Smoke-Braaied Vegetables
Aubergine, red pepper, onion and baby marrow on the grid, seasoned, smoked over wood chips and finished with a Greek dressing. The braai side that steals the show.
The braai is South Africa's most democratic institution. Everyone gathers, everyone has a role, and the vegetables on the grid are every bit as important as the boerewors. Smoke-braaied veg is a staple of the South African outdoor table, the kind of thing that gets piled onto a plate alongside the meat and disappears faster than anything else. In the UAE, Saffas with access to a garden braai or kettle grill can do this properly. No braai? A griddle pan on high heat with a few drops of liquid smoke gets you surprisingly close.
Ingredients
- 1 medium aubergine, sliced lengthways into 1 cm slices
- 2 large onions, sliced into thick rounds
- 2 large red peppers, quartered and deseeded
- 6 medium baby marrows (courgettes), sliced lengthways
- olive oil, for tossing
- 1 cup wood chips or wood splinters, soaked in water for 30 minutes (available at ACE hardware and some garden centres in the UAE; sub: a few drops of liquid smoke added to olive oil before tossing, available at Spinneys)
- salt, black pepper, garlic powder and dried mixed herbs, to season
- 60 ml olive oil
- 30 ml red wine vinegar
- 5 ml dried oregano
- 1 small clove garlic, finely grated
- OR (original: Ina Paarman's Greek Dressing)
Method
- Soak 1 cup of wood chips in water for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
- Whisk together all the Greek dressing ingredients and set aside.
- Place all the prepared vegetables in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and season well with salt, pepper, garlic powder and dried herbs. Toss to coat.
- Clamp the vegetables in a braai grid.
- Scatter the soaked wood chips directly onto the hot coals just before you start cooking.
- Braai over the smoking coals until nearly done, turning once.
- Open the grid and drizzle the vegetables with half the Greek dressing. Turn and drizzle the other side.
- Continue braaiing until cooked to your liking, with good char marks and a slight softness through.
- Serve at room temperature with any remaining dressing on the side.
Notes
Method
- Soak wood chips in water for 30 minutes before cooking.
- Whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper for the dressing.
- Toss all vegetables in olive oil and season well.
- Clamp in a braai grid.
- Scatter soaked wood chips onto hot coals. Braai over smoking coals, turning once, until nearly done.
- Open the grid and drizzle both sides with Greek dressing.
- Continue braaiing until charred and tender to your liking.
- Serve at room temperature.
No braai? Cook on a smoking-hot griddle pan and add a few drops of liquid smoke to your olive oil before tossing the vegetables.