Hello, and welcome back to The Garden! It’s the end of the season of the sun, and its time to pull out all the stops and celebrate our love hate relationship with the Summer. I enjoy my Summers here in the Pacific Northwest now that I am more active and can actually get out there and reap the benefits of the fair weather. Being from Arizona especially, I can appreciate the “non extreme” version off Summer Washington has to offer, but when you do not have air conditioning, anything above 80 feels like 100. So, whenever possible, we here at The Pine Creek Lodge like to gather outside in the cool Summer evening and have what we call a “grill and chill”. Basically we invite all of our favorite people to come fire up the BBQ grill, and chill by a roaring bonfire. Simple, but rustic is still easily my favorite way to celebrate the season with all of our visiting friends and family and guests.

We love our outdoor spaces, and especially our fire pit. Its a gathering spot for anyone who visits us, and the outdoor grill is a perfect companion to an evening outdoors.

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We also have an enchanting outdoor area that we call “Wonderland” that features dozens of hanging lanterns, “Sage” our tree guardian and resident Green Man, as well as a cozy seating area for evening tea and conversation. During the cool Summer evenings we enjoy lighting up the outdoors and enjoying the magical glow it provides.

This week, for our end of Summer grill and chill, we are firing up some garlic grilled artichokes, balsamic grilled asparagus, and curry grilled vegetables. So let’s go build a fire and get the flames roaring, because tonight we not only celebrate our bountiful Summer, but we also look forward to the harvest of Fall.

The Artichoke

Ingredients you will need:

-a salad bowl filled with water (and the juice of 1/2 lemon)

-a saucepan with an inch of water in the bottom ( and the juice of the other half of the lemon)

-one lemon

-2 Tablespoons of minced garlic

-one artichoke.

I have always been intimidated by whole artichokes. I have enjoyed them as an ingredients in other things. On pizza, and in spinach and artichoke dip, for instance are made with canned artichoke hearts. I had never considered dealing with a whole fresh artichoke.They look complicated. They seen labor intensive, and more of a bother than a reward. But I was wrong. So so wrong. Artichokes are amazing. They are flavorful, and meaty and in their whole form can yield such a different experience of a typically overlooked vegetable. I like to grill mine.

When you go to pick your artichoke, its important to find a good one. Look for one that is large, and plump with tight/ close leaves and a vibrant color. Look at the stem. If its black, its a sign of how old the artichoke may be. The stem discolors after its cut, so the more fresh artichokes will have a less discolored stem at the cut point.

Once you find a good one its time to prep it (which you will do in side on the stove top before it goes out on the grill). I do not recommend doing this until you are ready to cook your artichoke, since it will begin to discolor as soon as you cut it open. But first things first, so here is your breakdown.

Instructions:

1. Cut the top 1/2 inch of the stem and the very bottom of the artichoke at the point.

2. Then cut open the artichoke longways through the stem into two equal halves.

3. Then you will remove the purple inner leaves and scoop out the “fuzz”with a spoon to leave a hollow center.

4. Put the two halves into the lemon infused water and let soak for 5 minutes.

5. Get saucepan over high heat and bring water and lemon juice to a boil, and put the artichoke halves into the saucepan face down, and cover. Steam for 15 minutes or until the inside stem of the artichokes are fork tender. You can add more water during this process of the level goes below 1 inch.

6. Pull steamed artichokes out of pan, sprinkle with desired seasoning and put straight onto the hot grill.

7. Sear over high heat until cooked with toasted grill marks appear and artichoke looks crispy.

8. Serve!

The leaves are full of tasty goodness, but to get at it you just bite down and pull them out of your mouth. The stem and inner flesh should be tender and meaty, and easy to cut up and eat with a fork.

The Asparagus

Ingredients you will need:

-One bundle of petite asparagus

-Balsamic glaze or a balsamic herb vinaigrette

Instructions:

The prep on these is pretty simple. After rinsing the asparagus, you will bend each spear towards the bottom, and snap off the woody part of the stalk (I keep the ends to throw into a vegetable stock later). Lay all of the asparagus in a shallow container and drizzle with balsamic glaze, or coat with the balsamic herb vinaigrette. Toss to mix, then straight onto the grill turning once, until you see nice solid grill marks and some char. Pull off the heat and serve! Really, that’s all there is too it!

The Mixed Vegetables

Ingredients you will need:

-One eggplant

-One head of cauliflower

-One bag of mini peppers

-2 cups of brussel sprouts

-Two small yellow neck squash

-Two small zucchini

-One 8-10 oz container of whole bite sized mushrooms

-curry spice blend, onion powder, cinnamon and smoked paprika (you really can use any combination)

-salt and pepper

-sesame oil

Instructions:

1. Mix all of your spices together in a small bowl

2. Cut up all vegetable into large rustic bite size chunks

3. Toss veggies in sesame oil just to coat and add spice rub. Mix well.

4. Put onto grill in a single layer and cook until well done with dark crispy edges and until all veggies are fork tender. I used an indoor grill here for demonstration purposes, but when I use the outdoor grill, I put a layer of foil on the underside of half the grill rack to prevent any pieces from falling through as I cook.

5. Remove from heat and serve!

Now that we are finished with the grill, its time to chill. Fire up the pit, sit back with some friends, and enjoy the last few Summer evenings in style. Nothing says Summer quite like a bonfire and some delicious fire grilled vittles.

As always, “lettuce” know what you think, and plant your questions and comments here in the garden. Come see us next time for our first Autumn recipe as we jump into the Harvest of Fall, and celebrate a brand new season of garden offerings.

Thanks for visiting The Enchanted Garden Goddess, see you next time!