New here? Hi! If you want to get right down to business, scroll down for the new video release and allllll the way to the bottom for the recipes (there’s three this week!).
Hello My Live-Fireflies!
A few weeks back, I asked you what sorts of recipes were on your Carla Grilling Wishlist, and a theme coalesced around vegetarian mains, vegetarian sides, and/or indoor options for those without grills. That feedback inspired me to break my grilling videos into two sections this year. I kicked things off with last week’s grilled turkey breast, a big party-friendly protein can also be oven-roasted, and makes amazing in turkey club sandwiches). During that video, I also covered requested topics about grilling zones and temperature maintenance.
This week I’m delivering the sequel: two vegetarian side dishes that can be grilled, or not, plus The Hola Ciao, a drink-it-for-the-rest-of-the-summer cocktail that is everything to me.
The Hola Ciao is my absolute new favorite. Both the recipe and the video cover how to big-batch it and turn it into frozen margaritas that have the texture of a slushy. We had to make two batches for video day, and I still have quite a bit languishing in the freezer. Let me tell you it is DANGEROUS being able to whip up one of these in the Ninja any day of the week.
The other two dishes in the video have been adapted from That Sounds So Good: Roasted Red Peppers with Garlic Chips, and Tomato Confit Bruschetta, which I’m now calling Marinated Tomato Bruschetta because it’s less of a confit in the demo.
What I love about both dishes is that:
they showcase nightshades, which peak in summer;
the colors are incredible;
the ingredients are very few;
they can be made hours if not days ahead;
they can be enjoyed as is, or reconfigured into sauces or condiments;
they are perfect to bring to a friend’s, if you’re not the one hosting;
and they can both be made with or without a grill.
The roasted peppers were inspired by a recipe of my mom’s I grew up with. She always used the gas burners on the stovetop to carbonize her peppers. That’s how it’s written in the book (a broiler will also do the trick), but for our grilling day, I dispatched them over high direct heat. You get a little more smoky flavor, but other than that the results are identical. They’re topped with garlic chips, the same method as I used for Tomato Soup in the Style of Sauce. You could use leftover peppers to make One Skillet Pasta with Crispy Bits, or put them into sandwiches, grain salads, onto cheese boards, or improvise your own sweet pepper relish. Also exquisite with any protein you want to pair them with. Plus, the liquid that is left over after marinating is begggggging to be turned into a dressing or marinade, tossed through panzanella, or as a tasty vehicle for eating lots of great bread. Dips!!
The tomatoes are similarly stupid-simple: marinated in olive oil, smashed garlic, crumbled chiles, and some fresh herbs. The only live-fire element in the video is grilled bread for building the bruschetta, but obviously toasted bread is totally fine! If, by some glitch in the system, you finish the day with tomatoes leftover, dump them into a skillet and simmer for 15 minutes to make a fresh tomato sauce for pasta, which is what I did with mine, and finish that off with a spoonful of fresh ricotta on top.
Now back to The Hola Ciao: if you love margaritas in the summer and negronis in the fall, you will fully freak out for The Hola Ciao. It’s essentially a mezcal-Campari margarita.The mezcal makes it smoky, the Campari gives it backbone, and fresh lime juice keeps it bright and zesty. A dash of Cointreau lends some sweetness and a slightly bitter note, which bridges the citrus juice and Campari perfectly.
If you’re hosting two or three friends, you can easily shake these up to order. But if you’re hosting more than that, batch it and freeze it. You can either shake that mixture up and strain it over rocks, or go the adult slushy route by blend the frozen cocktail with a handful of ice cubes. A frozen Hola Ciao looks like frosé but delivers the sophistication and adventure of an Italian gentleman on a surf trip to Sayulita. Getting the vibe??
Not me already stressed because the longest day of the year happened last week and the remaining summer hours are numbered! Oh no, we are soaking every single moment out of these magical days! I have not one but TWO beach rentals planned—one in July and another in August—and many wet-bathing suit meals to enjoy.