Three Grill-Adjacent Recipes

including the drink of the summer

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.

Pepper juices are for dipping!!!

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 last splash of vinegar on the tomatoes is clutch.

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.

xoCLM

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Recipes: June 26, 2024

Roasted Red Bell Peppers with Garlic Chips

Adapted from That Sounds So Good

8 servings

These peppers are spicy, smoky, garlicky, and slippery. I love spearing a couple strips and then nudging a   bite of roast chicken or crispy-skinned fish onto the same forkful. Sweet, soft, and charred, the peppers get  better as they sit in their marinade, and you can leave them at room temperature all day on the day you make  them, spooning the juices and garlic oil over them every now and again. They also hold for about a week in the fridge—slap them onto a sandwich or chop them up and add to a tomato sauce.

3 large red bell peppers

3 garlic cloves

1⁄3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt; freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon Urfa biber

1 teaspoon ground sumac 

Leaves from 2 sprigs oregano 

Sherry vinegar

Flaky salt, for serving

Prepare a grill for medium-high direct heat (or use stovetop gas burners set to medium-high). Place peppers on grill (or on burner) and cook, turning with tongs every couple of minutes, until completely carbonized on all sides, 13 to 15 minutes. Initially, the skin will crinkle and char, then it will blacken, then become crusty with a pale, almost iridescent gray sheen to it—that’s what you’re looking for. (If you don’t have a gas stove, broil the peppers on a rimmed baking sheet, turning every few minutes, to the same end point.) 

Transfer peppers to a large bowl and cover; let sit 10 to 15 minutes. They will steam as they cool, which will make them easier to peel.

Meanwhile, thinly slice garlic and combine in a small saucepan with the oil. Season with kosher salt and pepper and place over medium heat, stirring so the garlic slices don’t stick to each other. (If using a grill, use a cast-iron pan and place above waning coals or a gas grill set to medium.) Cook until the garlic is lightly but evenly golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in Urfa biber and sumac. Let cool in pan.

Using your hands and a sheet of paper towel (or a kitchen towel that you don’t mind potentially staining), rub off pepper skins. Rip peppers in half and scrape out seeds; discard stems and seeds. 

Tear or cut peppers into wide strips (I follow the natural pleats in the flesh). Toss in a medium bowl with a spoonful of the garlic-chile oil and half the oregano; season with kosher salt and pepper. Transfer to a large wide bowl or platter and spoon remaining garlic-chile oil over, then season with a few splashes of sherry vinegar. Sprinkle remaining oregano over and top with a little flaky salt.

From the Market

Red bell peppers

Sumac 

Oregano

Spin It

• Orange or yellow bell peppers can be substituted
  Use lime zest in place of sumac

• Use marjoram, thyme, or tarragon instead of oregano

At Home

Garlic

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Urfa biber

Sherry vinegar

Flaky salt

Spin It

• Another mild crushed chile can be used, such as gochugaru or Aleppo

• Red wine vinegar, cider vinegar, or balsamic vinegar can replace sherry vinegar

• Use kosher salt if you don’t have flaky

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Marinated Tomato Bruschetta

Adapted from That Sounds So Good

6 servings

Whenever peak tomato season hits in your part of the world, make this. Sometimes I splurge on pretty heirlooms, but almost nothing beats a ripe beefsteak. When you’re done enjoying this recipe, strain and refrigerate the marinating liquid, which can be used in vinaigrettes, to lubricate a pot of beans, or for another batch of tomatoes.

3 large beefsteak tomatoes

Kosher salt; freshly ground pepper

3 garlic cloves, divided

3 sprigs marjoram

1 chile de árbol

Extra-virgin olive oil, to cover tomatoes

6 thick slices of crusty bread

Red wine vinegar, for serving

Flaky salt, for serving

Core the tomatoes, then slice crosswise into ½-inch-thick rounds. Layer them snugly in a shallow dish or dinner plate with a rim, overlapping a bit and not stacking them right on top of each other; season each layer with kosher salt and pepper as you go. Smash 2 garlic cloves and add them to the dish, along with the marjoram and chile. Slowly pour in enough olive oil to come up to the bottom edge of the top layer. Let tomatoes marinate at room temperature for up to 24 hours.

To serve, grill (or toast) the bread and rub the slices with the remaining garlic clove while still warm. Use a slotted spatula or spoon to lift the tomatoes out of the marinade and onto the toasts. Season with a few dashes of vinegar and top with flaky salt and pepper.

From the Market

Tomatoes

Marjoram

Crusty bread

Spin It

• Oregano, thyme, or any type of basil can be used

• Instead of making bruschetta, chop the marinated

• tomatoes and use them as an uncooked pasta sauce

At Home

Salt and pepper

Garlic

Chile de árbol

Olive oil

Red wine

vinegar

Flaky salt

Spin It

• Almost any dried chile can be used

• Lemon juice or sherry vinegar can replace the red wine vinegar

• Use kosher salt if you don’t have flaky salt

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The Hola Ciao

Makes 1 Cocktail on the Rocks or 12 Frozen Drinks

The Hola Ciao is so much more than a mezcal-Campari margarita. It’s what happens when two great culinary destinations—Mexico and Italy—meet, fall in love, and sail away on George Clooney’s yacht. If you love margaritas in the summer and switch to Negronis in the fall, you will love it. If you love the idea of frosé but want to put a little hair on your chest, you will love it. If you are seeking an Italian lover with a surf lodge in Sayulita, you will love it. You will love it.

For 1 Hola Ciao on the Rocks

Kosher salt, for glass, optional

Orange wedge, for serving

2 ounces mezcal or tequila

1 ounce fresh lime juice

¾ ounce Cointreau

½ ounce Campari or Aperol

2 teaspoons agave, or more if desired

For a cocktail rimmed with salt, spoon a light layer of kosher salt onto a saucer or small plate. Rub half of the circumference of the rim of a rocks glass with an orange wedge, then invert the glass and press the rim into the salt. Omit this step if you don’t want a salted rim. Fill glass with ice and set aside. 

In a large cocktail shaker, combine the mezcal, lime juice, Cointreau, and Campari. Fill shaker with ice and shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is almost too cold to touch, at least 30 seconds. Strain the Hola Ciao into the rocks glass with ice. Squeeze orange wedge into drink and serve.

For 12 Frozen Hola Ciaos 

1 750-ml bottle mezcal (approximately 25 ounces)

12 ounces fresh lime juice

10 ounces Cointreau or other orange liqueur

6 ½ ounces Campari
6 ¾ ounces agave (about 9 tablespoons)

12 orange wedges, for serving

Combine the mezcal, lime juice, Cointreau, and Campari in a pitcher. Add 2 ½ cups (20 ounces) cold water and stir to combine. Transfer the Hola Ciao base to a gallon-size freezer bag or other large airtight container and freeze until solid crystals form, at least 24 hours and up to a month.

To serve, pour (still-frozen) mixture into a blender and add about a cup of ice cubes. Blend until the Hola Ciao is emulsified and slushy. Pour into coupe glasses, martini glasses, or short rocks glasses. 

Alternately, shake 6 ounces of the frozen Hola Ciao base in a cocktail shaker (without additional ice) for 30 seconds before straining into 2 rocks glasses filled with ice. It won’t be a slushy, but it’s an efficient way to make a bunch of very cold drinks quickly! Repeat as desired; the full batch yields 12 drinks total.