For the marinade
- 4 large garlic cloves – skinned and crushed (use microplane grater)
- 1 tablespoon Pimentón dulce
- 1/2 teaspoon Pimentón Picante or to taste
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon aged sherry vinegar
- 1/2 cup California Olive Ranch extra-virgin olive oil
For the brochettes
- 12 baby red or Yukon Gold potatoes
- 1 medium red onion
- 2 baby zucchinis (8” long)
- 12 small shishito, fushimi, or other small-but-not-too-spicy green peppers
- 1 large red pepper
- 12 medium crimini mushrooms
- sea salt to taste
For the marinade – Place all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until well blended. Set aside.
For the brochettes – Boil the baby potatoes until tender but not falling apart. Drain well and set aside to cool. Peel red onion and cut in quarters.
Cut each quarter in half, crosswise, and separate each onion layer. Slice the zucchinis crosswise in 12, 1” slices. Stem the shishito peppers.
Cut the red pepper in quarters. Seed it and cut each quarter in 3 pieces crosswise: you should have 12, 1.5” pieces. Trim the mushroom stems and
brush caps clean with a dry paper towel. Place all the vegetables in a large bowl and drizzle with 2/3rd of the marinade (refrigerate the balance
of the marinade). Mix well, being careful not to break the vegetables, and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring a couple
of times to keep the vegetables well coated with the marinade.
To make the brochettes – Thread the vegetables on a skewer in this order: a couple of slices of onion, 1 mushroom, 1 shishito pepper, 1 potato,
1 zucchini slice, 1 red pepper slice. Repeat 2 times for each brochette. You will end up with four brochettes.
Preheat gas grill to medium-high heat or fire up a charcoal grill. Grill the brochettes on each side until the vegetables are well charred.
Serve with the balance of the marinade and sprinkle with salt to taste.
Chef's Note: I recommend using flat-blade skewers for these brochettes. As the vegetables grill, they lose their moisture and shrink.
These skewers will help keep the vegetable stable as they cook. You can purchase pimentón in specialty gourmet stores, or online at La Tienda.
Recipe and photo courtesy of Viviane Bauquet Farre of Food & Style.