Simple Grilled Lemon Orange Summer Squash

Simply flavored, easy to execute, simply delicious. Much of the secret lies in the thickness of the cut, and having fresh squash which are moist and not bitter. The rest lies with finding the sweet spot on the grill, where it is not scorchingly hot, nor where the heat is sort of feeble. The heat should be a 5-second heat, meaning it should take 5 seconds for your hand, 5 inches above the grill, to become painfully hot and you have to pull it away. This would be like medium-high on the stove.

INGREDIENTS:

1½ to 2 pounds summer squash

Salt and pepper to taste

Garlic powder to taste (but not too much as you want to taste the squash)

Olive oil as needed

Juice from ½ a Meyer lemon

Juice from 1 1¾-inch Cutie type mandarin

METHOD:

Remove the stem and flower ends of the squash. Cut the squash into slices 5/8ths of an inch thick. Use a ruler at first if need be until you get the motion down. For Patty-pan type squash (the UFO looking ones), halve them through the poles after removing the top and bottom. If large, quarter into wedges, then trim to size or slice through equator and trimming.

Put into a non-reactive bowl and add the juices. Toss to evenly coat. Marinate 10-15 minutes, tossing every couple minutes.

Drizzle liberally with oil and toss to coat well. Put squash onto grill skewers edge to edge, so the flat parts are the largest exposed surfaces. Try to do this so the squash is evenly placed on the skewer. Lay skewers onto a flat rimmed tray and then season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Drizzle with the juice/oil mixture remaining in the bowl.

Get the grill hot and find the 5 second spot as described above. Grill the squash in that spot until it is golden and has grill lines, but not long enough to get soft. The squash should be golden and charred here and there, but crisp and tender at the same time.

When ready, drizzle with juices remaining in rimmed tray, then put on a platter or remove form skewers and place in a bowl. Serve right away.

Serves: 4

Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen