Vegetarian barbecuing – a delicious alternative to meat and fish

• Which vegetables are suitable for barbecuing?
• Barbecuing without meat: barbecue cheese
• Vegetables for barbecuing – the marinade is important
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You can choose almost any type of vegetable for vegetarian barbecuing. Whatever you choose – broccoli, cauliflower, aubergine, avocado, sweetcorn, courgette or fennel – when prepared correctly, nothing stands in the way of your summertime enjoyment!

Most veggies get sliced before they hit the grill; either to be cooked that way or on a skewer. But vegetables cut into bite sized pieces are often not great for the barbecue. Often the grates on the grill are too far apart and the required turning is not really easy. Barbecuing vegetable skewers is extremely easy if you thread the vegetables onto (square) bamboo skewers that have been well soaked beforehand. Just remember that pieces that are cut roughly the same size work best so that they all cook through at the same time. You should also boil or blanch firmer vegetables such as potatoes, carrots or pumpkin beforehand to minimise the cooking time on the grill.

Even previously frozen vegetables are ideal for vegetarian barbecuing. What is important is that you defrost the vegetables completely before barbecuing and pat them dry well to avoid excess moisture. Liebherr freezers use technologies such as NoFrost to prevent freezer burn and SuperFrost to freeze food very quickly. This keeps the vegetables fresh and full of flavour. Freezing allows seasonal products to be enjoyed all year round. It reduces food waste and is ideal for a flexible and sustainable approach to nutrition!

Once everything for the vegetarian barbecue has been chopped up and pre-cooked if needed, it’s time to make the marinade. Here it is important to understand that not all oils are equally suitable for preparing grilled vegetables, as with some oils smoke can form at high temperatures. We therefore recommend refined oils such as sunflower, rapeseed, olive oil or special frying oils. For a tasty marinade, olive oil can serve as a base, for example, and be refined with chopped herbs, garlic, salt and pepper. This particular marinade is an all-rounder and suits almost any vegetable. Add a dash of lemon or lime juice for an even more intense flavour. The acid accents the individual flavours of the vegetables and just makes them taste nicer.

The next question is, where is the best place on the grill for vegetables? Not all places on the grill are suitable. If placed directly over the burning coals, most vegetables burn quickly and lose valuable vitamins and nutrients. For this reason, always cook them indirectly at the edge of the grill. This will guarantee that your vegetarian barbecue is a success!