Grilled Shrimp and Lemon Skewers

Sunday August 3

Allison and Joe were coming over, so we decided to do a summer meal on the grill. Of course, we didn't want to go OUTSIDE - it's hot out there! So Holt did his grilling on our indoor Jenn-air.

First, he grilled four of our last garden-grown baby bok choy, split in half, basted with olive oil, and sprinkled with salt. He was trying for the sort of effect we got from the romaine lettuce in a grilled Caesar salad, but unfortunately bok choy stems are too stringy for that treatment, so next time, we go back to braising.

The rest was less experimental, and turned out as delicious as planned: grilled thin slices of white and red onions; grilled baby squash of various shapes, all yellow and white and green; and skewers of shrimp alternating with lime slices. Some people do this with shell-on shrimp, but shell-off soaks up the lime and grill flavors better, not to mention being easier to eat.

Dessert, like dinner, was mainly of local ingredients: big juicy blackberries, dusted with just a little sugar (okay, not local), and topped with Graeter's vanilla ice cream. Anyone can be a locavore if they live three blocks from Graeter's.