Mr Fabulous Mission's Summer Grill

Back when it was still horrible winter weather in summer, some food gave me the impression of summer. This summer grill, consisting of polenta, tomato and red pepper kebabs with a yogurt dressing and cucumbers allowed me to believe I was on a patio on the Med. You know the terrible cliche, "it's summer on a plate," well let me give it to you, as this is.

This looks more like the portions for a starter, and while I do think it would make a highly satisfying starter, I had a couple of the kebabs with a big salad, the cucumber tzatziki and some bread. If you know what's good for you, make it a meal. Grilling the polenta caramelizes it and crisps it up- put it on the BBQ if you prefer. The juice and sweetness from the tomato and pepper seep into the polenta. You could easily marinade the kebabs in an oil and herb dressing (I'm thinking of pesto) and obviously use whatever vegetables you like. Still, the cucumber, garlic, lemon and mint yogurt dressing is more than enough of a compliment and flavour to make you eager to eat.

Recipe for a Summer Meal for Two

1. Chop up a block of polenta, tomatoes (I quartered 3 Roma-sized tomatoes) and a red pepper into suitable sized chunks. Put onto kebabs to resemble the 1970s classic, pineapple and cheese on a stick.

2. For the tzatziki, finely chop 1/2 clove of garlic and 1/3 of a cucumber. Add to about a half a cup of yogurt (I used low fat Greek style), the juice of half of a lemon and a small handful of mint leaves (chop the bigger ones).

3. Grill/BBQ on each of the four sides. The first two sides take longer as they're getting everything cooking. The first side took me about 8 minutes; the second side about 5 minutes and the others about 3 minutes on a high grill. If you like more of a subtle golden colour, go for a medium or low grill. I was going for the BBQ effect. 

4. Serve with a salad.

Happy BBQ season.