A Grilled Salad to Start the Season

While this weekend officially signals the start of outdoor dining, this season may be a little different from others in the past.

The need to celebrate and eat well now seems more important than ever so, let's make the most of it! This is a market-driven salad for sure and the current market offerings, as we move from Spring into Summer, provide plenty of opportunities. Feel free to compose as you like!

Grilled Vegetable Salad with Lime and Jalapeno Olive Oil Citronette

Serves four

Ingredients for Citronette 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt 1/4 tsp. Aleppo pepper 1 tsp. McEvoy Ranch Wildflower Honey 3 Tbsp. McEvoy Ranch Jalapeno Olive Oil Directions for Citronette

• Stir salt, pepper, and honey into the lime juice to dissolve.
• Whisk in jalapeno olive oil until dressing begins to thicken and emulsify.

Ingredients for Salad 3 ears of corn, shucked and cleaned of silk 3 ea. small to medium zucchini, sliced in half lengthwise 2 ea. small to medium red onions, peeled and cut top to bottom into wedges. Trim the root end flat but leave intact to hold wedges together 2 to 3 fresh poblano peppers, cleaned of seeds and cut into wedges Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 Tbsp. McEvoy Ranch Jalapeno Olive Oil 1 bu. fresh cilantro, roughly chopped 6 oz. Cotija cheese Directions for Salad

• Place prepped vegetables on a baking tray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Toss to coat evenly.
• Place vegetables on a hot grill or grill pan and turn often until they char and soften.
• Remove vegetables from the grill and, except for the corn, toss with 2/3 of the citronette.
• Cut corn from the cob and toss with remaining citronette.
• Place corn on the bottom of the platter and arrange the other vegetables on top.
• Crumble cheese on top of vegetables and garnish with chopped cilantro.

I made a double batch of the citronette, tossed the additional batch with some grilled shrimp, and served it with the salad. Any grilled meat or fish will benefit from a tasty grilled vegetable salad on the side. The jalapeno oil in this version gives a brilliant aromatic influence and is especially good with the corn and Cotija cheese. Don't forget to enjoy a glass of McEvoy wine with your grilling!