For more than 40 years, the Best of Bridge cookbooks have been collecting easygoing recipes for family meals. These books also have an easygoing format: instructions in big print, handsome but realistic photographs, and convenient spiral binding so they stay open. The series, a fixture in western Canadian kitchens and popular coast to coast, has sold more than four million copies since it launched in 1976.
The 2017 volume Best of Bridge Sunday Suppers: All-New Recipes for Family and Friends (Robert Rose, $29.95) offers easy weeknight food as well as relaxed, “sit around the table” weekend dishes. The Calgary-based authors are blogger Elizabeth Chorney-Booth, food writer Sue Duncan and Julie Van Rosendaal, a CBC radio reporter who writes periodically for the Globe and Mail. They have been producing the books since 2015, replacing the original eight bridge-playing family cooks.
In this recipe, the skewers can be loaded well in advance of grilling. If you’re cooking directly on the grill, the authors advise keeping the temperature low. They recommend flat metal skewers, which are hardy and inexpensive.
Vegetable Skewers
Serves 4
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons (30 mL) vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
6 cups (1.5 L) assorted vegetables, such as red onions, zucchini, eggplant and bell peppers
Balsamic vinegar reduction (Use a ready-made brand or make it by simmering balsamic vinegar for 5 to 7 minutes over low heat until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon; store in the refrigerator.)
In a large bowl, combine garlic, oil, salt and pepper.
Cut vegetables into 1 1/2-inch (4 cm) pieces. Add to garlic mixture, toss well, and marinate for at least 45 minutes.
Preheat barbecue grill to medium-low. Thread vegetables onto metal skewers. If using eggplant or zucchini, thread through the skin; otherwise the pieces will fall off the skewers as they cook.
Close lid of barbecue and grill, turning a few times, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and have grill marks.
Transfer skewers to a serving platter, drizzle with balsamic reduction, and serve.
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