Summer House Vegetable Kebabs

I know what you're thinking: anything barbecue-orientated without meat isn't quite right. But you most definitely don't need to bother any animals to eat well. In fact, with the slightly primitive appliances of the Summer House in mind, it's probably better to avoid things that can spoil easily in the summer heat! These juicy vegetable kebabs, invented in a bit of a panic two summers ago, inspired us to take several steps towards a veg-heavy diet.

Let's rewind back to August 2011. We were at the Summer House and, having been greedy as usual, we were running out of food. Without access to a car, the nearest shop at the centre of Karkkila may as well have been in an entirely different universe. Thankfully, a quick rummage to what little was left in the fridge and the cupboards added to a spot of creativity produced enough green stuff to make up a very tasty dish indeed. It sounds almost too basic to work, but is in fact delicious - the combination of the veg, softened by the intense heat, and the tangy marinade is outstanding...if I may say so myself! This recipe has been amended to work in indoor conditions: if you get a chance to try it outdoors, simply replace the grill function of the oven with a barbecue-type grill heated to medium temperature.

Ingredients

A selection of red, green or yellow peppers, peeled red onions and courgettes, cut into generous chunks and washed (meaty mushrooms would also work well, but having been scared of the huge fungi that grew in our garden when I was very little, I still refuse to go anywhere near a mushroom if it hasn't been hacked into tiny pieces). The amount depends on how many people are eating - and how greedy you are!

Skewers

For the marinade

• Juice of 1-2 limes (lemons will work, too)
• A small bunch of fresh coriander and/or mint, finely chopped
• 1 - 2 fresh chillies, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• A small piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• A glug of olive oil
• A generous pinch of salt and black pepper

How to cook

Start by making your marinade by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl that's big enough to house all the vegetable chunks as well. Add the vegetable chunks, mix well together, making sure all the veg is covered by the marinade, and set aside to marinade for as long as you want (a minimum of one hour is recommended) so your flavours can develop.

In the meantime, heat your grill or barbecue to a moderate heat. Once your veg has marinated sufficiently, pierce the pepper, courgette and onion chunks with the skewers to create kebabs, ensuring that each skewers has a bit of every type of vegetable. Place the kebabs under a grill and cook until they are just right, golden (that's golden, not black and charcoal-flavoured!) and slightly softened, turning frequently. The amount of time this takes depends on how powerful your grill is - with an inferno-like appliance like ours, 10 minutes per kebab should be enough.  Unlike meat, it doesn't matter if the kebabs wound up a bit undercooked whilst you're getting the timings right - unless it's crawling with various bugs, you really can't get food-poisoning from greenery. Spoon over the leftover marinade from the bottom of the bowl whilst grilling, and also after the kebabs have been cooked to your satisfaction.

That's it! Serve with sides of your choice - homemade potato wedges or rice with lemon juice, turmeric and fresh coriander will work well.