Garlic Oil Skewers
Vegetables threaded on sticks and cooked over coals with garlic oil brushed on.
- calories
- 260
- weight
- 7 oz
- cal / oz
- 37
- protein
- 5 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 12 min
- total time
- 27 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- Foil packet
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Olive oil | 1/3 cup | carried in a leakproof bottle |
|---|---|---|
| Garlic | 6 cloves | minced at home, or 2 tsp granulated garlic |
| Bell peppers | 2 | cut into wide squares |
| Zucchini | 2 | thick coins, thin ones fall apart |
| Red onion | 1 | cut into wedges, layers kept together |
| Cremini mushrooms | 8 oz | whole, stems trimmed |
| Salt and black pepper | 1 tsp total | |
| Skewers | 8 | metal, or wood soaked before you leave |
Method
- Shake the oil, garlic, salt, and pepper together in the bottle.
- Thread the vegetables onto skewers, alternating so nothing group is all mushroom. Leave a little space between pieces or the middles steam instead of char.
- Brush or drizzle half the garlic oil over the loaded skewers.
- Set the grate over coals that have burned down past flames. Lay the skewers across and turn them every three minutes.
- Cook 10 to 12 minutes, until the onion edges blacken and the zucchini gives under a fork. Brush on the rest of the oil in the last minute so the garlic does not burn.
This is picnic food built for a fire. The original is a party platter; the change here is that everything gets cut at home and the seasoning is reduced to garlic, oil, and salt in one bottle. That bottle does the work of a marinade you have no counter space or hours to make.
Coals matter more than technique. Cook over flames and the outside chars while the onion stays raw. Wait until the fire has burned down to even red coals, and the vegetables cook through in about the time it takes to turn them four times. Save the last of the oil for the end, because garlic over direct heat goes bitter fast.
Packing
Cut everything at home and pack it in one bag in the cooler. The garlic oil goes in a bottle inside a second bag; olive oil finds every seam. A sheet of foil under the skewers on the grate catches drips and becomes the cleanup.
Variations
- A can of drained chickpeas, tossed in the garlic oil and cooked in a foil packet alongside, adds protein.
- Smoked paprika or chili flakes in the oil covers for having no marinade time.
- No grate: bury the foil packet of oiled vegetables in coals for 15 minutes instead.
https://outdooractionplan.com/summer-picnic-food