Grilled Vegetable Soba Noodles with Rosemary Garlic Sauce

Cooking delicious food for guests with dietary preferences calls for creative use of the season's bounty. Our goal for a weeknight dinner with friends was a vegetarian, gluten-free main dish, using seasonal vegetables, ready in 30 minutes. After a visit to our local famers’ market, we set to work creating a vegetable based pasta dish with flavor and texture that would appeal to a wide range of eaters. To make Grilled Vegetable Soba Noodles with Rosemary Garlic Sauce, we grilled up fresh broccoli, cauliflower, green beans and zucchini. With a roasted garlic sauce in mind, we added whole garlic cloves to the grill, to see if we couldn’t achieve a roasted garlic flavor without turning on the oven. It worked brilliantly. While the vegetables and garlic grilled, we cooked up a quick batch of buckwheat soba noodles, a toothsome noodle that is also gluten free and cooks in 4 minutes. For a subtle sauce that would accompany the dish without overpowering the fresh flavors, we clipped some rosemary from our garden, added our grill-roasted garlic, a flurry of nutty parmesan cheese, and bright lemon for contrast. Enjoy summer vegetables and homespun food shared with the ones you love.    

Yield: Serves 4-6 as a main

Ingredients:

   Grilled Vegetables:

• 1 large zucchini, unpeeled, sliced horizontally into strips
• 1 large head broccoli, cut into medium florets
• 1 large head cauliflower, cut into medium florets
• 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed, cut into bite sized pieces
• 12 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

   Soba Noodles:

• 12 ounces soba noodles
• 1 pint yellow and red cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 large carrots, peeled, thinly sliced

   Rosemary Garlic Sauce:

• 1 cup grated parmesan
• 1 cup cooking water
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Steps:

1. Preheat your grill on high for 10-15 minutes. Clean the grates thoroughly and wipe with a lightly oiled rag just prior to grilling to reduce sticking.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
3. For the grilled vegetables:  In a large bowl, combine all the grilled vegetable ingredients (zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, garlic, oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder). Toss briefly to evenly coat the vegetables.
4. Grill the vegetables and garlic cloves on high heat (covered) for about 6-8 minutes total, turning once during cooking. You are looking for nice browning and the vegetables to just cook through. Your cook time will vary depending on the size and thickness of your vegetables. Check on the garlic more often to ensure that it does not burn. 
5. Remove the grilled vegetables from the grill, and set aside. Separate the garlic for use in the rosemary garlic sauce.
6. For the soba noodles: Add the soba noodles to the pot of boiling water and cook according to the package instructions, typically 3-4 minutes. Prior to draining, remove one cup of cooking water from the pot to add to your blender or food processor for the rosemary garlic sauce. Drain the cooked soba noodles and set aside.
7. For the rosemary garlic sauce: Add the grilled garlic, parmesan, reserved cooking water, olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary, salt and pepper to a blender or food processor, and puree to a smooth consistency.  Taste and adjust seasonings, adding additional salt or lemon to your preference.
8. To assemble the dish: Add the rosemary garlic sauce to the cooked soba noodles, toss well to combine. Top the sauced soba noodles with the grilled vegetables, fresh carrots, and tomatoes. Serve warm.

Rebecca Shetler Fast

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