Smoky Corn & Charred Vegetable Salad

Use whatever mix of char-grilled and fresh vegetables in this recipe to create an entrée-level salad. Toss the vegetables in a homemade garlic-lemon aioli that comes together in about five minutes!

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Smoky Corn & Charred Vegetable Salad

Use whatever mix of char-grilled and fresh vegetables in this recipe to create an entrée-level salad. Toss the vegetables in a homemade garlic-lemon aioli that comes together in about five minutes!

Ingredients

For the Salad Components:

• 2 red onions (cut into 1/3” thick rounds)
• 4 earns corn (husks removed)
• 2 red bell peppers (core removed and cut into quarters)
• 2 portobello mushrooms (left whole)
• 1 bunch asparagus (with the tough ends trimmed off)
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 8 oz fresh green beans (tops and tails trimmed)
• 4 oz cherry tomatoes (washed, cut in half & salted)
• 3 cups Arugula lettuce (washed and dried)
• 1 oz Parmesan cheese (shaved into thin slices with a vegetable peeler, as garnish)
• Salt and freshly-ground black pepper (to taste)

For the Aioli:

• 2 whole eggs
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• ½ tsp Kosher salt
• ¾ cup sunflower oil
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1-2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Salt, lemon, and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Instructions 

• Preheat grill (and metal vegetable grill box, if you have one) to 550F.
• Lightly oil the onions, bell peppers, corn, asparagus, and portobello mushrooms.
• Season onions, bell peppers, corn, asparagus, and mushrooms with salt.
• Wash and drain green beans.
• Remove tops and tails of green beans.
• Boil green beans in salted water until just tender.
• Remove from hot water and allow to cool at room temperature.
• When beans are cool, cut into 1” sections on a diagonal bias.
• Prepare cherry tomatoes, arugula, and Parmesan cheese shavings and set aside for salad assembly later.
• Combine the ingredients for the aioli in tall plastic container and blend until emulsified with an immersion blender.
• Taste and adjust the aioli with lemon, salt, & freshly ground black pepper.
• Grill the remaining vegetables on high heat until cooked, starting with the portobello mushrooms, and ending with the bell peppers and asparagus.
• Remove cooked vegetables from grill and allow to cool slightly at room temperature.
• When the grilled vegetables are cool enough to handle, cut the corn from the cob.
• Cut remaining grilled vegetables into bite-sized pieces.
• Mix grilled vegetables with ¼ cup of the lemon-garlic aioli.
• Toss arugula, tomatoes, and green beans with 3 Tbsp of the lemon-garlic aioli.
• Assemble salads with grilled vegetables on the bottom.
• Add green beans, tomatoes, and arugula on top of the grilled vegetables.
• Garnish with freshly ground black pepper and shavings of Parmesan cheese.

Notes

The aioli recipe here makes about 2 cups of aioli, which is more than you need to serve the salads.
You can use any salad greens you like here, or omit them entirely if you prefer to serve the salad with fewer fresh greens.