Your New Vegan Grill Product – Cheese
Counterfeit meats have come a long way in recent years, but vegetarians still don’t have as many grilling options as their predatory friends. Grilled vegetables are fun, but they’ve always felt like a side dish to me, especially when combined with something like a grill with ribs. For a satisfying and delicious vegetarian grill, try the cheese.
Obviously, not just any cheese will work, as most will melt and fall right through the grate, creating a warranty-voiding mess on the grill, around and within. For outdoor cooking, you will need something beautiful and firm, such as halloumi, bread cheese, or paneer. These creaky bois are warm but not melting, making them perfect for grilling (or, if you’re stuck indoors, for pan-frying).
Each cheese brings different things to the table, so you should probably buy all three. Paneer is a fresh, un-aged, soft cheese that will absorb whatever flavor you add to it. You can grind or marinate it before cooking, or you can just finish with very good olive oil, a little lemon, and flaked salt. Halloumi brings in a little more flavor. The goat and sheep milk brine is quite salty, which means you really don’t have to do anything other than cook it (and maybe drizzle it with honey). Bread cheese is the hardest to find, so if you see one, grab it. Difficult to miss – look for cheese with toasted spots; that’s how you know it’s baked. In taste, bread cheese occupies an intermediate position between the other two. It is slightly salty and toasty, like a baked mozzarella if the mozzarella held its shape during baking.
All three dishes can be grilled on boards or strips, or cut into cubes and sautéed on skewers. If the thought of throwing cheese on the grill makes you nervous, try it first in a nonstick skillet or place it in the freezer for half an hour before grilling (and be sure to grease the grates with oil). After grilling, place it in sandwiches, stuff with tacos in shells or, for skewers, eat straight from a stick.