Vegan "Ferragosto" BBQ for you or your vegan friends

Summer is the ideal season for barbecues, which for us Italians don’t just represent a different way of eating, but also an opportunity to meet with friends or relatives and have a party.

Those who still choose to use firewood gather around the barbeque as if there was a mystical rite to follow, to light the fire and prepare the grill in time for lunch.

For the people of Piedmont, lovers of Fassona meat, Ferragosto and the hot summer weekends are classics for grilling meat.

However, recently, there has been a lot of talk about cooking and vegan products. So we asked ourselves, is it possible to give up animal proteins and prepare a completely vegetarian barbecue?

Of course we can, with a bit of imagination and some online research, so here are our tips for a Cruelty Free Ferragosto!

Let’s start with some… Starters!

Bruschetta (grilled bread) with tomatoes

While some prepare the charcoal fire and drink a frozen beer to fight off the heat of the barbecue, others prepare the bruschette.

Excellent as a starter, easy and quick to prepare, a tomato bruschetta is a recipe that anyone can make. Let’s leave the “traditional” version behind however and talk about a true local specialty: the bruschetta Morando.

The Bruschetta Morando

Cut bread into rather thick slices, about two fingers high, and prepare an emulsion made of oil, vinegar and salt. Dip the slices into the liquid and wait until the bread fully absorbs it.

At this point, barbecue the slices until the bread has reached an optimal level of crunchiness. Now season the Morando bruschetta with the classic tomato or eat it along with other dishes as a side dish.

Grilled corn on the cob

Grilled corn on the cob

Corn, which we call meliga (melia in Piedmontese), is a typical summer product. Cooking corn on Barbecues, however, is a typical American tradition that we’re proposing as part for your vegan grilled food.

Let’s start with the raw material: you need to choose small and tender corn cobs, then remove the leaves, tassels and stem. Cut them in half and insert a rather long stick so that you can grill them comfortably. The cooking time is roughly 30-40 minutes.

You can season with oil, salt and soy mayonnaise, or with some of the BBQ sauces that you’ll find in this article.

Paring with the Sidrè

Langhero – Maderè

Great as an aperitif, and paired with appetizers, Sidrè is the first and only Madernassa pear cider, a typical Roero pear variety, that is vegan certified.

Sparkling, dry and low in alcoholic content, the Sidrè by Borgogno Rivata is much more like a brut spumante as opposed to classic English ciders.

Now it’s time for the main dish!

Vegan burger

Skewers and burgers can also be made with vegetable ingredients. In this case tofu and seitan take center stage. If you’d like to give more flavor to your dishes and surprise your guests, you can opt for a wine-based marinade.

The procedure is actually quite simple: in a large container pour 100 ml of extra virgin olive oil, 250 ml of white or red wine, 2 tablespoons of white vinegar and mix.

Then add 2-3 cloves of garlic, sliced celery and carrots, black pepper, rosemary, laurel and other aromatic herbs as desired. Finish by adding a bit of salt. Immerse the tofu or seitan in the mix and let it rest overnight in the fridge.

The next day you can devote yourself to preparing your vegan skewers or burgers, according to your favorite recipes.

There are quite a few on the web. We thought of suggesting a recipe by vegan qourmet John Schlimm, author of the book Barbecue vegan style. 125 grilling and eco-friendly recipes for Vegan burgers and skewers.

Quench your thirst with Grape Juice

A non-alcoholic beverage suitable for children, made with Barbera and Moscato grapes, that can conquer everyone’s palates.

Created as an idea to “recycle” excess muscat production in the wine industry, Ghiga Juice is now a genuine and quality product for anyone who cannot or does not want to drink alcoholic beverages.

Fresh, thirst quenching, and rosé in color, Grape Juice is ideal for accompanying your vegan barbecue in a healthy and natural way.

And to end sweetly… Desserts!

Grilled bananas with chocolate

In addition to ice cream, my favorite summer sweet is cheesecake. Easy and quick to prepare, they’re delicious and very versatile. They can be prepared basically to suit all tastes.

Cioccomenta (Chocolate-Mint) Vegan Cake

Calling a cheesecake vegan is too big a contradiction. I searched for various recipes online, but most have lost this cake’s forte: its ease of execution and the lack of baking.

So I decided to put forth my own recipe; it was originally just lactose-free but now it has been re-adapted for a vegan version.

> Discover my cioccomenta (chocolate mint) Vegan Cake

Grilled banana chocolate

As soon as Enrico agrees to recognize the rights with GlocalWeb, we will have the honor of knowing his secret recipe.