But we haven’t got any buns! Weeknight grilling sans burgers and brats

—by Annie van Cleve

Meat and fire, it fills your nostrils as you drive home with the windows open and it makes your empty stomach seem so much emptier. Nothing means summer more than grilling. Many of us have been grilling since the first sunny day in March and some of us never stopped (what’s a little snow, really). The thing is, sometimes you just do not want another burger or brat or a steak, or maybe you do, but you don't have ketchup or buns or meat. This is when you must take to the fridge and root around until you find something appealing.

Start with the vegetable drawer

Finally, finally, we can buy vegetables from Wisconsin and Minnesota instead of from Mexico and California. Our sweet Midwestern vegetables require little preparation, so fresh and good are they. But throw them on the grill and you can satisfy your craving for something charred.

Zucchini, amazingly bland raw, becomes velvety and buttery when cooked in almost any manner. One method I like is to chop off the ends, slice them hot dog style and marinate them in olive oil, cayenne, and salt. Throw them on the grill with day-old bread (I never pass on the half-price bread basket) that has been rubbed with a halved garlic clove. If you have some cheese around, particularly a good Swiss or Parmesan, melt it on the bread. After the zucchini and bread are grilled to your liking, take them off the grill and combine into a sandwich. Pair with a tomato salad and an icy beer.

An eggplant could be treated the same; slice into rounds and marinate in balsamic vinegar, garlic, and a dash of hot pepper flakes, for a little kick. Put a pot of pasta water on the stove and head out to the grill. Flip the eggplants once. When they are shriveled along the edges, they are done (it will not be long). When your pasta is done, toss with a bit of olive oil and whatever is left of your marinade, then add the eggplants. If you have some of that day-old bread lying around, grind it up into bread crumbs and incorporate them as well. Finally, dust your bowl of pasta with a coat of fresh-grated Parmesan. A simple green salad and a glass of iced tea complete the meal. Since the pasta requires heating up the stove and thus the kitchen, this meal is best enjoyed on your porch or back stoop, wherever there is a breeze.

Pizza, not just a winter dish

Summertime does not mean you have to ignore your craving for hot cheese and bread just because your oven turns the house into a sauna. Pizza can be made easily on the grill, and a little planning means you can have homemade pizza and eat before 9:00 p.m. Make your dough the day before, using your preferred recipe.

When you get home at the end of the day, start the grill immediately. Roll out your dough. If the dough has been in the fridge overnight you may need to give it a few minutes to relax before rolling it out. Transfer the rolled-out crust to a cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Next, slice up your desired toppings on a big cutting board — so you have fewer things to carry out to the backyard — and gather the olive oil, salt and pepper, a pair of tongs, and an assistant, if you can find one.

For this pizza it is best to keep your toppings simple — fresh mozzarella, tomato, basil — because they will not be on the grill long. If you do want to include meat or crunchy vegetables, cook them ahead of time. Roast some red peppers in the oven the night before. (Bonus: The roasting peppers will make your kitchen a pleasant place to be while you make your dough.) An old issue of Gourmet recommended pancetta, Gorgonzola, and onion. Use whatever appeals to you. Great homemade pizza, like soup, should result from whim and what you have on hand.

Once the grill is ready, medium heat, slide the crust off the cookie sheet and watch the crust bubble up. After about five minutes, use your tongs to gently flip the crust. Now is when an assistant is most helpful. Pile on the toppings as quickly as you can, drizzle with olive oil, a grind of pepper, and sprinkling of salt. Watch it closely; when the cheese is melted, slide your pie back onto the cookie sheet and dinner is served.

The best part about cooking your supper over the grill is that afterward, when the coals have crumbled into white ash, they are perfect for roasting a marshmallow. Keep your pantry stocked with graham crackers and chocolate and your summer nights will always end on a sweet note.

[Annie Van Cleve is an avid home cook.]