It’s officially grill season. While you’re brushing off the grill grates and prepping your proteins and vegetables, don’t forget to make a bright and zesty sauce for serving. Herbaceous, citrusy condiments, such as salsas and pestos, will complement and elevate your charred grill food. And zhoug is one sauce you should consider adding to your repertoire.

Zhoug (pronounced zoog) is a ubiquitous Yemenite condiment composed of fiery green chiles, fresh leafy herbs and ground spices, including cardamom, caraway, coriander and cumin. Toasting and grinding whole spice seeds is worth the extra step and will deliver the deepest, most fragrant flavor to the sauce. The toasting method is easy: Simply heat the whole spices in a small skillet until fragrant, then finely grind them in a mortar or spice grinder. For the cardamom, crack open the pods to release the small dark seeds and discard the pod shells. (To do this, place the pods on a work surface and bang them with the bottom of a mug or a heavy-bottomed drinking glass.) If whole spices are not available, ground jarred spices may be substituted.

Zhoug is meant to be spicy, but you can regulate its heat by including or omitting the seeds of the chiles. Once prepared, zhoug has myriad uses. Swirl it into yogurt for a dip or smear it on flatbread, sandwiches and burgers. Thin it with olive oil for an herby salad dressing, or use it as a garnish for eggs, stews, grains and couscous. It’s also delicious spooned over roasted vegetables, meat, chicken or fish, such as the swordfish in the recipe below. Once made, the sauce can be refrigerated for up to five days. Note that its heat will diminish with time. Serve the zhoug at room temperature.

Grilled Swordfish With Zhoug

Active time: 25 to 35 minutes

Total time: 25 to 35 minutes

Yield: Serves 4; makes about 1 cup sauce

Zhoug:

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds

1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns

1/2 teaspoon green cardamom seeds, from about 4 pods

4 spicy green chiles, such as serrano or jalapenos, seeded if desired, coarsely chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste

1/4 teaspoon Aleppo pepper

4 swordfish steaks, each 6 to 8 ounces and 3/4 to 1 inch thick

Extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Lemon wedges

Make the zhoug: Combine the caraway, cumin, coriander, peppercorns and cardamom seeds in a small skillet. Toast over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. Transfer the spices to a spice grinder or a mortar with pestle and finely grind. Combine the ground spices, chiles, garlic, cilantro and mint in a food processor. Pulse to chop. Add the oil, lemon, salt and Aleppo pepper and process to blend. If too thick, add more oil to achieve a salsa consistency. Taste and add more salt if desired.

Brush the swordfish with oil and season with salt and pepper.

Grill over direct medium-high heat until well-marked and cooked through the center, turning once, 8 to 10 minutes.

Alternatively, arrange the swordfish in a baking dish. Place in a 400-degree oven. Roast until cooked through the center, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the steaks. If desired, turn on the broiler about 1 minute before finished to lightly brown.

Serve the swordfish with lemon wedges and the zhoug for spooning and drizzling.

581-7500

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

Caption 01: Photo by Lynda Balslev for TasteFood

Eat your lasagna and have your vegetables, too, with a veggie-enhanced rendition of a family favorite. This layered gratin resembles a lasagna, with one key difference: There are no pasta sheets. It’s a glimpse of summer to come, with planks of roasted Mediterranean vegetables rippling with tomato and dollops of ricotta in a gratin-cum-lasagna.

Roasted eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash slices keep this dish light and colorful, alternating with a bright tomato sauce and fluffy ricotta. All the components can be prepped in advance, ready for last-minute assembly when you are ready to bake. Pre-roast the vegetables; by doing so, the oil is kept to a minimum. The tomato sauce is simple to make, but a favorite store-bought tomato sauce can easily be substituted. And be sure to use whole-milk ricotta cheese for best flavor and results, as the skim variety can be grainy and tasteless.

Roasted Vegetable Gratin

Active time: 30 minutes

Total time: 2 hours

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

Tomato sauce

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Gratin

16 ounces whole-milk ricotta

1/4 cup (packed) finely grated pecorino Romano cheese, plus about 1 cup more for sprinkling

1 garlic clove, minced

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 medium eggplants, sliced lengthwise, 1/4-inch thick

3 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise, 1/4-inch thick

3 yellow squash, sliced lengthwise, 1/4-inch thick

Olive oil for brushing

To make the sauce, heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and saute until soft without coloring, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes, salt and black pepper. Partially cover and simmer for 20 minutes. (Cool and refrigerate the sauce until use if preparing in advance.)

Whisk the ricotta, the 1/4 cup pecorino, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a bowl until smooth. (Refrigerate until use if preparing in advance.)

Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Arrange the eggplant slices in one layer on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment. Arrange the zucchini and squash on a separate baking sheet lined with parchment. Lightly brush the vegetables with oil and season with salt and black pepper. Roast the vegetables in the oven, in batches if necessary, until tender and golden in spots, 15 to 20 minutes for the zucchini and squash, and 25 to 30 minutes for the eggplant. Remove the vegetables from the oven and reduce the oven heat to 375 degrees.

To assemble the gratin, spread a thin layer of tomato sauce over the bottom of a 2.5-quart gratin or 9-inch-square baking dish. Arrange a layer of eggplant slices over the sauce. Smear dabs of the ricotta over the eggplant, then drizzle with some of the sauce and sprinkle with pecorino cheese. Repeat the layering process, alternating the zucchini and squash with the eggplant, until all the vegetables are added. Drizzle any remaining sauce over the gratin and around the edges. Finish with dabs of the remaining ricotta and an additional sprinkle of pecorino.

Transfer to the oven and bake until bubbly and golden brown on top, about 35 minutes. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

581-7500

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

Caption 01: Photo by Lynda Balslev for TasteFood

The essence of a green goddess sauce is (surprise!) an abundance of fresh green herbs. It’s a light, bright and refreshing dip, dressing or crema. Precisely which herbs you use in the sauce is dependent upon your taste, garden and refrigerator. Suffice to say that you should use what you like, and do not skimp. I make the dressing with herbs I always have on hand, which often include parsley and cilantro. If I have chervil, tarragon, chives or dill, I’ll add them, too. Feel free to tinker and mix and match the herbs to your preference -- just be sure to mind the quantity.

The sauce in this recipe is used as a marinade for the chicken and an accompaniment for serving. I’ll often make a double batch and use the remainder for dipping crudites or drizzling over roasted potatoes or other vegetables. It’s less creamy and less sweet than many goddesses, which often include mayonnaise. This one does not. If you prefer a runnier sauce, add a little more yogurt.

Green Goddess-y Chicken Skewers

Active time: 25 minutes

Total time: 25 minutes, plus marinating time

Yield: Serves 4; makes about 1 cup sauce

Sauce:

1 cup packed Italian parsley leaves and tender stems

1 cup packed cilantro leaves and tender stems

1 cup coarsely chopped mixed herbs, such as chives, dill and/or tarragon

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup whole-milk European-style yogurt

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 scallion, white and green parts chopped

2 teaspoons drained capers

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs), cut in 1-inch pieces

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Lemon wedges

Combine the sauce ingredients in a food processor. Process to blend. Taste for seasoning. Set aside about 1/2 cup for the marinade. Reserve and refrigerate the remaining sauce for serving.

Place the chicken in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the marinade and stir to coat. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 to 4 hours, stirring the chicken occasionally.

When ready to grill, remove the chicken from the marinade and thread on skewers. (If using bamboo skewers, pre-soak them for 30 minutes.)

Prepare the grill for direct cooking over medium heat. Grill the skewers until the chicken is cooked through the center, about 10 minutes, turning once or twice to evenly cook and char. (An instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the chicken pieces will register 165 degrees.)

Serve the chicken with lemon wedges and the reserved sauce for drizzling.

581-7500

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

Caption 01: Photo by Lynda Balslev for TasteFood