Don’t stew over dinner
Assemble a variety of fresh vegetables and create something special by grilling them until they’re crisp and lightly browned.
That’s the tip from a San Francisco recipe developer and cookbook author who has written a tempting summer cookbook called Vegetables On Fire (Raincoast, $27.95).
Brooke Lewy deplores the fact that we regularly grill meats and fish to perfection, then neglect to do anything interesting with the vegetables.
Give those midsummer vegetables what she calls “that smoky, crisp-edged flavour” in this colourful French dish of eggplant, zucchini, squash, bell peppers and red onions.
RATATOUILLE
Serves: 4 1 lb (454 g) eggplant, in 1/4-inch (6 mm) slices 1/2 lb (226 g) zucchini, in 1/4-inch (6 mm) slices 1/2 lb (226 g) yellow squash, in 1/4-inch (6 mm) slices 2 red bell peppers, in thin rings 6 tbsp (90 mL) olive oil Kosher salt Freshly ground pepper 1/2 red onion, in 1/4-inch (6 mm) rings 3/4 cup (180 mL) tomato purée 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced Leaves of 4 sprigs of fresh oregano 6 oz (170 g) feta cheese Flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped 1. Heat grill to medium. Combine in an eight-byeight inch (20-by-20 cm) baking pan or a 10-inch (25-cm) cast iron frying pan the eggplant, zucchini, squash and bell peppers and toss with 3 tbsp (45 mL) of olive oil and salt and pepper.
2. Brush onions with 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the oil and sprinkle with salt.
3. Arrange all vegetables on grill and cook until they have grill marks and begin to soften, three to four minutes. Turn and grill another two minutes.
4. Meanwhile, pour tomato purée into the baking or frying pan, and season with salt and pepper. Add garlic and half of the leaves from the oregano sprigs, stirring to combine mixture well.
5. Transfer grilled vegetables to a plate. Spread eggplant on tomato purée, overlapping slices slightly.
6. Follow with a layer of zucchini, then a layer of onions, then peppers, then squash. If you have more vegetables, repeat layers until all the vegetables have been added.
7. Press down slightly on vegetables, drizzle with the remaining oil, the remaining oregano and more salt and pepper to taste.
8. Crumble feta on top, cover and return pan to the grill for 10 to 15 minutes.
9. Serve, sprinkled with the parsley, cutting the ratatouille into squares so the layers are visible.