DELICIOUS GRILLED RATATOUILLE

Published July 23rd, 2021 on Kind of Wild

In my meat-centric world, vegetables create some semblance of balance but are rarely lusted after like a chunk of  slow cooked pork or a well seared steak. But there’s something about grilled veggies that I find irresistible. The char from the grill, the caramelization of sugars, and the softened texture of things like squash, onions, eggplant, and peppers.

RECIPE Delicious Grilled Ratatouille

1. Light your grill and heat to medium-high heat.  Slice the zucchini and eggplant horizontally into ¼ wide strips and place on a tray

2. Slice the top ¼ inch off the top and bottom off the peppers and then cut the pepper in half. Carefully use a knife or spoon to scrape away the seeds and inside of the pepper and discard them. Add your pepper halves, pepper top (with the steam removed) and pepper bottom to the tray with the other vegetables. 

3. Season the vegetables with a good drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

4. Grill the vegetables on each side until golden brown and just showing signs of char. This should be approximately 4-5 minutes, but depends on the heat of your grill. Once done, place the vegetables back onto the tray and allow to cool.

5. Meanwhile, heat a large dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot over medium heat on your stove. Add the ¼ cup of olive oil, onion and garlic. Allow them to stew in the oil and turn translucent- about 7 minutes. If the onions and garlic begin to brown, turn down the heat. 

6. Add the herbs de provence (or dried basil if substituting) and cook for an additional 1 minute until fragrant.  Add the tomatoes to the pot, season with salt and pepper, and allow to stew for 30-45 minutes. You are looking for the tomatoes to break down into a sauce, but still retain a little bit of their shape. 

7. While the tomatoes are stewing, cut up the grilled vegetables into bite sized pieces. Once the tomatoes are cooked through, add the vegetables and cook for an additional ten minutes for the flavors to meld. 

8. Allow the ratatouille to cool a bit before serving or chill overnight in the refrigerator and serve cold. Be sure to have a few slices of a hearty sourdough bread or baguette to serve with it

Ingredients

2 zucchini (preferably one green and one gold)

1 eggplant

2 red bell peppers

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil + more for drizzling

1 yellow onion, small dice

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons herbs de provence (substitute dried basil if not available)

2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved

Sourdough bread