Hot fun in the Summertime

I want to share my latest veggie success story . . . with all the great produce coming in I decided to try to make a southern version of ratatouille, one of my favorite ways to eat my veggies. I have also been converted to the wonders of grilling veggies, which is not only delicious, it helps to take a lot of the heat out of the kitchen!

I began by cutting eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash into 1/4 inch slices (longways), then brushing them with olive oil and adding a sprinkle of salt (kosher) and freshly ground pepper. Next I skewered okra (use 2 skewers spaced an inch or so apart, like a ladder, to keep the okra from swinging around on the grill) and repeat with olive oil, salt and pepper. I had some smallish tomatoes and left them whole to grill – repeat the olive oil, salt and pepper. I speared several cloves of peeled garlic and oiled them up, too, as well as a large onion.

Let the grilling begin! Obviously it takes working in batches with this many veggies, but as they are grilled (4-6 minutes on each side over low heat on a gas grill – times can vary with heat and the size of the veggies you are cooking), I put them in a pan and cut them into bite-sized pieces. The tomatoes peel easily after grilling, but watch them since they will fall apart quickly once they are hot. I didn’t skewer them, just used tongs to turn them and to remove from the grill. After everything is grilled and cut up I added a bay leave, a 1/4-to-1/2 tsp. of dried thyme and a hot chili pepper or two to the mix, and stirred it up well. Then it goes into a preheated oven (about 300-325 degrees) for 30 minutes or so.

It’s good hot, warm or at room temperature and served over pasta, couscous or rice a well as being a great side dish with grilled chicken, lamb or fish. The veggies could be different depending on what was available. Bell peppers are a traditional ingredient for ratatouille but I didn’t happen to have any this time and we didn’t miss them at all. I could see corn fitting in nicely, too. We’ve been eating grilled corn a lot this year (with garlic butter spread over it before it goes on the grill – heavenly!). The seasonings could be varied, as well, lots of possibilities there.

OK, time for something to eat!