Grilled Ratatouille Recipe

Grilled Ratatouille

by Chris Johnson from the Best of Home Cooking with Amy Coleman

Basil Pesto:

1 1/4 cup basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon lemon

Roasted Garlic

3 whole heads garlic
olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Reduced Balsamic Vinegar Sauce

1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar

1 small eggplant, trimmed to 3 inches and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 small zucchini, trimmed to 3 inches and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 6 wedges
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 6 wedges
3 large roma tomatoes, cut in half
salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese

This and many other wonderful
recipes may be found in Amy Coleman's
the Best of Home Cooking with Amy Coleman
from Chronicle Books

Ratatouille shaken up and put back together in a whole new way.

To make pesto, place basil, pine nuts, olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Set aside.

To make roasted garlic, preheat oven to 350°F. Cut off tops of heads of garlic. Drizzle tops of exposed garlic with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake for around 45 minutes. Remove from oven and when cool enough to handle, pop individual cloves from head. Set aside.

To make reduced balsamic vinegar sauce, place vinegar in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, to reduce by two-thirds, about 1/2 hour. Set aside.

Start a fire or turn gas grill to medium hot.

Place eggplant, zucchini, peppers, and tomatoes in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss again. Place on a medium-hot fire and grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from grill.

On 6 individual serving plates, arrange the vegetables. Start with a slice of eggplant, followed by a red pepper wedge and another slice of eggplant. Follow with 2 pieces of zucchini and then a yellow pepper wedge. Top with a tomato half. (The vegetables are warm and can be gently pushed together.)

Drizzle basil pesto over the vegetables and lightly over plate. Drizzle the plate with reduced balsamic vinegar sauce. Sprinkle with roasted garlic cloves and feta cheese and serve.