The new recipe for scorched eggplant that Hetty McKinnon has developed is an excellent model for summertime cooking: Grill a vegetable that is in season, and then, while it is still warm, allow it to soak up something delectable while it is grilling. Repeat.
After being sliced, the eggplant is fried in a grill pan until it is beautiful and soft, and then it is topped with a dressing that is created from herbs, garlic, chile flakes, and the infused olive oil that is left over after frying some salt-packed capers. When it’s time to eat, you finish it off with some creamy, runny burrata and some capers that have been fried until they’re crunchy.
Take a look at this recipe by Ali Slagle for some more marinated veggies. These vegetables will turn out especially well if you cook them over charcoal and use a combination of whatever summer vegetables you happen to have on hand. On the grill, okra and eggplant provide especially delicious results, but other vegetables such as zucchini, green beans, fennel, and asparagus produce equally delicious results, as do heartier lettuces such as radicchio.
Vegetables that have been grilled and marinated are a wonderful treat at this time of year, and they are much more enjoyable if you prepare a larger quantity than you need. The following day, you may wrap the leftovers in pita bread, use them as a base for a grain bowl, or combine them with more herbs, fried bread, and greens to make a robust salad with lush greens.
Raw veggies appreciate a bath, too. These marinated cherry tomatoes with olives and red wine vinegar are part of a very quick Caprese-like dish that was developed by David Tanis. While they are great spooned over slices of mozzarella, it is not the only way they should be used. They would be delicious stacked on a slab of crispy, fried tofu, mixed with some soft white beans, or spread thickly on a slice of toast.
The three recipes are perfect for bringing along to a friend’s home for a potluck or for packing up and going on a picnic since they are easy to transport and taste delicious whether they are warm, at room temperature, or cold.
