VJRILLED SUMMER VEGETABLE TERRINE with Ratatouille Sauce
When summer moves across America, gardens are loaded with many varieties of the season's generous bounty. Often, the casual gardener is beset with the question of what to do with all those zucchinis, yellow squash, tomatoes, and eggplants. This recipe uses all of these vegetables in a rich, warming dish that can serve either as an accompaniment to another entree or as an entree itself
The flavor of the grill adds an interesting note to this dish, but I have done it with very nice results by baking the vegetables in an oven, so do whichever suits you. It is served cold here, and partners nicely with slices of goat cheese dressed in a balsamic and extra virgin olive oil vinaigrette.
For a spicier version of this dish, I have pureed Creole sauce as a substitute for the ratatouille. A fresh tomato sauce is fine, too.
One 6- by 8-inch terrine or casserole
1 zucchini, washed, peeled, and cut into
planks V4 inch thick V2 eggplant, washed, peeled, and cut
into planks Ч4 inch thick 1 yellow squash, washed, peeled, and cut into planks 44 inch thick Olive oil
Cracked black pepper to taste
Sea salt to taste
2 cups Ratatouille (page 188) Wine vinegar to taste A little butter to grease the terrine mold
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
2 tablespoons olive oil
1. Liberally brush the raw vegetable slices with olive oil on both sides, and season.
2. Put the eggplant planks in a pan with holes or on a rack set over another pan. Weight]
the eggplant and leave for 30 minutes. It will exude a bitter liquid; discard that.
3. Fire up the grill or heat the oven to 400 degrees.
4. Rinse the eggplant, pat it dry with paper bowels, and reseason it.
5. When the fire is hot grill the vegetables on both sides. They should be relatively soft but not falling apart. Hold them in a large bowl or dish as you finish each hatch.
6. When all the vegetables are grilled, allow them to rest, reserving any juices that may collect. (They can be added to your ratatouille sauce for flavor.)
7. Process the ratatouille in a processor until just barely chunky. Check it for flavor. Add salt, pepper, or wine vinegar as desired. The ratatouille should not be too wet; if it seems so, pom off some of the liquid.
8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 6- by 8-inch terrine. Starting with eggplant and working in layers, alternate the sauce with layers of eggplant, zucchini, and yellow squash. Sprinkle grated Parmesan and bread crumbs on each layer before adding the next. Top the last layer with bread crumbs that have been moistened with olive oil and mixed with a bit more Parmesan.
9. Cover the dish with aluminum fou and bake about 40 minutes. Remove the toil. Towel off any excess liquid. Cool completely, overnight if possible.
10. Insert a knife around the outside of the mold and gently invert the terrine. Chill until ready to serve. Slice with an electric or serrated knife.
with PTOSC'IUUO and Parmesan
It is hard to understand why fennel is not more widely consumed in our country. This vegetable, native to Italy, has a sweet, pungent, licorice-like flavor that is delicious-especially when it is as texturally delicate and smokily flavored as in this recipe. I like to serve this with a fairly subtle dish like poached breast of chicken.
Serves Aioi
bulbs fennel, cut in half and cores removed (discard tops) tablespoons lemon juice tablespoons butter