Grilled Vegetable Stacks
From “Saveur Cooks Authentic American,” by the editors of Saveur Magazine (Chronicle Books). Serves 4 as a main course, 8 as a side dish.
Ingredients
2 medium eggplants, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
Salt
1 medium yellow squash, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
1 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
2 medium tomatoes, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing vegetables
2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
Directions
Sprinkle eggplants with salt and layer in a colander. Weigh down with a plate and set aside to drain for 20 minutes. Brush salt off eggplant with paper towel and pat dry.
Preheat a gas or charcoal grill, or place a stovetop grill pan over medium-high heat. Lightly brush all vegetables with oil, then grill, turning once, until tender and slightly charred, about 30 seconds per side for tomatoes, 2-3 minutes per side for eggplant, squash and zucchini.
Whisk together oil, vinegar, parsley and basil in a mixing bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. To assemble stacks, place 1 eggplant slice on a plate, then top with a tomato slice, a second eggplant slice, a squash slice and a zucchini slice. Repeat process to use up all vegetables, then drizzle vegetable stacks with dressing and top with diced red peppers.
