SIDES & SALADS, FRENCH
GRILLED RATATOUILLE WITH HERB DRESSING
A wonderfully versatile dish celebrating exquisite vegetables. Delicious hot, cold or at room temperature, as a side dish or standing centre stage. In this variation to the classic Provençal vegetable stew, we have grilled the vegetables individually, giving a smoky charred flavour, and then combined them with a carrot and pepper sauce and herb dressing. A perfect summery incarnation of a classic.
Ingredients
500g Medium Sized Tomatoes, halved
1 Large Aubergine
1 Large Red Bell Pepper
1 Large Yellow Bell Pepper, halved & seeds removed
1 Large Courgette
2 Carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
1 Small Bunch of Parsley, roughly chopped
50ml Vegetable stock
Generous Pinch of Salt and Pepper
THE DRESSING
1 Large Bunch of Parsley, roughly chopped
1 Large Bunch of Chives, roughly chopped
1 Garlic Clove, minced
40ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Generous Pinch of Salt
METHOD
THE DRESSING
1. Place the herbs, garlic salt and pepper into a food processor and blitz until very finely chopped. Then, with the blade running slowly drizzle in the olive oil until you achieve a lovely green dressing close to a loose pesto.
2. Set aside until needed.
THE RATATOUILLE
1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Place the halved tomatoes, cut-side up, and the halved yellow bell peppers, skin-side up, on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until the skin on the peppers is starting to blister, and the tomatoes are softened.
3. Leave to stand for 5 minutes and then remove the skin from the peppers. This is much easier whilst they are still warm. Set the tomatoes aside until needed.
4. Bring a medium pan of water to a rolling simmer and add the carrots, cooking for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain and place the carrots into a blender along with the peppers, parsley, a splash of olive oil and 50ml vegetable stock. Blend together until a smooth cohesive sauce is achieved. Season to taste and set aside until needed.
5. Slice the courgette and aubergine into 1cm disks and place into a colander. Salt the courgettes and aubergines generously and leave to stand for 30 mins. This will help to draw out in wanted bitter juices and season the vegetables.
6. Place a large griddle pan over a medium-high heat. Slice the peppers into rough squares about 3cmx3cm. Pat dry the courgettes and aubergines and place into a large bowl with the peppers, drizzle generously with olive oil and place onto the hot griddle and cook for a few minutes on each side until the vegetables are cooked. You may need to do this in batches.
7. To serve, warm through the carrot and pepper sauce and drizzle over a large serving plate, and top with the griddle day vegetables, tomatoes and lastly the herb dressing.
Delicious served hot, room temperature or try cold on warm toast!
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