Grilled Vegetable Gratin
Grilled Vegetable Gratin
This dish was inspired by a gratin I had in Buenos Aires. The ingredients including squash, mushrooms, and onions had been grilled first and then turned into a gratin. The whole thing had a nice smoky flavor. In this dish I would encourage you to use anything you can actually grill. I used some summer squash, zucchini, eggplant, onion, and red pepper because they were available. I think fennel would be a nice addition.
The seasoning in this recipe is done at the beginning before the vegetables are grilled. A little bit of salt and pepper is added after the vegetables have been coated in olive oil. There is no need to add more later. I also finished the gratin on the grill. You can finish it in the oven if you like.
- 2 small zucchinis or 1 large
- 2 small summer squash or 1 large
- 1 medium size eggplant
- 1/2 red onion with root end intact for grilling
- 1/2 red bell pepper, whole
- 4 plum tomatoes
- 8 basil leaves, whole
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 0z grated mozzarella, provolone, or other good melting cheese
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cut the vegetables into very large pieces. They should be large enough so they do not fall through the grill grate. You will dice them later after they are grilled. Drizzle the vegetables with the olive oil, and sprinkle with some kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Grilled Mixed Vegetables
Grill the vegetables so that they have nice grill marks on both sides and they remain crisp tender. On my grill it takes about 2 minutes per side. Each vegetable will also be different. I find zucchini takes longer than the others.
Remove the vegetables to a roasting pan and allow to cool. Meanwhile cut the tomatoes into quarters and cut the quarters in half. Cut the vegetables into bite sized pieces, they should be rather substantial. Combine the tomatoes, the vegetables, and the basil leaves in a large bowl and toss to mix the vegetables throughout. Put the vegetables in a large casserole dish and top with the grated cheese.
If you are finishing this in the oven, it should go in a 400 degree oven covered for 15 minutes. Remove the cover and cook an additional 15 minutes to allow the cheese to brown.
If you are finishing this on the grill, place the covered casserole over indirect heat. The grill thermometer should not be allowed to go above 400 degrees. Allow to cook for 15 minutes. Check to see that there is a fair amount of steam emanating from the mixture. If so remove the lid and allow the cheese to brown for another 15 minutes. If the steam is insubstantial you will have to keep checking every 5 minutes or so until the vegetables begin to really heat through. At that point remove the lid and cook for another 15 minutes.
Completed Grilled Vegetable Gratin
This dish makes 4 to 6 side portions for a meal. It does render quite a bit of liquid when cooking so I suggest serving with a slotted spoon. If you save the liquid it goes well over a little bit of pasta the next day.