Italian Grill - Mario Batali [18]
GRILLED
VEGETABLE SALAD
CAPRI-STYLE
SERVES 6
¼ cup red wine vinegar
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Colman’s dry mustard
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
2 small Asian or Italian eggplant
2 red bell peppers
2 yellow bell peppers
12 baby zucchini with flowers or 4 small zucchini
2 medium red onions
6 scallions
12 spears pencil asparagus Kosher salt
12 fresh basil leaves, cut into chiffonade (thin slivers)
PREHEAT A GAS GRILL or prepare a fire in a charcoal grill.
In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, garlic, oregano, cumin, mustard, red pepper flakes, olive oil, and orange juice (reserve the zest for garnish). Set aside.
Cut the eggplant into ½-inch-thick slices. Cut the peppers into quarters and remove the cores and seeds. If using baby zucchini, cut them lengthwise in half. If using small zucchini, cut lengthwise into ¼-inch-thick slices (discard the first and last slice from each). Cut the onions into 6 or 8 wedges each. Trim the scallions. Snap off the tough bottom parts of the asparagus stalks.
Place the vegetables on two large baking sheets. Brush lightly with some of the red wine vinegar marinade and season lightly with salt. Place on the grill over medium-high to high heat (you will probably have to cook the vegetables in batches) and cook, turning once or twice, until tender and slightly charred on both sides: the eggplant will take about 8 to 10 minutes, the peppers 10 to 12 minutes, the zucchini 6 to 8 minutes, the onions and scallions 4 to 6 minutes, and the asparagus 5 to 7 minutes. Remove each vegetable from the grill as it is done and return to the baking sheets.
Cut the peppers crosswise in half. Arrange the vegetables decoratively on a large serving platter and drizzle with the remaining marinade. Sprinkle with the orange zest and basil. Serve warm or at room temperature.
This is a typical Italian way of preparing vegetables, but I first had it in a little restaurant called La Capannina on the Isle of Capri, and so I think of it as Capri-style. The vegetables listed here are merely guidelines—as always, the fresher and more seasonal, the better.
MARINATED ZUCCHINI
WITH RICOTTA AND BOTTARGA
SERVES 6
4 medium zucchini, preferably 2 yellow and 2 green
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon black olive paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup fresh ricotta
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
A small chunk of bottarga (see page 15) for grating
16 fresh mint leaves
2 serrano chilies, sliced into paper-thin rounds
PREHEAT A GAS GRILL or prepare a fire in a charcoal grill.
Using a mandoline or other vegetable slicer, slice the zucchini lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices.
In a shallow bowl, whisk the vinegar, olive paste, oregano, celery seeds, red pepper flakes, and ½ cup of the olive oil together to form a loose (broken) vinaigrette. Dip each zucchini slice in the vinaigrette, drain off the excess, and place on a large baking sheet.
Working in batches, place the zucchini on the grill and cook, turning once, just until it is slightly softened and pale grill marks appear, about 1 minute on each side, then return to the baking sheet.
In a small bowl, combine the ricotta with the remaining ¼ cup olive oil, mixing well. Stir in the black pepper.
Arrange the zucchini slices on a large platter. Pour all of the remaining vinaigrette over them. Spoon the ricotta mixture into the center and grate a lot of bottarga over the whole thing. Tear the mint leaves and scatter them haphazardly