A great side dish for the grilled meatloaf is grilled Ratatouille. Being an administrator of a pre-K through 8 school I have to keep up with all the kid movies and I LOVED the movie “Ratatouille”. Now you know me, I am not a fan of vegetables UNLESS they are grilled. So I came up with this recipe for this veggie dish. One of the best things I learned at the Greenbrier Barbecue Academy was how to match seasonings with meats and vegetables. The herbes De Provence give this recipe its outstanding flavor.

Everyday Ingredients:

1 eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch circles
1 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise
1 summer squash, cut in half lengthwise
1 medium onion, quartered
1 can stewed tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/4 cup fresh basil
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
¼ teaspoon herbes de provence

Simple Instructions:

Step One: Assemble all ingredients and cooking utensils. Preheat grill to 350 degrees.

Step Two: Wash eggplant pieces and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 30 minutes.

Step Three: Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large resealable plastic bag. Add eggplant, zucchini and squash. Toss to coat all the pieces.

Step Four: Remove vegetables and add the onion. Toss to coat.

Step Five: Skewer onions to handle more easily. (Use toothpicks).

Step Six: Place eggplant, zucchini, squash and onion to grill

Step Seven: Grill onions about 10-12 minutes, turning about 3 times.

Step Eight: Grill the remaining vegetables for 4-5 minutes on each side. Remove from grill and let cool. Cut eggplant into cubes and the other vegetables into thin slices

Step Nine: In a large sauce pan heat the garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

Step Ten: Add remaining ingredients except for the fresh basil and heat on low for 30 minutes.

Last Step: Add fresh basil and sprinkle with herbes de Provence. Mix well. Serve over rice.

What is herbes de Provence? Herbes de Provence are used to flavor grilled foods such as fish and meat, as well as vegetable stews. The mixture can be added to foods before or during cooking or mixed with cooking oil prior to cooking so as to infuse the flavor into the cooked food. They are rarely added after cooking is complete. Although the mixture varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, the essential ingredients include rosemary, marjoram, basil , bay leaf, thyme, and lavender flowers and other herbs. Thyme is usually the dominant herb.

Michael Wright
http://www.athomewithmichael.com
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