Eggplants and Zucchini in Balsamic Vinaigrette
( Melenzane e Zucchine con Olio ed Aceto Balsamico )
When you bake or barbecue vegetables, you will realize a new dimension in the taste of the various veggies and discover a myriad of new flavors that can only be obtained either by high-temperature baking or with the charcoal broiled technique!… This style of cooking is easy, it is fast and it is healthy!… And… if you have any left over, it is tastier the day after! This recipe is part of my wife Terry’s cooking heritage. You need a canola oil spray or a brush and some canola oil and in a separate spray bottle, mix an equal amount of balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
- Serving Size4 to 6
- Recipes of the Italian RegionsEggplants and Zucchini in Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 2 lb. baby eggplant, or Sicilian eggplant sliced the long way 3/8 inch thick, skin on.
- 2 lb. zucchini sliced the long way 3/8 inch thick, skin on.
- You can add any other vegetable that you like such as radicchio, lettuce, celery, tomato, artichokes heart, and Portobello mushrooms.
Instructions
Scrape and wash the Zucchini and wipe clean any other vegetables.
To cook vegetables, simply lightly spray or brush each piece on both sides with canola oil and place in a heavy duty pan, bake at 400F or if you barbecue, wait for flames to die down and place vegetables on the grill.
Turn the sliced vegetables with a spatula, every few minutes, usually it takes 10 to 15 minutes to be cooked.
The mushrooms, the radicchio, the lettuce cook in 2- 3 minutes, and you must watch them carefully.
When vegetables are ready, place in serving a dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper and spray with balsamic vinaigrette.
This dish can be served warm or at room temperature.
NOTE:
This recipe is not very high in fat or calories. But let me share with you an advice that my great-grandmother Emilia used to give me all the time: What counts for your figure is not the ingredients that food is made of, but the amount that you eat!
by Terry Ciaramitaro