Enhance Ratatouille Salad with Grilled Vegetables

I made some ratatouille last week at my parents house. It seemed like a brilliant way to use up the bounty from their prolific vegetable garden, and was absolutely delicious. What wasnt so brilliant was the hours that stove was on, turning my parents home into a giant oven.

With a continuous procession of vegetables coming off their vines and into the kitchen, I wondered if there was a way to make a ratatouille salad that still captures the essence of Summer while passing on the heat stroke. My first idea was to quick pickle the vegetables and turn it into a salad. But whenever I decide to alter a classic, I first stop to think about the characteristics that make a dish what it is.

Since ratatouille's soul lies inextricably intertwined with the non-enzymatic browning that Louis-Camille Maillard first described, my pickled salad idea failed to keep true to the essence of ratatouille.

The thing is, since eggplants don't pickle especially well, I'd actually planned to marinate and grill those separately. When it became clear that pickling wasn't going to get me the sweet complex flavors I was looking for, I decided to just grill all the vegetables.

First I marinated the vegetables in plenty of olive oil, garlic, thyme and balsamic vinegar (it is a salad after all). Then the thick cut veggies go on the grill until theyre caramelized on the outside and soft and juicy on the inside. Cutting the vegetables relatively thick is important because if you cut them too thin, they tend to dry out by the time they get nice grill marks.

Once done, you just arrange them on a plate and drizzle with fresh basil olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt. It's delicious warm, but just as good at room temperature, or even chilled. Perfect for those 100+ degree days!