We love all kind of grilled vegetables during the summer, and this is a recipe I make often. It is served at room temperature so can be made ahead. And you can make it even without the grill; just broil the zucchini and eggplant or cook them on a ridged grill pan. Feel free to add asparagus, radicchio, onions – the vinaigrette is delicious with everything. You can also used red pepper instead of yellow or orange.

To avoid additives and preservatives in this recipe, make sure your balsamic vinegar has no sulfites added or is labelled “contained only naturally occurring sulfites”.

Grilled Zucchini and Eggplant Salad with Sweet Pepper Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

2 medium zucchini, sliced on an angle to ¼ inch slices

1 medium eggplant, halved lengthwise and sliced into ¼ inch slices

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for brushing

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

3 tablespoons finely chopped red pepper

3 tablespoons finely chopped yellow or orange pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

½ tsp sugar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

Preparation:

Preheat grill to medium-high. Brush zucchini and eggplant slices lightly on both sides with olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Grill 1 to 2 minutes per side, until nicely coloured but still firm/tender. Transfer to a platter and cool to room temperature.

Arrange zucchini and eggplant slices in slightly overlapping rows on the platter.

Combine the 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil and the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Salad and dressing can be prepared to this point several hours in advance. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Warm both at room temperature for 5 minutes before finishing off the salad.

Spoon dressing over the vegetables. Let zucchini and eggplant be flavoured by the dressing for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 8.

From the August 9, 2006 issue of The Ottawa Citizen