Laura Motley in her garden in Portland, one of her sources for vegetables, which she prefers grilled, as in her ratatouille recipe. Photo by Megan Farrell
When I am standing barefoot at a grill, a glass of cold wine in one hand and tongs in another, while sea salt dries to a prickle on my skin, I settle into a special kind of reverence. I love to grill virtually anything – pizza over scorching heat; bacon and eggs low and slow in cast iron simply for the joy of cooking breakfast outside; and spicy, salty chicken wings over medium heat so their fat can render as they char.
My greatest love, however, no matter the cooking medium, is vegetables. Every summer, as the farmers markets swell with abundance and my own garden navigates its triumphs and failures, I aspire to grill vegetables with as much consideration as I do meat and fish. Skewers of red onion, bell pepper and zucchini, too crowded to gain any real color or absorb proper seasoning, often leave me wanting more, or simply wanting … something else. Grilled vegetables deserve the same structural transformation and addictive browning that grilled meat gets, and they also deserve the same bracing, garlicky, acidic treatment that is so often reserved for raw vegetables in the form of vinaigrettes.
These fervent desires, on behalf of my beloved vegetables, have led me to make something I call “Grilled Ratatouille” on repeat every summer. Traditional ratatouille (which roughly translates as “stirred stew of large pieces”) is cooked on the stovetop, with each vegetable chopped and cooked in stages, separately, and then mixed together at the end. Browning isn’t the goal, and if done well, it is a pure expression of tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and zucchini, their sugars and acids highlighted by slow cooking and balanced by salt and olive oil.
Grilled ratatouille, on the other hand, is an explosion of flavor – deep caramelization, lots of char, and the silky texture that happens when a vegetable gives up just enough of its moisture as its fibers break down and plenty of salt permeates its flesh. Lots of olive oil is key here, too – a dry slice of eggplant, for example, will sort of wither on the grill, shrinking but refusing to properly collapse. But a well-oiled slice will become gorgeously burnished as its center turns to something not unlike custard.
Diced vegetables don’t belong on the grill, so I grill large slabs (thick lengthwise slices) or large chunks (read: a quartered and seeded pepper), and then I roughly chop them soon after they come off, tolerating their heat because I know that warm vegetables will more readily absorb dressing. Speaking of dressing, peak season vegetables don’t technically need much beyond salt and olive oil, but I can’t resist bathing them in a garlicky vinaigrette of sorts, because I am a hedonist who lives for flavor. To that end, a generous showering of roughly chopped herbs adds a floral, vegetal delightfulness that I always want for my vegetables. (I call for parsley and basil, but chives, oregano, marjoram, thyme or mint would work here, too, though use these with a bit
more discretion.)
The ratatouille is delicious right away, and better in an hour. It’s perfect piled on garlicky toast, topped with feta or parmesan if you’re feeling particularly hedonistic, or a fried egg (low and slow in a cast iron on your grill) if you’re feeling particularly hungry. The main point is that here, the vegetables are the main act. Treat them as such and they will never, ever let you down.
Grilled Ratatouille
Serves 4
Motley said she has made this recipe for her family and friends dozens of times over the years.
1 large or 2 small eggplants, stem removed, sliced lengthwise into ½-inch slabs
1 large or 2 medium zucchini, stem removed, sliced lengthwise into ½-inch slabs
2 red bell peppers, stem and seeds removed, quartered lengthwise
1 red onion, peeled and sliced into thick rounds
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more
Kosher salt
Black pepper
2 garlic cloves, grated or pressed, plus 1 clove, cut in half
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon chile flakes, optional
¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped
¼ cup basil leaves, roughly chopped
Good bread, for serving
Prepare your grill for medium heat. Have a perforated grill pan ready for onions and cherry tomatoes. Have a sheet tray ready to use as a landing pad for your cooked vegetables.
Put the eggplant, zucchini and bell peppers in a large bowl, and toss with a healthy pinch of salt, plenty of black pepper and olive oil. Using your hands, make sure vegetables are lightly coated in oil. Lift the vegetables out of the bowl, and place directly onto the hot grill.
In the same bowl, gently toss the sliced onion in the oil, adding more salt, pepper and oil if necessary. Try to keep the onion slices intact for ease of grilling. Place the onion onto the perforated pan. Finally, toss the cherry tomatoes in the same bowl until they’re lightly coated in oil, and place on the pan with the onion.
You will likely have to grill everything in batches. Leave the eggplants, zucchini, pepper and onion untouched for a few minutes – when they are nicely browned, they will release easily from the grill or pan. If any of them stick, give them another minute. You’re going for deep color on both sides, and textural transformation – the eggplant, especially, should fully collapse; no longer spongy or rigid, but meltingly tender, with a deeply burnished crust.
The cherry tomatoes like to be jostled a bit on the grill. You can let them get some color, but remove them from the heat when they start to hiss and burst.
While you grill your vegetables, make the dressing in another large bowl; if you’d like to use the same bowl, lay any remaining oiled raw vegetables on a tray to await their turn on the grill. Put the 2 cloves of grated garlic, the red wine vinegar, chile flakes (if you’re using them) and a large pinch of salt into the bowl. Swirl the bowl to mix and let sit while you finish grilling.
As the vegetables come off the grill, let them cool slightly on the sheet tray, and then transfer to a cutting board. They should still be quite warm. Roughly chop the eggplant, zucchini, peppers and red onion. Place the chopped vegetables and the cherry tomatoes in the bowl with garlic, vinegar and chile. Toss well, and taste for seasoning. You may wish to add more salt, pepper, chile flakes or vinegar. The grilled ratatouille should taste deeply savory, and the garlic should taste fresh and sharp but well balanced by salt and acid. Stir in chopped herbs and a glug of olive oil. Let sit for at least 5 minutes, but know that it will only improve with time.
In the meantime, grill several thick slices of good bread until charred in places, then rub with the cut sides of the remaining raw garlic clove. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and serve alongside the ratatouille.
Laura Motley, a professional-turned-home cook, in her kitchen in Portland. Photo by Megan Farrell
THE COOK:
Laura Motley lives in Portland with her husband and two young daughters. She cooked professionally in the past, but these days describes herself as a passionate, relaxed home cook who likes to cook seasonally. She said her favorite tools are a fish spatula, a good chef’s knife, a pair of metal tongs and a few good mixing bowls. “I find that a confident hand with salt and acid, and a willingness to let things take their time, are the most important factors.”
“Summer sees us spending a lot of time on the porch and in the garden,” Motely wrote us. “My daughters, aged 3 and 5, love to graze from the garden, eating mouthfuls of arugula, kale, and herbs, so when dinner rolls around I’m satisfied with their vegetable intake for the day and they are usually free to color the deck boards with chalk (or scream and pull each other’s hair!) as my husband and I drink wine, grill and talk about our days. “
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