Recipe: Kate's Pie-Pan Grilled Vegetables

Kate's Pie-Pan Grilled Vegetables

Serves 3 to 4 as a side dish

Here's my basic method: Poke some holes in a foil pan, chop up a bunch of vegetables, toss them with olive oil and seasonings, dump them in the pan, and grill the whole thing over direct heat. You can cook all sorts of vegetables this way, just make sure to combine ones that will cook in the same amount of time, like the ones in this recipe. You can also cook a single vegetable separately, in its own pan, so it cooks in its own sweet time. Season with salt and pepper, or sprinkle on your favorite rub or spice mix.

Tip: Season these vegetables (or any food) with Stubb's Spice Rub instead of salt and pepper. Pick from Herbal-Mustard, Chile-Lime; Rosemary-Ginger, or traditional Bar-B-Q rub.

Vegetables:
1 or 2 small eggplants (thin Asian eggplants work well)
1 yellow squash
1 zucchini
1 medium onion (red, white, or yellow)
1 bell pepper (red, yellow, green or a mixture)

Seasonings:
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning, or other dried herbs
A spice rub or salt and pepper to taste

1. Pierce 2 large aluminum pie pans with about a dozen holes each (or use 1 big pan). Preheat the grill.

2. Dice the vegetables into large but bite-size pieces, about 3/4-inch cubes. In a large mixing bowl, toss the vegetables with olive oil, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper. (You can prepare the mixture a couple hours in advance, but if so, don't add the spice rub until just before cooking, as the salt draws out too much moisture.)

3. Pour the vegetables into the pans (it'll look like a mountain of food but will shrink down during cooking). Set the pan on a hot grill, over direct heat. When the vegetables start to brown on the bottom, add the spice rub and stir them up. Keep doing this, letting the bottom caramelize before stirring, until the vegetables are tender, with sweet brown edges (about 30 minutes total cooking time). Serve hot or at room temperature, as a side dish, or mixed into a salad.

Suggestion: Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, toss with fresh basil, and serve in a salad or as a pizza topping.

The Stubb's Bar-B-Q Cookbook

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