Grilled Vegetables Platter

Grilled Vegetables Platter

Grilled Vegetables makes a great healthy meal OR colourful starter – it’s like your own homemade vegetable antipasto, but it costs a fraction of what you pay at delis, tastes much better and it’s preservative free! 

Grilled Vegetables

Every time I make this, someone always asks “what did you put on the vegetables?” They never believe me when I say “Just salt, pepper and olive oil”!

There is no fancy secret to this. It’s just chargrilled vegetables, seasoned with salt and pepper and drizzled with olive oil. The “must do” part is cooking the vegetables until they are charred (i.e. burnt!). It’s the flavour base of this entire dish!

“This gets even better if it’s made the day before. It’s just like the vegetable antipasto you buy at delis – but without that sour taste (and costs a lot less!).”

As simple as this recipe is, what you may not know is that this is fabulous even if made the day before. In fact, I think it gets better because the vegetables sweat out juices overnight leaving a more intense flavour. It makes it taste even more like the vegetable antipasto that you can buy over the counter at delis, except the homemade version doesn’t have the vinegary flavour that commercial antipasto has which I think is to make it last longer.

The mixed vegetable antipasto at the local deli costs around $25/kg which is far more than what it costs to make at home!

While these grilled vegetables are great as they are, sometimes I like to sprinkle over some fresh or dried herbs (after cooking it) and lemon zest for an extra special touch.

I made this as an appetiser for an Arabian Feast I recently made. 7 dishes that took 1 hour to prepare – 3 starters (including this Chargrilled Vegetable Platter), 2 meat dishes plus 2 salads. I’ll be doing a post on the menu soon but here’s a little preview for you!

Arabian Feast – 7 dishes prepared in 1 hour. Clockwise from top left: Hummus, Herb Chili Feta, Red Cabbage Carrot Salad, Lamb Koftas, Spiced Chickpea Salad, Chicken Sharwarma, Chargrilled Vegetable Platter

This is like a homemade vegetable antipasto that costs a fraction of store bought, tastes better and you know is preservative free. Whether as a starter or a vegetarian main, this is one of those dishes that proves that simple is best. This recipe includes a Yoghurt Sauce which gives this a Middle Eastern touch. Use whatever vegetables you want, so long as they are suitable for grilling.

Instructions

• Combine the Yoghurt Sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix. Set aside in the fridge until required.

• Heat the outdoor grill on high (hot plate side). Or a heavy based pan on the stove on high heat.

• Drizzle olive oil on the hot plate / fry pan.

• Place vegetables on the grill / fry pan and cook until charred (about 1 1/2 - 2 minutes). Turn over then cook the other side until charred (about 1 1/2 minutes). Don't worry if the vegetables are a bit undercooked, they will continue to cook while resting.

• Remove from the hot plate / fry pan and place in a bowl. Sprinkle the vegetables in the bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper.

• Repeat with remaining vegetables, and pile the vegetables on top of each other in the bowl. Don't forget to add a pinch of salt and pepper on each layer of vegetables.

• Cover and let it cool to room temperature.

• If you are making this ahead, place the vegetables in the refrigerator until required. Bring to room temperature before serving.

• To serve, place the vegetables on a platter, drizzle over olive oil (the more generous the better!) then garnish with parsley/coriander leaves and lemon wedges (if using). Place the yoghurt on the side (garnish with a pinch of cumin powder) and serve with flatbread or crusty bread.

Recipe Notes:

1. This can also be served hot rather than at room temperature. 2. This is great made the day before. The vegetables sweat overnight so when you serve it, the vegetables aren't juicy. So it is even more like the antipasto you buy from delis. 3. I kept this very simple with just salt, pepper and olive oil. Sometimes I add a sprinkle of dried herbs, chili or spices. I also sometimes like to add lemon zest and/or lemon juice. 4. If you make this on the outdoor grill, not only do you get extra chargrilled flavour, you will be able to make this much faster because the hotplate is larger than fry pans. I can make this in 2 batches on my hotplate which means that if I serve it hot, it's on the table in 15 minutes! 5. The Nutrition assumes 3 tbsp of olive oil is used.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 459gCalories: 182cal(9%)Carbohydrates: 20.1g (7%)Protein: 5.1g (10%)Fat: 11.3g (17%)Saturated Fat: 1.6g (10%)Sodium: 71mg(3%)Potassium: 1109mg (32%)Fiber: 8g (33%)Sugar: 10.3g (11%)Vitamin A: 700IU (14%)Vitamin C: 99.8mg(121%)Calcium: 60mg (6%)Iron: 1.4mg(8%)