About the Recipe
This dish is exceptionally easy to make, is a terrific way to use an abundance of produce and looks simply amazing on the table.
Your guests will think they've traveled to the French countryside when you wow them with this gorgeous array of produce at its peak. Enjoy!
Ingredients
2 medium yellow squash or zucchini
1 sweet vidalia or yellow onion
1 red onion
3 fat and juicy tomatoes - any variety
2 bell peppers - any color
1-2 lemons
20+ basil leaves
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
flaky sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
optional: wedge of hard cheese for garnish, pesto, harissa or other sauces you may have on hand
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees on roast or bake. Wash and slice all of the produce into roughly 1/2 inch thick pieces. Use the dimensions of the cut squash to determine what size to make the onions, tomatoes and peppers. Try to keep the sizing similar.
Step 2
In a large bowl combine the basil, garlic, vinegar, olive oil and kosher salt and mix thoroughly. Use a fork to smash the garlic into the oil until it resembles a garlic paste. Stir the garlic through the mixture.
Step 3
Now place all the sliced produce, EXCEPT the tomatoes, in the bowl with the oil mixture. Use your hands to toss the vegetables in the oil, ensuring every piece is well coated in the oil. Let the vegetables rest in the marinade for 30 minutes.
Step 4
I like to use a low, round Dutch-oven for this dish, but you can use a ceramic baking dish or whatever you have on hand.
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Begin placing the vegetables in the pan, alternating colors and adding tomato slices into the rotation. Use all of the vegetables for this. Once placed, scrape the bowl down with a silicon spatula and pour ever last bit of oil into a small measuring cup. Add the juice from 1/2 lemon to the measuring cup, stir and set aside. Sprinke flaky sea salt and cracked pepper over the vegetables. Allow the vegetables to rest for 30 minutes.
Step 5
Place the pan on the middle rack in the oven. Roast for 20 minutes before drizzling the reserved oil and lemon mixture over the vegetables. Roast for an additional 10 minutes or until the vegetables reach the level of softness you desire.
Step 6
Allow the dish to cool for a minimum of 15 minutes after removing it from the oven. Use a spoon to drizzle any remaining pan liquid over the vegetables one last time. Garnish with a few shavings of hard cheese like parmesan or pecorino romano, another turn of cracked pepper and possibly a bit more flaky sea salt.
If using sauce, I recommend allowing guest to spoon it on as they please. This way they will have the opportunity to taste this dish in its simplest, height-of-summer form before adding in other flavor elements.