Griddled Veggies

Not really a recipe as such, more an idea of a different way of cooking and serving veggies.  I have to be a little more inventive than most with veg, as my husband has a distinct aversion to “school dinners” plain boiled or steamed veggies, I think it’s the Italian and French in him!.

I’ve recently starting griddling my veggies which seems to bring out their flavours incredibly well.  Courgettes, aubergines, peppers, french beans and fennel all work superbly.  All you do is slice them lengthways to about a 4-5mm thickness; peppers I just cut in narrow strips lengthways, and beans are left whole but are best blanched for a couple of mins in boiling water first) and place them in a very hot griddle pan for a few minutes, turning them over to cook on the other side when they have lots of nicely charred strips.  I then marinade the cooked veggies in a good splosh of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice and plenty of black pepper and sea salt, quantities obviously depending on how many veggies you are griddling. You could also add to the marinade a finely chopped chilli for a bit of punch, or a handful of chopped fresh herbs….like thyme, basil or parsley.

They’re great to serve as an antipasto just on their own, as a topping for bruschetta or pizza, or as an accompaniment to a main meal.  I made these last night to go on a couple of pizzas (pizza recipe to follow on my next blog!).