Provencal Summer Vegetables
Summer is the season to take advantage of your local farmers’ market. Are you inspired by the piles of fresh tomatoes, sweet corn and shiny peppers in every color of the rainbow? Use the season’s bounty in these healthy recipes from Eating Well.
This stunning side dish of layered tomatoes, eggplant, summer squash and leeks bursts with fresh flavor. To make it even more colorful, use half a summer squash and half a zucchini. Try it alongside any grilled meat. Leftovers are delicious sandwiched between slices of crusty whole-grain bread.
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced leeks, rinsed and well drained
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 large tomatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 small summer squash or zucchini, sliced diagonally 1/4 inch thick
1 small eggplant, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/3 cup finely shredded Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram or 1 teaspoon dried
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until soft and beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring, 1 minute more. Transfer the mixture to a shallow 2-quart baking dish.
Layer tomatoes, summer squash (or zucchini) and eggplant slices in an alternating shingle pattern over the leek mixture (they will overlap quite a bit). If you have extra vegetable slices, save them for another use. Sprinkle the vegetables with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil.
Bake the vegetables for 1 1/4 hours. Sprinkle cheese and marjoram over the top. Continue baking until the edges are browned and the vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes more. Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving.
