Grilled vegetables with pitta croutons

[Guest guest]

Grilled vegetables with pitta croutons

Serves 2 as a main, 4 as a starter

Cooking and preparation

15 minutes preparation, 30 minutes cooking

Ingredients

For the croutons

2 ready-made pitta breads

2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

 

For the grilled vegetables

1 courgette

1 yellow pepper

1 red pepper

½ bulb fennel

½ large or 1 small red onion

½ large aubergine

8-10 button mushrooms or 2 large field mushrooms

1-2 tbsp olive oil, for brushing

 

For the salad

10-12 ripe cherry tomatoes, halved

1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped

small handful basil leaves

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, or to taste

salt

200g/7oz Greek feta cheese

 

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2. Cut or tear the pitta breads in half

through the middle and cut into bite-sized triangular pieces.

2. Place the pieces in a bowl, drizzle with enough olive oil to coat each

crouton and mix. Place the pitta pieces onto a baking tray and put to one side

until ready to cook.

3. For the grilled vegetables, slice the courgettes into 1cm/0.5in slices. Cut

the peppers into quarters, discarding the stalks and seeds. Cut into bite-sized

pieces.

4. Trim the root end of the fennel and then cut into wedges, through the central

core (cutting through the central core will help to keep the fennel pieces

together).

5. Peel the onion and slice into 1cm/0.5in thick rings.

6. Slice the aubergines into 1cm/0.5in-thick slices.

7. Preheat a ridged grill pan (griddle).

8. Using a pastry brush, brush all the prepared vegetables with olive oil.

9. Place the vegetables, oiled side-down, on the grill pan in batches, in a

single layer. Cook for about five minutes (they'll have blackened ridges on them

when they're ready). Brush the other sides with olive oil before turning them

over and cooking for another five minutes. (It's a good idea to start with the

aubergines as they have a tendency to go brown once they've been cut.)

10. Place the baking tray with the pitta bread in the preheated oven for 8-10

minutes and bake until lightly browned and crisp.

11. Remove the vegetables when they're cooked and place in a bowl, adding more

vegetables to the grill pan until all the vegetables have been cooked. Cook the

mushrooms last, brushing them first with olive oil.

12. Add the halved cherry tomatoes to the bowl with the grilled vegetables. Add

the chopped garlic. Tear the basil leaves and add to the bowl. Add the pitta

croutons.

13. Dress the salad with the olive oil and the balsamic vinegar. Season, to

taste, with salt.

14. Mix the salad together thoroughly, then serve on a large plate. Crumble the

feta and scatter it over the salad. Serve.