Summer Ratatouille with Tapenade
A taste of Provençe! Summer Ratatouille with Tapenade makes a perfect main course salad on a hot summer evening
This simple salad is a lighter, summer version of a classic French Provençal vegetable stew, ratatouille. This salad is so easy to make, it almost doesn’t require a recipe! It’s delicious served at room temperature, or slightly chilled.
To make this salad all you need is a selection of grilled vegetables and a can of chickpeas.
To dress the salad, I use another Provençal classic, a black olive tapenade. The salty, briny flavour of the black olive tapenade pairs beautifully with the grilled vegetables.
Add some chopped fresh basil or parsley and voilà, dinner is ready!
When it’s almost too hot to eat, this salad, some crusty bread, and a glass or two of a summery rosé makes the perfect light dinner. If you close your eyes, you can almost imagine you are sitting on a sun-drenched terrace in the south of France!
Not just a main dish, this salad makes a delicious side and works well with pretty much any grilled meat, poultry, or fish.
You can also turn it into a pasta salad. Just add your favorite cooked pasta and a few more tablespoons of the tapenade and toss.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 fennel bulb cored and cut lengthwise into about 1.5 cm thick slices
- 2 red bell peppers cored, seeded and quartered
- 1 yellow bell pepper cored, seeded and quartered
- 1 medium zucchini sliced lengthwise
- 2 portobello mushrooms
- 60 ml olive oil
- 80 ml black olive tapenade
- 150 grams cherry tomatoes halved
- 540 ml canned chickpeas rinsed and drained
- A handful fresh basil or parsley roughly chopped
Instructions
- Heat an outdoor grill for medium-high, direct heat.
- Prep the fennel, zucchini, peppers while the grill heats. Brush the fennel, zucchini and mushrooms with olive oil on both sides.
- Grill the vegetables in a single layer, starting with the peppers and fennel as they will take the longest (about 8-10 minutes), followed by the mushrooms and zucchini (about 7-8 minutes).Note: You can also use roasted vegetables for this dish. Simply toss in olive oil and roast on a baking sheet at 425 degrees F, stirring occasionally, for 30 -45 minutes.
- Cut the grilled vegetables into 2½- 3 cm pieces and place in a large bowl. While the vegetables are still warm, add the tapenade and stir until all the vegetables are well coated. Note: if your tapenade is quite thick, thin with a little water.
- Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and add to the bowl along with the chickpeas. Stir to combine.Add the roughly chopped basil or parsley just before serving.
- Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.