Grilled summer vegetables with buffalo mozzarella

Babiche Martens

Grilled vegetables are always a taste sensation and they take no time at all to cook. I have used eggplant, courgettes and capsicums, which will all be done in five minutes or so, and add fresh broad beans, lightly boiled and peeled, with creamy buffalo mozzarella. If you choose vegetables with more starch such as kumara, pumpkin, baby beetroot and carrots, slice them thinner and expect them to take a bit more time.

Garlic oil

2 cloves	Garlic
2 tsp	Fresh thyme
200 ml	Extra virgin olive oil

Salad

1	Eggplant
200 g	Broad beans, or green beans
1	Red capsicum
1	Yellow capsicum
3	Courgettes
100 g	Buffalo mozzarella

Directions

1. To make the garlic oil, peel and slice the garlic finely. Lightly toast in a frying pan, then put into a jar with the thyme and allow to cool. (Storing it will intensify the flavours, though you can use it immediately if you need to.)
2. Simmer the beans. Drain and cool before peeling the skins off, popping out the bright great inners and discarding the grey skins.
3. Halve the eggplant. Slice and grill.
4. Quarter the capsicums, remove the seeds and grill. Slice the courgettes and grill. Combine with the beans and eggplant. Season well.
5. Toss the vegetables gently with pieces of mozzarella and drizzle the whole salad with garlic oil.

Chef's tip

Place food on a hot oiled grill. Don't touch until you know that the food can be easily turned over. Have a peek underneath, but if there is resistance, wait for a few moments. When the food lifts easily you will have attractive grill marks, and the food will only take a short time to finish on the other side.