Grilled Vegetable Antipasti Tray With Herb Vinaigrette Recipes

GRILLED VEGETABLE ANTIPASTO WITH HERBED CHEVRE AND CROSTINI

Steps:

• Grilled Vegetable Antipasto:
• 1. Brush the grill grates lightly with the safflower oil. Prepare a hot fire on a gas or charcoal grill.
• 2. Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, and basil in a small bowl until well blended. Brush the zucchini, yellow squash, onion, red bell peppers, and scallions with the olive oil mixture. Place the vegetables on the hot grill and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side until crisp-tender. Season with salt and pepper.
• 3. Soak the sun-dried tomatoes in 1 cup hot water, covered, about 5 minutes or until softened. Drain and set aside. (Note: Eliminate this step if you are using sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil.)
• 4. Arrange the grilled vegetables, sun-dried tomatoes, and sliced tomatoes on individual plates or a serving platter. Add a slice of chevre on the side of the vegetables. Drizzle the vegetables with the vinaigrette, and drizzle a little more vinaigrette around the place. Garnish with the parsley and basil. Season with additional salt and pepper, if desired, and serve with crostini.
• Crostini:
• Makes 25 to 30 crostini
• 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
• 2. Slice the bread on a slight angle into 1/4-inch-thick slices and place on a baking pan in a single layer.
• 3. Mix together the olive oil, butter, parsley, dill and pepper in a small bowl.
• 4. Brush one side of each piece of bread with the butter mixture and sprinkle with the salt. Toast in the oven 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown and crunchy.
• 5.Let cool completely, then store in an air-tight container up to 1 week.
• Herbed Balsamic Vinaigrette:
• 1. Combine the vinegar, lemon juice, herbs, and pepper in a small bowl and stir to mix.
• 2. Slowly add the olive oil and the canola oil and whisk until all the oil is incorporated. Refrigerate in an air-tight container until ready to use or up to 1 week.
• Herbed Chevre:
• 1. Mix the parsley and pepper together on a plate. Roll the chevre log in the mixture, pressing lightly so the seasonings adhere. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill 1 to 2 hours.
• 2. Remove the log from the refrigerator and unwrap. Cut into 1-inch slices with string, dental floss, or wire. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve

GRILLED ANTIPASTO PLATTER

Steps:

• To make the Garlic and Herb Oil, put all the ingredients into a small saucepan and put it over low heat. Cook for about 5 minutes, just until it becomes aromatic. Set aside and allow the oil to cool.
• Bring a large pot of water to a simmer. Squeeze in the juice from 1 lemon and throw the lemon halves in as well. Trim and halve the artichokes and remove the chokes. Put them into the pot and cook them until they are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Heat the grill to low. Have a large shallow dish filled with 1 cup olive oil. Coat the eggplant, zucchini, peppers, artichokes, scallions, and tomatoes separately with the oil. Grill the vegetables, basting generously with the Garlic and Herb Oil, until tender and soft: about 10 minutes for the eggplant, 8 minutes for the zucchini, 15 minutes for the peppers, 10 minutes for the artichokes, and 5 minutes for the scallions and tomatoes. Arrange them on a large platter and garnish with the olives, cheese, and herbs. Squeeze over the remaining lemon juice and drizzle with a bit of olive oil.

ANTIPASTO PLATTER WITH GRILLED VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Prepare the artichokes: Fill a saucepan with water; squeeze in the lemon juice. Add the squeezed lemon halves to the water and season with salt.
• Cut off and discard the top one-quarter of each artichoke with a serrated knife. Snap off the tough outer leaves. Peel the stem and base with a paring knife. Halve the artichokes lengthwise and drop into the saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil, then uncover, reduce the heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the artichokes sit in the hot liquid until just tender, 5 to 10 minutes; drain.
• Whisk the olive oil, both vinegars, the sugar, herbs, garlic and tomato juice in a bowl. Put the artichokes and bell peppers in another bowl; drizzle with the vinegar mixture and let marinate 10 to 20 minutes.
• Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium high. Grill the artichokes and peppers, turning, until browned, about 8 minutes. (Or, roast on a rimmed baking sheet in a 400 degrees F oven, 10 to 15 minutes.)
• Assemble the platter: Arrange the cheeses, cured meats, tapenade, artichokes and bell peppers on a board or platter. Serve with the bread.

ULTIMATE GRILLED VEGETABLE TRAY

Steps:

• In a small bowl, stir together the oil, garlic, oregano, basil, parsley. salt, pepper and red pepper flakes (if using).
• You can use any combination of these vegetables as you'd like. Use them all or pick and choose your favorites!
• Boil the potatoes until just fork tender. You want them to be slightly underdone because they'll continue to cook on the grill. Drain, allow to cool and cut in half.
• Slice the remaining vegetables into 1/2-inch slices and arrange on a large baking sheet. Keep the corn, broccolini and scallions whole.
• Brush the vegetables with the garlic herb oil on both sides.
• Preheat an outdoor or indoor grill pan over medium-high heat until hot. Begin by placing the vegetables that take longer to cook through. Such as the corn, broccolini, red onion, squash and zucchini. Cook for about 3 to 5 minutes on the first side or until char marks develop. Flip over and continue to cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the baking sheet (same one is fine since it's just vegetables).
• Then cook the vegetables that cook up faster. Such as the bell peppers, par-cooked potatoes, and scallions. These will cook up faster so you'll want cook until just charred, about 2 to 3 minutes in total. Transfer to the baking sheet with the rest of the veggies.
• To make the sauce, stir together the yogurt, lemon, salt, pepper, cumin, red pepper flakes (if using) and fresh herbs. This can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge for up to 4 days.
• To assemble your tray, start by placing a small bowl on a large wooden tray or baking sheet. Fill the bowl with sauce and then build from there. Lay out the vegetables in mounds, filling up the space of the board. Sprinkle with salt and fresh cracked black pepper before serving. Can be served warm, room temperature or cold!