Sicilian Grilled Vegetable Salad Recipes

SICILIAN HARVEST SALAD

Steps:

• Put the raisins in a small bowl and pour boiling water over them to cover. Let stand until plump and soft, about 10 minutes. Drain.
• Put the raisins, grapes, apricots, rosemary and onion in a large bowl. Add the lemon juice and stir in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
• Separate the radicchio into leaves, saving the heart for another use. Tear into bite size pieces and add to the dried fruit mixture along with the spinach. Toss well. Divide among 4 plates and top with the prosciutto, if using. Scatter the pine nuts over the top.
• Frying rosemary on the branch removes its slightly soapy, bitter flavor so you can use more. Heat 1-inch oil in a deep saute pan to 350 degrees F. Deep-fry the rosemary for 30 seconds and drain on paper towels. Strip the leaves off the stems and crush the leaves in the paper towels to remove any excess oil. Mince and store in a clean, tightly sealed container. Use the fried rosemary to make a seasoned salt by adding it to a mixture of black pepper, dried lemon zest and salt.

SICILIAN GRILLED VEGETABLE SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Place eggplant, onion, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and zucchini on the grill and cook until slightly softened and grill marks have formed on each side, 15 to 30 minutes. Remove vegetables from grill and cut into cubes. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Add tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, basil, salt, and pepper. Toss thoroughly. Refrigerate 8 hours to overnight. Toss again before serving.

SICILIAN CHUNK VEGETABLE SALAD

Steps:

• Steam green beans over pasta water if preparing the above recipe, or simmer beans in 1-inch of boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain green beans, run under cold water to cool off and chop them into thirds. Combine all salad ingredients in a bowl and toss. Dress salad with vinegar, oil, salt and pepper and serve.

SICILIAN POTATO SALAD

Steps:

• Place potatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a Dutch oven; add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook, uncovered, until tender, 12-15 minutes. Drain; rinse with cold water. Pat dry., Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring 1 cup water to a boil. Add beans; cook, uncovered, just until crisp-tender, 3-4 minutes. Drain; immediately drop into ice water. Drain and pat dry., Peel and cube potatoes; sprinkle with remaining salt and the pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl. Add beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, onion and 3/4 cup basil leaves. Whisk together oil, vinegar and garlic. Drizzle over vegetables; toss to coat. Sprinkle with remaining basil.