Crisp Cooked Vegetable Appetizer
Moroccan-style sauteed eggplant, zucchini, peppers, and tomatoes served room temperature on lettuce with olive oil and lemon. A vibrant, crisp-tender vegetable appetizer with a spicy kick.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
15 minREADY
30 minThink of this as North Africa’s answer to ratatouille, served cool and piled high on crisp lettuce leaves.
Cubed eggplant and zucchini get a quick saute in olive oil with garlic and sweet pepper until just tender but still holding their shape. Green peppers and onions join in, followed by fresh tomatoes and sliced hot chilies right at the end.
Let everything cool, then finish with a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, and a shower of Italian parsley. It’s a stunner on a mezze spread.
Kitchen Tips
- Keep the vegetables crisp-tender. This isn’t meant to be soft and stewed. Pull the pan from the heat while they still have bite.
- Skin and seed the tomatoes so they add brightness without making everything watery.
- Make it ahead. The flavors improve after an hour or two at room temperature.
- Adjust the heat with the chili peppers. Two small ones bring moderate warmth, but scale up or down to your taste.
Ingredients
Directions
Seed and core the peppers.
Cut peppers, tomatoes and onions into cubes.
Cut eggplants and zucchini into ½ inch cubes.
Wash, drain and sauté in 6 tablespoons olive oil along with the garlic, sweet pepper, salt and black pepper, until slightly softened.
Add green peppers and onion and a little more oil if necesary and stir and cook over a low heat until the vegetables are tender but crisp.
Add tomatoes hot peppers, toss once and remove pan from heat.
Let cool.
Sprinkle with olive oil and lemon juice and pile high on the lettuce leaves.
Sprinkle each portion with parsley and serve.
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