You can grill all the vegetables ahead of time and combine them at the last minute with
some garlic and fresh herbs.
Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high.
Place the zucchini, squash, eggplants, peppers, onions and tomatoes in a large, shallow pan or baking dish. Add œ cup of the olive oil and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
Grill the vegetables for 5 to 6 minutes with the grill uncovered, turning them halfway through the cooking time. Remove the tomatoes and set them aside in a large bowl. Cover the grill and cook the remaining vegetables for about 2 minutes until they are almost cooked through.
Transfer the vegetables to a cutting board and chop them coarsely. Add the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, basil and parsley. Toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.
Sprinkle the vegetables with the cheese. Serve warm or at room temperature.
2 medium yellow summer squash, halved lengthwise
2 Japanese eggplants, halved lengthwise
2 medium red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and quartered
2 medium yellow bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and quartered
2 small red onions, quartered
1 pint (about 20) cherry tomatoes
½ cup plus 2 Tbsp. olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. chopped oregano
2 Tbsp. chopped basil
¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
½ cup coarsely grated hard Italian cheese (such as Romano, Pecorino or Parmesan)
This article appears in Nov 1-30, 2008.