We’ve spent a lot of time writing about what to do with this season’s bumper crop of zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes. We’ve offered a recipe for fresh zucchini salad and roasted ratatouille and even recipes for what to do with all the ratatouille. But here’s one of the most beautiful recipes incorporating summer produce I know.
I learned it from my friend Terrie Brown. Every summer she and I would spend a week at her family’s farm in Virginia. We’d arrive and never know who else from the family would be there, but it was mostly women.
We love our men, but now and again it’s fun when it’s just women. With no men around to influence the agenda, we spent our days doing as we pleased. We’d walk for miles in the morning, spend hours shopping, sip late-afternoon tea, get massages and soak in the local salt baths.
And since it was just us women, there was no need for big meals. Dinner was light, and when we were down there we would always make Terrie’s signature dish—Vegetable Napoleons with Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella
She would hand me a pan full of eggplant and zucchini and I’d fire up the grill. Back in the kitchen Terrie would slice tomatoes and mozzarella and pluck fresh basil leaves.
Once the zucchini and eggplant were grilled (occasionally a portabello mushroom would stand in for the zucchini), Terrie would build vegetable towers. They were beautiful, and all that we women felt like eating on a late summer Virginia night.
Turns out, our men like them too. I’ve served these napoleons to David—Sharon’s Tony too. They like them all right. In fact, they like them so much they wanted two of them. I was kind. I didn’t tell them they were eating women food.
Happy Summer Friday!
- 1 medium eggplant, cut into 12 rounds
- 2 medium-large zucchini, sliced medium thick on the diagonal
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 1 large tomato, cut into 6 slices and lightly salted
- 1 ball fresh mozzarella (8 ounces) cut into 6 slices (you will only need about 6 ounces)
- Small handful basil leaves
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- Heat a gas grill igniting all burners on high for at least 10 minutes or build a hot charcoal fire. Clean grate with a wire brush and then lubricate with an oil-soaked rag. Toss eggplant and zucchini slices with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
- Place eggplant and zucchini on hot grate and grill, covered until spotty brown on one side, about 5 minutes. Turn vegetables and continue to grill, covered, until vegetables are spotty brown on remaining side, 4 to 5 minutes longer.
- As soon as vegetables come off the grill, assemble napoleons in the following order: 1 slice eggplant, 2 to 3 slices of zucchini, 1 slice mozzarella, a few basil leaves, a tomato slice, another eggplant slice and a few more zucchini slices. Lightly drizzle napoleons with remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the balsamic vinegar. Serve.
I LOVE all the delicious summer vegetables that are available right now. I just made some stuffed tomatoes, zucchini, and peppers which were delicious!
I’ll have to try this recipe with all the tomatoes and zucchini that I have
This post reminded me of the time I tried to make James a vegetable lasagna. It wasn’t vegetarian – there was mince in it. But it did use zucchini instead of pasta for the “noodles”. We were living in the UK at the time, though I was still being paid in dollars. I spent nearly 50 pounds on all the ingredients, which you can imagine, hurt my pocketbook quite badly.
I slaved away for several hours, making fresh sauces, layering vegetables and sauce so carefully, adding beautiful mozzarella.. When it was done, it was beautiful and smelled divine. To me.
James took one bite, nearly gagged, and declared it “too cheesy”. He wouldn’t touch it again.
Pam, he might not ever eat this. But I would gladly eat it for dinner with you tonight. We’ll just feel sorry for all the glorious food he misses out on, right?
Gosh, that’s gorgeous! I would gobble that up in a heartbeat.
I too love eating with girls. Andy and I often have very different ideas of what dinner should be. Heavy and hearty versus light and fresh. But I think we’d both go for this one!
very cool recipe. shouldn’t flag another calorie issue to me. Definately will give it a try this week.
Thanks Pam!
Those. Are. Absolutely. Gorgeous. Holy. Mother.
These look delicious! Funny about the women food, my Dad and my brother in law love it when Mum, my sister and I go away so that they can have ‘Man Food’ as my Dad lovingly refers to it as. Cue: lots of hearty casseroles, large quantities of steak and not a green in sight! Gotta love Dad though, he helped me celebrate my one year of being a vegetarian on Saturday and absolutely loved my lentil stuffed mushrooms.
This looks so amazing! I’m obsessed with zucchinis and eggplant after I started making this roasted vegetable lasagna. I must make this soon!
I love women food! Unfortunately I cook for the entire family, and the girls are out-numbered 4 to 3. Man food took over the weekly menus. But, when I cook for myself I’ll be sure to keep this in mind! Maybe I’ll throw it in the weekly menu for the boys and see how it goes? 😉
Oh man I am like exactly the opposite – I have to have hearty, rich, heavy, high-fat and protein meat+potatoes or comparable meal, even in the middle of summer or I am totally unsatisfied. I went to a girl party once and I still feel the resentment over the light menu.