Charred Vegetables with Browned Butter Vinaigrette
If I learned anything about the way food is cooked in Patagonia, it’s that the main ingredient is fire. Nearly every meal I ate, and dish I prepared was either baked in a wood-fired oven or on a spit or grill over roaring flames. It was the end of spring when I visited the Chilean side of Patagonia and many of the vegetables had just ripened. They were drizzled with olive oil and roasted over flames next to beef or lamb, and sometimes buried in the ash to cook slowly in the hot embers. It was in Chile that I learned to allow vegetables to cook long enough to develop a flavorful char that envelops the tender flesh inside the vegetables. You can roast any vegetables, but some cook faster than others, so be careful to cook them each to their desired doneness. Although they are perfect when served on their own, this browned butter vinaigrette adds another dimension of flavor, making this a perfect veggie salad or side dish. Depending on what is in season, you can char nearly any vegetable over fire, and the ones I’ve listed in this recipe are just a very small sampling.
Ingredients
Serves 4
Charred Vegetables:
2 zucchinis, cut quartered lengthwise
2 red bell peppers, cut in half
½ pound asparagus
1 fennel bulb, cut in half and core removed
2 ears of corn, cut into 4 pieces
4 small eggplants (or 1 large cut into wedges)
½ pound cremini mushrooms
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Browned Butter Vinaigrette (makes ½ cup):
1 stick unsalted butter (4 ounces)
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
Process
Charred Vegetables:
Make Vinaigrette and set aside (recipe follows). Prepare a fire with charcoal or wood with a grill set 6” over the coals. Put vegetables on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil and salt. You can heat an iron skillet on the grill or set vegetables directly on grill, depending on the size of your vegetables. Asparagus tends to fall through the grill, so an iron skillet or griddle makes it easier to keep them intact. Let vegetables cook, undisturbed until you get a nice char on the underside. The asparagus will cook fastest so turn them while the remaining vegetables continue to char. Using tongs, peek under each vegetable to check for doneness before turning. When charred on all sides, remove to a platter until then are all done. Drizzle with browned butter vinaigrette and serve warm.
Browned Butter Vinaigrette:
Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until it melts and begins to foam. As soon as you smell a nutty aroma and see the browned milk solids in the bottom of the pan, remove from heat and pour through a sieve into a bowl. Whisk in the remaining ingredients and set aside until vegetables are ready to serve.
