Grilled Vegetables with Buffalo Cheese
Grilled Vegetables with Buffalo Cheese
Grilled Vegetables with Buffalo Cheese Photo: supplied
Serves 6-8
It looks like there’s a lot to do in this recipe, but it’s easy ¬- just hit the gas and get grilling.
Ingredients
1 eggplant (aubergine)
1 large red onion
6 mini peppers (bell peppers /capsicums)
4 yellow or red peppers (bell peppers /capsicums)
Olive oil
Flaky sea salt
300g (10-11 oz) Marinated Clevedon Buffalo Cheese, or 1 cup labna
Pomegranate syrup to drizzle
Basil leaves
Optional extras
2 semi-soft chorizo sausages, optional
2-3 long red chillies
Pomegranate seeds (optional)
Method
Preheat barbecue grill. Slice the eggplant not too thinly (but not too thickly either!) and lay slices on a board to dry a little while preparing other ingredients. Peel onion, leaving the root intact. Cut in half through the root, then into fat wedges through the root (this helps hold the pieces of onion together).
Cook peppers on the grill, positioning large ones on the hottest part and mini ones around the side. If the barbecue has a lid, close the lid. Cook, turning often, until tender and charred all over. Transfer vegetables to a large bowl as they are done. Cover with a double thickness of paper towels, tucking them around the vegetables to keep in the steam.
As space becomes available on the grill, cook the eggplant. Pour ¼ cup of olive oil onto a plate and dunk each slice of eggplant in the oil so that it is lightly covered in oil. Cook, turning often, until charred and very tender. Cook the onion wedges until charred and softened. Transfer eggplant and onion to a plate when done and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
Once the vegetables have cooled, remove all the blackened skin (it should peel off easily), carefully reserving any the juices (it’s best to do this on a plate). Cut peppers open and remove cores and seeds. Transfer to a clean bowl as they are done, then strain over the juices from the plate and first bowl. The vegetables can sit like this for a few hours at room temperature, or up to 2 days in the fridge; keep eggplant and peppers refrigerated, but separate.
When ready to assemble, arrange vegetables on a platter (cut peppers into manageable pieces if necessary) and sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Add dollops of buffalo cheese. Drizzle with a little pomegranate syrup and all the gorgeous sweet caramelised pepper juices that have accumulated in the bowl. Sprinkle with basil and pomegranate seeds if you have them, then serve.
Recipe Notes
If using chillies, char them along with the peppers, positioning them across the grill bars so they don’t fall through the grill. Peel, cut in half and remove seeds, then mash and mix with the pepper juices before spooning over vegetables.
If using chorizo, cut each sausage in half lengthways and cook on both sides until golden. Slice before serving.