Grilled-Vegetable Flatbreads

Don’t you just love it when you try something new, absolutely on the spur of the moment, and it turns out to be wonderful? That happened with dinner tonight, and here’s how it all came together.

Yesterday I was shopping in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, an area which features a very nice mix of food stores along with artists’ shops and other places to spend your money. I spent an hour in the huge kitchen store and realized just why my kitchen is so crowded—I seem to have everything I need. Not everything that I want, there’s a big difference. :) I stocked up of fresh fruits and vegetables, plus some specialty items which are so expensive at the local grocery stores.

When I was trying to decide what to make for dinner this evening, and went through what was in the refrigerator. I had a chicken breast which had been marinated in the lemon/olive oil/garlic marinade which I described in the previous post. I had grilled it on Saturday night and put it in the refrigerator, and *poof* forgot it was there. So it had to be used. I also bought pocketless pitas yesterday, and that reminded me of a recipe I had seen in June’s Food and Wine. Grilled veggies with walnut dressing, on flatbreads. Add that chicken breast (chopped) and it sounded like a great meal.

It was!

The recipe for the grilled veggies with walnut dressing follows, with the flatbread recipe after it. I didn’t have shitake mushrooms or asparagus, but added red bell pepper instead. Jack ate two flatbreads and commented that he could have easily eaten two more. I could have had another, myself. These were sooooo good. Next time I will add chopped tomatoes after the flatbreads are removd from the grill.

Vegetables with Walnut Dressing

• Recipe by Grace Parisi

Instead of toasting walnuts in the oven, use a grill: Wrap the nuts in foil before placing them in the coals or on the grate.

Ingredients

• 
  
1. 2 zucchini, sliced diagonally 1/3 inch thick
2. 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed
3. 1/2 pound thick asparagus, peeled
4. 1 red onion, sliced 1/3 inch thick
5. 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
6. Salt and freshly ground black pepper
7. 1 cup walnuts
8. 1 small shallot, very finely chopped
9. 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
10. 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
11. 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Light a grill. Brush the zucchini, mushrooms, asparagus and onion with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the vegetables over high heat, turning occasionally, until lightly charred in spots and tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer the grilled vegetables to a serving platter.
2. Meanwhile, spread the walnuts in a pie plate and toast for about 12 minutes, until fragrant. Let cool completely.
3. Transfer the toasted walnuts to a food processor. Add the shallot, thyme, lemon juice, lemon zest and the 1/2 cup of olive oil and pulse until the nuts are coarsely chopped. Season the dressing with salt and pepper and drizzle over the grilled vegetables. Serve.

Serve With

Shaved pecorino cheese.

The following recipe was altered only to add the chopped grilled chicken and reduced-fat feta instead of pecorino romano. It was delicious.

Grilled-Vegetable Flatbreads

• Recipe by Grace Parisi

Ingredients

• 
  
1. Vegetables with Walnut Dressing (above)
2. 8 pocketless pitas
3. 2 ounces fresh pecorino cheese, shaved (1 cup)

Directions

1. Light a grill. Cut the grilled vegetables into bite-size pieces and scatter over the pitas. Carefully transfer the flatbreads to the grill and cook over moderate heat just until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Transfer the flatbreads to a platter and drizzle the walnut dressing over the vegetables. Scatter the pecorino over the flatbreads and serve.