Grilled Vegetable Salad with Basil Vinaigrette from Chef Dana Slatkin

Grilled Vegetable Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

Announcing the winner of our July Cooking Contest! Debora Dale of Los Angeles is a self-described farmers market addict. “I used to over-buy each weekend because everything (at the farmers market) looked so amazing.” Often by the end of the week, she had to toss produce that had passed its prime.

This recipe, which she calls her “Mid-Week Rescue Salad,” is her solution. “Now, I go through the refrigerator and rescue everything before it’s too late.” The vegetables are basted with a simple balsamic marinade, which helps them caramelize beautifully on the grill. Then they are chopped up along with sausage (I use vegetarian brats) and drizzled with a mustardy basil vinaigrette.

As it turns out, I discovered this salad was aptly named when it rescued me from a what-to-feed-the-mother-in-law-for-dinner dilemma (thank you, Debora).

Deborah does beautiful framing at Memento here in Los Angeles. You can contact her via Memento Framing at Facebook.

Serves 4 as a main course, 6 as a side salad

Garlic Marinade

1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

An assortment of vegetables for grilling (mushrooms, multi-colored peppers, asparagus, whole scallions, zucchini, summer squash, eggplant, corn, etc.)

1 (14-ounce) package Tofurky Beer Brats or 3/4 pound of your favorite sausages, halved lengthwise

1/2 loaf ciabatta or French bread, sliced 1/2-inch-thick

Basil Vinaigrette

1 clove garlic or 1 small shallot, chopped roughly
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
A handful of fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup white wine or balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Preheat a grill to medium-high.

2. Prepare the Garlic Marinade: combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

3. Trim the vegetables and cut in halves for the grill. For zucchini and eggplant, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch thick slices. Brush all the vegetables and bread slices with the Garlic Marinade. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Place the vegetables and sausages at a 45-degree angle on the grill. Cook until marked well, 2-3 minutes, then rotate to create cross-hatch marks and cook another 2-3 minutes until charred. Flip and repeat. Remove the vegetables as they are done (cooking times will vary according to the type of vegetable) and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into bite-size chunks.

5. In a blender, combine all the ingredients for the Basil Vinaigrette and liquefy.

6. Just before serving, grill the bread slices. Mound the vegetables and sausages in a serving bowl or atop greens and drizzle with the vinaigrette, saving the remaining dressing for another time. Serve warm or at room temperature, with warm grilled bread on the side.

If you are a salad lover, try my Tomato Cheddar Salad with Creamy Yogurt Dressing.

Don’t be shy…Enter the August cooking contest and you just might be the next winner!

Photo credit: userealbutter.com