Chargrilled vegetables with herb ricotta
Bring summer bounty to life by chargrilling seasonal veg and using aromatic herbs to create something fragrant and irresistible.
Ingredients
For the roast garlic dressing
- 2 garlic bulbs, left whole
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 sprig thyme, left whole
- 1 lemon, halved
- 1 green chilli, chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the chargrilled vegetables
- 2 yellow courgettes, sliced
- 6 baby courgettes, left whole
- 6 baby leeks, left whole
- 4 runner beans, left wholeÌý
- 1 Little Gem lettuce, cut into wedges
- 1 red onion, skin on, cut into 6 wedges
- 1 red chilli, left whole
- 1–2 tbsp sherry vinegar
For the herb ricotta
- 500g/1lb 2oz ricotta
- 1 tsp chopped fresh mint
- 1 tsp chopped fresh marjoramÌý
- 1 tsp chopped fresh borageÌý
- 1 tsp chopped fennel fronds
- 1 tsp chopped fresh parsleyÌý
To serve
Method
To make the dressing, preheat the oven to 210C/190C Fan/Gas 6½. Place the garlic in kitchen foil. Add the oil and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes. Char the lemon halves on a hot griddle pan until caramelised. Chop up the roasted garlic and place in a bowl with the oil from the foil. Squeeze in the caramelised lemon juice and add the green chilli. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
To make the chargrilled vegetables, griddle all of the vegetablesÌýuntil charred all over. Place in a bowl and season with the sherry vinegar just before serving.
To make the herb ricotta, season the ricotta with salt and pepper in a bowl, add the herbs and mix to combine.
To serve, brush the ciabatta slices with the oil and toast on the hot griddle until griddle marks have appeared. Spread the herb ricotta on serving plates and arrange the chargrilled veg on top. Drizzle over the dressing and garnish with the flowers. Serve the bread on the side.
