At our recent Farm to Table dinner we chose an Italian themed menu, focusing primarily on dishes cooked over live fire. For each dinner we consider which meats and veggies will be at their prime and plan our menu around some theme that will bring the dishes together. This year we went way back to find inspiration from one of the first culinary experiences that changed our perspective on the nature of cooking.

Date night at the Cook Street School of Culinary Arts

Nearly 15 years ago when Steve and I were newly married we attended a live fire cooking class at Cook Street School of Culinary Arts as a fun date night. We were interested in good food and wanted to improve our cooking schools, so thought this would be an interesting way to spend an evening. The chefs did an amazing job of making the information accessible, giving us “insider’s tips” and boosting our confidence in our ability to make really delicious food in our own home. Every one of the dishes focused on cooking over live fire – even the dessert, which at the time was a revolutionary idea to me. We saw how we could transform and combine simple ingredients into an amazing dinner without fussing over complicated techniques and precise timing. Instead, we began to learn the skills of observation and testing (and tasting!) throughout the cooking process to take into account our own individual situations. It was the beginning of a long journey gaining confidence in our skills, rather than just relying on a recipe’s precise measurements and timing.

Capitalizing on the late summer bounty of peppers and eggplants

It’s in that spirit that we wanted to take two ingredients that are incredibly bountiful at the end of summer and turn them into a delicious dish. Many of our CSA members struggle to know what to do with eggplant other than making eggplant Parmesan. We wanted to showcase another use of this unique fruit (yes, it is technically a fruit) by grilling it over live fire in this salad. In our date night class we had made a roasted pepper and eggplant bruschetta, served with goat cheese on toasted baguettes. I didn’t honestly feel up to making baguettes for the dinner, so we riffed on the original recipe and made it into a delicious salad side dish. But if you feel so inclined to grill baguette slices, slather them with goat cheese and serve the salad over the top, I certainly won’t stand in your way!

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Grilled pepper and eggplant salad

This delicious pepper and eggplant salad can be served as a side dish or atop grilled rustic Italian bread as a bruschetta style appetizer.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Eggplant, Pepper

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Resting time 15 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

• 2 large Sweet bell peppers
• 2 medium Eggplants cut into 1/3 inch thick planks
• 1/4 cup Basil
• 2 tbsp Capers drained and chopped
• 2 tsp Balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp Granulated garlic
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 oz Goat cheese

Instructions

1. Grill the peppers and eggplant 8-10 minutes until skins are evenly charred. Let the peppers cool, then remove the skins and the seeds.

2. Let the peppers cool, then remove the skins and the seeds. This can be a messy job, so one tip is to put them into a closed paper bag. Let them stand 10-15 minutes to steam off the skins.

3. Chop both the peppers and eggplants into 1/4 inch cubes. Mix with all the remaining ingredients and serve at room temperature.