Roast Beast
Servings: 1
Equipment
- 3 large metal skewers
INGREDIENTS
- 2 large red bell peppers (roasted and peeled)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 head garlic (peeled, about 10 cloves, smashed)
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
- 2 cups parsley (about one bunch)
- 1/4 cup champagne vinegar
- 4 large portobello mushrooms
- 1 medium Italian eggplant (sliced into 1/2-inch rounds)
- 1 large white onion
- 4 slices of provolone cheese
- 1 1/2 cups cooked orzo or couscous
- Balsamic vinegar (for drizzling)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your outdoor grill to high. Prepare the roasted red peppers by charring the skins, letting them rest, then peeling and seeding them. Set aside until ready to assemble the dish.
- In a small frying pan over the grill grates or on your side burner, heat the olive oil and add the smashed garlic. Cook until just browned. Into the work bowl of your food processor add the olive oil, garlic, pine nuts, parsley, and vinegar.
- To make the pesto, process ingredients until well-incorporated, but still a little chunky. In a large bowl, toss the portobello and eggplant in with the pesto until well-coated. Reserve the pesto left in the bottom of the bowl.
- Add salt and pepper to taste to all ingredients. Thread the vegetables onto a skewer: start with a mushroom and then add a slice of eggplant, half of a roasted red pepper, a slice of provolone, and a slice of onion. (You basically will be making a giant kabob.) Repeat this pattern four times. Press the stack tightly together and pierce it at an angle with the two other skewers.
- Grill on a rack positioned slightly above the grill grates for 40 minutes and turn every 10 minutes. Some of the cheese will drip out, but that’s fine. Much of it will melt into the vegetables and add a ton of flavor.
- Remove the Roast Beast and allow it to rest for 10 minutes while tented in foil. Serve on top of a bed of orzo or couscous.
- Drizzle with the leftover pesto and some balsamic vinegar.