Grilled Summer Vegetable Ricotta Toast

Serves 2 | Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15-20 minutes

This is more of an appetizer, but it’s easy to add protein to this meal. Why not use that grill to cook some steaks? It’ll be yummy.

Ingredients

1 pound (455 grams) (or more depending on your household
mixed summer vegetables, sliced about ¼-inch thick
8 slices from a large sourdough loaf
Olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, halved
1 pound, really good ricotta (ask your cheesemonger if you’re unsure of what ricotta is or one they recommend)
4 steaks, simply seasoned with salt and pepper

Chef Tips

Preparation

Step 1

Grill the steaks (if you’ve decided to get them). Set aside to rest.

Step 2

Grill the bread and vegetables: Brush or drizzle your vegetables and bread with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. I grill my vegetables, even small ones, directly on my grill grates at fairly high heat but I know there are baskets that might lead to fewer falling in, I’m just stubborn.

Grill the vegetables, bread, and lemon halves until they’re lightly charred underneath (depending on how robust your grill is, this could take 2 to 6 minutes), then flip the vegetables and bread and cook on the second side. Transfer everything to a serving platter.

Serve: Right before serving, drizzle everything with additional olive oil, squeeze at least one lemon half over the vegetables (leave the second half on the platter), and season with additional salt and pepper if desired You could also drizzle some balsamic vinegar over, or keep it on the side.