Grilled Vegetable Platter with Chimichurri

Ingredients

• ●*Vegetables (use what you have — these are suggestions):**
• ●2 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise into ½-inch planks
• ●1 large eggplant, sliced into ½-inch rounds
• ●2 bell peppers (any color), quartered, seeds removed
• ●1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
• ●1 large red onion, sliced into ½-inch rounds (leave the root end on to hold them together)
• ●8 ounces mushrooms (portobello caps or large cremini, halved)
• ●Olive oil, for brushing
• ●Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ●*Chimichurri:**
• ●1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• ●½ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped (or more parsley if you're a cilantro skeptic)
• ●4 cloves garlic, minced
• ●1 small shallot, minced
• ●½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ●3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• ●½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ●½ teaspoon salt
• ●¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Make the chimichurri first so the flavors have time to meld: Combine all chimichurri ingredients in a bowl. Stir well. Let sit at room temperature while you grill. It gets better as it sits.
2. Heat the grill to medium-high (about 204°C (400°F)).
3. Brush all the vegetables on both sides with olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper.
4. Grill in batches based on cook time:
5. **Eggplant and onion rounds:** 4 to 5 minutes per side
6. **Zucchini and peppers:** 3 to 4 minutes per side
7. **Mushrooms:** 3 to 4 minutes per side
8. **Asparagus:** 2 to 3 minutes, rolling occasionally
9. As each batch finishes, transfer to a large platter. Don't stack — let them sit in a single layer so they stay slightly crisp.
10. Spoon the chimichurri generously over the warm vegetables. Serve with crusty bread to soak up the juices.
11. *Storage:** Grilled vegetables keep refrigerated for 3 days. The chimichurri keeps for a week. Both are excellent cold — toss with pasta or pile on sandwiches.
12. *Seasonal note:** The key to grilling vegetables is not moving them too much. Put them down, leave them alone, let the grill do its work. You want char marks and caramelization, not steamed vegetables with grill marks.