Ingredients

Check off ingredients as you go

• 6 bell peppers (red, yellow…)
• 4 medium zucchini
• 1-2 eggplants
• 400g (14 oz) frozen artichokes
• 1 large bunch of cherry tomatoes

For the marinade

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar cream (or balsamic vinegar)
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled, deveined, and quartered
• 1 level tbsp thyme or a few fresh thyme sprigs
• Salt, pepper

For the pesto

• Leaves from 1 bunch fresh basil
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and deveined
• 100ml (scant ½ cup) olive oil
• 2 tbsp almond flour (or Parmesan)

If you change the number of serving, consider adjusting cooking times!

Preparing the Pesto

Place all pesto ingredients in a mini food processor and blend until smooth.

Preparing the Roasted Vegetables

I’ve listed the vegetables I typically prepare in the ingredients, but you can certainly adjust based on the season, your preferences, and what you have on hand. I suggest cooking some vegetables on a griddle because it’s delicious and saves time, but everything can be done in the oven in batches.

Bell Peppers

1. Preheat the oven to 210°C (410°F) on broil setting. Cut the peppers in half lengthwise, remove the seeds, and arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in the middle of the oven for about 40 minutes, until the skin has blackened. They’re ready when they look like the photo below - you’ll see when removing the skin that underneath, they’re not colored. Transfer them to an airtight container right out of the oven and let cool. This trick will make removing the skin easy and prepare them for marinating.

2. Prepare a large dish with the marinade by pouring in the olive oil, then the peeled and quartered garlic cloves, balsamic cream, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Add the peppers after removing their skin and draining them slightly. Toss to coat with the marinade.

Cherry Tomatoes

3. Place the cherry tomatoes on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper, salt lightly, add a pinch of sugar, drizzle with olive oil, and bake in the middle of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

Zucchini and Eggplant

4. Cut the zucchini and eggplant into rounds or strips. While the peppers are cooking, heat a griddle or grill pan and cook them over medium heat. I use just a tiny drizzle of oil, no more - if the heat isn’t too high, the vegetables will grill without burning and release their water. Add to the dish, gently tossing to coat.

Artichokes

5. Mini artichokes are perfect for this recipe, but if you don’t have them, good quality frozen artichoke hearts work great. Let them thaw halfway, cut in half or thirds depending on size, and proceed the same way as for the zucchini and eggplant. Add to the dish.

Once you’ve arranged all the vegetables for marinating, drizzle with a little olive oil, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for several hours or up to several days.

When ready to serve, arrange the vegetables on a serving platter, draining them gently. Don’t discard the marinade oil - it’s very flavorful and you can use it to dress your beef carpaccio or, for a dairy meal, a burrata. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with the pesto.

Tips

• These antipasti vegetables are also delicious in homemade panini.