Grilled Vegetable Agrodolce Food

ZUCCHINI AGRODOLCE

Steps:

• Working in batches, cook 3 sliced zucchini in 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet until golden, 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter; season with salt. Discard all but 1 tablespoon oil from the skillet; add 3 crushed garlic cloves and cook until sizzling. Add 1/2 cup white wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook until syrupy, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in 1 small minced Fresno chile. Pour over the zucchini. Top with toasted pine nuts and chopped mint.

SWEET-AND-SPICY GRILLED VEGETABLES WITH BURRATA

Steps:

• Make the sauce: Put raisins or apricots in a small heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, honey, fish sauce or colatura (if using), red-pepper flakes and salt. Bring to a boil, then let simmer until the mixture reduces slightly, about 3 minutes. Immediately pour over the raisins and let cool. Taste and stir in a little more honey if the sauce is too harsh. (Sauce can be made up to 1 week ahead and stored in the refrigerator.)
• Prepare the vegetables: Oil the grill grate and light the grill. Have a serving platter at the ready.
• Grill the peppers, zucchini, eggplant and corn directly on the grate, in batches if necessary, and turning them as needed. Move them around the grate so they cook evenly. Cook until they are lightly charred, watching them carefully, 5 to 12 minutes, depending on the vegetable.
• To grill the mushrooms and asparagus, place them in a grilling basket if you have one, or put directly on the grill. (Arrange the asparagus perpendicular to the grates so they don't fall through.) Grill, turning as needed, until charred all over, 6 to 10 minutes. Grill the cherry tomatoes, using the vine as a handle if possible, for 1 to 2 minutes, until they start to burst and char slightly. Transfer all the vegetables as they cook directly to the serving platter.
• Add the cheese to the platter next to the vegetables. Immediately drizzle everything with some of the sauce, stirring it up to get the raisins, and with olive oil. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and pepper and scatter the herbs generously on top. Serve the extra sauce and the bread alongside for making crostini with some of the vegetables and more of the tangy sauce.

ZUCCHINI AGRODOLCE

Steps:

• Prepare the zucchini: Heat the oven to 200 degrees. Slice the zucchini into 1/8-inch-thick rounds, long ribbons or both. Lay out in a single layer on two wire racks set inside two sheet pans.
• Salt the zucchini lightly and evenly, and let sit for about 20 minutes to draw out the water. Blot dry with paper towels, then leave in the oven until the slices become a little leathery, dry and sort of papery. It'll take a little over an hour.
• Make the agrodolce: In a small, nonreactive stainless-steel saucepan, simmer the vinegar with the sugar over medium heat until syrupy, about 10 minutes. Add the chile flakes and turn off the heat. Stir in garlic slivers.
• Meanwhile, finish the zucchini: Heat about 1 inch of olive oil in a wide sauté pan over medium-high until it shimmers. Test with a chopstick to see if it's ready to sizzle. Fry the leathery zucchini in batches until golden brown, 20 to 30 seconds. Move quickly - they fry quickly. Drain on the racks.
• Arrange the warm, fried zucchini in a heatproof dish and generously scatter mint leaves on top, then spoon the still piping hot agrodolce all over the mint and zucchini. You will smell the mint leaves bloom under the heat of the agrodolce, like tea leaves in hot water. Let rest for about 15 minutes before serving, to allow the flavors to meld and permeate.