Recipe by Isaac and Heydon

Grilled Pepper and Zucchini Bruschetta with Spicy Garlic Oil

This recipe is quick, easy, and surprisingly delicious. It’s a beautiful yet simple way to vary utilization of those summer crop staples, but also let them shine. This recipe can definitely be served as an appetizer with smaller pieces of bread or enjoyed as a full meal like we did with big crispy pieces of bread laden with the toppings listed below.

Ingredients --

• 5 cloves of garlic
• 2 banana peppers
• 2 bell peppers
• 3 zucchini
• 1 quarter red onion
• Half cup of olive oil
• Salt
• 1 ½ tablespoons of chili flakes
• Cayenne
• A sprig of oregano
• Sourdough loaf (or whatever bread you prefer)

Spicy Garlic Oil - Cut five cloves of garlic into thin strips. Set aside. Pour olive oil into a pan and turn onto medium-high heat. After three or four minutes, throw garlic into the oil. Leave in for 30 seconds. Turn off heat and pour the mixture into a bowl. Put chili flakes into the mixture, a pinch of cayenne, and 10 to 14 grinds of salt to taste. Stir and let flavors meld. Set aside.

Bruschetta Makings - Get the grill to high heat. Put zucchini and peppers on the grill. You want to char all the sides of the vegetables so flip as they are ready for about a duration of 30 minutes. In the last few minutes put the sourdough on the grill to get them nice and toasty.

Once you have the grill fixin’s and they've cooled appropriately, it's time to cut them. The pepper should feel crispy on the outside but wilted and “sloppy” (as Isaac describes it). Pull the stem off the pepper and it should pull out most of the seeds. The burnt skin should slip right off as well; however, you may have to peel it a little. They have cooked perfectly if the skin pulls off easily. After the peppers are peeled, push off any remaining seed and dice.

Cut two of the zucchini into ⅛ inch thick disks and dice one of the zucchini. Put the diced zucchini with the diced peppers and mix with a little salt. Mix the zucchini disks with a little salt as well. Very thinly shave slivers of red onion. Lightly chop a sprig of fresh oregano.

Plating - Set your grilled bread on a plate and drizzle the garlic chili oil over them. Put the zucchini and pepper mix roughly onto the bread. Next place some of the zucchini disks on top, followed by the slivers of red onion, a pinch of fresh oregano, and a healthy dripping of the chili oil again.

Voila! You are done! Enjoy your veggies, stay safe, take care of each other, and stay healthy. ‘Til next time.