Grilled Zucchini and Yellow Squash Stacks With Feta and Black Olives Recipe

Authors Karen Adler and Judith Fertig are wondering, “How does your garden grill?”  Celebrate your garden harvest by grilling, roasting and smoking to perfection each fruit and vegetable with their new cookbook, The Gardener & the Grill (Running Press, 2012). Grilling what you grow gives you twice the sense of accomplishment, so check out this savory grilled zucchini and yellow squash recipe taken from Chapter 2, “Appetizers.”

As a tapas– or meze-style appetizer with grilled bread or as a side dish, this dish makes the most of two vegetables that can be bland if cooked another way. Before you go out to the grill, make the filling. If you like, add a dipping sauce of your favorite garlicky vinaigrette. All you need with this is a loaf of good, crusty bread. Yum!

Grilled Zucchini and Yellow Squash Stacks With Feta and Black Olives Recipe 

Makes 4 servings

Feta-Olive-Lemon Filling
1 cup (8 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup finely chopped pitted kalamata or niçoise olives
2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions (white part with some of the green)
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Zucchini and Squash Stacks
1 large Japanese eggplant, ends trimmed and sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick strips
1 medium-size zucchini, ends trimmed and sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick strips
1 medium-size yellow summer squash, ends trimmed and sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick strips
Olive oil, for brushing
Fine kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste