Layered Vegetable Torte

A gorgeous dish, in which the sliced vegetables are layered and pressed to form the torte—you could call it a pie—so that when it’s cut you can see the bands of vegetables. This dish makes a really spectacular meal center piece or party dish. And it can be assembled and refrigerated up to 2 days ahead; in fact, the longer it’s pressed, the better it keeps its shape when sliced. You can grill the vegetables instead of roasting them if you like for even more flavor or if it’s more convenient. Other vegetables you can use: thinly sliced and parcooked butternut squash, summer squash, potato, sweet potato, leeks, onions, turnips, beets, peppers, and chiles.

2 medium eggplant

4 medium zucchini

Salt

4 red bell peppers, roasted and cleaned

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, or more as needed

Freshly ground black pepper

20 or so fresh basil leaves, some chopped or torn for garnish

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for garnish (optional)

• Peel the eggplant if the skin is thick or the eggplant is less than perfectly firm. Cut it and the zucchini into 1/4-inch-thick slices; salt the eggplant if time allows. Cut each roasted pepper into thirds or fourths and set aside.
• Heat the oven to 400 F. Smear 2 (or more) baking sheets with 2 tablespoons oil each. Lay the eggplant slices on one sheet and the zucchini on the other in a single layer. (You may need to work in batches; cooking the eggplant on the 2 baking sheets, then cooking the zucchini.)
• Sprinkle with some salt and pepper (if you did not salt the eggplant) and drizzle or brush another couple tablespoons oil over each sheet of vegetables. Roast until the eggplant and zucchini are soft, about 15 minutes for the zucchini, 20 or so for the eggplant.
• Coat a deep pie dish with some oil. Layer a third of the eggplant slices into the bottom of the pan, covering the bottom (trim the eggplant pieces if necessary), then layer half the zucchini, peppers, and basil, sprinkling each layer with a bit of salt and pepper; repeat the layers, ending with eggplant.
• Put a plate or other flat object (you want it to distribute weight evenly across the top of the pie) over the top of the pie and weight it with a large tomato can or something similar. Let it rest at room temperature for at least an hour or in the fridge for a day, then remove the weight; it can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days before being served. (Put it on a large plate or platter, as juices might be squeezed out.)
• Serve at room temperature or heat it in a 325 F oven until warm, about 30 minutes. Garnish with the chopped basil and Parmesan and cut into wedges to serve.

Cheesy Vegetable Torte.
• Mozzarella works nicely with the vegetables, but really almost any cheese (except very soft cheeses like ricotta) will work, depending on the vegetables you use in the pie: Grate or slice the cheese and add 1 or 2 layers between the vegetables. After Step 3, bake the pie in a 325°F oven until hot (you want the cheese to melt into the vegetable layers), about 40 minutes.

Autumn Vegetable Torte.
• Almost dessert; it’s wonderful sprinkled with brown sugar or drizzled with maple syrup and served for brunch too: Substitute peeled butternut squash, peeled sweet potato, and cored apples for the eggplant, zucchini, and red peppers. Instead of the basil, use fresh sage leaves or a couple tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary.

MAKES: 4 to 6 servings

TIME: At least 2 hours or a day largely unattended