Grilled Vegetable Ratatouille

1 large head garlic, top sliced off to expose tips of garlic cloves

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 3/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

2 large, ripe tomatoes (about 3/4 pound), halved

1 small eggplant (about 1 pound), trimmed and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices

1 large zucchini (about 1/2 pound), trimmed and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices

1 large yellow squash (about 1/2 pound), trimmed and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices

1 small red onion (about 1/2 pound), peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch rings

1 medium red bell pepper, stem, seeds and ribs removed, cut in half lengthwise

1 medium yellow bell pepper, stem, seeds and ribs removed, cut in half lengthwise

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

3 tablespoons freshly minced basil leaves

2 tablespoons freshly minced parsley leaves

1 tablespoon freshly chopped thyme leaves

Freshly grated Parmesan, for garnish

Preheat the grill.

Before preparing the vegetables, roast the garlic. Rub 1 teaspoon of the oil and a pinch of the salt and pepper onto the cut side of the garlic. Wrap in foil and place on the grill. Roast until soft and starting to caramelize, turning occasionally, about 25 minutes. Remove from the grill and let sit until cool enough to handle. Squeeze the pulp from the garlic skins and set aside.

Rub 2 teaspoons of the oil and a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper on the tomatoes. Place on the grill away from the direct heat (or on the upper rack) and grill until tender and starting to char, about 6 minutes, depending upon the heat. (The longer the tomatoes stay on the grill, the smokier flavor they will obtain.) Remove from the heat and, when cool, remove the skin and roughly chop.

In a large bowl, combine the eggplant, zucchini, squash, onions and bell peppers, and toss with 2 tablespoons of the oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Grill, turning, until marked by the grill and tender, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Remove with tongs and let cool. Dice into 1/2-inch pieces.

In the bottom of a large bowl, mash the roasted garlic and 1 teaspoon of oil to make a paste. Drizzle in the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper, and the vinegar, and whisk to combine. Add the chopped vegetables, tomatoes and the herbs, and toss to coat. Serve at room temperature, garnished with Parmesan. (The ratatouille can be made ahead and refrigerated overnight to allow the flavors to further develop.)

Serve atop grilled bread.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 40-45 minutes

Ease of preparation: Easy

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, Food of Love Productions, 2007

Perfect Popcorn

Making popcorn from scratch can be tricky. Not only do you want as many kernels as possible to pop, but you also want to keep the kernels from burning at the bottom of the pan. Until my mother showed me her way of cooking popcorn, I usually took the easy way out and used (gasp!) microwave popcorn, which by the way, is not that good for you.

Mom's method of making popcorn not only pops almost every kernel, it also prevents the kernels from burning. She took it off of a Jiffy Popcorn box, she thinks. Here's how it goes:

• 3 Tbsp canola, peanut or grapeseed oil (high smoke point oil)
• 1/3 cup of high quality popcorn kernels
• 1 3-quart covered saucepan
• 2 Tbsp or more (to taste) of butter
• Salt to taste

1 Heat the oil in a 3-quart saucepan on medium high heat.

2 Put 3 or 4 popcorn kernels into the oil and cover the pan.

3 When the kernels pop, add the rest of the 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels in an even layer. Cover, remove from heat and count 30 seconds. (Count out loud; it's fun to do with kids.) This method first heats the oil to the right temperature, then waiting 30 seconds brings all of the other kernels to a near-popping temperature so that when they are put back on the heat, they all pop at about the same time.

4 Return the pan to the heat. The popcorn should begin popping soon, and all at once. Once the popping starts in earnest, gently shake the pan by moving it back and forth over the burner. Try to keep the lid slightly ajar to let the steam from the popcorn release (the popcorn will be drier and crisper). Once the popping slows to several seconds between pops, remove the pan from the heat, remove the lid, and dump the popcorn immediately into a wide bowl.

With this technique, nearly all of the kernels pop (I counted 4 unpopped kernels in my last batch), and nothing burns.

5 If you are adding butter, you can easily melt it by placing the butter in the now empty, but hot pan.

6 Salt to taste.

Makes 2 quarts, a nice amount for two people, or for one hungry one.

Additional tips: From the comments section

a If you add salt to the oil in the pan before popping, when the popcorn pops, the salt will be well distributed throughout the popcorn.

b Fun toppings for the popcorn - Spanish smoked paprika, nutritional yeast, cayenne powder, chili pepper, curry powder, cumin, grated Parmesan cheese.