Grilled Eggplant and Summer Squash

This is quick, easy, and really good. With some sort of grilled meat (say, a nice steak from Wheelview Farm, encrusted with fresh herbs) and fresh bread (say, a loaf of the Rosemary Olive Oil bread from El Jardin Bakery, maybe with some oil for dipping), this rounds out a hot-weather meal nicely.

Grilled eggplant

Eggplant and/or summer squash/zucchini
Olive oil
Minced garlic
Balsamic vinegar

Combine about 4 parts olive with one part balsamic vinegar. Mix in as much garlic as you like (I like LOTS). You'll need about 1-2 teaspoons of this per slice of eggplant or squash, depending on how big they are.

Slice vegetables into 1/2-inch thicknesses. You can do it in rounds or the long way, it doesn't matter. Array the slices on a platter or cookie sheet. Brush the olive oil mixture over each one. You want decent coverage but not lots of extra oozing over the sides. Flip and brush the other side.

Put the veggie slices on the grill with the olive oil side down. Flip the slices when they start to get soft and are nicely browned on the bottom, around 4-5 minutes over medium-high heat. Serve hot or room temperature.