This is a colourful and very simple vegetarian dish. The secret is in the herb vinegar. I like to use white vinegar flavoured with sprigs of tarragon.
I have been on the Ornish diet (very low fat vegetarian) for a couple of months. I love it, but it didn't take long to see this that this diet horrifies most Americans, and is very difficult to find recipes that accomodate my guidelines. I'm always looking for foods that will delight my guests without compromising my hard work. This one makes such a beautiful presentation and so savory, they will not even notice how healthy it is! I couldn't wait to try it, so just used what I had on hand, which meant only 2 cloves of garlic, cherry tomatoes and basil, from my garden, and a well-seasoned stone baking dish (so no oil needed). I sampled it with the 2 vinegars I had: balsamic, which was very robust. Used in very small quantity, not too bad. My favorite was a delicate unflavored brown rice vinegar. I heaped extra fresh (not cooked) basil, for more flavor & it was delicious. Next time will add even more herbs, like tarragon, chives, or rosemary, as well. I think cheese would mask the flowery flavor. I will make this often and have fun experimenting variations - thank you for submitting! - 26 Aug 2007 (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)
was great but was even better with some fresh mozzeralla in small chunks (will slightly bake into the mix!)....yummmy!!!! - 09 Dec 2007 (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)
Delicious! I made a few changes, though. I added some chopped fresh mushrooms and some parmesan cheese to the mixture. I also topped with a sprinkling of soft whole wheat bread crumbs for the second 15 minutes in the oven. I didn't have any herb vinegar so I left that out and they were still excellent. My husband claims to hate peppers but he actually complimented me on how good these were. - 13 Jan 2008 (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)