Season To Taste

This time of year, I’m still using my outdoor grill as much as possible.  The air may be getting crisper, but I still think it is perfect grilling weather.  The other night I was planning on making sweet potato spears to go along with a marinated flank steak, but decided that rather than dirty my kitchen, I’d try them on the grill. 

I’d learned from previous adventures with sweet potato spears that too much oil will ruin the entire batch, rendering them soggy, limp, and well, oily.  This time, I tossed my spears with just a touch of olive oil, a generous amount of salt, and some freshly ground pepper.  I also found a red bell pepper left over from my CSA farm share the previous weekend, so I sliced it up and tossed it in as well.  The orangey-gold of the potatoes and the bright red bell peppers looked beautiful together…harvest colors perfect for fall.

Now the trick was going to be keeping all those spears from falling through the grill grates!  Because my main objective was not to do any dishes that night, the metal grill basket I had was not an option, since it is NOT easy to clean.  So, I decided to fashion my own grill basket out of disposable tin foil.  The heavy-duty variety is best, but if you don’t have any, just use a double layer of regular foil.  I folded and crimped the edges on all four sides large piece of foil, to mimic a baking sheet (see photo below).  Be sure to spray the foil with some non-stick cooking spray, place on your hot grill, then spread your veggies around evenly.  As long as you’re careful not to poke through the foil when turning your food, this is an easy solution for grilling your spears.  The result is great looking spears with some great color, crispy edges, and terrific grilled flavor.  They won’t be as crispy as fries, but they are just as tasty and leave no mess in your kitchen!

Grilled Sweet Potato and Red Pepper Spears

Serves 4

1 ½ lbs sweet potatoes, peeled (if desired) and cut into2 inch long fries

1 large red bell pepper, cut into spears

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt/pepper

Non-stick cooking spray

Heavy duty tin foil-a piece approximately 24 inches long

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

Fashion the tinfoil so it resembles a baking sheet by folding up the sides about an inch and crimping them so they stay up.

In a large bowl, combine the sweet potatoes, red peppers, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.

Spray the foil “pan” and place on the grill grates.

Spread the vegetables around the “pan” so they are in an even layer, close grill, and allow to cook for approximately 15-20 minutes.  Be sure to carefully toss them around a few times during cooking.  Potatoes and peppers should be tender and cooked through.

Remove to a bowl and serve hot.

Halloween has come and gone, but this year we managed not to carve all our pumpkins, so my outdoor fall decorations may even last through Thanksgiving.  With those we did carve, I am always excited to scoop out the innards, loaded with seeds and “goo” (as my kids call it).  I’ve always loved toasted or roasted pumpkin seeds….the crunch, the salt, they are pure goodness!  I’ve often toasted them in a hot pan over the stove, but this year, I opted for a more “hands-off” approach—and roasted them in the oven. 

Pumpkin seeds, which are often sold as “pepitas” in the nut aisle of the grocery store, are a great source of fiber, and perfect for healthy snacking.  When roasted, toasted, or otherwise cooked, they dry out and become crispy, with the help of some olive oil.  Many recipes call to slow-roast them in a low oven for up to an hour.  On Halloween night, between trying to get the kids fed and dressed in their costumes, all while answering the door to early trick-or-treaters, time was of the essence, so I decided to speed up the process a bit.  The oven went on 375 and in when the seeds.

Many times people rinse their seeds off before roasting them.  I didn’t bother, but I did remove the larger clumps of pumpkin “goo” from the batch.  It is a good idea to line your baking sheet with foil first, as those pumpkin remnants will tend to burn a bit and can get baked on your sheet pan.  Toss the seeds with some olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and pop into a hot oven for about 15 minutes, stirring them around about two or three times during the course of roasting.  Once out of the oven, I decided to do something a little unorthodox.  I love the combination of winter squash (pumpkin and butternut squashin particular) and parmesan cheese in pastas, risottos, and soups….so why not with pumpkin seeds?  It turned out I was onto something….and the result was delicious!  Next I’m going to try the same thing with acorn squash and butternut squash seeds…I bet they will be just as good! 

Parmesan Pepitas

1 cup of pumpkin seeds, cleaned of pumpkin flesh (by hand or by rinsing)

1-2 teaspoons olive oil

salt

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with tinfoil.

Toss the seeds with the oil an salt, and spread out in a single layer on the baking sheet.

Roast in the preheated oven for approximately 15 minutes, or until they begin to brown and get crispy.  Be sure to stir them around a few times during roasting.

Remove from oven and toss with parmesan cheese.  Serve hot or at room temperature.

Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

It is the end of October, and I’m still finding great eggplant at the farmers market. 

Last week, I loaded up on the smaller, Italian-style eggplant and decided to save one for a smooth, healthy dip to serve at an upcoming party.  Since the base of the dip is roasted eggplant, rather than a fat like mayonnaise or sour cream, you don’t have to feel guilty about indulging.

 Preparing this dip is extremely simple.  I happened to be roasting some veggies one night for dinner, so I did some double-duty with my hot oven and roasted the eggplant whole.  It is important to pierce the skin all over with a fork before roasting, or else you may end up with a mini-explosion (and a huge mess) in your oven.  Simply place it in a baking dish, unadorned, and roast until the eggplant is very soft and wrinkly (see photo right).

Unless you have the “asbestos hands” you always hear television chefs talking about, allow the eggplant to cool for at least a half an hour, or until you are able to handle it.  At this point you can remove the skin, which can be accomplished in two ways.  You could split the eggplant lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh, or, if your eggplant is very well cooked, you can just use your hands to gently peel the skin away from the soft insides.

Eggplant on its own is relatively bland, so salt is essential in this dip.  Simply place the eggplant, salt, and olive oil in a food processor (fitted with the metal blade) and pulse until smooth.  Then by hand, mix in  some feta, chopped walnuts, and fresh parsley.  I prefer to do it this way so the feta, nuts, and parsley remain a little on the chunky side, rather than getting completely pureed in the food processor.  I also love to add a tablespoon of roasted garlic, which adds tremendous flavor.  Stir to combine and you have a delicious, tangy, healthy dip perfect for pita chips, crackers, or even fresh veggies. 

Roasted Eggplant Dip with Feta

Makes about 1 ½  cups

1 large eggplant, pierced all over with a fork

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt & pepper

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

½ cup walnuts, chopped

½ cup fresh flat leaf Italian parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon roasted garlic (click here for recipe)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place whole eggplant in an oven-proof baking dish and roast until completely softened and collapsed (about one hour).  Remove from oven and allow eggplant to cool.

Remove the skin from the eggplant (as described above), and place into the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade.  Add oil, salt and pepper and pulse until smooth.  Remove to a bowl and add feta, walnuts, parsley, and garlic. 

Stir to combine and serve with pita chips or raw veggies.

Acorn squash is perhaps one of the simplest vegetables to prepare.  Shaped like a giant acorn (hence, its name), these winter squash have a dark green exterior with yellow and/or orange markings, and a deep golden interior.  Newer varieties of acorn squash are now available as well, including “golden” and “white” varieties.   I personally have not detected a significant difference in flavor, and use them interchangeably. 

When selecting acorn squash at the farmers market or store, choose heavy, firm squash that are not bruised or blemished.  Winter squash, including acorn, butternut, and pumpkin, have a tough outer skin, which enables them to keep for longer periods of time (unlike summer varieties), and when uncut, do not require refrigeration.  Once home, store them in a cool, dry place (much as you would onions, garlic, or potatoes) for up to a few weeks. 

Acorn squash was something my family ate frequently while I was growing up.  Usually, we halved the squash, removed the seeds, baked it, and then added butter and seasoning.  My parents began experimenting with various cooking methods and ingredients (resulting in the recipe below), and over the years the squash became a household favorite.

When I’m preparing a simple meal, like roasted chicken, I usually bake the acorn squash in the oven alongside the main course.  However, at Thanksgiving, when the turkey occupies my entire oven and every burner of my stovetop is accounted for, I turn to my microwave for some much-needed assistance.  I mainly use my microwave for reheating and defrosting, but on this occasion, it serves a far more important purpose.  You can make a great acorn squash side-dish entirely in the microwave, with excellent results!

When baking or roasting certain whole vegetables (like potatoes, winter squash, or eggplant), it is important to pierce them so they don’t explode in your oven.  The same is true for cooking in the microwave.  The simplest way to do this is with a fork.  Once pierced, simply place the whole acorn squash in the microwave on “high” for 7-10 minutes, depending on the power of your oven.  This will soften the squash, and then you halve and seed it.  At this point I add butter and maple syrup into the hole where the seeds had been, and pop it back in the micro for another 5-7 minutes, or until the flesh is very soft and hot. 

I like to serve the halves in their skins, cut side up, one half per person.  This way everyone can have their own.  Alternatively, the flesh can be scooped out and mashed to create a healthy, high fiber, low carb alternative to mashed potatoes. 

Acorn Squash with Maple Syrup

Serves 4

2 medium acorn squash, pierced all over with a fork

2 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons maple syrup

Salt to taste

Place the whole, pierced acorn squash in the microwave on “high” for 7-10 minutes per squash.

Once slightly softened, cut in half and remove the seeds.

Place cut side up on a microwave safe plate and add butter, maple syrup and salt.

Place back in the microwave for 5-7 minutes per squash.  When finished, the squash should be very soft and hot. 

Serve in skins or remove flesh and mash.

So, it is finally time to make my applesauce!  We picked our apples, I bought a shiny, new food mill, and now I’m ready to roll!  I had already hauled out my great big stock pot, in which I planned to slowly stew my apples.  But as I was sorting through boxes of cookbooks I’d collected for my annual charity cookbook sale, I came across a book on slow-cookers.  I had one of Oprah’s “aha moments” and decided to forgo the stock pot for my crock pot!  Why not?  I could just toss in the apples, leave them there, and not have to worry about leaving my stove on for hours (because that always sets off the gas alarm in my kitchen, and with young kids, I don’t like the idea of a flame being on for so long). 

As mentioned in my previous post, the beauty of a food mill is that no peeling or coring is required before cooking the apples.  Simply cut them in half (or quarters if the apples are particularly large), and place into the crock pot with a little water or apple cider.  After a few hours, the apples will break down and become very soft, at which point they go into the food mill.  With a few (dozen) turns of the crank, smooth, delicious applesauce streams out of the base of the mill, leaving all the seeds, fibrous core, and skins behind.  At that point you may add sugar, but I found the batch I made didn’t even need it…so be sure to taste before adding any sweeteners. 

So what if you don’t have a food mill, and don’t want to shell out the cash for one?  No problem!  It will take a bit more prep time, but you’ll get the same result.  You’ll need to peel and core each apple before adding it to the slow cooker.  It will require slightly less cooking time since the heat doesn’t have to work through the skins and cores.  Once the apples are softened, you can use a potato masher, food processor, or even a big fork (for a chunkier result)  to finish the dish. 

Crock-Pot Applesauce

Makes about 4 cups

8 medium apples, cut in half

3/4 cup water or apple cider

Sugar (optional)

Cinnamon (optional)

Place all ingredients in a slow-cooker and set temperature to high.

Allow to cook for approximately 3 hours, or until apples are very soft and hot.  You may want to stir the apples around a couple times during cooking.

Place a food mill over a large bowl.  Transfer the apples, a little at a time, to the food mill and process until all the apple pulp has been pressed through the sieve.  Repeat until all apples have been processed.

Test the applesauce for sweetness, and add sugar, ¼ cup at a time until desired sweetness is reached.  Add 1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon if desired.

Fall is the season for apple picking, and we New Englanders love nothing better than an afternoon in the orchards!  I have wonderful childhood memories of apple picking with my family, and now it is something I look forward to doing each year with my own children.  I love walking around the orchard, comparing the different varieties of apples, conducting on-the-spot taste tests, and watching my children enjoy themselves as much as I did as a kid. 

The best part of apple picking is that the fun continues beyond the orchard.  On our most recent excursion we debated what we’d do with our huge harvest.  I wanted to make a big batch of applesauce to serve alongside pulled pork at an upcoming football party.  My four year old insisted that we make apple strudel (I didn’t even know she knew the word “strudel”).  My six year old with the sweet tooth suggested that we stick to apple pie and caramel apples.  It was an ambitious agenda, but then again, we had a lot of apples. 

In the end, we’ll end up making all of these things, and also a variation on my mother’s recipe for Apple Crisp.  In an effort to cut back on sugar, fat, and calories, I’ve lightened it up considerably by slashing the amounts of sugar and butter in the original recipe.  Keep in mind, this is certainly not health food, but it is much lower in sugar and fat than most desserts you’d purchase at a bakery or store.

One note about cooking with apples:  it is important not to use the super-sweet varieties you’d choose for eating (like Red Delicious).  According to The Cooks Thesaurus, the best apples for baking and pies are the firm, slightly tart varieties like  Northern Spy, Golden Delicious, Rhode Island Greening, Pippin, Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Gravenstein, Rome, Jonagold, Gala, Braeburn, York Imperial, Cortland, or Winesap. Applesauce is best made with softer apples, like McIntosh, Elstar, Fuji, or Gala. Those of you who’d prefer just to crunch apples on their own should try Gala, Fuji, Mutsu, Jonathan, Cameo, Golden Delicious, Cortland, Empire, Red Delicious, McIntosh, Braeburn, Winesap, Pink Lady, and Sundowner, which are all great eating apples.

Apple picking is a great way to spend a day with your family or friends…and the possibilities in the kitchen are endless!  How do you like them apples?

Apple Crisp with Almonds

Serves  6-8                                                                         

7-8 apples, peeled and sliced    

1/3 cup sugar

1teaspoon cinnamon     

1 tablespoon lemon juice

For crumb topping:

3/4  cup quick oats

½ cup sugar

3 tablespoons flour

3  tablespoons butter, melted         

3 tablespoons almonds       

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toss together the filling ingredients in a bowl.

 Spray a 9×12 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray, and pour the contents of the bowl into it.

In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the topping with a fork and crumble on top of fruit. 

Bake for 35 minutes until filling is hot and bubbly and topping is golden brown.

Although I’m a summer baby and have Mediterranean blood coursing through my veins, there is something about fall I just adore:  the changing leaves, the crisp weather, the soccer games, and of course, the autumn produce.  Butternut squash is one of my favorite veggies, and is easier to prepare than one might think.  Inspired by a cooking method borrowed from Mark Bitman (award winning cookbook author and New York Times food columnist), I embellished upon one of his ideas to create a fantastic fall pasta dish, perfect for a cool, Sunday dinner.

Butternut squash is wonderful roasted, but this definitely takes some time.  To streamline the process for turning the squash into a savory sauce for pasta, Bitman peels and quarters it before running it through the food processor (fitted with the disk attachment) to create gorgeous golden shreds of squash.  Then, by cooking it in a pan with water or broth, added a little at a time (almost like you would when preparing risotto), the squash begins to dissolve creating a rustic sauce. 

I begin my recipe with Italian sweet sausage, which nicely compliments the butternut squash.  I buy sausage patties, which are easy to break up in the pan as you cook them.  If you cannot find patties, simply purchase links and remove the casings before cooking the sausage.  Once the sausage is cooked, I remove it and allow it to drain on paper towels to get rid of any excess fat.  At this point your pan should have lots of little browned bits stuck to the bottom…and this is a good thing.  When you transfer the shredded squash into the same pan and add the liquid, it deglazes the pan, thereby infusing all that great sausage flavor right into the sauce.  So, not only do you have fewer pans to clean, you’re giving your sauce a boost as well.

For this dish, I like to use a short pasta shape, like rigatoni.  Chunkier sauces pair well with chunkier pastas.  Varieties such as angel hair pasta just wouldn’t hold up to the texture of this sauce.   I also like to garnish the pasta with fresh sage and lots of parmesan cheese.   Both pair perfectly with both the sausage and the squash, creating a hearty fall dish you’ll want to make again and again.  I recently taught this dish at a “Farmers Market” cooking class and it was the hit of the evening!

 “Triple S” Rigatoni (Squash, Sausage & Sage)

Serves 4

¾ lb Italian sweet sausage patties (or links, casing removed)

1 lb butternut squash, peeled and seeds removed

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

½ teaspoon grated nutmeg

Pinch of sugar

 Salt and pepper

1 lb pasta (rigatoni, penne, or other short pasta)

¼ cup fresh sage, chopped (or more, to taste)

Grated parmesan cheese for garnish

Salt & pepper

Slice the squash into pieces and feed it into the tube of a food processor fitted with the grating disc.  Alternatively, you can use a box grater to coarsely grate it.  Set aside.

In a large skillet or pan, cook sausage until no longer pink.  Use the back of your spoon to break up the sausage as it cooks, creating bite-sized crumbles.  Remove to a bowl lined with paper towel and set aside.

Add the grated squash to the pan and add about ¾ cup of broth.  Stir until liquid evaporates, scraping up the bits on the bottom of the pan.  Continue to add the rest of the broth, ¼ cup at a time, until squash has dissolved into a thick sauce.

Season to taste with salt, pepper, sugar and nutmeg.  Return the sausage to the sauce, add sage, and stir to combine.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt, and add pasta.  Cook according to package directions, or until “al dente”.  Drain and add to pot with sauce. 

Serve hot with plenty of grated cheese.

On a recent weekend ‘back home’ visiting my family, we checked out the 8^th Annual Susquehanna Valley Garlic Festival near Cooperstown, New York.  Held on the rolling property of Wood Bull Antiques, various local garlic farmers and vendors displayed their bulbs, braids, garlicky creations, and literature.  Garlic is typically harvested in July and hung to dry for several weeks, and reaches its prime in early fall.  By September, garlic festivals abound, and are definitely worth a weekend excursion.

 Armed with a pocketful of spearmint gum, I set out to sample my fair share of garlic.  I tried garlic pesto, garlic biscotti, and garlic-blueberry muffins.   In one tent they were having the event’s first-ever garlic cook-off, and contestants were busy whipping up garlic aioli, garlic mashed potatoes, and garlic jalapeno poppers (all delicious, but the aioli took first prize). 

Next I followed my nose to “Anthony’s Original Garlic Wings” where they were tossing fried chicken wings with a combination of garlic, grated parmesan cheese, and some other secret ingredients.  These were the real deal…and although I went to college near Buffalo, New York and have an affinity for regular Buffalo wings, I must say these were darned good! 

Now that I’d had my fill of garlicky snacks, I began talking to the various farmers about their hints and tips for storing garlic.  This is a topic that I’m often asked about in my cooking classes, so I figured it would be worthwhile to hear it from the experts.  All the farmers agreed that a cool, dark, non-humid location (like the pantry) was essential for keeping garlic fresh.   Bill Rowley of Laughing Goat Garlic Farm in Brockport, New York, said that he sells his garlic in brown paper lunch bags because that is the best way to store them.  The paper allows the garlic to “breathe” and keeps the garlic dry.  When moisture is introduced to the garlic, it will begin to sprout, spoiling the flavor.  Bill also warned against common mistakes:  storing garlic in the refrigerator and/or in plastic bags.  This environment is not dry enough for garlic…which, when fresh, will last up to a few months in the correct conditions.

All at once, it became apparent that I had exhausted the window of time that my young kids would tolerate being at a garlic festival, and more pressingly, my breath could kill a dragon.  I had just enough time to snap a few photos before hopping in the car, and immediately cracked open that pack of gum.

For a list of garlic festivals in your area, check out The Garlic Seed Foundation Website.

Sweet Roasted Garlic

Garlic turns wonderfully sweet when roasted, and is a great addition to mashed potatoes, tomato sauce, or even spread on toasted baguette slices for a super-simple hors d’oeurve.

Makes about 2 tablespoons mashed roasted garlic

1 large head garlic, top sliced off horizontally

1 teaspoon olive oil

Salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place the head of garlic on a square of tin foil.  Drizzle olive oil over cut top and sprinkle with salt. 

Seal the tin foil into a “package” and place in oven to roast for approximately 30 minutes.  Garlic will become softened.

When cooled, gently squeeze the garlic out of the papery skin into a bowl.  Mash with a fork.

Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.

I usually think of “corn season” as coming to a conclusion at the end of August.  By September I remember my parents always commenting that it was “past prime”in upstate New York.  Well, here in Connecticut I’m still getting lots of fantastic fresh corn from the farmers markets!  Because my family loves corn so much, I make sure to get it every week.  This week I’ve been using corn to make lots of variations on this corn salad, but also eating it right on the cob. 

Recently, I was at a restaurant which served corn-on-the-cob on the side of a wonderful clam bake.  Usually, restaurant corn-on-the-cob is overcooked from being kept warm in big pots of hot water for way too long.  Then it is lathered with way too much butter, making it a mess to eat.  Not this restaurant’s corn—it was expertly cooked and served right away.  The butter was lightly brushed on, and then it was sprinkled with grated parmesan cheese and a touch of Ancho chili powder - not chipotle chili powder as I erroneously reported in a previous post.   Yup— I realized that error after a lip-burning corn experience fit for someone with a mouth far more tolerant than my own.  Note to self:  Ancho chilies=3,000 units of heat.  Chipotle chilies=15,000 units of heat.   Sometimes my brain interchanges those two peppers—but my mouth certainly did not. 

Ancho chili peppers are a mild chili that lend great color and a somewhat sweet flavor to Mexican-inspired dishes.  You can buy them whole and dried (and can reconstitute them in hot water then chop), or you can purchase the ground variety.  I always keep a jar of ground Ancho chili powder on hand which I add to stews and chilis.  It is readily available in the dried spice aisle of most grocery stores.

Chipotle peppers are much hotter, and can be found whole and dried, ground, or canned in “adobo” sauce (a tomato based sauce).  They are very smoky in flavor, and add a nice kick to whatever you’re cooking.  They are most commonly found in Mexican and southwestern cuisine.   You can certainly sprinkle ground chipotle pepper on lots of dishes (like the corn), but shake sparingly or else you’ll end up running for the water pitcher.

Give your corn a little kick—- Ancho for the mild-mouthed cooks, and Chipotle for the spicier set!

Corn on the Cob with a Kick

Serves 4

4 ears of corn, husked

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons of butter, melted

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

Sprinkle of ground Ancho chili pepper

 Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add sugar to water, and then add corn cobs.

Cook for 7-9 minutes (depending on desired consistency— less time for crunchier corn, more for chewier)

Remove from pot, drain off excess water, and lightly brush with melted butter.

Sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese and a touch of chili powder.

Serve immediately.

Inspired by a colorful plate of grilled veggies I had in Italy, I decided to turn some of this week’s farmers market finds into a healthy and tasty wrap.  Grilling renders veggies soft and sweet, and gives that wonderful smoky flavor.  Roasted red peppers are a particular favorite of mine, and are surprisingly simple to do on the grill.  By placing them directly over an open flame (or even under your broiler if weather keeps you indoors), the skin blackens and easily peels off, revealing the bright red flesh of the pepper.  They require only a few turns, and are largely cooked unattended (because hey, no worries about burning them-that’s the goal!). Once charred, I like to place them in a bowl covered tightly with plastic wrap, which allows the pepper to steam and loosen the blackened skin.  Be sure to allow the pepper to cool a bit before trying to remove the skin-your hands will thank you!  

 For this easy dinner, I place some sliced eggplant alongside the peppers on the grill, and then place everything (plus a few other ingredients) into a wrap.  I love using whole wheat wraps, but was shocked when I looked at the calorie count and fat content of most commercial varieties. Ouch!  Opt for the “low-fat” or “carb conscious” types, which are often higher in fiber too. 

This dish makes a great weeknight meal, or you can wrap those wraps in some tin foil and pack them in a picnic basket for a fun alfresco meal.  They are just as good at room temperature, and great on the go.

Mediterranean Grilled Veggie Wrap

Serves 4

1 medium eggplant, cut lengthwise into ¼” slices

1 red bell pepper

4 cups loosely packed baby spinach leaves

1/ 2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

4 - 12 inch whole wheat wraps

Preheat your outdoor grill (or an indoor grill pan) to medium-high heat.

First, get the pepper roasting, since it will take the longest.  Place the whole red pepper directly on the grates, and allow to completely blacken on one side.  Turn, and repeat until the skin is black.  Place in a bowl, cover, and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, brush the eggplant with olive oil on both sides, season with salt and pepper, and add to the grill.  Cook approximately 2-3 minutes per side, until grill marks appear and eggplant is softened.

Next, peel the pepper by gently removing all the blackened skin (which will be very loose at this point and should come right off).  Remove the stem and seeds and slice the pepper into strips.

Spread 1 cup of raw spinach leaves on top of each wrap.  Layer the grilled eggplant and red peppers over the spinach, and sprinkle crumbled feta on top. 

Roll each wrap by folding in each of two ends about an inch, and rolling the opposite sides together to form a wrap (see photos below).

Fold the sides of the wrap about one inch.

While holding each side in, roll the wrap as shown.

Tuck the top of the wrap around the contents and then up under them to secure. Be sure the short ends do not come unwrapped.