There are dishes that feel wrong for the season and turn out to be exactly right. A vegetable bake on a baking hot Andalucían day sounds like a poor decision. Leave it to rest until it reaches room temperature — which in a Cordoba province summer is still quite warm — and eat it on a roof terrace as the sun goes down over terracotta rooftops with a chilled glass of something in hand, and it becomes something else entirely.

Vegetable Bake with Parmesan Crust – The Flexible Chef

I cooked this at a girlfriend's house in a small town in Cordoba province. Her kitchen was unremarkable. Her roof terrace was not. Next door's lemon tree produced fruit the entire year and hung over the terrace wall as if it belonged there. It probably did.

This is a flexible dish — a great way to use up whatever vegetables you have. The crust is the thing. Breadcrumbs, toasted pine nuts, Parmesan, poppy seeds, garlic and fresh herbs blitzed together and scattered over the top. It goes golden and slightly crisp in the oven and lifts the whole thing considerably.

The two cubes of red pepper coulis stirred through the vegetable mix add depth and a gentle sweetness. The coulis is best made ahead and frozen in ice cube trays — defrost what you need before you start. If you don't have any, a spoonful of tomato purée will do the job, but the coulis is better.

Ingredients for Vegetable Bake with Parmesan Crust

(serves 4)

• 1 medium aubergine, diced
• 1 leek, sliced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 3 ripe tomatoes, sliced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 100g green beans, trimmed and halved
• 150g brown rice
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 tsp turmeric
• Black pepper
• 2 cubes red pepper coulis, defrosted (see Roasted Red Pepper Coulis) — or 1 tbsp tomato purée if you don't have any
• Olive oil

For the crust:

• 50g breadcrumbs
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tbsp poppy seeds
• 30g pine nuts, toasted
• 30g Parmesan, grated
• A small handful of fresh parsley, basil and thyme
• White pepper

Method

Cook the brown rice according to packet instructions, then drain and set aside.

Fry the vegetables in batches in olive oil – aubergine, leek, carrot, red pepper, green beans and chilli – until softened and taking a little colour. Add the garlic and turmeric towards the end and cook for a further minute. Season with black pepper.

Combine the cooked rice with the vegetables and stir through the defrosted red pepper coulis. The rice should take on the yellow pigment of the turmeric throughout.

Blitz the crust ingredients together in a food processor until you have a rough, crumbly mixture.

Tip the vegetable and rice mix into an ovenproof dish. Lay the sliced tomatoes over the top, scatter over the crust mixture and drizzle with a little olive oil.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 20 minutes or until the crust is golden.

Leave to rest until it reaches room temperature. Take it upstairs.

This vegetable bake with Parmesan, pine nut and herb crust is part of my Veg, Fruit & Pulses collection. Wonky photos, proper produce, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef