Meals Matter

To grill, broil or oven roast the vegtables: Combine the egglplant, onion , zucchini, carrot, peppers, garlic, 1/4 cup of the olive oil, and salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Preheat grill or broiler. Arrange vegetables on rack or on broiler pan and cook, turning to brown evenly; remove vegetables to platter or cutting board as they become tender, 5 to 15 minutes. To oven roast: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange the vegetables on a large (11 x 14-inch) baking pan, preferably with a nonstick coating. Bake 35 to 45 minutes; turn vegetables after 20 minutes so that they brown evenly.

When the vegetables are cool enough to handle, cut into 1-inch pieces; add the parsley and thyme; set aside.

Cook the pasta according to package directions in plenty of boiling salted water until firm to the bite. Ladle out about 1/2 cup of the pasta-cooking water and reserve. Remove from the heat and add 1 cup cold water to stop cooking; drain.

Toss pasta with the roasted vegetables, the chicken and olives; add pasta-cooking water, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and cheese. Serve at room temperature.