Charcoal-Grilled Vegetables
Vegetables browned over glowing coals disappear from the platter faster than the meat at any cookout. The dish comes from the Caucasian and Mediterranean mangal (open-charcoal grill) tradition, where vegetables cook right beside the kebabs over the same coals: pumpkin and zucchini turn tender and faintly sweet in the smoke, bell pepper picks up a caramelized edge, and mushrooms soak in the scent of the fire.
Secrets to the dish
The key is coating every piece evenly with oil — it forms a thin film that lets the vegetables brown rather than scorch. Cut the pumpkin and zucchini to a uniform thickness, roughly half an inch (about 1.5 cm), or thin slices will burn before thick ones cook through. Use firm mushrooms such as cremini or porcini; watery ones collapse.
Serve them hot right off the coals with a squeeze of lemon or a drizzle of olive oil; a garlicky yogurt sauce is a natural partner. No live fire? The same cut vegetables char beautifully on a hot ridged grill pan.
Part of Caucasian cuisine — 11 more recipes in the section.
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Ingredients
Instructions
Cut the bell pepper into strips, removing the seeds and membranes.
Slice the pumpkin and zucchini lengthwise into planks, then cut each plank in half.
Rub all the vegetables with vegetable oil so they don't dry out over the heat.
Sprinkle the vegetables with coarsely ground black pepper and salt.
Thread the vegetables onto skewers or lay them on the grate and smoke them over the coals until every piece is tender.
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