Grilled Vegetables over Coals

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   To grill vegetables over coals, start by prepping them. You can use sweet bell peppers (any color works, but red is best, since it's meatier), along with eggplant and zucchini. That's my favorite combination. You can also add mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, or whatever you have on hand. You'll also need a little vegetable oil to keep the vegetables from drying out, plus salt.

2. Step 2:

   

   Rinse the zucchini and eggplant and trim off the ends. Cut them into rounds about 1/3 inch (7–10 mm) thick.

3. Step 3:

   

   Drizzle the prepped vegetables with oil (I use unrefined corn oil), sprinkle with salt, and toss with your hands so every piece is coated with oil and seasoned. Optionally, you can dust the vegetables with spices to taste for extra aroma and flavor.

4. Step 4:

   

   Lay the vegetables on the grill grate over medium-hot coals. There shouldn't be any open flames; if any flare up, put them out right away with a splash of water. Arrange the vegetables in a single layer and grill until nicely browned on one side, then the other. The eggplant cooked faster than the zucchini, so I pulled it off the grate and put red pepper in its place.

5. Step 5:

   

   The peppers don't need to be oiled or salted ahead of time; just rinse them and they're ready. Grill the peppers, turning them, until lightly charred on all sides. Take the zucchini off the grill once it's done. As soon as the peppers are ready, pull them off too and, if you like, put them in a bag for 10 to 15 minutes; that makes the skins easier to peel. The skin will slip right off like a thin film.