Most people answered oiled and seasoned, which didn’t surprise me. This is how I grilled vegetables, too, before working at Fork, where the chef at the time, Thien Ngo, grilled all vegetables without a lick of oil or a pinch of salt. Once the vegetables were grilled, he seasoned them with salt and pepper, and dressed them in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and often some chopped rosemary. When he grilled vegetables with the intention of making tacos, he chopped the vegetables (post grilling) into small pieces before dressing and seasoning them. Thien’s method kept the vegetables from becoming oil-laden and soggy, so often the bane of grilled eggplant, zucchini, asparagus, mushrooms, and others. But there’s another compelling reason, I recently learned while flipping through Joshua McFadden’s Six Seasons, to “dry grill”: no burnt-oil taste. A tip box included with a recipe for grilled carrots notes: “Don’t oil your vegetables before you grill them, because the oil burns and tastes acrid. Instead, grill them dry to get a lovely char, and then dress with oil afterwards.” Interesting, right? What do you think? Will you give dry-grilling a go? I’m a fan. Below is a recipe for grilled vegetable tacos with tomatillos salsa, cilantro-lime crema, and a number of other fixin’s: pickled radishes, jalapeños and onions, queso fresco, grated cheddar, and fresh limes. You, of course, do not need to prepare so many toppings, but I find a few to be essential: some sort of pickle, some sort of cheese, and some sort of salsa. While the tomatoes are still ripening away, tomatillo salsa is a great option and, if you have a food processor, so easy to whip up. Happy grilling, Friends! PS: Simple Grilled Hanger Steak {video} | Grilled Poblano & Corn Salsa | Chicken Souvlaki Here’s a play-by-play: Gather your vegetables: Cut them into slices and pieces, but keep them relatively large and thick. Fire up your grill as you wish. I use two Weber chimney starters and these coals. Once the coals are ready, which usually takes about 30 minutes, dump them into the grill, and return the grate to heat for at least 5 minutes. Spread your vegetables into a single layer, and grill until… they are nicely charred. Chop them up. To make the tomatillo salsa, clean about a pound of tomatillos: Add them to a food processor… along with garlic, jalapenos, cilantro, salt, and a small onion or a few scallions: Purée until smooth. Arrange the fixin’s: pickled jalapeños, pickled radishes, pickled onions, grated cheese, cilantro-lime crema. Fill warm tortillas with your chopped grilled vegetables. Top as desired. 5 from 5 reviews
Keep the vegetables in large pieces when you grill them so that they don’t fall through the grates. I cut zucchini and eggplant lengthwise, peppers into quarters, asparagus whole, etc. Cut vegetables like zucchini and eggplant on the thicker side, at least 1/4 inch thick. The vegetables may not appear to be completely cooked when you take them off the grill, but if you pile them into a bowl as you remove them from the grill, the heat of all of the vegetables packed together, will continue to cook the vegetables off the grill. If you are using chimney starters, be sure to let your grill grate heat for at least five minutes once you’ve added the coals to the grill barrel. And be sure to give those grates a good scrub with a wire brush or something similar. Once you add your vegetables to the grate, be patient. I like to wait till I see some sweat/condensation forming on the side facing up, then I flip. Peek every so often to be sure the vegetables aren’t turning completely black, but don’t be a “watch pot” either.
If you have the time, I recommend grilling a ton of vegetables. I love chopping them into small pieces, as shown in this post, because they are so nice to have on hand for omelets, wraps, sandwiches, nachos, etc. I can eat them cold straight from the fridge, but when I am making tacos or nachos, I’ll reheat them in the oven at 350ºF for about 10 minutes or dump them into a little sauté pan and heat them gently until they are warmed. Make ahead: This is a great recipe to make ahead of time. The chopped grilled veg reheat beautifully in the oven or stovetop in a sauté pan.
1 cup (heaping) cilantro, about 1 ounce 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus more to taste 1 cup sour cream 1 teaspoon sugar 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
for assembly:
flour or corn tortillas pickled vegetables such as radishes, turnips, jalapeños, onions grated cheese such as queso fresco, cotija, cheddar, Monterey Jack fresh lime wedges
