Vegetables: Greens Meet Grill

When I was growing up, barbecue meant meat. Especially steak. The idea of grilling a bell pepper or a portobello mushroom would have seemed as strange as landing a man on the moon.

Well, we did land a man on the moon and we have discovered grilled vegetables. In fact, North Americans may be newcomers to a wide range of grilled vegetables, but we’ve embraced the cause with religious fervor. And why not? Because no other cooking method produces a better taste. Grilling evaporates some of the water in a vegetable, concentrating the flavor. High, dry heat caramelizes natural plant sugars, heightening a vegetable’s sweetness. Unlike boiling, which removes flavor from vegetables, grilling seems to intensify their natural taste. Add a whiff of smoke (from wood chips or wood chunks) and you’ll have vegetables with an astonishing depth of flavor.