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By Root 1071 0

the mushrooms caps in one bag and the onions, bell peppers, and jalapeños in the other. Press the air out of the bags, seal, and massage the marinade into the vegetables, especially the crevices of the mushroom caps. Let stand at room temperature for 1 to 3 hours.

2. Heat the grill as directed.

3. Brush the grill grate and coat it with oil. Put the vegetables on the grill and cover, positioning the jalapeños lengthwise across the bars of the grill grate (if you think they may fall through the grate, skewer them first to hold them in place). Cook, turning and basting with the marinade a few times, until the vegetables are crisp-tender and nicely grill-marked. Plan on 5 to 10 minutes for the onions and peppers and 10 to 15 minutes for the mushrooms, which should be a bit softer in texture.

4. As the vegetables grill, wrap the stack of tortillas in foil and warm over a very low-heat area of the grill, 3 to 4 minutes per side.

5. Transfer the vegetables to a cutting board or platter and cut them into strips.

6. Allow guests to build their own fajitas by filling each tortilla with vegetables and dollops of the optional sour cream, salsa, and guacamole. Serve with the lime wedges for squeezing.

Smoke-Roasted Bell Peppers Stuffed with Garden Vegetables

This is one of the most colorful dishes that will ever grace your grill. Orange, yellow, red, and green bell peppers are stuffed with golden corn kernels, red tomatoes, green zucchini, and chopped fresh herbs. Breadcrumbs hold the filling together and develop a lightly toasted top crust as the stuffed peppers are grill-roasted via indirect heat. A few handfuls of wood chips infuse the vegetables with a subtle, smoky aroma.

TIMING

Soak wood chips: 1 hour

Prep: 25 minutes

Grill: 20 to 30 minutes

GRILL TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

• 2 cups apple or oak wood chips or chunks

• Smoker box or foil packet, if using a gas grill (see page 39)

• Long-handled tongs or long-handled spatula

GETTING CREATIVE

• Shaved ricotta salata cheese makes a good alternative to the Parmesan.

TIPS

• For 2 cups fresh corn kernels, you’ll need 3 to 4 ears of corn. Remove the husks and silks, then stand the cobs upright on a cutting board with the fat end down. Cut straight downward all around the cob, cutting the kernels from the cob. For extra flavor, use the dull side of your knife blade to scrape the remaining corn and juices, or “milk,” from the cobs.

• Use a melon baller to quickly scrape the ribs from the bell peppers.

• Save time (but sacrifice some flavor) by replacing the breadcrumbs, herbs, salt, and pepper in the stuffing with seasoned dried breadcrumbs.

* * *

THE GRILL

Gas:

Indirect heat, medium (325° to 350°F)

3- or 4-burner grill-middle burner(s) off

2-burner grill—1 side off

Clean, oiled grate

Charcoal:

Indirect heat, medium ash

Split charcoal bed (about 2 dozen coals per side)

Clean, oiled grate on medium setting

INGREDIENTS (MAKES 8 SMALL SERVINGS)

2 medium red bell peppers

3 medium mixed bell peppers (yellow, orange, green)

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

3 tablespoons butter

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium zucchini, cut into ¼-inch dice

1 medium yellow squash, cut into ¼-inch dice

2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (see Tips)

1 medium tomato, seeded and cut into ¼-inch dice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (such as parsley, oregano, basil, or a mix)

¼ cup plain dried breadcrumbs

Oil for coating grill grate

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the grill as directed. Soak the wood chips or chunks in water for 1 hour.

2. Seed, core, and cut one of the red bell peppers into ¼-inch dice. Cut the remaining bell peppers in half lengthwise right through the stem, leaving a bit of stem attached to each half. Cut out the cores, seeds, and ribs from the interiors of the peppers, leaving the stem intact. Sprinkle the insides of the peppers with ¼ teaspoon of the salt and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper.

3. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and