The summer grilling season is upon us, and so are the vegetables. When it comes to cooking summer's bounty, it is hard to surpass an open fire. Grilling maximizes a vegetable's flavor with minimal effort and a decided measure of showmanship. No one gathers around a stove to watch you boil or steam broccoli. But sear that broccoli over a hot fire on the grill, and you both become stars of the show.
The ultimate reason to grill vegetables is taste: Fire almost always makes them taste better. The high, dry heat of the grill caramelizes a vegetable's sugars, intensifying its sweetness. Grilling imparts a subtle but inimitable smoke flavor, which adds complexity and soulfulness to a vegetable's already vibrant taste.
But which vegetable, and what is the best way to grill it? Here, the story becomes a bit more complicated, because while every vegetable can be grilled, not all should be cooked the same way.
The key is mastering two basic methods and a couple of easy techniques.
Direct grilling
This is most of what the world means by grilling. It involves cooking your vegetables directly over a fire. Use this method for grilling soft, moist vegetables, like zucchini and mushrooms; leafy ones, like bok choy and kale; slender stalks, such as asparagus and broccolini; and sliced ones, from eggplant to onions. Keep the fire hot — 450 to 600 degrees — and the grilling time brief — 2 to 4 minutes per side.
To set up a charcoal grill for direct grilling, light your charcoal (I prefer lump) in a chimney starter, then rake the glowing coals across the bottom of your grill, mounded more thickly at the back (your hot or searing zone), more thinly in the center (your medium or cooking zone), leaving the front third of your grill coal-free (your cool or safety zone, where you can dodge flare-ups and keep cooked vegetables warm for serving). This is called a tiered, or multizone, fire; you control the cooking by moving the vegetable toward or away from the hot zone.
On a gas grill, set one or two burners on high, one or two burners on medium, and leave one or two burners off for your safety zone.
Moist vegetables: Avocados, bell peppers, corn, leeks, mushrooms, summer squash, tomatoes and zucchini