Vegetables on the Smoker

Ted’s birthday was a good excuse to get the creative juices flowing, and with the season’s incredible bounty it was not hard to find gorgeous fresh produce for the menu.  While we’ve been doing lots of meat and fish on the smoker over the summer, this seemed like a good time to experiment with the abundant vegetables.  In fact, it’s easy and efficient to do both:  while your meat is smoking, you can surround it with tomatoes and peppers, or fill the whole keg with veggies after the meat is finished.  Vegetables cooked with this method are not only smokey, but also very sweet and have a creamy texture.

Ginny and Geoff enjoying the celebration

 

We made Smoked Tomato Soup, and Peppers Stuffed with Smoked Vegetable Caponata.  

To smoke all the vegetables, set the smoker on low, around 200°F, and add a handful of wood chips.  Thickly slice zucchini and eggplant, cut peppers into chunks, and halve tomatoes (roma tomatoes work particularly well).  Brush them all lightly with olive oil, and set on the smoker using both the upper and lower racks.  Turn after about 20 minutes and adjust the heat if necessary.  Continue to cook the vegetables until nicely browned and dense, about one hour total for the more tender vegetables, and up to 2 hours for the tomatoes.

Smoked Tomato Soup

serves a crowd

1 basket roma tomatoes, smoked

1 basket field tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 shallots, chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 carrots, chopped

4 stalks celery

2 cobs corn, kernels removed with a knife

4 cups chicken stock

½ cup white wine

Handful fresh basil

Smoke the tomatoes as outlined above.  Meanwhile, prepare the field tomatoes and set aside. 

In a stock pot or large dutch oven, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions and shallots until translucent.  Add the garlic and sauté one minute until fragrant.  Add the carrots, celery, and corn.  Sauté briefly, then add the stock and wine.  Add both kinds of tomatoes, and bring to a gentle boil.  Reduce heat and simmer gently until all the vegetables are very tender.  Cool slightly.

Puree in batches in a blender, adding a few basil leaves to each batch before pureeing.

May be served hot or cold, garnished with a dollop of crème fraiche and a basil leaf.

Peppers Stuffed with Smoked Vegetable Caponata

For the Caponata:

2 zucchinis

2 peppers

1 large eggplant

Olive oil

Fresh basil and rosemary, chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Crumbled feta cheese

For the Peppers:

3 large bell peppers, your choice of yellow, orange or red

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

2 or 3 tablespoons melted butter

Parmesan cheese

Prepare the vegetables for the caponata on the smoker as outlined above.  Let cool completely.  Cut all the vegetables into a large dice, and toss in a medium bowl with enough good quality olive oil to make the vegetables glisten.  Add the herbs and spices and feta cheese and toss gently to combine.

Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and ribs.  Spoon in the smoked vegetable mixture.  In a small bowl, toss the breadcrumbs with butter, and sprinkle this on top of the stuffed peppers.  Sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top.

To help keep the peppers steady and level, and to preserve their shape, you may want to place each one into an empty small flan ring.  Reheat them on the top rack of the barbecue for 20-30 minutes or until heated through.  

Jay and Franny

Janet