I love chargrilled vegetables, but don’t have a barbecue – any ideas on getting that unique smoky flavour with a standard cooker?
Sophie, Glasgow
You love chargrilled vegetables and vegetables love to be chargrilled – with or without a barbecue – so that’s a good start. The first stage is the kit: you’ll need a stove (gas or induction), an oven, olive oil and salt; you’ll also need a griddle pan with deep ridges – the heavier, the better – and some long tongs to help turn the veg.
Next you need to choose the vegetable. Tender veg, such as asparagus and sprouting broccoli can go straight to chargrilling, while denser vegetables such as hispi cabbage or regular broccoli will need a quick two-minute blanch in well-salted boiling water first. Put the griddle pan on the stovetop until it’s smoking hot, or turn on the grill to its highest setting and line a baking tray with foil. Toss the veg in a little oil, put them on the griddle or lined tray and start cooking – they’ll char pretty quickly, so stay close, tongs in hand, turning until they colour all over. Transfer to a platter, season, add a squeeze of lemon and serve.
For aubergine slices or root vegetables such as sweet potato wedges, chargrill them first, then finish off in a hot oven. You won’t need to blanch them – brush the veg with oil, season well, then put in a very hot griddle pan or under a hot grill. Cook for a few minutes on each side, until you see chargrill lines, then transfer to an oven tray lined with baking paper. Roast in a hot oven – upwards of 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7 – for 18 minutes if cooking aubergines or for half an hour for root veg, until nicely charred and cooked through. Both are delicious warm or at room temperature.
And if it’s smokiness you’re after, blacken aubergines directly over a gas flame – aubergines, for instance, will take about 25 minutes, turning often, until they collapse. Once charred, transfer to a colander to drain, then scoop out the smoky flesh (discard the skin); much the same applies to peppers and onions. If you have an induction hob, however, you’ll have to rely on a hot griddle pan for that charred smokiness, although it may take 35-40 minutes for an aubergine, say. And always prick a whole aubergine before it goes on the heat, so it won’t burst on you!
Other veg, meanwhile, can happily skip the griddling entirely and go straight in a very hot oven: cauliflower florets, for example, or chunks of courgette. Toss in oil, season, spread out on a large lined tray and roast at 240C (220C fan)/465F/gas 9 until they get delicious charred edges. Don’t overcrowd the tray, though – the pieces of veg need space, and if they’re too close together, they’ll steam and go soft, rather than roast.
And don’t forget to ventilate the kitchen. Open the windows! You may not have a barbecue but you don’t want everyone to think you’re trying to make one indoors.