THE CHUBBY VEGETARIAN QUICK-SMOKING METHOD

Many grill-top or stove-top smokers are available these days. You can find them online or at almost any specialty kitchen store. I made my own using a 12 × 9-inch stainless steel pan with a shallow, perforated basket and a tight-fitting lid. You could also use an old stock pot with a lid and an old footed colander that will fit down inside the pot. (Just remember, the lid has to fit tightly to keep the smoke in, and anything you use has to be dedicated to smoking–it will be completely ruined for any other purpose.) The large pan has to be at least 1 inch deeper than the perforated pan so there’s room for the wood chips. You’ll also need an outdoor gas grill and some wood chips, which are available in most grocery stores–especially during the summer months.

The following instructions work for smoking any non-meltable foods like mushrooms, dates, grapes, sun-dried tomatoes, potatoes, sea salt, or tofu. Do not try this method with a cheese that will melt because it will melt unattractively. That said, this is a wonderful and simple way to impart a ton of flavor into some very unexpected ingredients.

1. Soak a handful of hickory wood chips and two handfuls of applewood chips in water for about 20 minutes. This is the best mix of pungent hickory and fruity applewood smoke. But if you like a less intense smoke flavor, try all-fruit woods, like apple or cherry.

2. Drain the chips and set them in the bottom of your smoker pan. Turn your grill on high. Do not do this inside as it produces a lot of smoke! Place the smoker pan directly over the flame of your outdoor gas grill (the side burner works best for this). After 8 minutes, you will notice a lot of smoke coming from the chips; this is a good thing!

3. Lay your mushrooms, dates, tomatoes, garlic, or anything else you want to taste smoky in a single layer in the smoker basket, and place over the smoking wood chips.

4. Cover with a tight-fitting lid. Smoke for 5 minutes. It doesn’t take long for vegetables to soak up the smoky flavor. Remove whatever you just smoked from the basket and allow it all to cool. Keep the smoked items in an airtight container for up to a week.