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Bell Peppers, 3 large stemmed, seeded, sliced 1/2" thick mix of colors
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Poblano Chile, 1 stemmed, seeded, sliced 1/2" thick
- Substitutions: Anaheim Chile
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Yellow Onion, 1 large sliced 1/2" thick pole to pole, layers kept together
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Refined Avocado Oil, 2 tbsp
- Substitutions: Refined Peanut Oil Refined Sunflower Oil
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Ground Cumin, 2 tsp
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Kosher Salt to taste
- Finishing Toss
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Lime Juice, 2 tbsp about 1 lime
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Garlic, 2 cloves grated
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Ancho Chile Powder, 2 tsp
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Olive Oil, 1 tbsp
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Cilantro, 1/4 cup chopped
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Black Pepper to taste
Finishing Toss
- Stir lime juice, grated garlic, ancho powder, and olive oil in a large serving bowl. Set aside while the vegetables grill — the acid takes the raw edge off the garlic.
Grill
- Build a hot direct fire (~500°F). Set the grill pan on the grate and preheat with the lid closed (10 min). The pan must be hot before anything touches it.
- In a separate bowl, toss peppers, poblano, and onion with the avocado oil and cumin until evenly coated. Do not salt. Do not oil the pan.
- Spread the vegetables in the hot pan in as close to one layer as they will go. Close the lid.
- Cook undisturbed until the undersides blacken in spots (~4 min). Toss with a metal spatula, close the lid, repeat 3-4 times until edges are charred and slices are limp but not floppy (~15-18 min total).
Assembly
- Scrape the vegetables straight into the bowl with the finishing toss. Toss to coat.
- Season with salt and pepper. Fold in cilantro. Serve with warm tortillas.
- Ancho powder goes in the finishing toss, not the rub. Ground chile scorches bitter on a 500°F pan.
- Buy single-chile ancho powder, not "chili powder" — the blend already contains cumin, garlic, and oregano.
- Use a refined high-smoke-point oil. Unrefined oils smoke and turn acrid at grill temperature.
- Cut everything 1/2" thick. Thinner strips fall through the holes in the pan.
- Toss the vegetables with oil in a bowl, never pour oil into the pan. It drips through onto the fire and flares.
- Salt only at the end. Salting early draws out water and the vegetables steam.
- Lid closed between tosses, and toss only every 4 minutes. Char needs contact time.
- Slice the onion pole to pole and keep the layers stacked so the pieces stay wide enough to sit on the pan.
- Batch it if the pan is under 12". A heaped pan steams.
- No grill pan: halve the peppers, quarter the onion, char directly on the grate, then slice and toss.
- Add a wood chunk or a foil packet of soaked chips for smoke.
- Keeps refrigerated 4 days. Reheat in a dry hot skillet, never the microwave.
