Involtini di Zucchine Grigliate

This is not a recipe that tolerates mediocre zucchini. Those pale, overgrown specimens sold year-round in supermarkets will produce something watery and sad. You need small, firm zucchini, no longer than six inches, with taut skin and no soft spots. Summer zucchini from someone's garden or a proper farmers market. If you cannot find these, wait until you can.

The technique is simple but unforgiving. Slice the zucchini thin enough to roll without breaking, thick enough to hold together on the grill. This takes practice and a steady hand. The slices must cook just until pliable, with beautiful char marks, but not so long that they turn to mush. You are looking for texture that yields but does not collapse.

The filling is where Americans go wrong. They want to add things. Sun-dried tomatoes. Olives. Pine nuts. Roasted peppers. Before you know it, you have a vegetable casserole wrapped in zucchini. No. The filling is fresh goat cheese, soft herbs, a whisper of lemon zest, and nothing more. The zucchini is the star. The cheese supports it. What you keep out is as significant as what you put in.