Eunice Power: My go-to recipes for summer barbecues, including a light salad

These recipes are geared towards outdoor eating, barbecues, and a lovely light salad for a warm summer’s evening

Pork Skewers recipe by Eunice Power: Picture Chani Anderson

It’s hard to believe we’ve arrived at the 4th of July, the year has just flown by! This is a lively time of year in Dungarvan.

The quay is full of young people doing their sailing courses, it’s wonderful to see the parade of sails heading out to sea in the morning and all those sun-kissed faces coming back in the evening after a great day out.

There are kids jumping off the pier at nighttime, people paddleboarding right into the quay. Just amazing.

I remember years ago spotting a gang of boys jumping off the pier and thinking to myself, that looks a bit dangerous. I went over to investigate further and guess what… my own adventurous son was the ringleader!

I’ve relaxed since then.

As for me, I’m heading off to West Cork to visit Woodcock Smokery, where I’m doing a course on how to smoke fish, so watch this space. If I learn how to smoke at home, I’ll share it with you all.

Anyway, have a great weekend.

Happy 4th of July!

Malaysian-Spiced Barbecue Pork Fillet with Pineapple Salsa

Pork fillet is lean, tender and full of flavour when treated right

Preparation Time

 1 hours 20 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 50 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 2 pork fillets, trimmed of sinew

• 2 shallots, peeled and chopped

• 1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped

• 2 dried red chillies, soaked in warm water until soft, deseeded and chopped

• 1 lemongrass stalk, tough outer leaves and base removed

• 1 knob of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

• A glug of sesame or peanut oil 200 ml coconut milk

• 2 limes, juiced

• 1 heaped tsp brown sugar

• 1 pinch of salt

• For the salsa 1/2 a pineapple, peeled, cored and finely diced

• 1 red chilli, finely chopped

• 1 small red onion, very finely diced

• 1 handful of fresh mint leaves, finely sliced

• 1 lime, zest and juice

• 1 drizzle of runny honey

• 1 pinch of salt

•  

Method

1. Make the marinade: In a food processor, blitz 2 shallots, peeled and chopped, 1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped, 2 dried red chillies, soaked in warm water until soft, deseeded and chopped, 1 lemongrass stalk, tough outer leaves and base removed and 1 knob of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated into a paste. Heat sesame or peanut oil in a heavy-based pan and stir in the paste. Cook for 2–3 minutes until fragrant. Add coconut milk, the juice of 2 limes and 1 heaped tsp brown sugar, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Season with 1 pinch of salt and leave to cool completely.

2. Marinate the pork: Slice 2 pork fillets, trimmed of sinew into bite-sized pieces , you should get around 8 pieces per fillet. For those of you not familiar with trimming pork, the sinew I refer to is the silver skin surrounding the fillet , this should be removed with a sharp knife. Place in a shallow dish or zip-lock bag and coat thoroughly with the cooled marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but ideally overnight. Pork fillet is a lean cut with little fat, so a longer marinade really helps drive in flavour and keep it moist on the barbecue.

3. Thread the skewers: When ready to cook, thread the marinated pork onto skewers. If using wooden skewers, remember to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes beforehand — this makes them less brittle on the BBQ.

4. Make the pineapple salsa: Combine fresh pineapple peeled, cored and finely diced, 1 red chilli, finely chopped, 1 small red onion, very finely diced and 1 handful of fresh mint leaves, finely sliced in a bowl. Lightly zest the lime and add then squeeze over the lime juice, with a drizzle of runny honey and season with a pinch of salt. Toss well and set aside at room temperature for at least 15 minutes. It should be sweet, sharp and a little fiery.

5. Grill the skewers: Heat the barbecue. Grill the skewers, turning after 5 minutes, for 10-12 minutes in total until nicely charred all over and just cooked through. Do not overcook; pork fillet goes from juicy to dry very quickly. It should be slightly blush pink in the centre 6. Serve: Spoon the fresh pineapple salsa generously alongside or on top of the skewers. Serve with rice or flatbreads.

6. Fregola Salad with Pan-Fried Halloumi, Peaches, Summer herbs and spinach Discovered on a family holiday in Sardinia, fregula, a toasted pasta, has a wonderful nutty, slightly chewy texture that soaks up dressing beautifully. I was so enamoured with it that I brought home kilos of it home in the boys' luggage. Thankfully it is now available in Ireland. If you can’t find it, you can use whole grain rice. I am a huge fan of halloumi, it's nearly always in my fridge. and is a great back-up ingredient for a mid-week supper.

There’s a fine line between that deep caramelised colour on the outside and overcooking, so don’t rush it, and be careful not to turn too quickly as the marinade can stick to the grill. For this recipe you’ll need half a pineapple for the salsa; chop up the other half with some finely sliced mint, for a refreshingly delicious summer snack.

Peach and Halloumi Salad

Fregula, a toasted pasta, has a wonderful nutty, slightly chewy texture that soaks up dressing beautifully.

Preparation Time

 45 mins

Cooking Time

 20 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 5 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 300g fregola

• 2 halloumi blocks (225g each)

• 2 fresh peaches ripe but firm, stoned and sliced

• 100g dried apricots, roughly chopped

• 75g pistachio nuts, shelled and roughly chopped

• 1 handful fresh mint leaves, roughly torn

• 1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

• 1 handful fresh dill, roughly chopped

• 200g spinach, shredded

• 2 tbsp olive oil, for frying

• 50 ml extra virgin olive oil, for dressing

• 1 lemon, zested and juiced

• 1 drizzle of runny honey

• 1 garlic clove, finely grated

• 1 pinch sea salt and black pepper

Method

1. Cook the fregola: Cook 300g fregola in a large pan of well-salted boiling water for 10-12 minutes until al dente. Drain well and tip into a large bowl.

2. Whisk together extra virgin olive oil, the juice and zest of 1 lemon, zested and juiced, 1 drizzle of runny honey, and 1 garlic clove, finely grated in a small bowl or jar. Season well with salt and black pepper. Taste and adjust; it should be bright, a little sweet, and well-seasoned.

3. Assemble the salad: Add the dried apricots, roughly chopped, most of the pistachio nuts (keep a few aside to sprinkle over the top of the salad), 2 fresh peaches, stoned and sliced. Add the mint, flat-leaf parsley, dill and spinach to the fregola. Pour over most of the dressing and toss everything together gently. Set a little dressing aside to drizzle over the halloumi.

4. Fry the halloumi: Slice each block of 2 halloumi blocks into 4 slices. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil, for frying in a non-stick frying pan over a high heat. When hot, add the halloumi slices in a single layer (cook in batches if needed) and fry for 2 minutes per side until deep golden and crispy. Be patient - don't move them until they're ready; let them get a proper crust.

5. Serve: Lay the hot halloumi slices over the top of the salad. Drizzle with the reserved dressing and a little extra honey if you like.

6. Serve immediately while the halloumi is still warm and squeaky.

I was so enamoured with Fregula that I brought home kilos of it home in the boys’ luggage.

Thankfully it is now available in Ireland. I got mine in Cass & Co in Dungarvan. If you can’t find it, you can use whole grain rice.

I am a huge fan of halloumi, it’s nearly always in my fridge. and is a great back-up ingredient for a mid-week supper.