The heat is on
I particularly adore eating outside on the balmy evenings and being able to stay outdoors until the stars start to twinkle in the night sky.
This is not the weather to spend in the kitchen frying over a hot stove. Any sizzling should be coming from the barbecue so this week I have some new ideas to add to the thrill of the grill.
People's appetites increase when they eat outdoors and, of course, all those lovely aromas of cooking food will make them hungrier still. Keep your guests' hunger at bay with some finger food particularly if you get your timing wrong and the cooking takes longer than expected. Try to have some extra standby food on hand, such as extra sausages (which can be frozen later if they're not used) and bananas or tomatoes which can be wrapped in streaky bacon.
Before you start barbecuing, make sure that you're organised, with tongs, seasoning and dishes ready.
The fundamental principle of barbecuing is controlling the heat. On a barbecue, you do this by raising or lowering the grill. Because they cook more slowly, the larger the pieces of meat, the further from the heat source they need to be. So, for thick steaks, chicken legs and larger cuts of meat, sear over a high heat for a few minutes before transferring the meat to the edges of the grill, where the heat is lower. Searing will seal the meat, so that the juices remain inside during further cooking.
Smaller pieces of food (eg, chicken paillarde or lamb chops) can be within 10-12.5cm (4-5 inches) of the coals.
The appropriate time to test the temperature of a fire is when the flames have died down. The coals should be glowing red and covered with a light dusting of fine grey ash. For an approximate guide, hold the palm of your hand flat about 12.5cm/5in above the coals and count in seconds.
If you can only keep your hand there for: 1-2 seconds the coals are hot; 3-4 seconds medium hot; 5-6 seconds medium; 6-7 seconds medium low; 8-9 seconds the coals are low. If the fire burns too low, boost the heat by pushing the coals closer together and adding more charcoal to the outer edges of the fire. For a two-level fire with hotter and cooler areas, spread some of the hot coals out in a single layer, to create an area of slightly lower heat to one side of the barbecue. Use the hand test (as above) to check the difference in heat intensity.
Be aware of hygiene and safety: keep all food refrigerated (or cool) until its needed. Keep cooked and uncooked meat separate.
Wash hands after touching uncooked meat.
From: Barbecue, Where there's Smoke there's Flavour, by Eric Treuille and Birgit Erath
Serves 4
8-10cm (4in) woody rosemary sprigs
8 lamb loin chops, boned see directions
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
salt
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp finely chopped mint
3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 tbsp olive oil
salt, black pepper
For skewers: strip the leaves from the rosemary stalks, leaving a few leaves at one end of each stalk. Sharpen the other end to a point with a knife. Use sprigs to skewer the lamb.
Boning and herb-skewering the chops: Trim off excess fat from cutlets. Cut around the bone to release the meat. Pull the flap around each chop to make a round shape. With a small, sharp knife make a slit through the chop, passing first through the flap. Push the sharp end of the rosemary sprig through the slit to secure.
Combine garlic, pepper, vinegar and oil. Rub on to both sides of lamb.
Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. For dressing, combine mustard, mint and lemon juice. Gradually whisk oil to make a thick dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste. Grill skewered lamb according to instructions below. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spoon over dressing.
Grill over hot coals for 3 minutes per side for medium rare, 5 minutes per side for well done. To barbecue indoors: Preheat a ridged cast iron grill pan over high heat. Grill for 3 minutes per side for medium rare, 5 minutes per side for well done.
Skewer, rub lamb up to a day in advance. Cover tightly with cling film and refrigerate. Make dressing up to 4 hours in advance. Cover and store at room temperature.
Serves 8
8 pork free range organic pork chops, 2.5cm (1inch) thick
4 garlic cloves
2 tbsp whole black peppercorns
1 tbsp thyme leaves or 1 tsp rosemary
¼-½ tsp crushed chilli flakes
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Trim the excess fat from the chops. Cut snips through remaining fat with a scissors at 4cm (1½ in) intervals, this keeps the chops flat and prevents them from curling and shrinking during cooking.
They will also cook more evenly.
Put the garlic, peppercorns, thyme, chilli flakes, vinegar and oil in a food processor or blender; whizz to a coarse paste.
Then, rub the paste on both sides of the chops.
You can do this up to 2 hours in advance, then cover and keep in the fridge until you are ready to cook.
Grill over medium hot coals, basting with extra balsamic vinegar, for 8-10 minutes, until cooked through to the bone, there should be no trace of pink but don't overcook as they will become tough.
You could also cook them indoors on a preheated ridged cast iron grill pan over high heat for the same length of time.
Adapted from Eric Treuille and Birgit Erath's recipe in Barbecues.
It mightn't occur to one but quesadillas can also be done on the barbecue. If you have a surplus of squash or zucchini blossoms they make a delicious addition to the quesadillas use 3 or 4 squash or 1-2 of the larger zucchini blossoms for each quesadilla.
Serves 4
8 x 20cm (8 inch) flour tortillas
100g (3½oz) Gruyere cheese, grated
200g (7oz) feta cheese, crumbled or Mozzarella
Squash blossoms optional
Tomato salsa see recipe
4 Spring onions, chopped
Guacamole see recipe
Spread the tortilla with a quarter of the Gruyere cheese. Put a layer of tomato salsa on top and sprinkle with some chopped spring onion. Sprinkle with a quarter of the Feta or Mozzarella. Add the squash blossoms if using. Lightly place a second tortilla on top. Assemble the remaining tortillas in the same way. (This could be done up to 4 hours beforehand cover with cling film and keep at room temperature). Grill over medium-hot coals until lightly browned and the Gruyere is melted, this should take about 2 minutes on each side. Cut into wedges with a sharp serrated knife. Serve hot with tomato salsa and guacamole.
Serves 4-6
Salsas of all kinds both fresh and cooked have now become a favourite accompaniment to everything from pan-grilled meat to a piece of sizzling fish.
4 very ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
½-1 chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1-2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
Squeeze of fresh lime juice
Salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar
Mix all the ingredients together. Season with salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar.
Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Serves 2-4
1 ripe avocado, preferably Mexican
1 clove garlic, crushed
1-2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice (as a last resort)
1 tbsp
1 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh coriander
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper .
Scoop out the flesh from the avocado. Mash with a fork or in a pestle and mortar with the garlic.
Add the freshly squeezed lime juice, a little olive oil, chopped coriander, salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
Serves 4
4 boneless, skinless organic chicken breasts, butterflied and marinated
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp fresh marjoram
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp black pepper
1 baguette preferably Declan Ryan's Arbutus bread or good artisan bread salt
2 large ripe beefsteak tomatoes, sliced
1 handful crisp salad leaves
garlic aioli or mayonnaise
First butterfly the chicken breasts, they cook more easily and evenly on the barbecue.
Remove the fillet from each chicken breast and save for another dish. Slice each chicken breast from top to bottom so that you can open it out like a book. Flatten with the palm of your hand to ensure a good, flat shape.
Toss the chicken breasts with lemon, garlic, marjoram, oil and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes. (You could do this up to 2 hours ahead, cover and refrigerate, turn in the marinade every 15-20 minutes).
Cut baguette into 4 equal-sized pieces. Split and toast baguette on the cut side until just crisp, 1 minute.
Grill chicken if cooking outdoors grill over a medium heat until chicken is opaque, with no trace of pink, 3 minutes per side. If cooking indoors, preheat an overhead grill and cook in the same manner.
Sprinkle the chicken with salt. Fill the baguette with tomatoes, salad, chicken and aioli.
Serves 6
6 ripe organic Fairtrade bananas
75-110g (3-4 oz) Green & Black chocolate, chopped
50g (2 oz) chopped roasted hazelnuts or walnuts
crème fraîche or softly whipped cream
Cook the bananas on the barbecue until they are black on all sides. Put onto a serving plate. Split the skin on one side. Sprinkle some chopped chocolate and roasted hazelnuts over the hot bananas. Serve immediately with a blob of crème fraîche or softly whipped cream.
Other good things to serve with Roast bananas:
Cinnamon sugar, Combine 110g (4oz) castor sugar and 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
A mixture of rum-soaked raisins and chopped walnuts
Toffee sauce and chopped pecans
Barbecue Where there's Smoke there's Flavour, by Eric Treuille and Birgit Erath, published by Dorling Kindersley; Barbecues and other Outdoor Feasts, by Hugo Arnold, published by Kyle Cathie.
Food magazines generally do barbecue features at this time of year, eg, Food and Wine, BBC Good Food, Olive and Delicious, with lots of new ideas.
: Farm Walk on Sunday, July 31, at Parkmore, Templemartin, Bandon, Co Cork on the farm of Caroline and Eddie Robinson. Tel: 021-7330178. The Robinson family live on a 30-acre organic farm keeping cattle, pigs and geese. They grow eight acres of vegetables including four large polytunnels. All produce is sold directly to customers at street markets. www.growingawareness.com
Forum and Fair: Brooklodge Hotel, Macreddin, Co Wicklow, Sunday September 4. This year's Food Forum will centre on 'Children and Food'; addressing the need to educate children about food, change eating habits and bring children back to real food. To book a place at Food Forum and Wild Food Barbecue lunch or to book a stall at the Food Fair, contact: email: info@eurotoquesirl.org; Internet: www.eurotoquesirl.org; Tel Ruth or Abigail on 01-6779995.
