Fire Starters: Easy midweek barbecue recipes to keep her lit without the effort
Easy ideas for barbecues during the work week.
Lime and honey chicken skewers
Perfect for a barbecue, serve these Chinese-inspired skewers with rice
Servings
4Preparation Time
10 minsCooking Time
25 minsTotal Time
35 minsCourse
MainIngredients
rice for four
4 chicken breasts, sliced into four long strips each
juice and zest of 3 limes, 1 extra for roasting
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 red chilli, very finely chopped
4 spring onions, finely sliced
2 tbsp crème fraîche
¼ preserved lemon, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
bunch of coriander, chopped
Method
Put the rice on to boil in lightly salted water and drain when cooked.
While it is cooking, push each of the strips of chicken onto a skewer. If you are using wooden ones soak them in water first.
Mix together the lime juice and zest, the honey, soya sauce, chilli and rapeseed oil.
Place the skewers into an ovenproof dish large enough to hold them and pour the sauce over all of the skewers. Quarter the remaining lime and place it into the dish as well. Marinate for five minutes
Place into an oven heated to 180°C or onto the barbecue and cook for 10 minutes, turn the skewers and cook again covering them well in the sauce.
If cooking in the oven, roast for a further 15 minutes or until cooked through. If cooking on the barbecue, pour the sauce into a small saucepan and cook down for five minutes.
While the skewers are cooking mix the preserved lemon and garlic into the crème fraîche and season using cracked black pepper.
Sprinkle with the coriander. Serve the skewers with the rice and some of the sauce poured over and the crème fraîche and quarter of a roasted lime on the side.
Chipotle mushroom and black bean burgers with peanuts and lime
These burgers with a hint of peanut butter are ridiculously moreish and can be served in buns with mayonnaise and pickles for enhanced flavour
Servings
4Preparation Time
20 minsCooking Time
25 minsTotal Time
45 minsCourse
MainIngredients
50g smooth peanut butter
1 x 400g tin of black beans, drained, but not rinsed
2 small cloves of garlic, peeled
2 tsp chipotle chilli flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp olive oil
1 heaped tbsp rye flour
1 lime, zest only
1 tsp sea salt flakes
250g chestnut mushrooms
To serve:
1 lime, cut into 4 wedges
a handful of chopped salted peanuts
a handful of chopped fresh coriander
4 burger buns
Method
Put the peanut butter into a food processor with 60g of the black beans, the garlic, chilli flakes, cumin, olive oil, rye flour, lime zest and sea salt flakes, and blitz until you have a very thick paste.
Tip it into a large bowl and stir in the rest of the black beans.
Tip the mushrooms into the processor – no need to wash it – and pulse until you have a dry mushroom mince. Stir this into the black bean mixture. With damp hands, form it into four thick burgers and arrange them on a lined baking sheet.
Bake in the oven at 180°C fan/200°C for 25–30 minutes. When they’ve got 10 minutes left, gently flip them over so they can crisp up on the other side.
They’re ready to serve straight from the oven, but for a nice bit of smokiness you can let them cool down, then finish them on a medium barbecue for a couple of minutes per side.
Squeeze over the lime wedges and top with a handful of chopped peanuts and coriander, then sandwich them into lightly grilled burger buns.
This recipe is from Rukmini Iyer’s The Green Barbecue (Vegan & Vegetarian Recipes to Cook Outdoors & In)
Rory O’Connell’s spiced lamb burgers
Enjoy these burgers with rocket, relish and a side of chips
Servings
8Preparation Time
20 minsCooking Time
15 minsTotal Time
35 minsCourse
MainIngredients
900g minced shoulder of lamb
225g onion, finely chopped
55g butter
2 tsp coriander, toasted and ground
2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
salt
pepper
2 eggs
Method
Sweat the finely chopped onions gently in the butter until cooked. Put to cool and then add them to the minced lamb and spices.
Add the lightly beaten eggs. Season with salt and pepper.
Form into burger or patty shapes and refrigerate until required.
Cook on a hot grill or frying pan according to your own liking.
Serve with Ballymaloe relish, mint chutney, a little diced apple and banana and a dusting of paprika.
Grilled chicken salad with lettuce and yoghurt dressing
Try this light, herby sauce with a punchy flavour on baby gem, some frisée, a handful of red mizuna and grilled chicken for a healthy meal in minutes
Servings
2Preparation Time
10 minsCooking Time
10 minsTotal Time
20 minsCourse
MainIngredients
2 organic chicken breasts with skin
2 gem lettuces, leaves washed
handful of mixed leaves
small handful of basil, chopped
small bunch of chives, snipped
handful of pumpkin seeds
sea salt
black pepper
For the dressing:
small bunch of tarragon leaves
small bunch of parsley, stalks discarded
small bunch of coriander, stalks discarded
basil leaves
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp yoghurt
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp honey
4 tbsp olive oil
Method
Make the dressing by blitzing together the herbs, garlic, lime juice and olive oil.
Stir through the honey, yoghurt and red wine vinegar. Set aside.
Butterfly the chicken breast, by slicing them and opening them out so they are wider and thinner. Season well all over with sea salt.
Heat a little olive oil on a griddle pan or barbecue and cook the chicken for a few minutes on each side so that they are crispy on the outside and cooked all the way through.
Remove to a board and cut into strips.
In a large salad bowl, mix together the baby gem lettuce with the herbs and whatever other leaves you are using and season lightly with sea salt and pepper.
Place the chopped chicken on top and scatter over the pumpkin seeds.
Generously drizzle the dressing all over. Serve.
Basic beef burgers
The secret of really good beef burgers is the quality of the mince, it doesn't need to be an expensive cut but it is essential to use freshly minced beef. A small percentage of fat in the mince will make the burgers sweet and juicy – between 20-25%
Servings
4Preparation Time
10 minsCooking Time
10 minsTotal Time
20 minsCourse
MainIngredients
15g (½ oz) butter or extra virgin olive oil
75g (3oz) onion, finely chopped (optional)
450g (1lb) freshly minced beef — flank, chump, or shin would be perfect
½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
½ teaspoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
To serve (optional):
burger or brioche buns
lettuce
sliced ripe tomatoes
sliced red onion
crispy bacon
avocado slices or a dollop of guacamole
fried onions
roast or piquillo peppers
kimchi, pickled slaw or pickles
spicy mayo, spicy tomato sauce,
barbecue sauce, hot sauce, bacon jam or relish of your choice
Method
Melt the butter in a saucepan, toss in the onions, if using, cover and sweat over a low heat for 5-6 minutes until soft but not coloured. Set aside to get cold.
Meanwhile, mix the beef mince with the herbs and season with salt and pepper. Then add the cooled onions and mix well. Fry off a tiny bit of the mixture in the pan to check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.
With wet hands, shape the mixture into four burgers, or more depending on the size you require. Chill until needed.
Cook to your taste in a little oil in a medium-hot frying or barbecue, turning once. For rare, cook for 2 minutes on each side; for medium, 3 minutes; and for well done, 4 minutes. If you’re cooking the burgers in batches, make sure to wash and dry the pan between batches. Burgers can plump up in the centre while being cooked; to avoid this, make an indentation in the centre of each raw burger with your thumb. Serve with any of the serving suggestions above, or try one of the variations.
Extracted from How to Cook: The 100 Essential Recipes Everyone Should Know by Darina Allen (Kyle)
