THE THRILL of the GRILL
In a fast-paced world, there is great comfort to be had in the very thought of a barbecue. This is cooking by the most elemental means: raw food on hot metal. This is about simple, less stressful, tasty, no-nonsense food. Well, at least for me it is.
To save confusion, let’s use the word barbecue to broadly cover food that is cooked by applying dry heat to the surface of food – grilling, barbecue-braise, broil, char-broil or griddle. In Australia where I come from, we like to think we have a unique take on barbecuing. ‘Having’ a barbecue, or the very act of a barbecue, is foremost a social event. This itself makes barbecues special and often memorable.
One such memory for me is being on a rooftop in Camden, London, enjoying the best that British summer had on offer; a heat made even more special because you knew the blue sky wouldn’t last. Before the clouds gathered, we enjoyed our barbecued mackerel with lemon and bay leaves and sweet grilled Dublin Bay prawns.
Rain, hail or shine, summer or winter, I can now grill to my heart’s content on the front verandah. Barbecuing is as much about having fun as it is about anything else. Relax, enjoy, and you are halfway there to really good food and a lingering memory.
King Of The Grill by Ross Dobson; photography by Nicky Ryan and Brett Stephens (Murdoch Books, £20).
4 medium-sized russet King Edward potatoes
2 tbsp light olive oil, plus extra for brushing
½ tsp black mustard seeds
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
75g frozen peas, thawed
¼ tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp sea salt
¼ tsp chilli powder
½ tsp garam masala
½ cup finely chopped coriander leaves and stalks, plus extra leaves, to garnish
mango chutney, to serve
plain yoghurt, to serve
Peel and wash the potatoes. Cut each into eight and place in a saucepan. Cover with cold water, bring to the boil and cook for 15 mins, or until just tender. Drain well, tip them out onto a clean chopping board to cool and dry.
Put the potatoes in a large bowl and roughly mash them. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add the mustard seeds and cook until the seeds start to pop. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 4-5 mins, or until golden. Now add the garlic, ginger, cumin seeds and fennel seeds and stir-fry for 1 minute, until aromatic. Mix the peas through. Pour the onion mixture over the potatoes. Add the turmeric, salt, chilli powder, garam masala and coriander. Stir together using a large spoon, making sure the ingredients are really well combined. Cover and set aside at room temperature for an hour or two for the flavours to develop, or refrigerate until needed. Using slightly wet hands, divide the mixture into eight equal portions, then form into balls. Gently pat down into discs or patties.
Preheat the barbecue hotplate to high. Brush with a little olive oil to lightly grease. Cook the patties on the hotplate for 10 mins on each side, or until they have a golden crust. Serve warm, garnished with coriander leaves, and with chutney and yoghurt on the side.
750g swordfish steaks, skin removed and cut into 3-4cm pieces
3 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tbsp finely chopped flatleaf (Italian) parsley
3 tbsp lemon juice
4 plum tomatoes, quartered
2 red onions, peeled and each cut into 8 wedges
1 green pepper, cut into 2-3cm pieces
chargrilled lemon cheeks, to serve
Put the swordfish in a bowl with the olive oil, garlic, parsley and lemon juice. Set aside at room temperature for 30 mins. Preheat the barbecue hotplate to high.
Thread pieces of fish, tomato, onion wedges and green pepper onto eight long metal skewers. Reserve the marinade. Cook the kebabs for about 8 mins, basting with the reserved marinade. Turn them every 2 mins, until fish is cooked through. Serve with the chargrilled lemon cheeks.
For the tangy dressing
60ml light olive oil
1 large red chilli, finely sliced
4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
60ml white wine vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
½ tsp sea salt
For the salad
55g puy lentils or tiny blue-green lentils
1 sugar or butternut pumpkin (squash), about 2kg
1 tbsp rice bran oil
1 red onion, finely sliced
1 cup small mint leaves
1 cup flat-leaf (Italian) parsley leaves
To make the dressing, put the olive oil, chilli and garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the chilli and garlic start to sizzle, cook for just 1-2 mins longer, then remove from the heat. Stir in the vinegar, sugar and salt and mix until dissolved. Pour into a jar or bowl and set aside to infuse.
Put the lentils in a small saucepan and pour in enough water to cover. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the lentils are tender but not mushy – this may take as little as 5 mins, or up to 20 mins, depending on the age of your lentils, so check them regularly. Drain well and set aside.
Preheat the barbecue grill to medium. Cut the pumpkin in half, then scoop out and discard the seeds. Leaving the skin on, cut the pumpkin into wedges no thicker than 2cm. Brush the flesh with the rice bran oil and cook on the grill for 10 mins on each side, or until golden and cooked through, checking regularly to ensure it doesn’t burn too much.
Put the hot pumpkin in a large bowl with the onion, herbs and lentils. Stir the dressing, then pour it over the pumpkin.
Toss gently to combine. Serve warm.
To save confusion, let’s use the word barbecue to broadly cover food that is cooked by applying dry heat to the surface of food – grilling, barbecue-braise, broil, char-broil or griddle. In Australia where I come from, we like to think we have a unique take on barbecuing. ‘Having’ a barbecue, or the very act of a barbecue, is foremost a social event. This itself makes barbecues special and often memorable.
One such memory for me is being on a rooftop in Camden, London, enjoying the best that British summer had on offer; a heat made even more special because you knew the blue sky wouldn’t last. Before the clouds gathered, we enjoyed our barbecued mackerel with lemon and bay leaves and sweet grilled Dublin Bay prawns.
Rain, hail or shine, summer or winter, I can now grill to my heart’s content on the front verandah. Barbecuing is as much about having fun as it is about anything else. Relax, enjoy, and you are halfway there to really good food and a lingering memory.
King Of The Grill by Ross Dobson; photography by Nicky Ryan and Brett Stephens (Murdoch Books, £20).
NAKED SAMOSAS (pictured above)
Serves 44 medium-sized russet King Edward potatoes
2 tbsp light olive oil, plus extra for brushing
½ tsp black mustard seeds
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
75g frozen peas, thawed
¼ tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp sea salt
¼ tsp chilli powder
½ tsp garam masala
½ cup finely chopped coriander leaves and stalks, plus extra leaves, to garnish
mango chutney, to serve
plain yoghurt, to serve
Peel and wash the potatoes. Cut each into eight and place in a saucepan. Cover with cold water, bring to the boil and cook for 15 mins, or until just tender. Drain well, tip them out onto a clean chopping board to cool and dry.
Put the potatoes in a large bowl and roughly mash them. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add the mustard seeds and cook until the seeds start to pop. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 4-5 mins, or until golden. Now add the garlic, ginger, cumin seeds and fennel seeds and stir-fry for 1 minute, until aromatic. Mix the peas through. Pour the onion mixture over the potatoes. Add the turmeric, salt, chilli powder, garam masala and coriander. Stir together using a large spoon, making sure the ingredients are really well combined. Cover and set aside at room temperature for an hour or two for the flavours to develop, or refrigerate until needed. Using slightly wet hands, divide the mixture into eight equal portions, then form into balls. Gently pat down into discs or patties.
Preheat the barbecue hotplate to high. Brush with a little olive oil to lightly grease. Cook the patties on the hotplate for 10 mins on each side, or until they have a golden crust. Serve warm, garnished with coriander leaves, and with chutney and yoghurt on the side.
SWORDFISH KEBABS
Serves 4750g swordfish steaks, skin removed and cut into 3-4cm pieces
3 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tbsp finely chopped flatleaf (Italian) parsley
3 tbsp lemon juice
4 plum tomatoes, quartered
2 red onions, peeled and each cut into 8 wedges
1 green pepper, cut into 2-3cm pieces
chargrilled lemon cheeks, to serve
Put the swordfish in a bowl with the olive oil, garlic, parsley and lemon juice. Set aside at room temperature for 30 mins. Preheat the barbecue hotplate to high.
Thread pieces of fish, tomato, onion wedges and green pepper onto eight long metal skewers. Reserve the marinade. Cook the kebabs for about 8 mins, basting with the reserved marinade. Turn them every 2 mins, until fish is cooked through. Serve with the chargrilled lemon cheeks.
SUGAR PUMPKIN WITH LENTILS AND TANGY DRESSING
Serves 4For the tangy dressing
60ml light olive oil
1 large red chilli, finely sliced
4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
60ml white wine vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
½ tsp sea salt
For the salad
55g puy lentils or tiny blue-green lentils
1 sugar or butternut pumpkin (squash), about 2kg
1 tbsp rice bran oil
1 red onion, finely sliced
1 cup small mint leaves
1 cup flat-leaf (Italian) parsley leaves
To make the dressing, put the olive oil, chilli and garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the chilli and garlic start to sizzle, cook for just 1-2 mins longer, then remove from the heat. Stir in the vinegar, sugar and salt and mix until dissolved. Pour into a jar or bowl and set aside to infuse.
Put the lentils in a small saucepan and pour in enough water to cover. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the lentils are tender but not mushy – this may take as little as 5 mins, or up to 20 mins, depending on the age of your lentils, so check them regularly. Drain well and set aside.
Preheat the barbecue grill to medium. Cut the pumpkin in half, then scoop out and discard the seeds. Leaving the skin on, cut the pumpkin into wedges no thicker than 2cm. Brush the flesh with the rice bran oil and cook on the grill for 10 mins on each side, or until golden and cooked through, checking regularly to ensure it doesn’t burn too much.
Put the hot pumpkin in a large bowl with the onion, herbs and lentils. Stir the dressing, then pour it over the pumpkin.
Toss gently to combine. Serve warm.