treatment. Don’t limit yourself to the recipes here, though. Experiment, play around, enjoy.
A few tips. Have as many sauces, dips, marinades, relishes and jams at your disposal as you can. And remember that vegetables need oil, spices and seasonings to bring out the best in them. They can be marinated for an hour or more before cooking – even overnight is good. They can also be bashed and pounded while they’re on the grill to soften them and speed up the cooking time. They can be subjected to extremes of temperature – though having said that, unless you feel completely comfortable around high heat, it’s best to work over a medium heat, at least to begin with, and to keep turning the vegetables over.
I grew up in Casablanca, where street vendors stood over old oil barrels filled with glowing coals. They’d grill the corn until practically black, then dip it in heavily salted water. Butter was not an option. The corn didn’t have the succulent sweetness that it does now but we children absolutely loved it. I remember many a time sitting in the back of the car while my parents completed their shopping, kept happy by a piping-hot cob, the black coming off on my fingers. I didn’t eat a corn on the cob like that for another 30 years, until I went to Jamaica. Now that I live in Australia, I’m making up for lost time.
Good Things to add to your Barbecue
• Juicy lemons cut into quarters or sixths, depending on size, basted very lightly with olive oil and even a pinch of sugar if you like, and placed on the grill for 6 minutes on each side, until completely tender and well charred. You can eat both flesh and skin.
• Instant polenta, made according to the instructions on the packet, spread out in a square cake tin and left to cool and set. Then cut it into triangles, baste with a little olive oil and grill on the hot plate of the barbecue over a medium heat for 2 minutes on each side.
• Thick slices of sourdough bread (or baguette), spread with garlic butter and toasted on the grill.
Tofu Steaks Marinated in Ume Su and a Host of Other Things
The method below is the quick way. For an even better result, cook the marinated tofu in a frying pan with the marinade for 10–15 minutes over a very high heat (do keep an eye on it), until the marinade has evaporated and the tofu is very brown, sticky and caramelised. Only then briefly throw it on to the grill to char and striate both sides.
SERVES 3–6
300g firm tofu, cut into 6 thick slices, scored diagonally all over
For the marinade:
1 tablespoon ume su (plum vinegar)
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons tamari
a knob of fresh ginger, grated
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce
Put all the marinade ingredients into a dish large enough to take the slices of tofu lying flat, so each slice can absorb the marinade. Add the tofu and leave to marinate for at least 20 minutes, even overnight if you have the foresight to do so.
Place the tofu on the hot barbecue plate and cook for 5 minutes, pouring on about half the marinade, a little at a time, and turning the tofu once. Transfer to the grill side of the barbecue and give the slices a final 30 seconds on each. Transfer to a plate and pour the remaining marinade over.
Aubergine Stacks with Mozzarella
I think these became a bit of a cliché for a while but that doesn’t stop them being very good to eat and to look at. You can sandwich the slices of aubergine with all manner of things – houmous, pesto, grilled and peeled red peppers. Anything Mediterranean, Moorish or Middle Eastern works well.
SERVES 6
1 aubergine (eggplant), long enough to slice into 12
2 large tomatoes, 1 thickly sliced, 1 roughly chopped
2–3 tablespoons olive oil
a dash of Tabasco sauce
6 thick slices of mozzarella cheese
3 tablespoons pesto
sea salt
a few small basil leaves, to garnish
Brush the aubergine (eggplant) and tomato slices with the olive oil and Tabasco and sprinkle with salt. Grill the aubergine (eggplant) over a medium heat for 5–6 minutes on each side. Add the tomatoes and grill for a minute on each side. Remove from the heat and make into stacks with a slice of mozzarella, a slice of tomato and ½ tablespoon of pesto between 2 slices of aubergine (eggplant). Return to the barbecue for a minute on each side, just so the mozzarella can melt. Meanwhile, quickly stir the chopped tomato on the hot plate of the barbecue, if you have one, then remove. Garnish the stacks with basil leaves and the chopped tomato and serve.
Sweet Potatoes with Asparagus and Pesto
I often make a salad of these three ingredients, roasting the sweet potatoes till they’re prettily browned and tender. The charring over a barbecue is just going a step further. I add goat’s cheese or very well marinated and fried tofu, with slivers of sunblush (semi-dried) tomatoes, both of which you could also include here. Pesto is obviously not the only option either. Try extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and dukka as an alternative. Or any other dressing in the book.
SERVES 4
4 small sweet potatoes, preferably thin ones
2 bunches (about 450g) asparagus – quite thick spears are best, given the vicious treatment
2 ripe tomatoes, cut in half
For the marinade:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon tamari
2 tablespoons water
a good dash of Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
To serve:
pesto
Greek or sheep’s milk yoghurt
Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. Peel the potatoes and score them all over with a sharp knife. Cut into slices no more than 1cm thick, then place in the bowl with the marinade and leave for at least 10 minutes. Place over the grill on a medium heat for 15–17 minutes, turning