to soften, you can brush them with some of the remaining marinade.
Baste the asparagus with more of the marinade and place on the grill, medium heat again, for 2–3 minutes on each side, watching that they don’t fall through the gaps. If you prefer, you can push a couple of skewers through 5 or 6 spears at a time, which will make them easier to handle and stop them falling through.
Finally, place the tomatoes on the hot plate of the barbecue, if you have one (otherwise just put them straight on the grill). This will allow you to bash them about a bit with a wooden spoon so they burst, release their juices and turn almost to a sauce.
You can plate this if you like before serving, a few potato slices per person, topped with the asparagus and the bashed tomato. A spoonful of pesto on top and a dollop of yoghurt looks as good as it tastes.
Corn on the Cob Grilled and Served Half a Dozen Ways
Here are several ideas, for all of which you have to prepare and cook the corn as follows. First, soak the cobs, still in their husks, in cold salted water for 30 minutes. Peel back the husks and remove the hairy bit, then pull the husks back over the cobs to protect them from the high heat. Place them on a hot barbecue for 15 minutes, turning them once. Then remove the husks, dip the cobs into the salted water again and return them to a medium heat for another 8–10 minutes, again turning them over to make sure that they are charred all the way round.
ALL THE SUGGESTIONS BELOW SERVE 4
With Butter and Harissa:
40g softened butter
1 tablespoon harissa
Put the softened butter and harissa in a bowl large enough to hold the grilled cobs and beat until combined. Add the cobs to the bowl, toss to coat them in the butter and eat at once.
With Butter, Lime and Garlic:
40g softened butter
juice of 1 lime
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and beat until combined. Toss with the grilled cobs and serve at once.
With Coconut Milk, Tamari and Thai Curry Paste:
150ml coconut milk
1 tablespoon tamari
juice of ½ lime
1 teaspoon red or green Thai curry paste
a small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped
Mix all the ingredients except the coriander together. When the cobs are ready, baste them generously with the sauce. Return to the grill for a couple of minutes, then remove and toss with the remaining sauce and the coriander.
With Butter and Garam Masala:
40g softened butter
1 teaspoon good-quality garam masala
or curry powder
¼ red onion or 1 shallot (golden shallot), very finely chopped
Mix all the ingredients together and either spread on the hot corn or place in a large bowl and toss with the cobs.
With Sweet Chilli Sauce and Lemon myrtle-infused Macadamia Oil:
4 teaspoons good-quality sweet chilli sauce
3–4 tablespoons lemon myrtle-infused macadamia oil
Mix the chilli sauce and oil together and baste the grilled corn with half the mixture. Return to the grill for a couple of minutes, then baste with the remainder and serve.
With Olive Oil and Dukka:
3–4 tablespoons olive oil
4 teaspoons dukka
Mix, baste hot corn, eat.
Aubergines with Haloumi and Fried Tortillas
Both the barbecue and the naked flame of a gas stove impart a wonderful smokiness to the aubergine (eggplant). I can’t count the number of times I’ve made this as a last-minute standby. People always like it and resolve to try it themselves. It looks good, especially served with all the trimmings as below.
Now, if you want to make a traditional baba ghanoush (as opposed to my version on), this is the place to start. You just mash the peeled barbecued aubergine (eggplant) with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of pale tahini, the juice of 1 lemon or to taste, a couple of very finely chopped garlic cloves and some sea salt. I also add a good dash of Tabasco sauce. Garnish with finely chopped parsley and serve with warm pita bread. Sometimes, if the aubergine (eggplant) seems particularly watery, I place it in a colander and break it up with a potato masher to let the excess juices run out.
SERVES 4
90ml olive oil
juice of 1 lemon (or to taste)
2 large garlic cloves, very finely chopped
a good dash of Tabasco sauce
4 long, slender, firm and unblemished aubergines (eggplants) – fatter ones will work too; they just take longer to cook
a packet of flour tortillas
sea salt
fresh basil and/or coriander leaves, to garnish
For the griddled haloumi:
1 packet of haloumi cheese, cut into 8–10 slices
olive oil for brushing
a dash of Tabasco sauce
Make a dressing by mixing together 4 tablespoons of the olive oil, the lemon juice, garlic, Tabasco and some salt. Set aside.
Place the aubergines (eggplants) on the barbecue and cook, turning regularly, for 7–8 minutes, until they are charred all over and the skin comes away easily. Prick with a fork to test that the flesh is completely soft right through. Transfer the aubergines (eggplants) to a board and make cuts in each one about 1cm apart, without cutting all the way through. Either remove the charred skin by inserting the point of a fine blade under it and lifting it off or serve as is, so people can remove the skin themselves. Place the aubergines (eggplants) on a serving plate and douse generously with the dressing, then garnish with the herbs.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
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