Oriental Mixed Vegetable Parcels
Pop these little packets to the side of the rack and serve them with anything with a faintly Oriental flavour. You could also serve them with some steamed rice for a light vegetarian main course.
Serves 4
450 g (1 lb) mixed mushrooms such as shiitake, chestnut, oyster and small field mushrooms
8 spring onions, trimmed
100 g (4 oz) fresh beansprouts
4 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons dry sherry
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 teaspoon clear honey
5 cm (2 in) fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 green cardamom pods, cracked
Wipe the mushrooms and thickly slice. Cut each spring onion into 2.5 cm (1 in) lengths.
Pile the mushrooms, spring onions and beansprouts into the centre of four 30 cm (12 in) squares of extra-thick foil and then bring the sides of the foil up around the sides of the vegetables.
Mix the soy sauce with the rest of the ingredients. Divide the mixture equally between the parcels and then pleat the edges of the foil together to seal.
Cook the parcels to the side of the barbecue over medium-hot coals for 8 minutes until the vegetables are tender. These would go wonderfully with the Chinese Lattice Pork here.
Char-roasted New Potato Skewers
Everyone knows that you can finish off baked potatoes on a barbecue, but you can also do new potatoes too, simply threaded on to skewers first. They become nicely roasted on the outside and make a great side dish to any barbecued meats or fish such as Sally’s Salmon Steaks here.
Serves 4
750 g (1½ lb) new potatoes, scrubbed
4 tablespoons olive oil
coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 x 15 cm (6 in) bamboo skewers soaked in cold water for 30 minutes
Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for about 12–15 minutes or until almost tender.
Drain them well and then tip them back into the pan and add the oil, salt and black pepper. Toss together well.
Thread 4 potatoes on to each skewer and barbecue over medium-hot coals for 7–8 minutes, turning regularly, until golden.
VARIATION
Stretch 16 rashers of rindless streaky bacon with the back of a knife and then cut each one in half. Wrap a piece of bacon around each potato, thread on to skewers and cook as above.
Salt ’n’ Pepper Fire-baked Tatties
Whole potatoes are really almost impossible to cook fully on a barbecue, firstly because the skins tend to get too black before the insides are done, and secondly they would need about 1½ hours and most charcoal barbecues don’t stay hot for that long. I always start mine off in the oven and then nestle them in amongst the coals to crisp up and finish cooking. Alternatively, cook them in the microwave for about 8–10 minutes before finishing on the coals.
Serves 4
4 x 275 g (10 oz) baking potatoes or sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Scrub the potatoes if necessary, dry well and bake in the oven at 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6 for about 40 minutes until almost tender.
Rub the outside of the potatoes with plenty of olive oil, sprinkle on all sides with plenty of salt and pepper – about ¼ teaspoon of each – and then wrap each one tightly in a triple-thickness square of extra-thick foil.
Push the potatoes in amongst the coals of a medium-hot barbecue and cook for another 30–40 minutes, turning frequently so that they cook evenly and don’t burn, until they are cooked all the way through and the skins are crispy.
Unwrap the potatoes, cut them open and serve with plenty of butter, one of the savoury butters here, soured cream and chives, some grated cheese or spicy baked beans.
Sweet Grilled Onions with Balsamic Splash
Onions are a bit tricky to cook on a barbecue because they are quite dense, and they tend to brown too much before they are really tender. I’ve found that the trick is to cook them partly first and here I’ve simmered them in a little sugar syrup to enhance their sweetness and help them to caramelize even more. The mild acidity of the balsamic vinegar helps to cut through the sweetness and the combination of the two flavours is heaven.
Serves 4
4 large onions, unpeeled
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
120 ml (4 fl oz) water
salt and freshly ground black pepper
a few dashes of balsamic vinegar and olive oil to serve
4 x 18–25 cm (6–8 in) flat metal skewers (they need to fit into your largest frying pan or shallow casserole dish)
Quarter the onions leaving the root end intact and then pull off the layers of skin. The wedges will stay together in one piece.
Put the sugar and water into a large, deep frying pan or shallow casserole dish and leave it over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring the mixture to the boil and boil for 2 minutes.
Meanwhile thread a skewer diagonally from the root end of each onion wedge up through the onion to the point. This will help to keep them in shape during cooking.
Lower the onion skewers into the sugar syrup, cover and simmer for 7–8 minutes until softened. Carefully lift out on to a plate and set aside until you are ready to finish them on the barbecue.
Barbecue the onions over medium-hot coals for 5 minutes, turning and brushing them with the leftover sugar syrup, until they are richly browned.
Transfer them to a serving plate and pull out the skewers. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, add a splash of balsamic vinegar and a little olive oil and serve hot.