Summer is the ideal time for a spot of barbecuing.
A family picnic on the banks of the Tukituki River, cooking over a rudimentary portable barbecue, reminded me of something primal. I have just finished reading Richard Wrangham’s Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human (Profile Books), a book that offers the theory that the biggest shift in our evolutionary success was in moving from raw ingredients to cooked. Cooking became the basis for bonding, marriage and household economy and led to the sexual division of labour. Watching three generations of women crouching to tend the barbecue while the men slept in the sun confirmed part of his theory for me.
Using the available natural resources to protect the barbecue from a gentle westerly breeze reminded me of an Italian chef I once worked for, who, before placing anything on them, brushed the bars of his woodfired chargrill with the leafy ends of long stalks of celery dipped in a mixture of oil, garlic and thyme. Celery is a vegetable I detest, and this is probably the best use of it I have ever seen.
While the meat, fish or vegetables gently cooked over the glowing embers, he would also quietly baste them with a brush made of rosemary sprigs dipped in the same oil, adding a little extra flavour.
There is a simple harmony that comes from cooking outdoors and, whether you use a gas-fuelled barbecue on a trolley or something much more rustic, I suspect the cooking has changed little in a few thousand years. Just ask the women in my family.
Pork Chops with Cauliflower in Green Herb Butter
6 sprigs of curly parsley
6 sprigs of oregano or marjoram
2 garlic cloves
100g unsalted butter
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
salt and black pepper
Salad
1 cauliflower
3 tbsp green herb butter
Pork
4 pork chops
8 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon
salt and pepper
Finely chop the parsley, oregano and garlic. Put the butter into a bowl and soften it slightly, then beat in the herbs and vinegar. Season with a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Lay out a sheet of greaseproof paper, then spread the butter onto it. Roll the butter into a log and keep it in the refrigerator until required.
Break the cauliflower into florets while you bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the cauliflower to the water and cook for 4-6 minutes until it is just tender. Drain through a colander and transfer to a warmed bowl. Gently toss the hot cauliflower with the herb butter and serve while still warm.
Place the chops in a bowl and rub the oil and lemon juice into them. Set aside for 1 hour. Get the barbecue grill hot, season the chops with salt and pepper, then place on the grill bars. Cook until the underside is golden brown and the skin is starting to crisp, then turn the chops over. Cook until the juices run clear. Depending on your barbecue, this could take 15 minutes. Serve with the cauliflower salad and herb butter.
Enough for 4.
I tend to over-season barbecued lamb, a trick I picked up from my Cypriot neighbours who, with their traditional “souvla”, really know how to cook over excruciatingly hot charcoal. Salty meat juices against a backdrop of singed crust is a gastronomic triumph.
Marinated lamb Chops with Red Sauce
4 thick lamb neck chops
olive oil
salt and pepper
4 cloves garlic
4 sprigs rosemary
juice of 1 lemon
Red Sauce
olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1 red chilli
4 sprigs marjoram
1 can of whole peeled tomatoes
2 red capsicum
a good pinch of paprika
Rub the lamb chops with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Chop the garlic, bruise the rosemary with the back of a kitchen knife and toss gently through the chops. Squeeze over the lemon juice and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Heat the barbecue, place the chops on the grill bars and allow them to brown – it should take about 6-10 minutes. Turn the chops over and cook until the outside is crusty and the inside a soft pink. If the grill is too hot, pull the chops to the side and continue to cook for at least 30 minutes. Set the lamb aside to rest before serving with the sauce.
To make the sauce, heat some oil in a frying pan. Meanwhile, chop the garlic then cook until it begins to colour. Discard the seeds from the chilli and cut the flesh very finely. Add to the frying pan along with the leaves pulled from the marjoram sprigs. Drain the can of tomatoes and chop roughly. Tip into the pan and cook for 30 minutes until reduced. While the tomatoes cook, cut the capsicums in half and remove the seeds. Chop the flesh finely and add to the pan, cooking for an extra 10 minutes. Check for salt and add the paprika. Remove from the heat and let the sauce cool.
Serves 4.
The barbecue sauce will keep in the refrigerator for forever and a day. Don’t be put off by the long list of store-cupboard ingredients; it is quite simply a matter of minutes to assemble everything, and the cooking takes no time at all. Serve with a lightly dressed salad of lettuce and cucumber.
Grilled Chicken with Barbecue Sauce
4 chicken breasts
6 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp smoked paprika
salt
Sauce
1 red onion
3cm piece of fresh ginger
2 tsp sesame oilv
1 cup of orange juice
1 tsp Thai red chilli paste
2 tbsp honey
½ cup tomato juice
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
6 tbsp plum sauce
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
3 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 tsp smooth mustard
2 tbsp soy sauce
6 stems coriander
2 stalks lemongrass
2 tbsp soft brown sugar
a pinch of paprika
Place the chicken skin-side up in a shallow dish. Rub the oil, lemon juice and paprika into the meat and set aside for an hour. Get the grill hot, season the chicken with salt only, and place skin-side down on the bars. Leave until the skin is golden and crisp, then turn and cook the other side for about 20 minutes until the juices run clear. Insert the tip of a sharp knife into the thickest part of the breast to test. If the grill is too hot and the underside starts to blacken, move the chicken to the cooler area of the barbecue. Serve with the barbecue sauce.
To make the sauce, roughly chop the onion. Scrape the skin from the ginger and cut into thin slices. Heat the sesame oil in a saucepan and cook the onion until lightly coloured, then add the ginger and cook until fragrant – about 3-4 minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain the sauce into a clean saucepan, return it to the heat and continue to cook for a further 15 minutes. Cool before using.
Serves 4.