The Times - UK (2022-04-30)

the times Saturday April 30 2022

We e ke n d 9

2021 Ramon Bilbao Rioja

Rosado, Spain, 12.5 per cent

Tesco, £8

Skip Ramon Bilbao’s cheaper

pink — it’s only the rioja

version that gets my

thumbs-up. With a pretty

pale hue, this surprisingly

full-bodied, tasty, meaty,

smoky rosado has the

guts to cope with garlicky

grilled prawns and spicy

lamb kebabs.

A small bunch of coriander, chopped

1-2 bird’s-eye chillies, finely chopped

Method

1 Grind the coriander seeds using a

pestle and mortar; tip into a bowl. Add

the turmeric, kecap manis, soy sauce, oil,

chilli, garlic and stir. Add the mushrooms

and baby corn and toss together.

Marinate for 30 min to an hour.

2 To make the satay sauce, fry the oil,

shallots, garlic, ginger and lemongrass

in a pan on a medium heat for 10 min.

Add the peanuts, creamed coconut,

250ml of water, soy sauce and sugar.

3 Bring to the boil, then simmer, stirring

often, for 5 min. Use a stick blender to

puree to a smoothish sauce and season.

4 Fire up your barbecue for direct

grilling, adding a plancha if you have

one, or preheat a griddle pan on the hob.

5 Spread the mushrooms and baby corn

on the barbecue and cook for 15 min,

turning regularly, until golden brown.

6 Pile the vegetables onto a platter with

a bowl of satay sauce and the lime.

Sprinkle over the coriander and chilli.

2019 Pierre Jaurant

Corbières, France,

14.5 per cent Aldi, £6.49

If it’s got to be French,

even for a barbecue,

this is the bottle you

should buy. Fifty-fifty

peppery syrah and

warming grenache, this

excellent earthy red has

all the rustic, bramble and

spicy herb fruit any

barbecue could ask for.

the grain when you serve. Lay the

prosciutto onto the steak, then dot the

’nduja over the top. Sprinkle with the

parmesan, basil leaves and capers and

finish with a grind of pepper.

3 Starting from the side nearest you, roll

it up tight into a long cylinder. Take the

string and tie at regular intervals to

secure the roll tight. Sprinkle salt over

the outside and rest on a rack over a

tray. Place in the fridge for 2-24 hours.

4 When you are ready to cook, fire up

your barbecue with two strips of fire

down either side. Leave the vents open.

You want a hot barbecue of 220-240C,

with an indirect heat down the centre.

5 Rest the bavette on the grill, seam side

down, in the centre of the barbecue and

shut the lid. Cook indirectly for 30 min

or until a probe reaches 40C in the

centre. Then use tongs to slide the roll

directly over the fire and sear over a

high heat, turning every few minutes for

15 min. For medium-rare, lift it off the

grill when the centre reaches 56C.

6 Scatter the tomatoes on a plate,

sprinkle on basil, drizzle with balsamic

and olive oil and season. Rest the roll on

the centre of the plate and carve.

Rolled bavette, tomatoes and

balsamic vinegar

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1kg bavette steak

80g prosciutto

60g ’nduja

60g parmesan, freshly grated

Bunch of basil, leaves torn (about 30g)

2 tbsp capers

1 tbsp olive oil

750g really ripe mixed tomatoes, sliced

Bunch of basil, leaves torn

3-4 tbsp best quality balsamic vinegar

3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

8-10 x 25cm lengths of butcher’s string

Method

1 “Butterfly” the steak, opening it up into

a thinner layer, doubling its size. Lay the

steak on a board, press the flat of your

hand onto it and apply pressure. Use a

sharp knife to make a horizontal cut

through the middle, using short slicing

strokes. Stop when you’re 2cm from the

other side and open it out like a book.

2 Turn the steak so the grain of the

meat runs horizontally from left to right

— this will ensure that you slice across

my husband near the barbecue

Mushrooms and baby corn with

satay sauce

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

2 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted

2 tsp ground turmeric

4 tbsp kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp vegetable oil

3-4 bird’s-eye chillies, chopped, to taste

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

500g oyster mushrooms

2 x 175g packs of baby corn

For the satay sauce

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 banana shallots, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

2.5cm piece of fresh root ginger, grated

1 stalk of lemongrass, outer leaves dis-

carded, inner core finely chopped

100g roasted salted peanuts, chopped

100g creamed coconut, chopped

2 tbsp soy sauce

1-2 tsp soft dark brown sugar, to taste

1 fat lime, cut into wedges

Rolled bavette

with tomatoes

Duvel Tripel Hop Citra

Belgian IPA, 9.5 per cent

Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and

Tesco, 330ml bottle, £2.50

Unthinkable to have a

barbecue without beer,

but don’t serve a weak

lager — trade up to a

favourite summer swig

instead: Duvel’s Tripel

Hop, bursting with crisp,

refreshing, floral, yeasty,

orange-zest fruit.

A little goes a long way.

2021 Errazuriz Sauvignon

Blanc Reserva, Chile,

13 per cent Morrisons,

£6.50, down from £9

Don’t spend a fortune on

barbecue bottles — what

you want are good, cheap,

easy-sippers that can

wash down all those chilli-

hot spices. Step forward

this stylish, cut-price

Chilean sauvignon with

lots of punchy, verdant,

passion-fruit charm.

2020 Errazuriz Cabernet

Sauvignon Reserva, Chile,

13.5 per cent Morrisons,

£6.50, down from £9

Barbecue-friendly reds

are easier to nail than

whites due to their extra

fruit, body and alcohol.

Serving the robust, hearty,

mint and blackcurrant

pastille-licked Errazuriz

cabernet after the white

makes sense as the duo

complement each other.

Barbecued mushrooms

and baby corn

Genevieve Taylor’s essentials 5 top barbecue

bottles

Jane MacQuitty

ANDREW CROWLEY/TELEGRAPH; JASON INGRAM

V Ivy line metal

cooking bowl, £40,

made.com

Compiled by Sidonie Wilson

X CasusGrill disposable eco

bbq, £9, souschef.co.uk

Tongs, spatulas, gloves

Long-handled spatulas and tongs for

grabbing and turning food are essential,

as is a set of sturdy heatproof gloves.

Leather welders’ mitts are the best for

protecting your hands.

Thermometers

The most useful bit of kit you can

invest in for cooking meat on the

barbecue is a temperature probe, such

as a Thermapen.

Pots, pans, trays

Taking pans to your fire increases the

variety of things you can cook. Pretty

much anything goes and I usually grab

whatever I have to hand in the kitchen

— enamel tins, stainless-steel saucepans,

spun-steel frying pans. It doesn’t need to

be sold as “barbecue friendly”, just make

sure it has no plastic or wooden handles,

and I wouldn’t advise non-stick surfaces.

Vegetable grilling trays

These are really useful — metal trays

perforated with lots of holes, allowing

you to cook smaller things that might

fall through the grill bars while still

letting the smoke through to add flavour.

Chapa or plancha

A heavy-duty flat metal sheet that you

set on your grill bars and use to cook on

— great for burgers and also for non-

meaty things like frying eggs or making

pancakes. You can easily substitute a

large, flat frying pan (skillet).

The ultimate alfresco steak

What to cook for vegans

V Hygiplas bbq serving

tongs, £3.69,

nisbets.co.uk