Brochette de coquille de saint jacques et champignon

 L'un des plaisirs de s'installer dans un nouveau pays est d'apprendre la langue. Pour ce qui est du français, c'est un réapprentissage. Après 11 ans passés aux Pays-Bas à parler néerlandais, j'ai perdu une grande partie de mon français, ce qui est embêtant car je le parlais assez couramment. Une des façons d'apprendre une langue est de regarder des émissions de cuisine ; je trouve que ça m'aide beaucoup. C'est d'ailleurs là que j'ai découvert cette recette en regardant Top Chef. Voici mon interprétation d'une recette de Paul Pairet, une version plus simple et plus accessible. Elle est toujours aussi savoureuse. J'ai remplacé la marinade teriyaki par une sauce aux huîtres, sauce soja et mirin. L'astuce est de la cuire à feu direct et non sur la plaque. 

10 ml de sauce soja
10 ml de sauce aux huîtres
10 ml de mirin
2 g de poivre noir fraîchement moulu
10 pétoncles de taille moyenne
5 champignons
2 grandes brochettes en métal

Coupez les saint jacques en deux pour obtenir 2 rondelles

Coupez les champignons de la même manière, de manière à obtenir des tranches rondes correspondant à la forme des saint jacques. Assurez-vous qu'il n'y a pas de trous dans les tranches, elles doivent être entières.

Dans un bol, mélanger le mirin, la sauce soja, la sauce aux huîtres et le poivre noir

Placer les tranches de Saint-Jacques dans la marinade et laisser reposer 15 minutes

Commencez à enfiler les Saint-Jacques et les tranches de champignons sur les brochettes, en alternant les Saint-Jacques et les champignons. Assurez-vous qu'elles sont bien enfilées et centrées sur la brochette. Il faut laisser de l'espace à chaque extrémité pour pouvoir la poser sur le bord du barbecue.

Préparez votre barbecue pour une cuisson directe à 200°C

Retirez la plaque chauffante et placez les brochettes sur les bords au-dessus des charbons (assurez-vous de porter des gants résistants à la chaleur lorsque vous faites cela !)

Faites cuire les noix de Saint-Jacques 30 secondes de chaque côté, en les arrosant de marinade en les retournant. Continuez ainsi pendant environ trois minutes pour bien les cuire.

Corned beef, not as Irish as you think...

 For this dish, you will need to give yourself a week before you get to taste the results. I tend to use cheaper cuts such as brisket for my corned beef. In this article there's a little bit of history before you get your recipe.

Growing up in Ireland, this is one dish we never actually ate. My first experience of it was when I moved to London and came across salt beef bagels in Brick Lane. 

Corned beef is not and never was never an Irish staple, you may be surprised to hear. In the past beef was considered an expensive commodity and therefore pork, which was cheaper, was more commonly salted. It became popular in America with Irish emigrants as beef was cheaper to buy in the states. It was called "corned" because of the salt kernels used in the curing process. 

Corned beef was produced in some areas in Ireland, but only for export, so may have been eaten in those areas, but not so prevalent. So because of emigrant traditions, in America the dish is associated with Ireland and corned beef and cabbage is a traditional American dish for St Patrick's day. In Ireland however, we're still eating boiled bacon or spare ribs and cabbage. 

Enough of the history lesson and now for the recipes!

The brining is relatively simple as you make a 10% solution, which is 100 grams of salt to one litre of water, and add whatever aromatics you'd like to the brine.The amount of meat you wish to brine is up to you. This time I added cloves, peppercorns and bay leaves. Do make sure the brine covers the meat and it is a good idea throughout the week to turn the once a day in the brine.

One the meat has had at least a week in the brine, you have several options for cooking. The cut of meat is up to you what you would like to use. I tend to go for cheaper and tougher cuts such as brisket.

Slow poach
Cooking it in water and adding aromatics such as bay, thyme, rosemary, cloves etc...
I also like to add onions, garlic and carrots along with the aromatics for more flavour
Poach for at least 3 hours on a low heat
Allow to rest before serving.
Serve American style with boiled potatoes and cabbage or allow to cool and serve with mustard in a sandwich.

Or you can make Corn beef hash with fried eggs and beans

300g cooked salt beef  (I used brisket) - cubed
1 onion sliced
1 clove of garlic grated
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cooked potatoes cubed
1 tin baked beans
2  fried eggs
Oil for frying
Salt and pepper to taste

Fry the onion and garlic till soft and remove to a plate
Next brown off the cubed potatoes and remove to the same plate as the onions
Brown the salt beef
Then add the spuds and the onion back into the pan
Add the Worcestershire sauce and stir
Last add the beans and heat through 
Season to taste and serve with fried eggs on top.

Goat shoulder stew with anchovies

As many of you now know goat is one of my favourite meats and so versatile as it suits so many flavour profiles from Mediterranean to Middle Eastern to Caribbean. The flavour can be compared to that of lamb in it's younger stages and mutton in it's later stages. You can check out the many recipes that I have in my Goatober section here on Kitchen Exile. Many butchers and farmers world wide will be showcasing goat meat during the month of October, so be sure to check out your local producers to see what's on offer. 

300g goat shoulder cubed

10g fresh rosemary sprigs finely chopped

5g fresh thyme chopped

5g chives finely chopped

2 cloves garlic grated

5g fresh parsley chopped

5g fresh mint finely chopped

5g fresh oregano finely chopped

40g anchovies in olive oil finely chopped

2g freshly ground black pepper

150ml white wine

100ml lamb or chicken stock

2 tomatoes finely chopped

20g black olives finely chopped

Mix the goat shoulder with the herbs, garlic, pepper and anchovies and marinate overnight in the fridge

Preheat your oven or set your barbecue up for indirect cooking at 140c

Whizz the tomatoes up to form a smooth paste

Place all the ingredients in a cast iron pan and cook for 3 hours

I like to serve this with either rice, couscous or tabbouleh

Leftover lamb with curried rice

I love to do a slow cooked leg of lamb on my barbecue, because of the size you have to buy and with there only being two people in our house, there's always leftovers. I do enjoy slow cooking and love the results it yields. Especially with something like lamb, as it will normally come right off the bone with no effort needed to carve. Now I could have gone for the leftover staple of Shepherds pie, but I like my curries and have plenty of spices to play with in my ingredients drawer. Monday's dinner became an improvised "Biryani" with the leftover lamb, the leftover spuds and some rice.

Leftover lamb meat and whatever leftover spuds you may have and chop into chunks
1 onion finely chopped

1 red chilli finely chopped
100g cooked basmati rice
15g garam masala 
Heaped teaspoon cumin seeds
Heaped teaspoon black mustard seeds
Juice half a lemon
Coriander leaves for garnish
oil for frying 
Salt and pepper to season

Sauté the onion and chilli until they are soft and glossy, 

Add the mustard and cumin seeds and cook for one minute
Add the garam masala and about 30ml of water to help cook out the spices and prevent the spices from burning, cook for about 5 minutes
Next add the lamb and cook for about 2 minutes
Then add the potatoes and rice and cook for a further 5 minutes (you could also add some frozen peas at this stage too)
Finally switch off the heat and add the lemon juice, salt and pepper and stir through
Garnish with the coriander

Absinthe mustard grilled chicken thighs

I used to make a lemon and tarragon marinade for chicken when I first started barbecuing many years ago. It was one dish that was always popular with my friends. I decided to visit that recipe again, but wanted to take it a stage further.  While I'm not the biggest fan of absinthe per se, I do like the combination of aniseed flavours with chicken. I came across the absinthe mustard in a local French traiteur and thought it would be interesting to try. There's a lot going on flavour wise with these chicken thighs but they do work well together. The mustard, honey and tarragon provide a great background flavour while the lemon zest just lifts it further. Add some wonderful smoky flavour from the barbecue and you're set!

4 chicken thighs flattened to ensure even cooking (you can use a rolling pin to do this)

Marinade

10g Absinthe mustard or 10g dijon mustard mixed with 5ml absinthe or pastis

10ml olive oil

2g dried oregano

2 cloves garlic grated

5ml honey

Zest from half a lemon

2g dried tarragon

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together bar the salt and pepper

Place the chicken thighs in a dish and pour over the marinade, ensure they are well covered on both sides

Place in the fridge for 6 hours 

Set your barbecue up for direct cooking at 220c

Cook the thighs for 2 minutes each side

Allow to rest in a warm place before serving, season to taste

Tabbouleh

This is one of my summer favourites a great side dish or sometimes I'm quite happy to eat it by itself. It's such a great fresh dish. I came across this dish many years ago at a Turkish restaurant called Haz in the city in London. It was always on the menu as a starter (and having just checked their menu it still is) and was one of my favourites to order. It always evokes memories of walking past the restaurant on the way to work and smelling the charcoal grills firing up before service, the food there was simple but very tasty indeed. It is one of the many places I miss in London. Another great thing about this recipe is the simplicity, tomatoes, onions, bulgur wheat and herbs with lemon juice and olive oil. No cooking involved at all. When tomatoes are in season I cannot make this enough and it makes a great barbecue side dish especially for Mediterranean style grilled meat dishes. This is my take on that dish I enjoyed all those years ago. This serves four people as a side dish.

70g bulgur wheat

3 tomatoes finely chopped

15g red onion finely chopped

10g flat leaf parsley finely chopped

10 mint leaves finely chopped (optional)

10g coriander finely chopped (optional)

Juice of half a lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

10ml extra virgin olive oil

Place the bulgur in a pyrex bowl, add the olive oil, salt and pepper and stir to combine

Pour over just boiled water until it is covered

Cover the bowl with cling film and leave to one side for 30 minutes, the bulgur will soak up all the water

Allow to cool before adding the rest of the ingredients

Once cool, mix all the ingredients together and add the lemon juice

I like to serve this with koftes or grilled meats as a side

Grilled white asparagus with brown shrimp and a lemon, tarragon dressing

A simple combination of flavours is all that is needed to give you a delicious dish. Not all recipes need to be complicated. Asparagus benefits from being grilled as it enhances its natural sweetness, combine this with equally sweet shrimp and a citrussy dressing and you're almost there. The aniseed notes from the tarragon give it the depth it deserves. 

10 white asparagus spears, peeled and woody ends cut off

200g peeled and cooked brown shrimp

5ml oil

Salt and pepper to season

Dressing

20ml rapeseed oil

20ml lemon juice

2g dried tarragon

Place all dressing ingredients in a jam jar and shake well

Set your barbecue up for direct cooking at 220c

Brush the asparagus with oil

Cook the asparagus for 5- 10 minutes depending on the thickness, ensure you keep turning the asparagus every minute or so to ensure an even cook

Test the asparagus for doneness by piercing with a knife, if it goes through easily then it is ready

Place on a plate and season with the salt and pepper

Sprinkle over the shrimp and then pour over the dressing

Lamb heart burger

Lamb heart meat has a wonderful flavour and works really well in this burger recipe. Many of you know that I'm a fan of offal and like to use the "not so typical" cuts of meat.  I'm lucky that I have a wonderful local farmer where I can get these cuts of meat. Best to ask your butcher for lamb heart as it's not commonly sold. This is a lovely delicately spiced burger and a perfect foil for that "something a little different" to add to your repertoire. Lamb heart does not require much in the way of cooking as it will become tough and chewy. It's best to keep your burger medium rare or medium. I've used lamb neck for additional flavour but you can also use leg or shoulder, do ensure that you have minced these cuts finely. 

300g Lamb hearts finely minced, do not remove any fat

200g lamb neck finely minced

1 red onion peeled and grated (wring out any excess moisture with a kitchen towel)

2cm piece of ginger grated

2 cloves garlic grated

5g garam masala

5g smoked maldon sea salt

5g coriander leaves finely chopped

10g sweet paprika

10ml Greek yoghurt

This makes about 4 burgers

Place all the ingredients together in a bowl and mix well

Place in the fridge for 6 hours to allow the flavours to come together

Remove from the fridge and form into burger patties ( roughly 150g each), place back in the fridge for 3 hours to firm up

Set your barbecue up for direct cooking at 200c

Cook the burgers for 2-3 minutes each side, aim for 54c core temp

I like to serve these with grilled onions, tomatoes and a yoghurt and coriander dressing

Beef cheek tortillas

I love low and slow cooking especially with not so popular cuts of meat. Beef cheek is perfectly suited to slow cooking and really takes on flavours during the process. This is one dish that needs very little attention, just get it on the barbecue and you can pretty much forget about it until it's ready. I tend to go by eye and feel when cooking for long periods rather than core temperature. The beef cheek just falls apart when ready and perfect for serving in tortillas with some salsa and guacamole. As many of you know now I tend to make my own spice rubs, I want to have something that compliments the meat not drowns out the natural flavours. 

500g beef cheek whole, trim off excess fat

Juice 1 orange

Juice 1 lime

10ml rapeseed oil

100ml freshly brewed strong coffee cooled

Spice mix

2cm cinnamon stick

2g all spice berries

5g cumin seeds

2g coriander seeds

2g black peppercorns

5g oregano

5g smoked paprika

5g sweet paprika

5g guajillo chili powder

2g maldon sea salt

Place the cinnamon, all spice, peppercorns, cumin and coriander seeds in a heavy based pan and toast on a medium heat for 5 minutes

Allow to cool and then place in a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder

Pour into a bowl and add the rest of the ground spices, salt and oregano, mix together well

Add the fruit juices, coffee and oil and mix further

Place the beef cheek in a deep baking dish or cast iron pan and pour over the marinade

Cover with cling film and place in the fridge over night or a minimum of 12 hours

Ensure you turn the beef during this time to ensure an even coating of marinade

Remove the beef from the fridge an hour before cooking

Set your barbecue up for indirect cooking at 140c with additional wood chips such as hickory or pecan for extra flavour

Remove the cling film from your dish/pan and place it on the barbecue, you'll be cooking the beef in the marinade

Cook for a minimum of 4 hours, cook for 2 hours uncovered and them cover the dish with tin foil and cook for a further 2 hours

Start checking the beef from about 3 hours to see if the meat is starting to give/become tender

Once cooked remove to a warm place and allow to rest for at least 45 minutes

After it has rested you can pull the meat apart quite easily

I like to serve this on warm tortillas with salsa and guacamole

Grilled Lamb Steaks Tandoori Style

I love tandoori style dishes in particular lamb chops. This recipe is perfect for the barbecue, the flavour of the rub accentuated by the smokiness of the barbecue. Add a little char from the grill and it all comes together quite nicely. 

Serves 2 people
6 lamb steaks or lamb chops if you prefer
30g tandoori spice rub ( you can find my recipe here)
10ml oil
70ml Greek yoghurt
Juice of half a lemon
1g maldon sea salt

Mix the rub with the yoghurt and rub over the steaks,
Place the steaks for 6-12 hours in the fridge
Allow the steaks to come up to room temp before cooking
Season with salt and lemon juice
Oil the steaks before putting on the BBQ
Set your barbecue up for direct grilling at 220c
Cook the steaks for 1-2 minutes each side, I like mine rare, if you prefer yours a little more well done then cook a little longer

Tandoori spice rub

While this recipe sounds simple enough, the effort is in the making of the spice rub. For years I was using a ready made packet mix, which was all well and good. But since I started making my own spice rubs, I decided it was time to tackle a tandoori one too.

This has a lot of whole spices in it and yields fresh results in the way of flavour. It did take a while to get the rub exactly the way I wanted it, but the hard work won out in the end. This rub goes well with lamb, goat, chicken and fish, it is pretty versatile. 

Whole spices

5g yellow mustard seeds

5g cumin seeds

5g coriander seeds

5g cinnamon stick
1 star anise

2 bay leaves

Half a whole nutmeg

4 cloves

10g methi (fenugreek) leaves

4 green cardamom pods

1 black cardamom pods

1 blade of mace

15g paprika

5g black pepper

2g chili flakes

5g celery salt

Place all the whole spices in a cast iron or heavy bottomed frying pan and toast on a medium heat for 10 minutes

Allow to cool and transfer to a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder and grind to a fine powder

Fresh Ingredients
5g turmeric root, peeled and grated
1 small red onion grated
2 cloves garlic grated
5g ginger root peeled and grated

You can also substitute, the above ingredients with their dried equivalents, 5g dried tumeric, 5g onion powder, 5g garlic powder, 2g ginger 

To finish the rub

Add the fresh ingredients to the ground spices and mix together well

This will keep for up to 2 months in an airtight container in a cupboard using just the dried dried ingredients 

It will keep for up to 2 weeks if using fresh ingredients in a jar in the fridge, if using dried, it will keep for up to a month in an airtight container in the cupboard

Paella

Paella is a dish that is versatile and moves with the seasons, it can be meat, veg or fish based or all three. It's a great dinner party dish. I first ate Paella in France about 22 years ago. An odd place to first eat Spanish food but it was cooked by a couple of Spanish guys. During my years at university some friends had a year out in Rennes, so I spent a lot of time going over and back visiting them. 

During this time the people I met came from all over Europe and we often got together to eat at one another's apartments. I used to look forward to going to the Spaniards for dinner as they would cook these amazing paellas on huge pan with all sorts of ingredients. It was placed in the middle of the table and everyone helped themselves.

The market in Rennes (back then, not sure what it is like now) was an every day market and you were spoilt for choice for fresh and seasonal ingredients. I used to love wandering around planning my menu for the evening as I saw what was available that day in the market.

So here's my trip down memory lane.

4 rabbit legs or if you can't easily get rabbit, chicken thighs on the bone will suffice

2 cloves garlic chopped

100g chorizo sausage sliced

200g paella rice

100g tinned tomatoes or three fresh tomatoes finely chopped

10g tomato purée

2g saffron soaked in 10ml water

50ml madeira wine or 50ml white wine

400ml chicken/veg or fish stock

3 sprigs of thyme

1 bay leaf

1 onion finely chopped

10 ml lemon juice

Salt and pepper to season
Oil for frying

Fry off the onion and garlic in the oil on a low heat until soft 

Add the chorizo and fry off until the chorizo starts to release its oils

Add the tomato purée and cook for 1-2 mins

Add the Madeira or wine and cook on a high heat for 1 minute

Next add the tomatoes and the rice and stir for 1 min

Place the rabbit in the pan and pour over the chicken stock, add the thyme and the bay leaf

Give the pan a quick stir and then leave on a gentle heat for 30 - 40 minutes 
Season to taste and serve
This dish also works well on the BBQ as it will infuse with the smoky flavours from the coals
Set your BBQ up for indirect cooking at 150c and cook for 30 - 40 minutes

I like to leave the pan in the middle of the table and people help themselves

Pit Beans

I do like my beans and this is a great recipe for using up any leftovers after a barbecue. Not that we have much in the way of leftovers afterwards, you can even make this with just the beans and sauce if you like. I get to have this dish all to myself as my other half is as I like to call him," a bean hating heathen". 

Ideal meats to use for this dish are wings, ribs, smoked sausage, pulled pork or brisket. You can also serve this with a good old fashioned cornbread or on top of a baked potato. This makes enough for 4 main course servings or 8 side servings. 

200g black beans tinned (drain off excess liquid)

200g lima beans tinned (drain off excess liquid

400g tinned tomatoes

10g pit bean spice mix (see below)

15ml maple syrup

20ml apple cider vinegar

15ml chipotle in adobo

10g tomato puree

10ml soy sauce

5ml Worcestershire sauce

2 cloves garlic

1 large red onion finely chopped

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

1 stick celery finely chopped

10g pork fat or 10ml sunflower oil

300g leftover barbecue meats (chicken wings, ribs, brisket, pulled pork etc...)

Pit bean spice mix

2g of each -  ancho chili flakes, coriander seeds, achiote seeds and allspice berries

1 inch stick cinnamon or cassia bark

5g dried oregano

5g smoked paprika

Toast the chili flakes and whole spices in a pan for 5 minutes, allow to cool and place in a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder

Place in a bowl and mix through the oregano and smoked paprika

Beans

Set your barbecue up for direct cooking at 170c

Using a cast iron or heavy bottomed pan add the onions, garlic and celery and fry off in the pork fat for 15 minutes until the onions are soft and glossy

Add the chipotle and puree and fry for a further 2 minutes

Add the pit bean spice mix and cook for a further 5 minutes

Add the tinned tomatoes, maple syrup, vinegar, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce and stir through

Cook for a further 20 minutes

Add the meat and beans and cook for another 15 minutes

Serve and enjoy!

Haggis Style meatballs

This is one of the first years I wasn't able to get hold of some haggis for Burns Night. So I decided to make a version of it myself instead. Haggis is normally made from lambs pluck which is the heart, liver and lungs wrapped in an ox bung casing. I decided to make a version with heart, liver and neck and using pigs caul to wrap the meatballs. I had to put in a special request with one of my local farmers to get some of the offal as lamb offal is not that popular here in the Netherlands.

I amped up the spicing and used cinnamon, onion seed and allspice berries along with the traditional coriander, mace and nutmeg. I used whole spices which I toasted and then ground myself, but you can use pre ground spices if you so wish. I came up with this dish for a live Instagram special that I do every month with a good friend of mine, Sue Stoneman, this months theme was Burns Night with whisky cocktails and haggis style dishes cooked on the barbecue. 

Meatball Filling
200g neck (ensure there is some fat on the meat)
200g liver
100g heart
1 onion finely chopped

5g ground coriander

1g ground cinnamon

2g ground nutmeg

2g freshly ground black pepper

2g freshly ground mace

2g allspice powder

salt and pepper to season
200g caul fat/crepinette (you will need to ask your butcher for this, or if you can't get hold of it then use thinly sliced bacon or pancetta instead)

5g celery salt

40g oatmeal

60ml chicken stock 

For cooking

100ml chicken stock

3 cloves of garlic crushed

1 onion quartered

Bouquet garni (rosemary, thyme, parsley and bay leaf)

Place the oatmeal in a bowl and pour over the 60ml chicken stock and allow it to soak up the stock for a couple of hours

Using the fine blade on your mincer, mince the neck, liver and heart or ask your butcher to do this for you
Place the meat into a bowl, add the spices, onion, oatmeal and season with salt, mix well to combine
Fry off a small piece of the mixture to check the seasoning and add more to the mix if needed
Form the mix into round balls (about 50g each), wrap each ball with caul or bacon if using to hold them together, this should make roughly 10 meatballs
Place in the fridge for 2-3 hours to firm up

Preheat the oven to 150c (fan) 160c (normal),
If cooking on the BBQ then set the BBQ up for indirect cooking at 150c and use a deep cast iron baking dish or pan
In a baking dish (oven method) or cast iron (bbq method) place gravy ingredients (veg, garlic,  herbs, stock and onions) and place the meatballs in the dish
Roast in the oven or BBQ for 40 minutes
Take the meatballs out of the dish and place to one side and cover with tin foil to keep warm
Strain the gravy into a pan and reduce until it thickens, then serve with the meatballs

I like to serve this with hassleback squash and a creamy mash

Beetroot, celeriac and butternut squash dauphinoise

This is one of my favourite winter dauphinoise dishes. Great on it's own as a dish or as an accompaniment to a Sunday roast. 

1 medium sized beetroot, peeled and thinly sliced 

100g celeriac, peeled and thinly sliced

100g butternut squash peeled and thinly sliced

200ml double cream
Sprig of thyme
Small sprig rosemary
1g grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
10g salted butter

In a pan place the cream thyme and Rosemary and bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for 15 mins to infuse
While the cream is heating start to layer a deep baking dish with the sliced vegetables. 

As you layer season with the salt, pepper and grated nutmeg (go easy on the nutmeg as it can overpower).
Once you've finished layering pour over the cream
Cover the baking dish with foil and place in an oven at 150c (fan) or 160c (normal) for 45 minutes
After 45 minutes take the foil off, add the butter and cook at 190c (fan) 200c (normal) for a further 30 mins
If cooking on the BBQ, cook on indirect heat at 160c, covered in foil for 45 minutes and again with the foil off, adding the butter at 190c for another 30 minutes

Suya grilled goat chops

I was introduced to West African cooking many years ago by a Nigerian friend of mine. We collaborated at some barbecue events and on a cook book (Vibrant West African Cooking) and she taught me lots of delicious recipes. She developed her own spice brand and I would use these quite a lot when barbecuing. A few years on and I decided to try and replicate the spice blend myself. I like to make my own rubs from scratch, so why not suya? Suya is traditionally used for grilled meats, particularly chicken, goat or beef. The main basis for suya is peanut powder, not easy to come by, but can be found in some health food shops. Peanut powder has the oils removed from it. If you do try and make it yourself, then slow roast the peanuts for 60 minutes and then pulse in a spice grinder, the peanuts need to be cold before you grind them.

8 kid goat chops (you can also substitute lamb chops, if you cannot get goat)

30ml peanut or rapeseed oil

Salt to taste, my preference is maldon sea salt

Suya Spice rub
70g peanut powder
50g Smoked Paprika
45g Ground Ginger
30g Ground Cayenne Pepper
30g Garlic Powder
45g Onion Powder
10g Chicken Bouillon powder

Mix all ingredients together

To Grill

Set your barbecue up for direct cooking at 200c

Coat the chops in the oil and then sprinkle over the suya spice ensuring they are well covered

Allow the chops to marinate for at least 30 minutes, if you can, overnight is even better

Grill the chops for 2 minutes each side for medium rare, longer if you wish for medium or well done

Season to taste with the salt

Cajun rub and cocktail sauce for a grilled prawn cocktail

Prawn cocktail is one of the dishes I like to make as a starter for Christmas. Naturally I like to jazz things up a little, it being the festive season. The rub takes no time at all to put together and easily made from store cupboard ingredients. This Cajun Rub is based on the one from the fabulous Queens of 'Que;  Sam Evans' and Shauna Guinn's "The Hangfire cookbook" which is one of my favourite BBQ books. This makes enough for 20 king prawns.

The cocktail sauce is one I've been making for years, normally I would use my own home made mayonnaise and ketchup, but shop bought works as well. I use an Irish whiskey in this recipe but you can also use bourbon or a light peated whisky too. The Whisk(e)y or bourbon will need to have some sweetness to it.

Cajun rub
5g each of
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Dried thyme
Dried oregano
Sea salt flakes ground
Cayenne pepper
Chilli flakes (I used ancho)
10g of paprika
And some freshly ground pepper

Mix together and marinade your prawns for a couple of hours before grilling

Set your barbecue up for direct cooking at 200c and cook the prawns for a couple of minutes each side

I like to add a bit of booze to my cocktail sauce and with the Cajun rub this one works really well

15ml of
Tomato ketchup
Mayonnaise
Crème fraiche
10ml whiskey (I used Teeling Whiskey pineapple rum cask)
5ml lemon juice
Mix together

Chipotle macaroni and cheese with leftover bbq meats

Macaroni and cheese is one of the many household favourites chez Kitchen Exile. It's a real comfort food dish, great on its own but it's always nice to add extra flavours to jazz it up a little. I love to add leftover barbecue meats to it sometimes instead of having them cold in a sandwich. Some of you are now asking "what is leftover barbecue meat????" Since there are only two of us in our house there might occasionally be some lurking the next day. With Christmas approaching this would also be a great dish for leftover turkey, ham or stuffing too!

70g butter

70g plain flour
200ml milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Tablespoon of dijon mustard
20g crème fraiche

5g chipotle in adobo paste
200g macaroni  pre cooked
100g cheddar or strong cheese, grated
50g parmesan grated

100g leftover brisket, ribs or chicken wings
Salt and pepper to season

Pre-heat the oven to 180c (fan), 190c (normal)
If cooking on the BBQ set it up for indirect cooking at 180c, throw in some apple wood chips about 15 minutes before it is ready to go on, wait for the thick white smoke to die down
If cooking on the BBQ ensure your baking dish is suitable for use or use a cast iron pan
Next make the roux sauce, in a saucepan melt the butter and then add the flour stirring all the time
Cook the flour out for at least 5 minutes on a low heat
Take the pan off the heat and add the milk gradually, still stirring, and then put back on the heat stirring until it thickens
Add the Dijon, chipotle paste and the cheeses, stir to incorporate
The sauce will thicken considerably after adding the cheese, if it is too thick then add some more milk to loosen it slightly
Add the crème fraiche and stir through, season with the salt and pepper
Stir in the macaroni and mix through, ensuring the pasta is well coated

Lastly add the meat and stir though
Place in the oven or BBQ and cook for 20 minutes

Butternut squash and mushroom lasagne

I'm a huge lasagne fan but it doesn't have to be all meat. In the autumn I like to play with ingredients such as squash and mushrooms which work well together. Believe me, you will not miss the meat element as the mushrooms pack enough of a meaty punch, frying them with Worcestershire sauce adds bags of flavour. Rather than using a bechamel sauce, I whizz up the squash with gorgonzola and mascarpone. It's a pretty rich combination but it works.

300g butternut squash seeds removed and cut into cubes

600g chestnut mushrooms roughly chopped

10ml oil for frying

5ml Worcestershire sauce

5 sprigs thyme, leave removed and roughly chopped

70g gorgonzola

70g mascarpone

70g freshly grated parmesan

10g parmesan for the top

20g gorgonzola cubed for the top

20g mascarpone for the top

100g fresh pasta dough rolled out thinly and cut into 4 sheets or 4 sheets of fresh lasagne

Sat and pepper for seasoning

Place the cubed squash on a baking tray and place in an oven at 180c for 30 minutes or until a knife pierces them easily

Remove from the oven and place to one side to cool

In a pan fry off the mushrooms on a medium heat, after 5 minutes add the Worcestershire sauce and stir through, fry for another 5 minutes and season with the salt and pepper, sprinkle with the thyme and stir though

Place the mushrooms to one side to cool

In a food processor whizz up the mascarpone, gorgonzola and the butternut squash, season to taste with the salt and pepper

Start to assemble the lasagne in a deep baking dish or cast iron dish

Place a layer of mushrooms, sprinkle over some of the parmesan

Spoon over some of the squash mix so it covers the mushrooms, add a pasta sheet

Continue to layer the lasagne

for the topping sprinkle over the parmesan and dot with the gorgonzola cubes and mascarpone

Set your barbecue up for indirect cooking at 180c or place in the oven at 180c for 30-35 minutes 

Chicken and Chorizo koftes

This is a quick and simple recipe with great end results. Chicken and chorizo work well together, smoky hit from the chorizo which adds so much to the chicken. Put them together on the barbecue and the char works even more wonders and brings out even more flavour. Rather than putting them in alternate layers on a skewer, I decided to whizz them together in my food processor. You can also use a mincer on fine setting if you so wish. 

300g chicken thighs

100g chorizo

70g red onion

1 clove garlic

10g coriander leaf

3g Piment d'Espelette (or 1g cayenne and 2g sweet paprika)

Salt and pepper

10ml olive oil

10 metal skewers (or wooden skewers that have been pre soaked in water for one hour)

Place all ingredients bar the salt, pepper and olive oil in a food processor and whizz until well combined
Season with salt and pepper and pulse a couple of times to ensure even distribution of seasoning
Take a small amount of the mix, form a ball and then put a skewer through the ball and then start to form a sausage shape around the skewer
Once you've made the koftes, place back in the fridge for a couple of hours to allow them to firm up
Set your barbecue up for indirect grilling at 220c
Cook for 2 minutes each side getting a nice char on the koftes