Chimmichurri

Chimmichurri is a great sauce for grilled meats, originating from Argentina where they certainly love to cook their meat. I love the punchy flavours of the herbs and garlic and the tang of the vinegar. Simple to make and will pep up any meat on the barbecue. I like to vary the herbs depending on what meat I'm using it with. Coriander will go well with chicken, goat and lamb as will oregano.Parsley and chives or wild garlic when in season are great with beef and pork. Avoid using woody herbs such as thyme and rosemary as they will make the sauce gritty. If you have delicate young thyme which has not become woody then it will work well with lamb, chicken and goat. 

4 cloves of garlic grated

10g flat leaf parsley finely chopped

30g red onion finely chopped

5g chili flakes (I used ancho flakes for this recipe, but normal chili flakes will work just as well)

5g dried oregano or 100g fresh finely chopped

50ml olive oil

75ml cider vinegar

Mix all ingredients together until well combined

The sauce will keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge in an airtight container or jar

Cally - Mashed potatoes with spring onions

Cally is something we would eat regularly at home when I was growing up. It's also known as champ in certain areas in Ireland, but this is what we called it in our house.
Normally the scallions would be roughly chopped and mixed in with mashed potatoes. You would then make a well in the middle of the mash and pour in melted butter (it's what my grandmother used to do) and dip each forkful in the butter. These days I prefer to lightly fry the scallions in butter to soften them. When wild garlic is in season this also gets added for extra flavour.

500g potatoes boiled in their skins for 10-15 minutes or until a knife pierces them easily or baked for 1 hour at 200c
50ml milk or cream
80g butter
6 Scallions finely chopped 

20 leaves wild garlic finely chopped (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Strain the potatoes if boiled and peel

If baked, scoop out the flesh

Put the potatoes through a ricer, add back into the pan they were boiled in with the milk, mix together
In a separate pan lightly fry the scallions and wild garlic if using in the butter until softened
Add to the mash and stir through until well combined
Season to taste with the salt and pepper

Creamed sweetcorn with garlic and herbs

I came across this dish many years ago at The Gaucho grill in London. It was one of the side dishes served with the steak that we had and I loved it. It's one of my favourite side dishes to have with steak as it pairs so well. Thankfully It wasn't that difficult to re-create at home. I prefer to make this when sweetcorn is in season and at its best, but you can also use tinned if you like.

2 sweetcorn (preferably still in their husks and soaked in water for 10 minutes)
30g butter
2 spring onions chopped
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
1g smoked paprika
20g creme fraiche
3 sprigs fresh thyme, remove the leaves and chop them roughly 
salt and pepper to taste

I like to cook the sweetcorn on the BBQ, direct heat about 200c, make sure to keep turning it for about 10 mins as you cook it
Remove from the BBQ and allow to cool
Cut the corn kernels off the cob and place to one side
In a pan fry off the garlic and spring onions in the butter on a low heat
Add the paprika and cook for 1-2 mins
Add the kernels and creme fraiche to the onion and garlic, stir to combine
With a stick blender or in a food processor, start to puree the mix until you have a rough puree
Add the chopped thyme and stir through
Season with the lemon juice, salt and pepper

If not cooking on the BBQ 
Cut off the kernels and place to one side
In a pan, fry off the garlic and spring onions in the butter on a low heat
Add the uncooked kernels to the garlic and spring onions, cook through for about 10 minutes
Add the paprika and cook for a further 1-2 mins
Add the creme fraiche to the pan and stir through
With a stick blender or in a food processor, start to puree the mix until you have a rough puree
Add the chopped thyme and stir through
Season with the lemon juice, salt and pepper

Black olive tapenade with sun blush tomatoes

This recipe is a great accompaniment to grilled meats or fish or you can serve it with cold meats and cheeses or even simply spread it on crusty bread. I like the combination of the salty olives and the sweetness of the tomatoes. This recipe has gone through several iterations where I've made it with black olives, green olives and then kalamata olives which I thought worked best as they have a smooth clean taste to them. 

150g kalamata olives pit removed
75g sun blush tomatoes
5 anchovies
Half clove garlic grated
15g fresh flat leaf parsley
10g capers
5ml lemon juice
10ml olive oil

My preferred way of making this is to finely chop all olives, tomatoes, anchovies, garlic, capers and parsley individually and then mix them all together on the chopping board and chop again
Place them all in a bowl and add the lemon juice and olive oil and mix through, allow to infuse for a few hours
For those of you who don't fancy all the chopping, feel free to use a food processor to chop the olives, tomatoes, anchovies, garlic, capers and parsley
Then tip the ingredients into a bowl and then mix in the olive oil and lemon juice

Smoky slow roast tomato and chilli salsa

This is a great BBQ side dish and all you need to accompany it are some tortilla chips. This also pairs well with grilled cheese nachos or sometimes I like to add it to fried or scrambled eggs to pep them up. 

5 tomatoes halved
1 large red onion halved
1 red chilli, stalk removed (or more if you like yours spicy)
Juice of one lime
20g fresh coriander finely chopped
15ml olive oil
2g sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Set your BBQ up for indirect cooking at 130c, I also like to throw on some hickory chips just to add a little extra smoke flavour
Halve the onion and the tomatoes and drizzle with some olive oil
Season with some salt and pepper
Place the onion, chilli and tomatoes on the griddle and cook for 2 hours
Place in a food processor and blend to form a chunky paste, you don't want it too smooth
Add the olive oil, sugar, lime juice, and coriander, stir to combine
Season to taste with the salt and pepper

Patatas bravas/Mushrooms with blue cheese/Garlic shrimps/Chorizo in red wine

These are some of my favourite tapas menu dishes that I like to replicate at home. They are great for evenings when you have friends over and want some easy going sharing dishes.

 
Patatas bravas

For the potatoes
10 small potatoes halved
50ml olive oil or 50g of pork fat
1g salt and a few twists of pepper

Place the potatoes in an oven proof dish, drizzle with the oil and season with the salt and pepper cook at 210c (fan) 220c (normal)
Cook for 30 mins or until brown and crispy

For the sauce
100ml passata
10ml sherry vinegar
1 clove garlic finely sliced
1 shallot finely chopped
6 small fresh tomatoes or 3 normal sized finely chopped (use 100g tinned when not in season)
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon tomato puree
Salt and pepper to taste
10ml oil

Fry off the shallot and garlic in the oil on a low heat until soft, add the tomato puree and smoked paprika and stir through and cook for a further 5 mins
Next add the tomatoes and passata and cook for about 15 mins or until the tomatoes have started to soften
Add the sherry vinegar and stir through for about 1-2mins
Season to taste and serve with the crispy potatoes

Prawns with Garlic

10 large king prawns shell on
2 cloves of garlic finely sliced
10ml olive oil
20ml vermouth
salt and pepper to taste
10g fresh parsely to garnish

Add the oil and garlic to a pan and cook on a very low heat for 10 minutes to allow the oil to infuse
Turn the heat to medium and add the prawns and cook for 1 – 2 mins each side
Turn the heat up high and add the vermouth and cook for a further 1-2 mins
Season with the salt and pepper before serving and sprinkle with the parsely

Chorizo in red wine and port

100g chorizo sliced
20ml port
50ml red wine

Add the chorizo to a warm pan and cook until it starts to release it’s oils (about 4-5 mins) on medium heat
Turn the heat up to high and add the wine and port and cook for 1-2 mins until the sauce reduces

Mushrooms with blue cheese

2 portobello mushrooms quartered      
70g blue cheese such as gorgonzola dolce or stilton
20ml white wine
10ml olive oil

Place the mushrooms in a baking dish and drizzle with the oil
Dot with the cheese and place in a pre warmed oven at 170C (fan) 180c(normal) for 15 mins
Add the wine and bake for a further 5 mins

Houmous with harissa & pomegranate & baba ganoush with coriander

These dishes have always been my go to accompaniments, especially you have a large group of people. They are easy to prepare as a party snack or as a BBQ side and taste great. You can pair them with flat bread, crisps or vegetables. For the baba ganoush, I do like to roast the aubergine on the BBQ for that extra depth of flavour, it gives it the smoky edge that I like. 

Baba Ganoush

1 aubergine
10ml olive oil
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
10ml tahini
10ml lemon juice
10g chopped fresh coriander

Pierce the aubergine all over with a knife
Place in a preheated oven at 190 (fan) for 30 – 40 minutes
My preference is to roast it on the BBQ on direct heat 200c turning constantly for 15 - 20 mins until soft, this way you get a nice smoky flavour
Allow the aubergine to cool and then scoop out the flesh
Place in a food processor with all of the ingredients, bar the salt and pepper
Pulse the ingredients bar the coriander in the food processor until they form a smooth paste
Place the paste in a bowl and stir through the coriander
Season with salt and pepper

Humous with harissa and pomegranate

10ml olive oil
1 dessertspoon harissa paste
200g tinned chickpeas
10ml tahini
5ml lemon juice
1 clove garlic finely grated
Salt and pepper to season
15g pomegranate seeds

Place all of the ingredients, bar the salt, pepper and pomegranate seeds, in a food processor
Pulse the ingredients until they form a smooth paste
Place the paste in a bowl and stir through the pomegrante seeds
Season with salt and pepper

Sometimes I add about a dessertspoon of yoghurt to each of the finished dips and stir through, it adds a bit of creaminess. 

Roux sauce and Cauliflower gratin

This is another of my "request recipes from friends". I think a roux or white sauce is one recipe that is good to have in your repertoire as it forms the basis of many other sauces.

If you've mastered the basic recipe then you can only add more or less whatever flavouring you like. The trick with roux sauce is you always have equal amounts of flour to butter and these vary on how thick you want your sauce. I've given you the recipe for a "standard sauce" which has a creamy consistency but is not too runny. If you want a thicker sauce just increase the amounts of flour and butter, for example 30g/40g/50g of each but keep the amount of milk (150ml) the same. You can also make veloutes which are stock based sauces instead of using milk you will use beef/chicken/fish or veg stock. 

For a standard roux sauce
20g flour
20g butter
150ml milk
Salt and pepper to season

To make the roux sauce 
Melt the butter, add the flour and cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes to cook out the flour

Take the pan off the heat and add the milk slowly whisking all the time to ensure it does not get lumpy

Place back on the heat and continue to whisk until it thickens
Season to taste

Now you've got your basic sauce recipe here's where you can have fun with the basics.

50 - 100g grated strong cheese (of your choice, my personal favourite is Quickes mature cheddar as it makes a wonderfully rich sauce)
Add the cheese once you've thickened the sauce slightly and stir so it melts through. 
If I'm using cheddar cheese I like to add a dessert spoon of Dijon mustard as it accentuates the flavour of the cheese
You can also enrich the sauce with an egg yolk (when adding make sure the heat is not on high otherwise you'll scramble the egg) or substitute some of the milk with cream (do not use single or low fat cream, it can split the sauce)

Here's a recipe for good side dish (for 4) or a main (for 2) if you fancy a meat free evening.

Cauliflower gratin

1 head of cauliflower broken into florets and  par boiled in salted water for 5-7 minutes
Cheese sauce (as outlined above, I also like to enrich mine with 20g of sour cream)
1 baking dish
20g breadcrumbs and 20g parmesan mixed together

Place the par boiled florets in the baking dish
Pour over the cheese sauce
Bake in a moderate oven at 180c for 20 minutes or on the BBQ set up for indirect cooking at 180c
Remove from the oven or BBQ and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and parmesan mix
Place back in the oven or BBQ at 200c for 10 mins or until nicely crisp on top

Smoky Haricot beans with chorizo in a tomato sauce

This is something I cook when its just me at home, my other half has a fervent dislike of beans, so I get to have this all to myself, he doesn't know what he's missing out on! I like to call this "posh pork n' beans", due to the addition of wine and chorizo. 

Tomato and chorizo work well together and with the addition of wine and herbs it brings it to another level. I normally start this dish out on the hob and then finish it on the BBQ indirectly with some hickory chips to give it an extra smoky bite. Don't worry for those of you who don't fancy breaking out the BBQ you can cook the dish in the oven. I like to serve this as a side dish when I'm cooking but you can easily serve this as a main if you so wish. 

50ml white wine
50ml passata
½ medium red onion finely chopped
2 teaspoons adobe chilli paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
200g haricot beans
50g chorizo chopped into small cubes
1 clove garlic finely chopped
1 teaspoon tomato puree
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
10ml oil for frying

In a heavy bottomed pan add some oil and fry off the onions and garlic on a low heat until soft
Add the chorizo and turn the heat to medium, fry for 1-2 mins until it starts to release its oils
Lowering the heat, add the tomato puree and cook out for a further 1-2 mins
Next add the wine and turn the heat up high and cook for 1 minute
Add the beans, passata, oregano and adobe chilli paste and stir through
I then transfer this to the BBQ on indirect heat (150c) with hickory chips and cook for a further 20 minutes
If you don’t want to cook it on the BBQ, you can stir through a teaspoon of smoked paprika and cook it in the oven at 150c (fan), 160c (normal) for 20 mins
Season to taste and stir through the lemon juice

Ratatouille with anchovy crumble topping

Ratatouille was a staple dish of mine when I was a student. When I think back to how I made it all those years ago it was very rustic (aka messy), but what more did you need when you were an impoverished, hungry student? 

These days when I make it I tend to take the layered approach, cooking the ingredients step by step, as I find it makes for a better flavour.
The anchovy crumble came about as a result of a throwaway comment from my other half but the saltiness of the anchovies complement the rich tomato sauce and the breadcrumbs add another dimension with their crispness.

1 courgette diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1 red pepper charred on the outside (you can do this under the grill or with a chefs blow torch, once charred place it in a plastic ziplock bag to cool, it makes it easier to remove the skin), skin and seeds removed and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1 aubergine peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1 clove garlic finely chopped
1 red onion finely chopped
5 tomatoes skin removed and finely chopped
Bay leaf
Sprig thyme
Sprig rosemary
1 tablespoon tomato purée
50ml passata
50ml red wine
Oil for frying

In a pan sauté the onion on a medium heat until soft
Add the aubergines and fry off for 2-3 minutes
Next add the tomatoes and again stir through for 5 minutes
Pour in the wine and add the purée and passata, stir through and turn the heat up briefly (1-2 mins) to cook out the alcohol from the wine
Add the diced pepper, garlic and herbs and cook for 20 minutes
Add the courgette and cook for a further 5 minutes

For the crumble topping
1 tin anchovies oil drained and finely chopped
100g breadcrumbs or 100g stale bread whizzed in a food processor
70g parmesan grated

Mix all ingredients together or pulse together in the food processor

To finish off the ratatouille
Pre heat a grill to high
Place the ratatouille mix in a baking dish
Sprinkle with the crumble topping
Place under the grill for 5-10 minutes until the topping has crisped.

Enjoy!