Summer Feasting from the Fire: Relaxed recipes for the BBQ, plus salads, sides, drinks & more

By Valerie Aikman-Smith

More than 90 recipes in this bumper cookbook will help you celebrate summer with effortless food cooked over fire.

Make the most of your time either at the beach, camping or in your own garden with this sunny collection of not-be-missed recipes.

Combining fresh flavours with exciting grilling techniques including cooking on a fire pit grill and cedar-plank smoking, Valerie Aikman-Smith presents her recipes for perfect summer food.

From delicious seafood including Baja Fish Tacos with Blistered Jalapeños, Grilled Snapper in Banana Leaves and Mezcal Lime Shrimp on Salt Block, to feasts for meat-lovers such as Jerk Pork with Mango Chutney and Grilled Honey Plantains, Portuguese Piri Piri Poussin and an All-American Burger.
Valerie also includes fabulous vegetable dishes from Grilled Courgette Flowers with Shiso Lemon Salt to Roasted Cauliflower with Walnut Romesco. Desserts designed to round off an alfresco feast include Matcha Ice Cream with Black Sesame Praline or a classic Grilled Banana Split with Dark Chocolate Sauce. Finally, if all the heat has made you thirsty, try a Basil Aperol Spritz with Flowering Herbs, Sicilian Slush Cocktail or a Watermelon Margarita.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ryland Peters & Small
• Release date: Mar 12, 2024
• ISBN: 9781788796286

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

What better way to celebrate summer than to enjoy the very best seasonal food cooked over the fire whether at the beach, when camping, or simply relaxing in your own backyard? Incredible flavors, inspiring ingredients, and the epitome of laid-back entertaining—grilling is the best way to cook in the warmer months and here in this inspirational book you’ll discover fish, meat, vegetarian, and vegan recipes to cook and share outdoors.

Combining fresh flavors with exciting grilling techniques, including cooking on a fire pit grill, salt-block cooking, and cedarplank smoking, chef, food stylist, and author Valerie Aikman-Smith presents a collection of recipes perfectly created for relaxed entertaining.

Try delicious fish and seafood recipes including Fish Tacos with Avocado Crema, Spicy Grilled Salmon Collar, Coconut & Lime Shrimp Skewers, and for a special occasion, Grilled Lobster with Flavored Butters. For meat-lovers there’s a host of ideas for grilling your favorite fare such as Jerk Pork Chops with Mango Chutney and Grilled Plantains, Smoky Honey Chipotle Ribs, Sriracha & Lime Grilled Chicken Wings, and the crowd-pleasing Lamb Smash Burgers.

Valerie includes fabulous vegetable dishes inspired by marketfresh produce, from Grilled Summer Zucchini with Basil Salt to Roasted Cauliflower & Red Walnut Romesco, plus a refreshing Ouzo Watermelon Salad for those days when the mercury starts to rise.

Effortlessly elegant sweet things designed to round off an alfresco feast include Matcha Ice Cream with Black Sesame Praline, Roasted Strawberry & Ginger Semifreddo, Vin Santo Grilled Peaches, or a classic Grilled Banana Boat.

Finally, if all the heat has made you thirsty, sip on an Apricot & Basil Mimosa and cool down with a Grilled Pineapple Piña Colada, or make up a pitcher of Watermelon Margaritas.

Throughout this book, Valerie draws on her experiences of traveling and cooking in various countries around the world, and shows how simple ingredients can be elevated to a sophisticated level. Whether you are cooking a simple midweek supper in your backyard or preparing an outdoor feast for a special occasion, in these pages you will find the perfect dish to suit your summer mood.

SMALL BITES

EMPANADAS

These delicious pastry parcels are fantastic to hand round at barbecues and parties. Serve with any smoky and hot sauce or relish for dipping.

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ white onion, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 jalapeño chile/chilli, finely diced

8 oz./225 g ground/minced beef

2 teaspoons dried marjoram

2 teaspoons dried oregano

¼ cup/60 ml Provençal Olive Relish (see page 165)

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

½ cup/125 ml red wine

1 lb./450 g shortcrust pastry

1 egg, lightly beaten

sea salt and cracked black pepper

all-purpose/plain flour, for dusting

hot sauce or relish, to serve

a 3½ -inch/9-cm cookie cutter

a baking sheet lined with baking parchment

MAKES 28

Preheat the oven to 425°F (210°C) Gas 7.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet/frying pan over medium–high heat, add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño, and cook for 5 minutes until golden brown. Add the beef, marjoram, oregano, Provençal Olive Relish, and paprika, and stir. Pour in the wine and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper, remove the pan from the heat, and set aside to cool.

Roll out the pastry as thinly as possible on a lightly floured surface, and cut rounds of pastry with the cookie cutter. Gather the leftover pastry and repeat until all the pastry is used up. Place a teaspoon of the filling in the middle of each round. Fold over and seal the edges with a fork. Place on the baking sheet and brush with beaten egg.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until golden brown. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve with a hot sauce or relish of your choice.

RILLETTES

WITH GARDEN PATCH PICKLES

Rillettes are not just for the cold winter months or the holidays. A great year-round pantry staple for easy entertaining, just serve with pickles, crusty bread, and wine. The meat is braised in the oven for a deep flavor.

2 lb./900 g pork belly, skin off

1 lb./450 g pork shoulder, skin off

¼ cup/60 ml brandy

4 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed

1 tablespoon green peppercorns

4 bay leaves, plus extra to garnish

1 rosemary sprig

6 thyme sprigs

1 tablespoon allspice

peel from 1 small orange

1 teaspoon sea salt, plus extra to taste

½ teaspoon cracked black pepper

melted butter, to seal

TO SERVE

Garden Patch Pickles (see page 166)

sliced ciabatta bread

5-quart/5.5-litre cast-iron pan with a tight-fitting lid

4 individual serving dishes or sterilized glass jars with airtight lids

SERVES 4

Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C) Gas 3.

Roughly cut the pork belly and shoulder into 2-inch/5-cm pieces and place in the cast-iron pan.

Add the brandy, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, allspice, orange peel, salt, and pepper. Pour over 4 cups/950 ml cold water, making sure the meat is covered. Stir, cover, and cook in the preheated oven for 4 hours.

Remove the pork from the oven and drain into a colander set over a bowl to catch the cooking juices. Remove the herbs and peel and return the pork to the pan. Gently shred the pork using two forks. Add ⅔ cup/150 ml of the reserved cooking juices and stir. Adjust the seasoning to taste and stir again to mix well.

Spoon the shredded pork into individual serving dishes or sterilized, size-appropriate glass jars and place a bay leaf on top. Let cool a little, then pour over enough melted butter to make a ½-inch/1-cm seal in serving dishes or a 1-inch/2.5-cm seal in jars. Screw the lids on tightly or cover with foil and refrigerate for 2 days before eating.

Serve with Garden Patch Pickles and sliced fresh bread.

COOKS’ NOTE: You can also seal the rillettes with pork fat or duck fat in place of the melted butter. Jars can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

CRISPY PORK BELLY BLUE CORN TACOS

These are the most delicious tacos imaginable—slivers of crispy grilled pork belly wrapped in a blue corn tortilla and topped with an array of veggies. Hit it with freshly squeezed lime and hot sauce and enjoy with a frosty beer. If you can’t find blue corn tortillas, use corn or flour.

2 lb./900 g pork belly, skin off

2 bay leaves

¼ cup/60 ml white wine

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

7-oz/198-g can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

12 blue corn tortillas

yellow corn oil or vegetable oil, for brushing the grate

TO SERVE

lime wedges, lettuce, tomatoes, radishes, onions, cilantro/coriander, queso fresco, and hot sauces

SERVES 6

Place the pork in a lidded pan and add the bay leaves, white wine, salt, and peppercorns. Pour in enough cold water (about 2 quarts/2 litres) to cover the pork by 2 inches/5 cm. Cover and bring to the boil over medium–high heat, then reduce the heat and let the pork simmer for 1½ hours.

Place the chipotle peppers, along with the sauce, in a bowl and mash with a fork. Set aside.

Remove the pork from the pan and place on a cutting board. Cover and let it rest and cool for 10 minutes.

Heat the grill/barbecue to medium–high. Brush the grate with oil.

Slice the pork 1½ inches/4 cm thick. Using a pastry brush, coat both sides of the pork slices with a little of the chipotle mix. Place the pork on the grill and cook for 2 minutes. Using tongs, turn the slices over and cook for another 2–3 minutes until crispy and slightly charred. Remove and place on a large platter.

Place the tortillas on the grill and cook for a minute on each side. Remove to a plate.

Serve with the lime wedges, toppings, and hot sauces and have your guests build their own tacos.

FISH TACOS

WITH AVOCADO CREMA

Tacos are a staple of Californian fast food. The streets of LA are full