A barbecue? Flamin’ marvellous
Summer time and the entertaining is easy – especially when meals revolve around the barbecue and salads, says NZ House & Garden’s Sally Butters.
Grilled marinated lamb skewers
For best flavour, allow at least 24 hours marinating time for these kebabs. Once that’s done, all that’s left to do is grill them and enjoy them.
1.5kg lean lamb (such as leg, rump or fillet), cut into bite-sized cubes
Marinade
1⁄ cup olive oil
52 cloves garlic, crushed
2 lemons, finely grated zest of both
and juice from 1
1 tbsp cumin seeds, dry roasted
and roughly crushed
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1⁄2 tsp ground allspice
1 red chilli, seeded and finely
chopped
1 tbsp liquid honey
1⁄2 cup each: chopped mint and
oregano leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
to taste
Combine marinade ingredients in a non-reactive bowl. Add the cubed lamb and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. Thread lamb onto metal or soaked bamboo skewers. Reserve the marinade for basting.
Cook skewers on a barbecue or under a hot grill, brushing often with the marinade and turning once during cooking – about 5 minutes for medium rare. Serves 8
Tomato & herb couscous
Couscous is such a great summer holiday salad base, as it doesn’t require any real cooking – simply boil the jug.
2 cups instant couscous
2 tbsp olive oil
1⁄2 tsp salt
2 cups boiling water
500g cherry tomatoes
1⁄4 cup olive oil
2 small red onions, sliced into rings 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1⁄2 tsp ground cumin
1⁄2 tsp ground cinnamon
35g pine nuts, lightly toasted
35g sliced almonds, lightly toasted 1⁄2 cup sultanas
11⁄2 tbsp liquid honey
1⁄3 cup red wine vinegar
1⁄2 cup mixed fresh herbs, roughly chopped, for example coriander leaves, basil, parsley, mint
1 cup rocket leaves, roughly torn Place couscous in a large bowl and mix through the salt and oil using your fingertips. Pour the boiling water over, mix well and set aside for 15 minutes. Using a fork, fluff up the grains.
Cut half the cherry tomatoes in half. Spray the remaining whole tomatoes with a little oil and grill on a barbecue or grill pan until just starting to char.
Heat the 1⁄4 cup oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add red onions, garlic, cumin and cinnamon and cook until onion starts to caramelise.
Add nuts, sultanas, honey and vinegar. Increase heat and cook while stirring until vinegar has almost evaporated. Cool slightly then mix into the couscous with the fresh herbs, rocket and tomatoes. Season to taste. Serve at room temperature. Serves 6-8
Courgette & feta fritters with tzatziki
These delicious fritters make a great snack, starter or light meal. Making the tzatziki a few hours ahead is a good idea, to allow the flavours time to meld.
Fritters
2 cups grated courgettes (about
3 medium)
1 tsp salt
2 spring onions, finely sliced 1 clove garlic, crushed
60g self-raising flour 2 eggs, lightly beaten
1⁄4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg 60g feta, broken into small pieces 1⁄3 cup mint leaves, chopped Olive oil for frying
Tzatziki
1 medium telegraph cucumber 11⁄2 cups greek yoghurt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1⁄3 cup each: chopped mint and
coriander leaves
2 tbsp chopped chives
Fritters: Combine courgettes and salt in a colander. Leave to drain for 20 minutes then use your hands to squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
Place courgettes in a bowl and combine with remaining fritter ingredients, seasoning to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Heat about 5mm oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Place heaped tablespoons of mixture into the pan, flattening them slightly, and cook for about 3 minutes each side until golden and crisp. Serve warm with tzatziki. Makes 8-10
Tzatziki: Grate cucumber with skin on then squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Place in a bowl and mix in remaining ingredients, seasoning to taste with flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover and refrigerate until needed. Makes about 2 cups