RUTH PRETTY IS READY TO SIZZLE
LET THESE BOLD FLAVOURS AND COLOURFUL COMBINATIONS BRIGHTEN UP SUMMER BARBECUES
Iced Watermelon Smoothies
Into a blender put ½ a mediumsized, chilled watermelon that has been peeled, seeded and cut into chunks. Top up with ice and add about ¼ teaspoon of rose water, the juice of ½ lime and about ¼ cup caster sugar. Blend until smooth and taste — adding more rose water, lime juice or sugar as desired. Repeat the process with the other half of the watermelon. Pour into glasses. Garnish with sprigs of fresh mint and serve. Add gin to turn this smoothie into a deliciously refreshing cocktail.
LOTUS ROOT CRISPS
A salty and crunchy snack to have with drinks. I use the Mama San brand of lotus root, a root vegetable used in Asian cooking and available at Asian speciality stores. 1 x 454g packet frozen sliced
lotus root Canola oil for frying flaky sea salt Defrost the sliced lotus root under cold running water (work quickly, as it browns easily). Dry with a clean tea towel. Half-fill a saucepan (or deep-fryer) with canola oil. Heat until oil reaches 170°C (if a thermometer is unavailable, drop one slice of lotus root into oil — it should turn golden, not brown). Deep-fry the lotus root in batches for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden. Remove to a paper towel-lined tray and immediately sprinkle with salt. Serve when cool or store in an airtight container for up to three days. Makes about 60 crisps
Pork and Lemongrass Fritters with Kimchi Mayonnaise
For the fritters 500g pork mince 50g shredded cabbage ¼ cup panko crumbs 2 tablespoons coriander,
finely chopped ½ stick lemongrass,
finely chopped 2 tablespoons ginger, grated 1 clove garlic, crushed 2 tablespoons tomato chilli jam
or chilli sauce 2 teaspoons sesame oil ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper canola oil for barbecuing flaky sea salt to serve Kimchi Mayonnaise (see recipe) 100g finely chopped kimchi,
to serve (optional)
Put all the fritter ingredients in a bowl and use your hands to mix well. Shape into 25 small fritters and place on a tray lined with plastic wrap. Cover and refrigerate for one hour or overnight.
Heat barbecue flat plate to medium. Lightly brush one side of the fritters with canola oil and place oil side down onto the barbecue. Brush the tops with more canola oil. Cook until browned on both sides and cooked all the way through.
Remove from barbecue and sprinkle with salt. Serve hot accompanied with Kimchi Mayonnaise and a bowl of chopped kimchi. Serves 8 as a finger food KIMCHI MAYONNAISE Put 100g chopped kimchi, 100ml Kewpie mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon tamari soy sauce and ½ teaspoon sesame oil in a food processor or blender and mix until smooth. Cover and store in the fridge until ready to use. Makes about 1 cup
Barbecued Flatbread with Spiced Yoghurt
325ml warm water 1 tablespoon dried yeast ¾ teaspoon sugar 500g flour ¼ cup rosemary leaves,
finely chopped ¾ teaspoon flaky sea salt olive oil for greasing bowl Spiced Yoghurt (see recipe)
In the bowl of an electric mixer whisk together the water, yeast and sugar until yeast is dissolved. Whisk in half the flour. Cover and leave in a warm place for 10 to 20 minutes or until mixture begins to bubble.
Return bowl to mixer fitted with dough hook. Start the machine and gradually add the remaining flour, rosemary and salt. Continue mixing for 10 minutes after the last addition or until the dough feels slightly tacky and is smooth in appearance.
Lightly oil a large bowl, then add the dough. Turn it over so it is lightly coated in oil, then cover the bowl and leave in a warm place for 35 to 60 minutes or until dough has doubled in size.
Gently push a finger into the dough. If it’s ready, the indentation from the finger will remain there. If it’s not, the dough will bounce back.
Punch dough down and divide into 8 equal balls. On a lightly floured bench, roll each ball into a flat oval about 2mm thick. Place onto a lightly floured tray.
Cook on a medium dry barbecue plate for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until dough begins to bubble and brown in parts. Keep warm in a folded tea towel and serve with Spiced Yoghurt. Serves 8 SPICED YOGHURT Put 1 cup Greek-style yoghurt in a bowl and add ½ teaspoon ground cumin, 1 tablespoon sliced mint leaves, 1 tablespoon finely chopped Italian parsley, ¼ teaspoon flaky sea salt and ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Mix well and use immediately or cover and store in the fridge for a day before using. Serves 8
Soba Noodle, Wakame and Cucumber Salad
5g dried wakame seaweed 200g dried soba noodles 1 tablespoon sesame oil ½ cup spring onions, sliced 2 teaspoons caster sugar 1 tablespoon lemon juice ¼ teaspoon shichimi togarashi, a Japanese spice mix available at Asian speciality stores ½ cucumber, partially peeled and
thinly sliced ¼ cup coriander leaves
Cover seaweed with hot water and leave for 10 minutes to rehydrate. Drain.
Bring 2 litres of water to the boil. Add the noodles and stir for 30 seconds. Return to the boil and add 1 cup cold water. Bring back to the boil again. When noodles are al dente, drain well and transfer to a large bowl. Add the seaweed, sesame oil, most of the spring onions and shichimi togarashi. Toss well and taste for seasoning. Pile onto a platter and sprinkle with cucumber, coriander leaves and the remaining spring onions. Serves 8
Sesame-Crusted Beef Fillet Steaks with Barbecued Zucchini and Chilli Butter
½ cup tamari soy sauce 3 tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 2 teaspoons sesame oil 2 teaspoons mirin 2 teaspoons ginger,
finely grated 8 x beef fillet steaks (each
steak 120g to 150g) ½ cup black sesame seeds ½ cup white sesame seeds canola oil
Put the soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, mirin and ginger in a bowl and mix well. Add the steaks and turn to coat. Leave at room temperature for 20 minutes, then drain well and discard marinade.
Combine the sesame seeds on a tray. Roll sides of steak into sesame seeds.
Heat a barbecue flat-plate to medium hot. Drizzle surface of barbecue with a little oil and wipe off with paper towels. Lightly brush oil on all sides of the steaks. Place each steak on barbecue cut side down.
Brown on each side, then use tongs to turn steak gently onto seeded sides to let them brown. Allow 8 to 10 minutes for cooking in total, aiming for medium rare.
Remove from barbecue and rest away from heat, covered with a clean tea towel, for 5 to 10 minutes. Top each steak with a disc of Herbed Chilli Butter and serve with Barbecued Zucchini. BARBECUED ZUCCHINI Cut 8 zucchini into 1cmthick wedges and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Cook on a medium-hot barbecue for 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until just tender. Transfer to a bowl and season with flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper before serving. Serves 8 HERBED CHILLI BUTTER Put 250g diced, softened butter in a bowl and add ⅓ cup finely chopped parsley, 2 cloves crushed garlic, freshly grated zest of 1 lemon, 1 deseeded and finely chopped red chilli and ½ teaspoon salt. Beat together and form into a 3 to 4cm diameter log. Wrap in foil and refrigerate until required. When ready to use, cut 8 discs from the log and refrigerate or freeze the remainder to use another time.
Ginger and Soy Salmon
Put 4 whole star anise, 2 tablespoons finely grated root ginger, 3 tablespoons tamari soy sauce and 1 tablespoon brown sugar in a large dish. Add a 1.2kg to 1.5kg side of salmon (preferably skin on, bone out) and turn to coat. Transfer to the fridge and allow to marinate for at least one hour or overnight.
When ready to cook, remove the salmon from the marinade and heat a barbecue flat-plate to medium. To make things easy, place a Teflon sheet on the barbecue and put the salmon on top, skin side up. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes before carefully turning over salmon (fold Teflon sheet over the salmon and with two pairs of tongs pick up all four corners to flip the salmon over). Cook salmon for a further 4 to 5 minutes basting liberally with the reserved marinade, or until salmon is medium-rare.
Use the Teflon sheet to transfer the salmon carefully to a large platter — or use two pairs of hands and two barbecue scrapers. Garnish with lime quarters and microgreens before serving.
Ginger, Lime and Peppermint Rock Melon with Mango Sorbet
If mint grows well in your garden, peppermint will thrive there too. 1 rock melon, skin and seeds removed 1 tablespoon preserved ginger in
syrup, finely chopped 2 tablespoons ginger syrup (drained from jar of preserved ginger in syrup) 2 tablespoons lime juice 2 tablespoons peppermint leaves 1 to 2 limes, sliced thinly
Cut melon into wedges and place on a platter. Add ginger, ginger syrup and lime juice and toss together. Scatter lime slices and peppermint leaves over melon. Serve with Mango Sorbet.
Mango Sorbet
240g sugar 600g water 600g frozen mango flesh, defrosted 1 tablespoon white wine or Grand Marnièr 1 teaspoon lemon juice pinch salt
Put the sugar and water in a small saucepan set over low heat. Stir to dissolve, then increase the heat and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, then cool to room temperature.
Put the mango in a food processor and pulse until just pulpy. Push through a fine sieve into a bowl (you should get 500g pulp). Stir in the cooled sugar syrup, white wine, lemon juice and salt. Use an ice-cream machine to freeze or pour the mixture into a lidded plastic container and freeze until solid. Shortly before serving, place in food processor and process until smooth. Return to the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes and scoop to serve. Serves 8