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BBQ Prawns with Thai Salad

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BBQ-prawn-and-thai-mango-salad

The prawns were marinated in lime juice, olive oil, diced chilli, coriander and black pepper, then cooked on the BBQ.

The salad consisted of lettuce leaves, sliced eschallots, diced mango, sliced avocado, chopped coriander and basil leaves, diced chilli.

Topped with a dressing of fish sauce, lime juice and palm sugar, and toasted coconut slivers.

Healthy and delicious.

BBQ Sardines in Vine Leaves

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BBQ-vine-sardines

So simple. Incredibly tasty. Fresh sardines marinated with garlic, oregano. olive oil. salt and black pepper.

Wrap in blanched vine leaves. Cook on BBQ for about 3 minutes each side.

Magnificent.

BBQ Rum & Coke Pork Belly

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BBQ-pork-belly

BBQ Rum & Coke Pork Belly
 
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Recipe type: Main
Ingredients
  • 2-3 kg Pork Belly
  • 2-2.5 liters Coca Cola
  • 2 Star Anise
  • 3 Cinnamon sticks
  • ½ bunch Coriander leaves
  • 2 Green Chillies (sliced)
  • 500 g Sugar
  • 500 ml Malt Vinegar
  • 2 Red Chillies
  • 200 ml Tomato Sauce
  • 200 ml HP Sauce
  • 100 g Horseradish (creamed)
  • 100 ml Dark Rum
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 180 C. Place pork in a large flameproof roasting dish. Add Coca Cola to cover pork. Add star anise and 1 cinnamon stick. Heat dish on stove until liquid is simmering. Place in oven and cook for 2 to 2½ hours util pork is very tender. If necessary add a little boiling water to top up the liquid, otherwise the skin will burn. Remove pork from liquid. Discard liquid.
  2. While pork is cooking, combine sugar with enough water to make a think paste. Cook in a saucepan on medium heat until golden. Remove from heat and add 2 cinnamon sticks, chillies and malt vinegar. Cook until mixture has reduced to the previous consistency, Stir in tomato and HP sauces and continue to cook and reduce again. Add horseradish and rum and allow to cool.
  3. Slice pork into 3 cm wide 'rashers'. Place in a large dish, cover with marinade and cling film and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
  4. Cook pork on covered charcoal barbecue for 10-15 minutes, basting occasionally, or in oven at 200 C, covered. Serve with sliced green chillies and coriander.

fennelOK it’s not the best photo, but hey. The pork belly was served with the following:

  • Fennel sauted in butter and garlic oil, then simmered with crispy pieces of speck and verjuice
  • Sliced leeks sauted in butter, then simmer in a strained reduction of chicken stock, sliced red onion, black peppercorns, thyme and dried chanterelle mushrooms
  • Asparagus pan-seared in garlic oil
  • Sliced green chilli, coriander leaves and a piece of pistachio praline

I have to say that everything worked amazingly well. The pork was incredibly soft, vegetables full of flavour. The praline was probably unnecessary as the marinade was very sweet.

robert-johnsonServed up with a lovely Eden Valley riesling by Robert Johnson. Some friends and I visited Robert’s cellar door in Lobethal last weekend. Robert makes stunning wine and is a gracious and interesting host. He’s a veteran winemaker. Both whites and reds are full of fruit, very drinkable now or later, and quite reasonably priced. Excellent.

BBQ Chicken Heart Skewers

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BBQ-chicken-hearts

 

Yes, you read it correctly. When I was in Brazil in 2008 I ate some charcoal cooked chicken hearts and they were fantastic! No, really! So, when I saw chicken hearts at the supermarket this week…

The first few I simply cooked quickly on high heat in a pan with smoked paprika and pepper and then glazed them with brandy. Excellent.

Tonight’s batch were BBQed on the Weber with hickory wood for smoking. The recipe comes from Stephane Reynaud’s Barbecue. Reynaud is a French chef who has some excellent and left-field BBQ ideas.

The chicken hearts were marinated in the following

1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp ground turmeric
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
50 ml brandy (recipe said rum)
2 tbsp sweet soy sauce (keycap manis)

The hearts were put onto rosemary sprigs (courtesy of our local library’s rosemary hedge).

Cook over charcoal for about 10 minutes. Mine took longer, so they needed higher heat. They were a little rubbery. They ought to be crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

But I have to say that I loved them.