Tom Kerridge's barbecue favourites from BLTs to smoky prawns and lamb koftas

26 August 2023 , 15:55

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Barbecue recipes for a Bank Holiday weekend

The great British weather can never be relied upon to give your Bank Holiday weekend a boost but these tasty recipes most certainly will.

From simple but brilliant BLTs to flavour-packed tofu skewers, we bring you the ultimate barbecue dishes from Tom Kerridge. The Michelin-starred chef, 50, says: “Cooking outside is all about having fun and creating memories but just because it’s laid-back, it doesn’t mean it can’t be special. I’ll show you how to introduce loads of amazing flavour through fire and smoke.”

Barbecued chicken BLT

Tom says: “One of the nation’s best-loved sandwiches has been given an upgrade by adding chicken that’s been cooked on the barbecue to take on that irresistible flame-grilled taste. Full of fresh, light flavours, the herby mustard mayo is amazing with the smoky bacon.”

Tom Kerridge

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INGREDIENTS:

■ 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs

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■ 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

■ 2 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked and finely chopped

■ 2 tbsp olive oil

■ 8 rashers of smoked streaky bacon

■ Salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE HERBY MUSTARD MAYO:

■ 4 tbsp mayonnaise

■ 2 tbsp soured cream

■ 2 tbsp finely chopped dill leaves

■ 3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce

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■ 2 dashes of hot sauce

■ 2 tsp mild American mustard

■ A pinch of cayenne pepper

TO ASSEMBLE:

■ 4 large seeded brioche burger buns

■ 2 ripe avocados

■ 2 large tomatoes, sliced

■ 2 little gem lettuce, leaves separated

METHOD: Flatten the chicken thighs between two sheets of baking paper by bashing with a rolling pin until they are about 1cm thick. Remove the paper. Lay the chicken thighs in a shallow dish and add the garlic, rosemary and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and rub the herby, garlicky oil into the chicken. Set aside to marinate. For the herby mustard mayo, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and season with salt and a little pepper. Set aside. Your barbecue will be ready to cook the chicken once the embers have cooled. Cut the burger buns in half and toast on your barbecue until lightly charred. Remove and set aside. Lay the chicken thighs on the barbecue and cook for3–4 minutes on each side (depending on the heat of your barbecue) until tender, adding the bacon as you turn the chicken. The rashers will take around 1 minute on each side. Once cooked, remove the chicken and bacon from the barbecue and place on a tray to rest. Halve, peel, de-stone and slice the avocados. To assemble the burgers, spread some herby mayo on the bottom of each burger bun and add a couple of chicken thighs. Layer the tomato,bacon, avocado and lettuce on top. Spread another spoonful of mayo on the top half of each bun. Sandwich together and serve.

Three-cheese quesadillas

Tom says: “Each cheese brings its own unique qualities to these deliciously rich quesadillas: mozzarella goes gooey and stretchy, cheddar lends a sharp saltiness, while blue cheese offers punchy acidity. The tortilla crisps up as it cooks, which delivers a great mix of textures.”

INGREDIENTS:

■ 1 tbsp olive oil

■ 30g butter

■ 4 garlic cloves,sliced

■ 300g chestnut mushrooms, thickly sliced

■ 4 large flour tortillas

■ 80g blue cheese, finely crumbled

■ 120g mozzarella, grated

■ 120g Cheddar,grated

■ 3 fresh jalapeno chillies, thickly sliced

■ Olive oil to brush

■ Salt and freshly ground black pepper

■ Mixed salad leaves to serve

Three-cheese quesadillas

Smoky prawns in foil

METHOD: Heat the olive oil and butter in a cast-iron pan on your hot barbecue. When hot, add the garlic to the pan and stir for a minute or so, until sizzling gently. Now add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 4–5 minutes or until they are softened and browned. Take the pan off the heat and leave to cool a little. Lay each tortilla out flat and make a cut from the centre to the bottom outer edge. In your mind, divide the tortilla into quarters. Distribute the blue cheese over the upper left-hand quarter and scatter the mushrooms on top. Fold the bottom left-hand corner of the tortilla up over the blue cheese and mushroom layer to enclose it. Scatter the mozzarella over the top right quarter then fold the top left (filled) quarter over to enclose. Lastly, sprinkle the cheddar and sliced jalapenos over the top right (filled) quarter and fold the bottom right quarter up and over to enclose all the filling. Brush the folded tortillas lightly with olive oil and place on the barbecue where you can achieve a medium heat. You don’t want them to brown too quickly before the cheese has melted, so keep a close eye on them. Once the cheese has melted and the tortillas are golden brown, lift them off the barbecue and serve with a mixed salad

Smoky prawns in foil

Tom says: “This no-hassle, no-mess dish is perfect for prepping ahead and sticking on the barbie as everyone arrives. The prawns steam-cook wrapped in foil, which locks in moisture to keep them juicy. Get people round the table as you undo the parcel to savour the incredible garlicky aroma.”

INGREDIENTS:

■ 600g large raw tiger prawns

■ 100g butter

■ 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

■ 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

■ 1 long red chilli, sliced

■ 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika

■ 80ml dry sherry

■ Salt and freshly ground pepper

TO SERVE:

■ 2 tbsp roughly chopped flatleaf parsley

■ Crusty bread

METHOD: First, peel the prawns, removing the heads but leaving the tail shells on. Using a sharp knife, make a small slit along the middle of the back to expose the dark intestinal vein. Prise this out with the tip of your knife and discard it. Tear off a 45cm length of foil and place it shiny side down on your work surface. Fold the foil in half, then create a pocket by sealing the sides. To do this, fold the foil edges over and over a few times, pressing firmly. Put the prawns into the foil pocket through the opening at the top.Put the butter, olive oil, garlic, chilli, smoked paprika and sherry into a small pan. Place over a high heat and let it bubble away for 2 minutes. Take off the heat and season well with salt and pepper. Pour the butter over the prawns in the foil pocket. Fold the foil edges together along the open side to seal the parcel completely. Place the foil parcel on your hot barbecue and cook for 12–15minutes, depending on the heat. You’ll be able to tell that it’s nearly ready when the envelope begins to puff up with steam. Remove the foil parcel from the barbecue, open it up carefully and tip the prawns and buttery juices into a serving bowl, then sprinkle with chopped parsley – or just rip it open, throw in the parsley and tuck in! Make sure there’s lots of crusty bread around to dunk in the juices. You can also cook the prawns in a sealed rigid foil container instead of a foil parcel, for better stability.

Sweet potato and black bean burgers

Tom says: “It’s all about the spicing in these veggie burgers – smoked paprika, cumin, garlic and chilli. Cooking the sweet potatoes directly on the coals makes them soft, squishy and even sweeter. Chopped nuts and breadcrumbs hold the burger mix together and provide some added bite.”

INGREDIENTS:

■ 2 large sweet potatoes (600gin total)

■ 2 x 400g tins black beans, kidney beans or borlotti beans, drained and rinsed

■ 75g panko breadcrumbs

■ 80g roasted cashew nuts, finely chopped

■ 1 tbsp ground cumin

■ 2 tsp hot smoked paprika

■ 1 tsp garlic powder

■ ½ tsp chilli powder

■ 1 tbsp vegetable oil

■ Salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE CHIPOTLE LIME MAYO:

■ 140g mayonnaise (or vegan mayo)

■ 30g chipotle chillies in adobo sauce, finely chopped

■ Juice of ½ lime

TO ASSEMBLE:

■ 6 burger buns,split

■ 6 slices of cheddar or Gruyère (optional)

■ 3 ripe avocados

■ Pickled jalapeno chillies (optional)

■ Lettuce or spinach leaves

Sweet potato and black bean burgers

Lamb koftas

METHOD: Wait for the hot embers on your barbecue to turn white. Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork and wrap each one in foil. Tuck them into the coals and cook for about 40 minutes, turning every 10 minutes or so. Meanwhile, tip the beans into a large bowl and mash roughly with a fork. Once cooked, unwrap the potatoes, let them cool slightly then halve and scoop the flesh directly onto the mashed beans. Add the breadcrumbs, cashews, spices and some salt and pepper. Mix well and check the seasoning. Divide into six portions and flatten into patties. Lay them on a tray, cover and place in the fridge to firm up for 1 hour. After about 45 minutes, heat up your barbecue again. Mix the chipotle lime mayo ingredients together in a bowl until evenly combined. Set aside. Heat the 1 tbsp oil in a large cast-iron frying pan on the barbecue. Add the patties and cook for 3–4 minutes on each side. Once you’ve turned them, toast the burger bun halves on the barbecue then set aside on a tray. If using cheese, lay the slices on top of the patties, add a little water to the pan and cover with a lid – the steam created will help to melt the cheese. Halve, peel and de-stone the avocados, then slice them lengthways, keeping them attached at the top. To assemble the burgers, spread a spoonful of the mayo on the bottom half of each toasted bun. Add a patty and lay a fanned avocado half on top. Spread more mayo on the bun top and sandwich the burger together, adding a few jalapenos if you’d like it extra-spicy! Serve the salad leaves on the side.

Lamb koftas

Tom says: “I love cooking lamb mince on the grill. It’s quite high in fat, so the koftas won’t dry out and they crisp up wonderfully on the surface. Lamb can take on as much flavour and heat as you want, so don’t be afraid to go big on the spicing. Lemon zest and mint sauce cut through the richness.”

INGREDIENTS:

■ A splash of vegetable oil

■ 1 onion, diced

■ 1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted

■ 1 tsp coriander seeds

■ 2 tsp cracked black pepper

■ 2 tsp salt

■ 800g lamb belly, minced

■ 4 garlic cloves, finely grated

■ 1 tsp ras el hanout

■ 1 tsp ready-made mint sauce

■ Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

■ 2 tbsp chopped parsley

■ 1 tbsp chopped coriander

TO SERVE:

■ Lemon wedges

■ Coriander leaves

■ Spicy fennel and pomegranate slaw

METHOD: Heat the oil in a frying pan on the hob and fry the diced onion over a medium heat for 8–10 minutes until soft. Take off the heat and leave to cool. Meanwhile, using a pestle and mortar, grind the spices and salt together until you have a fine spice mix. Put the lamb mince into a large bowl with the cooled onion, garlic, ground spice mix, ras el hanout, mint sauce, lemon zest and herbs. Mix well with your hands. Divide the mixture into eight equal portions and roll each into a sausage-shaped kofta. Lay them on a lined tray and chill in the fridge for 1 hour, to firm up. When you are ready to cook the koftas, take them from the fridge. Place on the edges of your hot barbecue to achieve a medium heat – as these koftas tend to release some fat, it’s best not to have them over a direct flame. Cook for around 8minutes, turning regularly. Once cooked, serve the lamb koftas on a platter with lemon wedges. Garnish with coriander and serve with the fennel and pomegranate slaw alongside.

Tofu and veg skewers

Tom says: “Tofu is an amazing ingredient because it acts like a flavour sponge. The soy, honey and sesame marinade for the seskewers is absorbed by the tofu and doubles as a deliciously sticky glaze. Courgettes and baby corn provide a lovely contrasting crunch.”

INGREDIENTS:

■ 400g firm tofu

■ 150g baby corn

■ 150g small courgettes

■ 150g mushrooms

■ 150g Romano peppers, halved, cored and deseeded

■ Salt

FOR THE MARINADE:

■ 4 tbsp soy sauce (Kikkoman)

■ 2 tbsp honey

■ 5cm piece of fresh ginger, finely grated

■ 2 tbsp sesame oil

■ 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

■ 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

TO SERVE:

■ 2 spring onions, finely sliced

■ Sweet chilli dipping sauce

METHOD: If using wooden skewers, pre-soak them in water for 30 minutes to avoid scorching. Cut the tofu into 2cm cubes and place in a shallow dish. For the marinade, mix all the ingredients, except the sesame seeds, together in a bowl. Pour half of the marinade over the tofu, mix well and leave to marinate for 20 minutes, turning the cubes over at least once. Add the toasted sesame seeds to the rest of the marinade and set aside for brushing on the skewers during cooking. Bring a pan of water to the boil and season with a pinch of salt. Add the corn and cook for 2–3 minutes. Drain and cool. Cut the baby corn, courgettes, mushrooms and peppers into 2cm pieces. Thread the marinated tofu and veg pieces onto 8 skewers, alternating them. Place the skewers on a medium-hot barbecue and cook for around 10–12 minutes, brushing them regularly with the remaining marinade and turning often. When the veg is lightly charred in places and cooked through, lift the skewers off the barbecue. Place the skewers on a warmed serving platter. Scatter the sliced spring onions over them and serve at once, with the sweet chilli dipping sauce.

* Tom Kerridge’s Outdoor Cooking, published by Bloomsbury, is available now in hardback, priced at £22.

Laura Connor