BBQ Feasts for Halcyon Days to Remember

The last Monday in May is public holiday in the UK, and seeing that it is the last one until August, it makes the nation bring out their barbeques. Even a brief glimpse of “Summer” Sun makes us all want to make the most of it, and you can’t really blame us to be honest, the UK doesn’t get its fair share of Sun or warm weather. When we DO get warm weather it turns us into a nation of sun worshippers and budding “Jamie Olivers”, but then again we’d take any excuse to chill and party with our friends and a barbeque is a brilliant place for a get-together. So, this week’s recipes are ideal for that there same barbeque, they are : – Jerk Spiced Ribs, Easy BBQ Beans and Baked Sea Bass with Romesco Sauce

My first recipe is Jerk Spiced Ribs Courtesy of Olive Magazine first published August 2009.

Serves 8, Ready in 2 hour 40 minutes

1 x Bunch of Spring Onions
1 tsp x Allspice Berries
2 x Baby Rack of Ribs or 2kg x Ready-Cut Ribs
Chicken Stock

Jerk Seasoning
3 x Red Chillies, chopped
3 x Garlic Cloves, peeled and chopped
A Small Chunk of Root Ginger, peeled and chopped
2 x Limes, juiced
6 x Sprigs Thyme, leaves stripped
A Small Bunch of Coriander, chopped
1 tsp x Cinnamon
3 x Cloves, ground in a pestle and mortar
2 tsp x Allspice Berries, ground in a pestle and mortar
3 tbsp x Dark Brown Sugar
4 tbsp x Groundnut Oil

Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Chop the dark green bits from the spring onions and put in a large roasting tin with the allspice berries. Add the rib racks and enough boiling water to just cover. Add a chicken stock cube or a splash of concentrated stock, cover with foil and cook for 2 hours. Drain off the cooking liquid and bits.

Chop the rest of the spring onions and put in a food processer with the rest of the jerk ingredients and half a cup of water. Blitz to a marinade. Rub all over the racks and leave for 30 minutes.

BBQ the ribs until browned (but not blackened). If cooking in the oven, increase the temperature to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 and roast for 30 minutes or until browned. Rest for 10 minutes then slice if using racks.

My next recipe is an ideal accompaniment to ANY barbeque Easy BBQ Beans Courtesy of Good Food Magazine February 2011.

Serves 6 (Easily doubled), Prep 5 mins, Cook 20 mins

1 tbsp x Olive Oil
1 x Onion, thinly sliced
2 x Garlic Cloves, chopped
1 tbsp x White or Red Wine Vinegar
1 heaped tbsp x Soft Brown Sugar
1 x 400g tin of Pinto Beans, drained and rinsed
400ml x Passata
1 tsp x Worcestershire Sauce or Vegetarian alternative (optional) 
A Small Bunch of Coriander, chopped

Heat the oil in a small pan. Fry onion until starting to brown, then add garlic and cook for 1 min. Add vinegar and sugar and cook until onions are caramelised. Stir in beans, passata, Worcestershire sauce (if using) and seasoning and simmer for 10-15 mins until thickened. Stir through coriander and serve.

My Final recipe is Baked Sea Bass with Romesco Sauce Courtesy of Good Food Magazine April 2007.

Serves 6 (Easily doubled), Prep 20 mins, Cook 45 mins

4 x Red Peppers, deseeded and cut into large chunks
2 x Yellow Peppers, deseeded and cut into large chunks
2 x Large Tomatoes, halved (choose on the vine for best flavour)
1 x Large Red Onion, cut into wedges
4 x Large Garlic Cloves
4 tbsp x Olive Oil, plus extra for drizzling
2 x 1kg Whole Line-Caught Sea Bass, scaled and gutted
2 x Lemons, thinly sliced
2 x Large Handfuls of Fresh Mixed Herbs (such as Rosemary and Thyme) 
2 tsp x Balsamic Vinegar
50g x Whole Hazelnuts, toasted

Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Tip all of the vegetables into a roasting tray with the unpeeled garlic cloves. Season, pour over 4 tbsp olive oil and toss together. Roast for 20 mins until starting to soften.

Pat the fish dry with kitchen paper, then slash the skin on both sides with a sharp knife. Season the inside of the fish, then stuff with the lemon slices and half of the herbs. Place on top of the veg, drizzle with more oil, scatter with the rest of the herbs, then roast for 20-25 mins. When the fish is cooked, the flesh will feel firmer and the dorsal fin (the large one on the back) will pull away easily.
Lift the fish and half of the vegetables onto a serving plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Spoon the rest of the vegetables and most of the juice from the roasting tray into a food processor. Add the vinegar and hazelnuts, blend until smooth, then check the seasoning. Serve the fish with the vegetables and sauce, lifting the fillets off the bone.

Tune into my show on 6 Towns Radio Sunday morning 8-10am “Under the Covers with TheRealTonyc” at http://6towns.co.uk/ It’s what your Sunday’s were made for.

If you have enjoyed my blog, or have tried out the recipes I have included and wish to comment, please feel free to do so by using the comment button or by visiting my guestbook, all comments and suggestions will be gratefully received.

Hope you enjoy!!….. ChefGarfy =D

Follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/therealtonyc
www.chefgarfy.blog.co.uk/
www.6towns.co.uk

Send Your Senses Back in Time

Time Travel is it really possible? Whoa!! I hear you say, this is a bit heavy for a recipe blog, but please bear with me and all will become clearer. So, Time Travel is it really possible? Well scientists are yet to prove whether it is physically possible to travel back, or forward, in time (although many television programmes beg to differ). However we it is possible for us to be transported back in time by the sight of picture, a scent or smell, a piece of music or a taste. Many is a time when you look at a picture from years ago, and you can immediately recall the event surrounding the picture and the faces in the picture. A familiar perfume or smell can remind us of a person or a place that we once near or visited, from years past. Hearing a recording of your favourite artist singing live whisks us back to a gig or concert that we once attended. Or a taste of your favourite dish sends us back to our first holiday abroad, when we first sampled the dishes, and the wonderful time we had on that vacation. This week’s recipes are my own little piece of time travel, they remind me of my first visit to Ibiza. They are Paella Fried Rice and White Fish with Spicy Beans and Chorizo.

My first recipe is Paella Fried Rice courtesy of Good Food Magazine first published May 2008.

Serves 4, Prep 5 mins, Cook 5 mins

1 tbsp x Vegetable Oil
2 x Small Chorizo Sausages, cut into slices
1 x Onion, sliced
1 x Garlic Clove, chopped
½ tsp x Ground Turmeric
600g x Cooked Plain Rice
200g x Frozen Cooked Prawns
100g x Frozen Peas
Lemon Wedges, to serve

Heat oil in a frying pan. Tip in the chorizo, onion and garlic, then cook for a couple of mins until softened. Stir through turmeric, followed by the rice, prawns and peas and 150ml boiling water.
Keep stirring until everything is warmed through and the water has been absorbed. Serve with lemon wedges.

And my final recipe is White Fish with Spicy Beans and Chorizo courtesy of Good Food Magazine October 2008.

Serves 4, Prep 5 mins, Cook 15 mins

1 tbsp x Olive Oil
1 x Onion, chopped
A Small Rosemary Sprig, leaves finely chopped
25g x Chorizo or other Spicy Sausage, chopped
2 x Fat Garlic Cloves, crushed
700g x Bottle of Passata
1 x 410g Can of Cannellini Beans in water, drained
200g x Shredded Green Cabbage
A Pinch of Sugar
4 x Skinless Chunky Fillets of Haddock or Cod

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then soften the onion for 5 mins. Add the rosemary, chorizo and garlic, then fry for 2 mins more until the chorizo is starting to crisp. Tip in the passata, beans, cabbage and sugar, season, then simmer for 5 mins.

Add the fish to the pan, leaving the tops of the fillets peeking out of the sauce, then cover with a lid and leave to cook for 3-5 mins or until the flesh flakes easily. Delicious served with crusty bread.

Tune into my show on 6 Towns Radio Sunday morning 8-10am “Under the Covers with TheRealTonyc” at http://6towns.co.uk/ It’s what your Sunday’s were made for.

If you have enjoyed my blog, or have tried out the recipes I have included and wish to comment, please feel free to do so by using the comment button or by visiting my guestbook, all comments and suggestions will be gratefully received.

Hope you enjoy!!….. ChefGarfy =D

Follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/therealtonyc
www.chefgarfy.blog.co.uk/
www.6towns.co.uk

May Your Day Be A Labour Free Holiday

This Monday is a public holiday here in the UK, and with it comes the yearning for family get-togethers, celebrations and more, importantly, barbeques. This holiday has been with us, more recently, since 1978, but ordinarily it dates back many centuries celebrated in the Northern Hemisphere as the Spring Festival on the 1st of May. Coincidentally the United Kingdom’s Act of Union, which bout together the Scotland and England came into effect on May 1st 1707. Barbeques are traditionally an invitation for carnivores to feast on chicken, steak and burgers, cremated in a time honoured fashion, however this doesn’t mean than vegetarians should miss out on family get-togethers, or just to be passed off with a salad or a plate of coleslaw. The following recipes should ensure that all party-goers are all catered for, in one form or another.

This week’s recipes are: – Pork, Apple & Sage Burger with Caramelised Onions & Chickpea & coriander burgers.

My first recipe is Pork, Apple & Sage Burger with Caramelised Onions Courtesy of Olive Magazine first printed April 2006.

Makes 4, Ready in 40 mins

900g x Minced Pork
1 x Onion , finely chopped
1 x Cooking Apple, peeled and finely grated
1 x Egg
A Handful of Sage

Caramelised Onions
3 x Onions, sliced
2 tbsp x Light Muscovado Sugar
Butter

To caramelise the onions, cook them with the sugar and a large knob of butter over a very gentle heat for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, mix all the burger ingredients together in a bowl and season well. Shape into four burgers, then fry over a medium heat for 6-7 minutes each side until cooked in the middle. Serve on toasted buns with the caramelised onions, a green salad and chunky chips.

My final recipe is Chickpea & coriander burgers courtesy of BBC Good Food Magazine first printed June 2011.

Serves 4, Prep 15 mins Cook 10 mins plus chilling

400g can chickpeas, drained
Zest of 1 Lemon , plus the juice of ½ a Lemon
1 tsp x Ground Cumin
A Small Bunch of Coriander, chopped
1 x Egg
100g x Fresh Breadcrumbs
1 x Medium Red Onion, ½ Diced, ½ Sliced
1 tbsp x Olive Oil
4 x Small Wholemeal Buns
1 x Large tomato, sliced to serve 
½ x Cucumber, sliced to serve 
Chilli sauce, to serve

In a food processor, whizz the chickpeas, lemon zest, lemon juice, cumin, half the coriander, the egg and some seasoning. Scrape into a bowl and mix with 80g of the breadcrumbs and the diced onions. Form 4 burgers, press remaining breadcrumbs onto both sides and chill for at least 10 mins.
Heat the oil in a frying pan until hot. Fry the burgers for 4 mins each side, keeping the heat on medium so they don’t burn. To serve, slice each bun and fill with a slice of tomato, a burger, a few red onion slices, some cucumber slices, a dollop of chilli sauce and the remaining coriander.

Tune into my show on 6 Towns Radio Sunday morning 8-10am “Under the Covers with TheRealTonyc” at http://6towns.co.uk/ It’s what your Sunday’s were made for.

If you have enjoyed my blog, or have tried out the recipes I have included and wish to comment, please feel free to do so by using the comment button or by visiting my guestbook, all comments and suggestions will be gratefully received.

Hope you enjoy!!….. ChefGarfy =D

Follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/therealtonyc
www.chefgarfy.blog.co.uk/
www.chefgarfyinfo.blog.co.uk
www.6towns.co.uk