Eight steps to the perfect Borough Market barbecue
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Go low and slow. There are few things more packed with flavour than the large, sinewy, hardworking muscle of a free-range animal, cooked into melty submission in the gentle heat and subtle smoke of an oil drum or kamado-style barbecue over many hours. Head to Northfield Farm or Ginger Pig for high-welfare brisket, Jacob’s ladder, beef featherblade, pork shoulder, pork collar, lamb shoulder and other such beautiful, burly proteins.
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Flatten your chicken. Cook whole birds on the barbecue after having them skilfully spatchcocked by Wyndham House Poultry or one of the other Borough Market butchers. This involves removing the backbone and flattening the chicken (or other poultry), allowing it to cook more quickly while ensuring the fattier parts keep the breast from drying out.
Land some sardines. Call them ‘pilchards’, as was previously the case, and they don’t sound particularly appealing. Call them ‘sardines’, as is far more likely these days, and they’re suddenly imbued with Mediterranean
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glamour. Either way, they’re great on a barbecue: juicy and tender, with crispy skin and deeply flavoursome flesh. Wild-caught sardines landed by certified fleets in the English Channel and the Celtic Seas around the West Country are a highly sustainable option, and their appearance in our waters is perfectly timed for barbecue season. Head to Furness Fish Markets or Shellseekers Fish & Game to land your catch.
Embrace the aubergine. The aubergine is the ultimate barbecue vegetable, forgiving of intense heat, easily enhanced by a lick of smoke, and at its best when ripened in southern European summer sunshine. Slice lengthways, crosshatch, drizzle with fats and flavourings, then grill until tender and striped. Or else blacken the skin to the point of collapse and spoon out the creamy flesh to make baba ganoush or similar salads. You can do the latter directly on the coals – it’s always worth slinging a couple of aubergines into the diminishing heat of the barbecue as an ‘afterburner’ once you’ve finished your main cook.
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Spice it up. Cooking over fire is central to the cuisines of vast swathes of the world, reflected in the wide array of barbecuefriendly spice rubs and seasonings sold by our traders. Among many others, enjoy Pimento Hill’s Jamaican jerk seasoning, Arabica’s Levantine za’atar and ras el hanout, and Spice Mountain’s Korean barbecue blend, Japanese teriyaki, Tunisian tabil and Ethiopian berbere.
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THE AUBERGINE IS THE ULTIMATE BARBECUE VEGETABLE, FORGIVING OF INTENSE HEAT, EASILY ENHANCED BY A LICK OF SMOKE, AND AT ITS BEST WHEN RIPENED IN SOUTHERN EUROPEAN SUMMER SUNSHINE
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Grab some fats. Olive oil, abundant at Borough Market, is great for cooking veg, dressing just about everything, and binding herbs and spices to their target. But a trip to the Hook & Son dairy stand might also be in order. In our new book, Borough Market: The Knowledge, James Walters of Arabica explains: “When it comes to barbecue marinades, I sometimes use yoghurt or buttermilk rather than oil. They keep the meat really tender and help lock in those smoky flavours. If you have too much oil in the marinade it will flare up when the flames start kissing the meat, and the meat will end up tasting slightly acrid, like carbon.”
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Bring the heat. A good chilli sauce is an essential barbecue condiment. Doreen at De La Grenade imports hers from the Caribbean island of Grenada, including the helpfully named Hot Pepper Sauce and Very Hot Pepper Sauce. Wiltshire Chilli Farm provides a wide range of outstanding sauces from the less tropical environs of Melksham.
Choose your charcoal. If you’re buying sustainable meat, fish and veg from Borough Market’s traders, apply the same level of consideration to your charcoal. In some parts of the world, its production is a major cause of destructive deforestation, making it vitally important we understand the provenence of our coals.
Barbecue expert James Whetlor says: “What we need to be doing is supporting a sustainable charcoal movement in the UK. If you’re a good charcoal maker, your job isn’t making charcoal. Your job is managing forest, clearing up canopy space for the forest to regenerate. Find someone who is looking after a portion of woodland and making charcoal as a by-product. Buy from them.”
BARBECUED COURGETTES, BURNT LEMON & ZA’ATAR
Ed Smith
Serves 6-8 as a side
Courgettes are a great vegetable to barbecue, especially when grilled briefly so they are browned on the outside yet remain relatively raw and crunchy within. In the summer, you’ll find mounds of them at the Market, of all different shapes and sizes: straight, dark greens and yellows, of course, but also pale and speckled varieties, spherical, and long and bendy ones. This charred, herby salad, dressed with mellowed and jammy burnt lemons, shows how you can use a barbecue to cook and assemble exciting platters of seasonal food. Bolster it with ricotta, feta or fresh goat’s cheese to turn it into a more substantial dish. Try the same method with summer squash (patty pans) which you might stumble upon in August and September. If the weather’s inclement, you can also prepare this using a griddle pan.
Ingredients
1.2kg courgettes (different shapes and colours), cut into 2-3cm-thick triangular wedges
1 lemon
1 mild red chilli, finely diced
4 sprigs of mint, leaves picked and shredded
20-30 basil leaves
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp za’atar
Method
Toss the courgette pieces in 1-2 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil. Thread the courgette pieces onto skewers (to avoid losing too many through the grill), ensuring the cut faces will be exposed to the heat, rather than the edges with skin. Lay over a hot barbecue and allow to blister and brown. If the courgettes have not softened too much (they should retain some bite), turn the skewers and colour them on another side, too. At the same time, cut the lemon in half and place the halves cut side down on the barbecue for a few minutes, leaving them to colour, soften and become sticky.
Transfer the cooked courgettes to a bowl or tray. Squeeze the jammy lemon juice over and add lots of flaky sea salt, black pepper, the diced chilli, three quarters of the fresh herbs and all the extra virgin olive oil. Toss and leave for the flavours to mingle for 3-5 minutes, then tip onto a serving platter where the courgette pieces can be spread out. Add the remaining fresh herbs and sprinkle the za’atar liberally over the salad.
Recipe from The Borough Market Cookbook by Ed Smith (Hodder & Stoughton)
STICKY TAHINI & SWEET CHILLI AUBERGINES
Bettina Campolucci Bordi
Serves 2 as a main, 4 as a side
This is the dish that will make you fall in love with aubergines, highlighting their versatility and ability to absorb rich flavours. When grilled, the aubergines develop a tender, creamy texture with a slightly smoky char, enhancing their natural taste. The addition of sweet chilli sauce creates a sticky contrast, giving the dish a jammy coating that complements the aubergines perfectly. Tahini adds a nutty, creamy element, while fresh mint leaves provide a burst of herbal notes. Pine nuts and pomegranate seeds add crunch and sprinkles of sweetness, making this a mouthwatering dish!
Ingredients
2 big aubergines
4 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
4-5 tbsp tahini
A handful of fresh mint leaves
A handful of pine nuts
A handful of pomegranate seeds
Method
Heat either your barbecue or the grill of your oven. If using an oven grill, line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Drizzle the whole aubergines with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Grill the aubergines for 20 mins, turning occasionally, until tender and slightly charred.
Cut the aubergines in half lengthways and spread a generous amount of sweet chilli sauce over the flesh of each half. Return them to the barbecue or grill and cook for an additional 10 mins, until the sweet chilli sauce becomes sticky and jammy.
Transfer the aubergines to a serving dish. Drizzle with tahini and sprinkle with fresh mint leaves, pine nuts and pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately.
GRILLED LITTLE GEM WITH PISTACHIO & GARLIC YOGHURT
James Whetlor
Serves 4 Ingredients
4 little gem lettuces, cut in half lengthways
150g plain yoghurt
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp cumin seeds, lightly crushed
1 lemon, cut into wedges
50g pistachios, lightly toasted
1 tbsp za’atar
1 x 400g can of chickpeas, rinsed and patted dry
A small handful of chopped oregano
Method
Heat the barbecue to a medium heat. Toss the lettuces with 1 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt. Place on the heat and grill, cutside down, for 3 mins, then turn and cook for a couple more minutes on the other side until nicely charred all over.
Place the yoghurt in a bowl and mix with the garlic, cumin, the juice of ½ lemon and a pinch of salt.
Spread the yoghurt over a platter, drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil and scatter over the nuts and za’atar.
Toss the grilled lettuce with the chickpeas in a bowl. Arrange the mix on the yoghurt, nuts and za’atar and serve with a squeeze of lemon and the chopped oregano.
Recipe from The DIY BBQ Cookbook by James Whetlor (Quadrille)
Yoghurt Kappacasein
RINGAN BHARTHA Urvesh Parvais
Serves 8
Ingredients
3 medium aubergines
2 x 2cm lengths of cinnamon
1 black cardamom pod, slightly split
1 green cardamom pod, slightly split
½ star anise
4 cloves
½ medium onion, finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
6g fresh ginger, finely chopped
20-25g hot green chilli, finely chopped
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
3½ tsp tomato puree
2 tbsp coriander leaves
1½ tsp garam masala
2 tsp lemon juice
Method
Over a hot barbecue, blister the skin of the aubergines. Using tongs, keep each vegetable turning. The skin will char, giving a lovely smoky flavour, but don’t overdo it: the flesh should still have some firmness to it when you’re finished.
Place the charred aubergines in a bowl until cool enough to peel. Do not allow to cool completely, as the skin is easier to peel while still warm.
Chop the aubergine flesh into 5-8mm dice and set aside. Reserve any of the juices released while peeling and chopping.
Next, temper the spices. Make sure you have all your spices measured out and close to hand, as the high heat means there’s a risk of burning the oil and the spices. Place a
thick-bottomed pan on the barbecue, then pour in 4 tbsp sunflower oil and continue to heat. To tell if the oil is hot enough, I drop in a mustard seed – if it pops immediately, the oil is ready.
Add the cinnamon, black and green cardamom, star anise and cloves. The cloves may pop, so keep the pan lid to hand – you’ll need to use it as a shield! The cloves should swell up and float on the surface, indicating the spices are ready, but don’t worry if this doesn’t happen – just make sure you don’t let the spices turn black.
Now add your onions – they will quickly cool the oil, ensuring the spices don’t burn. Move the pan to a cooler part of the barbecue and simmer until the onions have browned.
Add the garlic, ginger and nearly all the chopped chilli; the strength of chillies can vary, so it’s best to keep some aside and add more if you need it later. Allow this to cook for a couple of mins, add the ground coriander, cumin, turmeric and 1 tsp salt, then simmer until the aroma of the spices is released.
Add the aubergine flesh, tomato puree, chopped coriander and half the garam masala. Mix thoroughly and cook on a low heat for 7-8 mins, until the heat has permeated through the aubergine and allowed the flavours to intermingle.
Have a taste. If it needs more bite, add the rest of the garam masala and chilli a little at a time until you are happy with the balance of flavours. Add the lemon juice just before serving.
FIRE STARTER
James Whetlor on how to build and use a barbecue
James Whetlor started his cooking career at The Eagle, the legendary gastropub in Farringdon, before returning to his home county of Devon to work as a chef at River Cottage. He went on to found Cabrito Goat Meat, which takes kid goats that would otherwise be euthanised by the dairy industry and raises them within a network of highwelfare farms to supply meat to butchers and restaurants. James is also a whiz with a barbecue. His book The DIY BBQ Cook Book provides instructions and recipes for creating your own barbecue from upcycled scrap and inexpensive building materials.
You’re clearly a man who loves cooking outdoors over fire. What’s the appeal? The main thing that comes to mind is a Michael Pollan quote about how no one ever comes in and huddles around a microwave. There’s something deeply primal about cooking over fire. If you light a fire and start cooking over it, people instinctively come and sit next to you. That’s simply part of our makeup.
Also, cooking on a barbecue, you get flavours and textures that you just can’t with gas or electric. Boil up some purple sprouting broccoli on a hob and it’s delicious, but shove
it on a barbecue and you get all the flavour of the broccoli plus the extra smoke and the charred edges and the rough textures. If you put some chicken in a tandoori marinade and then roast it in the oven, it’ll taste perfectly good, but it won’t have those seared edges and amazing variations in flavour and texture.
Finally, it’s enforced relaxation, because you can’t really leave it alone. If your life is as busy as mine, with two kids and work, having an enforced period where all you can do is basically sit in the garden watching something cook, that’s really good.
The DIY BBQ Cook Book explores how a barbecue can be conjured up from anything from a pile of breeze blocks to the drum of a washing machine. Are you a particularly practical man?
Not really. The first line of the book is: “I can’t put up a shelf.” That’s absolutely true. And the point is that you don’t have to have any real skills – just a bit of problem-solving and a certain amount of brute force. The book was born of my daughter’s sixth birthday. She wanted a party on the beach. I looked at my Big Green Egg barbecue and thought, I’m not lugging that all the way down. Instead, I picked up this washing machine drum that I’d
smashed out of a broken washing machine. I took one of the grills from the Egg and laid it on top, and thought, I’ll give that a go. It was such a success I began to I wonder what else I could knock up.
All you need for a barbecue is somewhere to put the fire, a grill over the top, and something to hold it all in place. Eight breeze blocks, a bit of chicken wire and a paving slab, and you’ve got yourself something that will cook a whole lamb leg perfectly. A proper tandoor costs about £400 to buy, but you can buy three flowerpots and a bag of sand and make yourself a tandoor for £50.
Does that approach of making something out of very little take us closer to the roots of American barbecue culture than a super-sophisticated outdoor oven costing hundreds of pounds?
I think it’s important with barbecue culture that we acknowledge where it’s from. I built a breeze-block smoker for the book, and I was very conscious that this technique of cooking – dig trenches, fill them with coals, splay the pigs out on top of iron poles and hang them over the trenches – is directly lifted from the Virginia tobacco plantations of the 16th, 17th century in America. That whole style of
cooking came from enslaved Black people who had been stolen from Senegambia and brought across the Atlantic. These enslaved people kept part of their culture alive to such a degree that it seeped into US food. If you’ve ever seen Gone With The Wind, they have those amazing parties, all that amazing food, but who do you think cooked all the food? It was enslaved Black people using techniques we still use today and now celebrate as American barbecue culture.
In the book, you write in depth about the historic roots of US barbecue, but your recipes take in many other culinary influences, from Moroccan to Ethiopian, to Indian. What was behind that choice?
I love brisket and pork butts and sticky sauces and chicken wings and all that classic American stuff, but there are other parts of the world where people have been cooking over fire for longer than the USA has existed. According to the World Health Organisation, over half the population of the world still cooks over wood or charcoal every day. British barbecuing has come a long way in the past 10 years, and as we do with most things we’ve pointed our antennae towards America, but there’s much more diversity in barbecuing than we’re sometimes led to believe.
IN AN IDEAL WORLD, YOU SHOULD KNOW THE NAME OF THE FARMER WHO PRODUCED YOUR MEAT. THAT ISN’T VERY EASY TO DO, BUT WITHIN A FEW MILES OF YOU THERE’S A VERY GOOD BUTCHER WHO DOES KNOW THE NAME OF THE FARMER – AND THAT’S GOOD ENOUGH
underestimate about butchers is you can walk in there with questions. You can say: “I’ve got these people coming, I’ve got this to cook on, I quite fancy it tasting like this.” Your butcher will go: “Well, here are your options.” They know food, and they’ve made it their job to know food.
What’s the secret when it comes to barbecuing fish?
Let’s talk ingredients. What difference does the quality of meat make when you’re cooking on a barbecue?
A massive difference. If you’re eating rubbish meat from animals that have not been fed the best diets and not had the most exercise, it won’t have the flavour, the texture, the fat content. Sure, you can cover a lot of shortfalls in meat quality by covering it in a lot of sauce or smoking the hell out of it so it tastes of something other than the product, but that’s not the way I think. I learnt to cook at The Eagle. They might as well have tattooed it onto your skull: buy the best products you can and don’t mess with them. For ethical reasons, we should obviously be supporting higher-welfare, better-cared-for animals that come from a good supply chain that cares about its standards, but the meat tastes better too.
So, how should be go about sourcing meat?
In an ideal world, you should know the name of the farmer who produced your meat. I appreciate that for many people that isn’t very easy to do, but within a few miles of you there’s probably a very good butcher who does know the name of the farmer – and that’s good enough. The other thing that people
The trick is ‘hot’. I would always recommend people cook whole fish, because it will inherently hold itself together better than a fillet. Make sure it’s properly oiled, make sure it’s properly seasoned, and then cook it like you would a steak. I think that’s the way to think about it. Get the barbecue really, really hot, drop it on, and then whatever you do don’t fiddle with it. If you leave it alone, the skin won’t stick and you’ll get those little ridges where the grills are, and loads of nice little burnt crispy bits that give you lots of different flavours and textures. When you turn it, get your spoon or spatula under the top ridge of the fish and flip it over its belly. That way you, it should hold together. You’ll know it’s done once its eyes go white.
It’s not all about the protein though, is it? Unsurprisingly, as a former River Cottage chef, you take veg very seriously. The seasonal stuff is just fantastic, right? Buy the best seasonal veg you can, stick it on the barbecue, a squeeze of lemon, a bit of salt, and eat it – amazing. For the book, we did some photography at Trill Farm Garden in Devon. They’ve got five acres, it’s all organic, and honestly, it is unbelievable what they achieve in that space. It was the end of August, so almost the perfect time to be barbecuing, and I had a load of their hispi cabbage, a load of leeks, a load of tomatoes. It all went on this massive barbecue that I’d built. Veg doesn’t require the tending and the prep and the cooking time that meat demands. Maybe trim it a little bit, marinate it and cook it for a few minutes. I was just cutting them in half, dipping them in olive oil, and throwing them on the fire. They were coming back charred and succulent and juicy. Just make sure your veg is properly seasoned, and you’ll have something genuinely fantastic in a matter of minutes.
SCOTCH BONNET SMOKED MACKEREL SALAD
Melissa Thompson
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 mackerel, butterflied
2 tbsp Scotch Bonnet Chilli & Pimento Salt
2 corn cobs, in their husks
2 red peppers
6 banana shallots, unpeeled
200g new potatoes, halved and parboiled 150g peas in their pods (optional)
2 tbsp rapeseed or vegetable oil
3 tbsp Scotch Bonnet Chilli Jam
12 large lettuce leaves, washed and roughly torn into smaller pieces
1 lemon, cut into wedges, to garnish Parsley or chives, to garnish (optional)
A handful of applewood chips, soaked in water (optional)
For the dressing:
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Scotch Bonnet Chilli Jam
1 lemon, juice and zest
½ tsp ground black pepper
A pinch of salt
Method
Place the mackerel flat on a tray, cut-side up. Sprinkle the flesh with the Scotch Bonnet Chilli & Pimento Salt and gently rub all over. Refrigerate uncovered for 1 hour, then rinse thoroughly and pat dry. Return to the fridge uncovered for 2 hours.
Make the dressing by mixing all ingredients together. Set aside.
Soak the corn cobs in water, keeping their husks on. Light your barbecue with the coals to one side. Once the coals are ready, fully open the top vents and half-open the bottom vents. Aim for a temperature of 180-200C.
Put the red peppers and shallots on the grill over the coals. Dress the potatoes and peas in the oil and a pinch of salt and add them to the grill (use a grill basket if you have one). Remove the corn cobs from the water and place onto the grill, away from the coals, still in their husks. Close the lid.
Check on the peppers and shallots every 5 mins or so, turning until blackened and soft. The shallots will take around 15 mins and the peppers 20-25 mins. Once ready, remove to a bowl and cover with a towel. Leave for 10 mins before peeling and tearing into strips.
Once the corn kernels are bright yellow and plump, remove the husks and return the cobs to the fire, turning regularly until golden all over. Remove from the grill and chop into three pieces each. Keep turning the potatoes until golden all over, then remove.
To add a subtle smokiness to the fish, you might want add a handful of pre-soaked applewood chips to the coals at this stage. Take the mackerel out of the fridge and pat down to dry. Lay skin-side down on the grill away from the coals to cook indirectly. Make sure the fish are at least 6cm from the coals. Close the lid and cook for 15-20 mins.
Add the Scotch Bonnet Chilli Jam to a heatproof bowl and place in the barbecue to loosen. Once the mackerel is cooked, brush the jam all over as thickly as possible, and then close the lid for a final 5 mins.
Add the lettuce leaves and cooked vegetables to a large bowl and stir in the dressing. Layer onto a large serving platter, leaves first followed by the potatoes and corn. Finally, lay the shallots and red pepper strips over the top. Lay the mackerel on top, in the middle. Garnish with chives, parsley and lemon wedges.
Where to buy
Scotch Bonnet Chilli & Pimento Salt, Scotch Bonnet Chilli Jam Pimento Hill
This salad would also work wonderfully well with squid or cuttlefish, which will take just seconds to cook from raw on the barbie. Sear the translucent tubes and tentacles until they turn opaque.
Ingredients
1-1.5kg cleaned octopus
1-2 red chillies, sliced in half
4 cloves of garlic, whole but crushed
1 large bunch of flat leaf parsley
½ tsp salt
150ml extra virgin olive oil
1 x 660g jar of butter beans, drained
6 roasted piquillo peppers (about 100g), sliced
2 lemons, cut into segments
Method
This is a dish for which you can get everything ready in advance, leaving just the charring of the octopus on the barbecue until the last minute – a real show stopper.
Freezing the octopus will help tenderise the flesh, but be sure that it is completely thawed before cooking. Cut the tentacles off just below the eyes and then cut the head away from just above. Throw away the eye section and push your little finger through the centre of the tentacles to remove the little thorn-like beak.
Take a small saucepan and pack in the octopus’ head and tentacles with the chillies, garlic, parsley stalks (keeping the leaves for the salad), salt and the olive oil. The octopus should be almost covered by oil. Cover and place the pan on a really gentle heat, just a low simmer, for anything between 30 mins and 1 hour, until the flesh is tender when prodded with a fork.
Meanwhile, pour the beans onto a large serving dish and sprinkle with the sliced peppers and parsley leaves.
Once the octopus is ready, strain the fabulous hot juices over the bean salad. Taste and adjust with salt and lemon juice if required. You can refrigerate both the salad and octopus now, but be sure to eat it at room temperature.
Just before serving, use a barbecue to sear the octopus for a couple of seconds until it begins to char (a heated griddle pan will also do the job). Place on top of the salad with the lemon wedges and dig in.
COFFEE-RUBBED SEA BASS
James Whetlor
Serves 4
When I was looking into barbecue culture in the US, coffee came up quite a few times, particularly in relation to the food served at Karamu, the culmination of the Kwanzaa, the celebration of African American culture, which takes place annually at the end of December. I love the way the coffee adds a depth of flavour. If you’re using a whole fish rather than fillets, you can cook the sea bass directly on the coals, as pictured.
Ingredients
800g sea bass fillets (or sea bream), or use a whole fish
In a bowl, mix all the ingredients for the rub together, then rub all over the fish until thoroughly coated.
While the barbecue is heating up, make the ancho mayonnaise. Lightly toast the chilli (if using whole) in a dry frying pan over the barbecue for a couple of minutes on each side, then cover with boiling water for 5 mins. Drain and reserve the soaking liquid. In a blender, place the soaked chilli, along with all the other ingredients except the oil, and blend while slowly drizzling in the oil. Add a little of the chilli soaking liquid to thin it out if required, then season to taste.
Place the fish in a fish cage or basket and grill for 5-8 minutes until the flesh is just cooked through and flakes when you pull it apart (it depends on the thickness of the fish and the heat of the grill so keep an eye on it).
Serve the fish in tacos or flatbreads with the ancho mayonnaise, avocado and a wedge of lime.
Recipe from The DIY BBQ Cookbook by James Whetlor (Quadrille)
WHAT IT TAKES: SAUSAGE MAKING
Tim Wilson of Ginger Pig on a British barbecue favourite
Where did you discover a love of making sausages?
When I was a child, I was given The Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency by John Seymour, and in there was a basic recipe for pork sausages. That was the first recipe I knew. From then on, something about the idea of making sausages appealed. It’s the simplicity, I think. English sausages are just pork, pork fat, herbs if you want them, and some form of breadcrumb. You need bread to absorb the fat and retain the flavours – if you just put pork into a skin, as soon as you cooked it all, the fat would run out. With the breadcrumbs, you have to get the best quality you can, as is true of every element if you want a great sausage.
How many different types of sausage do you make?
new ideas. Some can be very strange ideas, like: “It’s Wimbledon, why don’t we make a strawberry based sausage?” I generally let them experiment, and accept that out of every five recipes one will be a blazing success and two will be unmitigated disasters.
What is the key to making good sausages? You need the right people. I have a guy in there at the moment who just loves making sausages. Not just the mechanics of it, but thinking of the recipes, trying new things. If you give the finest pork in the world, the best breadcrumbs and wonderful herbs to someone not in love with making sausages, it won’t work. Likewise, you can’t give someone who loves making sausages bad ingredients, because that won’t work either.
What is the starting point?
Visit boroughmarket.org.uk for more recipes @boroughmarket
At any one time, I would say we have about 20 sausages available at Ginger Pig. Personally, I would sell around 12, but if you have people who love making sausages, they are not happy to keep making the same recipes all the time. My sausage makers keep dreaming up
High quality, fresh meat. Pork arriving on Tuesday should be used up and sold by Saturday. It should arrive with the bone in and be prepared by the butcher. It is important that all the meat you are going to use is there
– you don’t want to mix fresh pork with meat from an older delivery. You cut it into strips and remove the skin, leaving the fat, because good sausages need that fat.
How do you create the flavourings?
This is often the trickiest part of the process, because you need consistency. For example, sage in April is very different from sage in December; fresh herbs are very different from dried herbs. After coming up with a recipe, the real skill lies in scaling the recipe up. It is not simply a case of using more of everything, because ingredients behave differently in large volumes, so the proportions may have to change to get the same flavour profile. It takes experience and skill to get it right.
How do you go about combining it all?
My way of making sausages is dropping the unseasoned meat through a mincer to get a nice coarse texture. Then you mix in the herb blends, add the breadcrumbs, then run it through the mincer again on a lighter setting. This combines everything thoroughly without the texture becoming too fine.
What happens next?
The sausage meat is now ready for the casings. I tend to use English hog skins and for small sausages like chipolatas, I use lambs’ intestines.
Does the amount of filling you pack into a sausage matter?
It definitely does. I want a sausage that is well packed. You have to get this just right, though, because if you overstuff the skins they burst when you are making the links. A well-packed sausage cooks more evenly, looks much more appetising and tastes better. Personally, I have no issue with sausages bursting while cooking.
What is the best recipe you’ve come up with?
A few years ago I created what I called the ‘winter sausage’: belly of pork, bread rusk, garlic, juniper berries and grated orange rind. It is lovely with mash on a winter’s day. I still do make them, but only very occasionally and only in winter – this is definitely not a summer sausage.
ANCHO HANGER STEAK WITH CHARRED CORN & JALAPEÑO SALSA
Leyli Homayoonfar
Serves 2
This recipe is a celebration of smoky, spicy and zesty ingredients that come together to create a truly unforgettable dish. Perfect for a special dinner for two, or a party of friends, it combines quick preparation with an impressive outcome.
Ingredients
For the ancho hanger steak:
250g hanger steak, butterflied
1 tsp ancho chilli powder
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp Mexican oregano
A good pinch of sea salt
2 tbsp light oil
For the mojo de ajo:
3 arbol chilies
20 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 tsp cumin seeds
100ml extra virgin olive oil
1 orange, zest and juice
For the charred corn and jalapeño salsa:
1 whole golden corn cob
4 green jalapeños
1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced
1 lime, zest and juice
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
A handful of coriander, roughly chopped
A good pinch of sea salt
Method
To butterfly the steak, make a horizontal cut most of the way along the side of the steak, stopping before you get to the end so that it opens up to reveal two matching sides. The steak will now cook quickly without burning the spiced marinade.
In a small bowl, make the marinade by combining the chilli powder, cumin, paprika, oregano and sea salt with the olive oil. Rub the paste on both sides of the steak and leave to marinate for at least 1 hour.
To make the mojo de ajo, heat a heavy pan on a low-medium heat. Toast the arbol chillies, garlic cloves and cumin seeds for a few seconds before pouring in the olive oil. Bring to a gentle simmer and, using a spoon, continue to confit the garlic cloves until lightly brown and soft to the touch. Remove from the heat, add the orange juice, zest and sea salt and transfer to a small serving bowl.
Bring your barbecue up to a fierce but steady heat with white coals. Place the whole corn cob and jalapeños directly onto the grill, turning occasionally until evenly charred all over. Remove to a chopping board and allow to cool slightly while you grill your steak.
Ensure the barbecue is still fiercely hot. Using tongs, place the steak directly onto the hot grill and flip every 30 seconds so the flames lick the meat. After a few minutes, when the steak achieves a good dark-golden crust, remove to a carving board and spoon over half of the mojo de ajo. Rest the steak for a few minutes while you finish preparing the salsa.
Hold the charred corn upright on the board and run a knife downwards to shave the kernels from the cob. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Finely chop the charred jalapeños and add to the bowl, along with the minced garlic, lime juice and zest, chopped coriander, sea salt and olive oil. Mix well and set aside.
Thinly slice the steak, mixing it up in its juices as you do. Spoon over the salsa and serve alongside the remaining mojo de ajo. Serve with warm corn tortillas and a fiery hot sauce.
BARBECUED PORK BELLY WITH HERB & PEPPERCORN STUFFING
Melissa Thompson
Serves 6-8
What I love about Borough Market is that you can go in with an idea and let the Market inspire you. For this dish, all I knew is that I wanted to barbecue a rolled pork belly stuffed with herbs and spices. I came away with beautiful parsley, sage and rosemary, Sicilian lemon salt and pink peppercorns, but I could have ended up with other herbs, other spices – it’s all going to taste good.
Ingredients
For the pork:
4kg piece of pork belly, loin attached (ask your butcher for one in advance), without bones
1 bunch of parsley, finely chopped
1 bunch of thyme, thick stalks removed, leaves finely chopped
25 sage leaves, finely chopped
8 sticks of rosemary, leaves finely chopped
Zest of 2 lemons (keep the juice for later)
1½ tbsp Sicilian lemon salt
2 tbsp pink peppercorns, finely crushed
For the sauce:
½ shallot, finely diced
2 plum tomatoes, deseeded and finely diced
10g parsley leaves, finely chopped
10g coriander leaves, finely chopped
Juice of the 2 zested lemons
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tsp smoked paprika
3 tbsp cider vinegar
3 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil
A pinch of sea salt
Method
For the pork, mix the chopped herbs with the shallot, lemon zest and pink peppercorns. Cut five pieces of butcher’s string to the length of the pork belly and lay out on a board.
Using the tip of a really sharp knife, poke the skin all over, piercing the skin and but not going so deep that the blade goes into the flesh. (Alternatively, you could ask the butcher to score the skin for you.)
Lay the pork belly on top of the strings, skinside down. Sprinkle the pork with the Sicilian lemon salt, then spread the herb mix on top, leaving a 3cm gap around the edges. Roll the pork belly up from the loin end, tucking the loin in tight then rolling it into the rest of the pork belly. Tie the middle string first to hold everything in place. Tie up the end knots, then the remaining ones. Scoop up any herb mix that’s fallen out and push it back into the gaps.
Sprinkle salt onto the skin of the pork belly. Leave the pork in the fridge, uncovered, for a minimum of 3 hours or ideally overnight.
Light the barbecue, then move the coals into two piles on either side of the grate, leaving the centre clear. Put a pan between the two piles to catch the dripping fat, then place your grill above. After rubbing the skin with a cloth to dry it off, place the rolled pork in the middle of the grill, away from the direct heat. Close the barbecue lid, and half open the vents. Cook for 3 hours, checking every 45 mins and topping up the charcoal as needed.
Meanwhile, mix all the sauce ingredients together and set aside. After 3 hours cooking, open the top and bottom barbecue vents fully to bring the temperature up. Make sure there’s enough charcoal and top up as necessary. Roast at a high temperature for 30-40 mins until the crackling is bubbled and crispy.
Remove the pork belly from the barbecue and rest for 20 mins in a tray to catch the juices. Slice and serve with the sauce and whatever sides you like.
Prepare the meat for the kabab torsh in advance – ideally the day before. Cut the beef into 3-6cm pieces, then transfer to a large mixing bowl. Place the remaining ingredients
for the kabab torsh into a food processor and blitz into a creamy paste. Add the paste to the beef and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1-24 hours (the longer, the better).
To make the salad, place the tomato, cucumber, red onion, pomegranate and herbs in a small bowl and mix together. Stir in the sumac, lemon juice and olive oil, and season to taste. Cover and leave in the fridge.
Prepare your barbecue using lumpwood charcoal, burning the coals until white. Using tongs, spread out the coals so the heat is even. Place the grill over the heat for a few minutes to get it really hot.
Remove the meat from the fridge and scrape off any excess marinade. Using metal or wooden skewers (make sure you soak wooden skewers in water for a few minutes), thread each skewer through 4-5 pieces of meat, ensuring there’s a gap at the top and bottom of each cube. Place on a tray or plate and let the kababs come up to room temperature.
Before cooking the meat, place the onion halves onto the grill and cook until charred all over. Place in a food processor along with a clove of garlic. Blend until smooth and transfer into a small bowl. Add the yoghurt and a good pinch of sea salt and mix well. Cover and leave in the fridge until required.
Arrange the skewered meat on the hot grill, cooking for 1-2 mins on each side, until lightly charred with a golden crust all over. Place on a tray to rest. Squeeze over the remaining ½ lemon, a glug of extra virgin olive oil and a good pinch of sea salt.
Serve with flatbreads and/or saffron buttered rice, along with the burnt onion yoghurt and salad Shirazi.
CANNON OF LAMB WITH TOMATOES, RICOTTA & QUICK RED ONION PICKLE
Ursula Ferrigno
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
6 cannons of lamb (eye of the loin), trimmed of fat, around 140g each
150g firm ricotta, ewe’s milk if possible, coarsely crumbled
8 firm, fruity tomatoes, mixed shapes and colours, cut into wedges
150g cherry tomatoes on the vine, halved
For the marinade:
2 tbsp fresh oregano, finely chopped (plus extra to serve)
1 unwaxed lemon, juice and zest
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
60ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
For the onion pickle:
4 red onions, cut into thick rounds
3 tbsp olive oil
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp thick, luscious balsamic vinegar
Method
Place the lamb in a ceramic dish and marinade with oregano, lemon juice and rind, garlic, oil, red wine vinegar and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Allow to stand and turn in the marinade several times.
To make the pickle, bring the barbecue to a medium heat, lightly brush the onion with oil and grill for around 3 mins, until lightly browned. Transfer to a bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Season and set aside.
Remove the lamb from the marinade, then barbecue for 6-12 mins until cooked to your liking, turning once. Rest for 5 mins.
Carve the lamb, place on plates scattered with the ricotta and tomatoes, some extra oregano, oil and vinegar. Serve topped with onion pickle.
Ricotta Gastronomica
GRILLED STONE FRUITS WITH ROSEMARY & ROSE SYRUP
Sarit Packer & Itamar Srulovich
Serves 4-6
Summer’s stone fruits react particularly well to being grilled: their sweetness intensifies in the heat and is countered by a hint of smoke. If you have roses in full bloom when making this dish, it would be a shame not to use the fragrant petals to make the syrup to bathe the fruit. Waiting until the barbecue has reduced in heat to a lovely smoulder is key here, making this dish perfect to round off the evening. It is delicious served hot with cold vanilla ice cream or, once cooled, with sour cream and some shortbread.
Ingredients
4 peaches and/or nectarines
6 loquats and/or apricots
8 small plums
20-24 cherries
A few sprigs of rosemary
For the syrup:
70g sugar
Petals from 2 organic roses (or 1 tbsp rose water)
2 thin slices of lemon
Method
You can either place all the fruit on the grill in one go, turning occasionally, and take them off as they cook, or start with the peaches as they will need the longest (about 6-8 mins), then add the apricots (5-6 mins), then the plums (about 2-3 mins) and finally the cherries for just a minute to loosen their flavour and juices. Add the whole sprigs of rosemary to the grill for a few secs to enliven the oils and then put the grilled fruit and rosemary in a serving bowl.
Mix the sugar with 50ml water, rose petals and lemon slices in a small saucepan and bring to a boil on the side of the grill. Allow to cook for 3 mins, then carefully pour over the fruit.
Recipe from Chasing Smoke: Cooking Over Fire Around the Levant (Pavilion Books)
