Episode 87: BBQ

Steak Alla Fiorentinia
Grilled Sardines
Whole Red Snapper with a Cucumber Sauce
Barbequed Vegetables
Beef Burgers Stuffed with Gorgonzola Cheese and Raisins
Potato Chips on the BBQ

STEAK ALLA FIORENTINA
Preparation is easy

4 t-bone or porterhouse steaks, aged as long as possible and at least 1 ½ inches thick
Sea salt and fresh white pepper
2 cups best olive oil (500 millilitres)
1 hair dryer

Preparation time is 20 minutes
Preheat the barbeque to high

Ideally the perfect steak should be cooked over wood or charcoal, not gas. Once the grill is hot, oil the grate. Place the steak on the hot grill and point the hairdryer at the coals to fan them to glowing red.

Grill 6 minutes per side for medium-rare. Flip the steak but be careful not to pierce it with a fork or the juices will be lost. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the steak when you flip it.

Once cooked, set the steaks on a platter and pour the olive oil over the hot meat. Allow the meat to sit for 3 minutes to rest, as with any other roast.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings
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GRILLED SARDINES
Preparation is easy

24 fresh sardines, cleaned but bodies intact
1 cup kosher salt (200 grams)
3 tablespoons olive oil (45 millilitres)
Fresh black pepper
Lemon for serving

Preparation time is 1 hour
Preheat the barbeque to high

Line a baking dish with half the salt. Lay the sardines on top of it and cover them with the remaining salt. Allow them to cure for at least 30 minutes.

Rinse the salt off the sardines and oil the grill. Blot the water from the sardines and brush them with oil. Put them directly on the hot grill and cook until their skins are slightly charred, about 4 minutes per side.

Remove the fish from the grill and serve on a large platter. Drizzle the fish with the finest quality olive oil and black pepper. Serve with crusty white bread.

Yield: 4 servings
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WHOLE RED SNAPPER WITH A CUCUMBER SAUCE
Preparation is easy

4 red snappers of about 1 pound each (500 grams)
2 large bunches fresh chives, chopped
1 head of garlic, halved
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 bay leaves
4 cups water (1 litre)
2/3 cup fresh lime juice (150 millilitres)
¼ cup rum (60 millilitres)
3 tablespoons coarse salt (40 grams)

For the salad:
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1 green tomato, peeled and cored
1 onion, diced
3 scallions, all parts finely chopped
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar (45 millilitres)
3 tablespoon olive oil (45 millilitres)
Salt and black pepper

Preparation time is 20 minutes, 3 hours marinating time
Preheat the barbeque to medium-high

Rinse the fish and dry them. Slash each side of each fish three or four times and put them on a glass baking tray and cover with the onions, garlic, bay leaves, water, lime juice, rum and salt. Set aside to marinate for a minimum of 2 hours and up to 4 hours.

Just before you are ready to cook the fish, make the cucumber sauce. Put all the ingredients, but only half the diced cucumber in a food processor and whiz until smooth. Stir in the remaining cucumber dice and set aside.

Oil the grill well. Place the fish on the grill and cook until the skin is dark and crisp, about 6 to 9 minutes per side. Baste a couple of times with the leftover marinade. Turn the fish and cook the second side. Continue to baste until the fish is cooked.

Serve immediately with the cucumber sauce.

Yield: 4 servings
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BARBEQUED VEGETABLES
Preparation is easy

12 asparagus
2 large egg plant
4 zucchini
6 large Portobello mushrooms
24 large garlic cloves
1 cup olive oil (250 millilitres)
Salt and black pepper

Preparation time is 30 minutes
Preheat the grill to hot

Lay 6 asparagus out side by side on your work surface. Pierce them cross wise with skewers near their tops and bottoms to hold them together in a raft. Do the same thing a second time with the remaining asparagus. Brush them well with oil and season.

Slice the egg plant thinly lengthwise to make large, thin flat slices. Brush them with oil. Do the same thing with the zucchini. Brush the mushrooms with olive oil.

Peel the garlic cloves and thread four per person onto a skewer and brush with olive oil. Wrap them loosely with tin foil.

Oil the grate and put the vegetables on it. Place the eggplant and zucchini slices at 45 degrees to the grate so that it is easy to create a pretty seared pattern when you turn them. Put the mushrooms cap side down to begin with.

After the asparagus have begun to brown and crisp, turn them and baste them with oil again. Do the same with the mushrooms and rotate the eggplant and zucchini 90 degrees to get the cross-hatching pattern.

After 5 minutes remove the foil from the garlic and allow them to brown slightly. Flip the zucchini and eggplant slices. Check the mushrooms for doneness. Serve all the vegetables together on a large platter and drizzle with finest quality olive oil.

Yield: 6 servings
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BEEF BURGERS STUFFED WITH GORGONZOLA CHEESE AND RAISINS
Preparation is easy

2 ¼ pounds ground beef (1.125 kilograms)
4 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs (4 ounces)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (30 millilitres)
1 medium onion, diced
8 ounces Gorgonzola cheese (250 grams)
6 ounces raisins (180 grams)
1 cup hot water (250 millilitres)
Salt and black pepper
4 tomatoes, thinly sliced
6 hamburger buns

Preparation time is 30 minutes
Preheat the barbeque to high

Put the raisins to soak in the warm water.

In a large bowl mix the meat and the finely diced onions together. Crack in the eggs and stir in the breadcrumbs. Divide the meat into six portions. Form them into patty shapes.

Divide the Gorgonzola cheese into six equal portions. Using your finger, make a hole in the centre of each patty and feed the cheese into the centre. Drain the raisins and split them equally between the burgers. Add them to the cheese in the centre of the patty. Close the hole by forming the meat back over the top.

Brush the outside of the burger with melted butter. Season with salt and pepper. Oil the grate on the barbeque. Put the burgers onto the heat and grill until browned, about 4 minutes per side, basting with butter.

Slice the buns in half and brush the cut sides with butter. Put them face-down on the grill to toast slightly, about 2 minutes.

Serve the burgers on the buns with a large slice of tomato on top and blue cheese mayonnaise on the side.

Yield: 6 servings
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POTATO CHIPS ON THE BBQ
Preparation is easy

1 pound russet potatoes (500 grams)
3 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse sea salt
2 tablespoons dried thyme (10 grams)

Preparation time is 30 minutes
Preheat the barbeque to medium

Slice the potatoes on the bias with a Japanese Mandolin to 1/16-inch thickness. Brush the slices with olive oil.

Oil the grill grate to prevent any sticking and lay the potato slices over the heat. Grill, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes. Once the chips begin to curl and crisp, remove them and set them aside on paper towels to fully crisp up, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and thyme.

Yield: 4 servings
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Recipe compliments of Chef Ned Bell