Once we've made the brave decision to fire up the grill for an outdoor feast, I don't think many of us havemuch trouble deciding what to put on a barbie. Even if it's just the classic burgers and bangers, so long as you have good-quality examples in the first place, you won't be disappointed. There'ssomething about smoky, caramelised, a-little-bit-burnt-at-the-edges meat that's pretty much guaranteed to please.
If you do think outside the burger box, so much the better. Consider oily fish such as sardines, stuffed with fragrant herbs; or cubes of lamb marinated in garlic and olive oil, lemon zest and rosemary, and threaded on to skewers with fresh figs or apricots. Think spatchco*cked whole free-range chicken, rubbed with spices. And that's before we getinto the realm of barbecued veg.
I'll be writing more about char-fired chow in a few weeks, so for now I want to concentrate on what Ithink of as "barbecue ballast": those starchy, carby side dishes that are so crucial to a really memorable, satisfying alfresco eating experience, and yet so often fail to deliver. Why is that? For a start, they aren't cooked on the barbie, so lack that seductive, smoky quality. Alongside all that gorgeous chargrilled protein, they can seem like afterthoughts, mere stodge. Who hasn't come across a profoundly unedifying rice salad or greasy, mayo-smeared potatoes, and passed over them in favour of a bit more meat and a dollop of ketchup?
It shouldn't be like that. These supporting acts can be right up there with the main draw, transforming abarbecue from an unmitigated meat-fest into a well-rounded, nicely balanced meal. A feast, by all means, but not just a beast feast.
One tack worth exploring is to get the barbecue grill involved in the carbs, as well as the meat. In place of the usual buns, for instance, Ioften make flatbreads directly over the coals. They work a treat: use a basic pizza dough recipe, leave it to rise as normal, then "knock back" and cut into egg-sized portions. Roll out as thin as you can and whack them straight on to a hot barbecue. In a matter of minutes, you'll have hot, puffy, deliciously charred bread, just waiting to be wrapped around the nearest sausage or slice of grilled aubergine. Brush the hot flatbreads with a little garlic-infused olive oil, and they're pretty much a barbie starter in their own right.
Often, however, the grill gets pretty chocker, so it's helpful to beable to make your starchy sides separately and/or ahead of time. That's where this week's recipes come in. They're all substantial, flavour-packed big bowlfuls that willcomplement your grill stars, soaking up the delectable juices ofseared meat or fish, softening theedges of hot, spicy marinades and sauces, and generally filling everyone up. Take the time to tastethem, tweak the seasoning accordingly and with a bit of care – not just with salt and pepper, but with lemon juice and zest, punchy extra-virgin oils, and lots and lots ofherbs – and they'll be more thanamatch for the meat.
Spelt tabbouleh
Classic tabbouleh is made with bulgar wheat. Whole grains of pearled spelt provide a slightly chunkier, more satisfying texture. If you can't get pearled spelt, use pearl barley instead, though that will take longer to cook. This is a great side dish to make ahead of time. Serves six.
200g pearled spelt (or pearl barley)
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground blackpepper
350g cherry tomatoes (a mix ofcolours, if possible)
100g bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped
½ clove garlic, peeled and grated orcrushed
Juice of ½ lemon
Rinse the spelt, put it in a saucepan and cover with plenty of cold water. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmerand cook for 15-20 minutes, until tender but still nutty (if using pearl barley, this will take more like40 minutes). Drain, stir in two tablespoons of olive oil, season, andset aside to cool.
Cut the tomatoes into quarters or eighths, and add to the spelt; add the parsley, too. Put the garlic in a jam jar with the remaining oil, the lemon juice, and plenty of salt and pepper. Put the lid on the jar and shake well. Tip into the spelt and stir. Taste, add salt, pepper and lemon juice as needed, and serve. (If making this ahead of time, refrigerate the spelt as soon as it is cool.)
Salad of roast beetroot, sourdough and chickpeas
I love roast beetroot blitzed with tahini paste and breadcrumbs into a version of hummus. This is a sort of chunky, deconstructed – or, more accurately, preconstructed – version of that: sweet, aromatic beetroot, toasted bread, chickpeas and a lemony, garlicky dressing. The sesame seeds echo the tahini; they are not essential but they finish it off beautifully. Serves six to eight as a side dish.
500g small beetroot, scrubbed
2-3 garlic cloves, bashed
1 bay leaf, twisted or torn (optional)
1 sprig fresh thyme (optional)
1 tbsp olive oil
225g slightly stale sourdough bread, cut into 2cm chunks
2 400g tins chickpeas, drained andrinsed
1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped
2 tbsp sesame seeds
For the dressing
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1½ tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp English mustard
½ clove garlic, peeled and crushed or finely grated
½ tsp ground cumin (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground blackpepper
Heat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5. Put the scrubbed beetroot inan oven dish, add the garlic, bay leaf and thyme (if using), a good scattering of salt and pepper, and the oil. Stir, cover with foil and roastuntil tender – depending on the size of the beetroot, it'll take oneto two hours. Leave until cool enough to handle.
Spread the bread on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for five to 10 minutes, stirring once or twice.
Use a small, sharp knife and/or your fingers to remove the tops, tailsand skins of the roast beetroot. Cut the beets into 2cm chunks (or small wedges) and put in a large bowl. Add the toasted bread and thechickpeas.
Put all the dressing ingredients ina jam jar with a lid, and shake to amalgamate. Pour this over the beetroot, bread and chickpeas, mix, and leave for 10 minutes, so the bread absorbs some of the dressing. Meanwhile, toast the sesame seeds, if using, in a dry frying pan over amedium heat for a couple of minutes, until golden and fragrant.
Toss the parsley into the salad. Taste, add salt, pepper and lemon juice as necessary, then scatter over the sesame seeds and serve.
Bashed new potatoes with herbs
One of my favourite ways with new potatoes: bashed so their surfaces are roughened, all the better to absorb the flavours of summer herbs, garlic and peppery extra-virgin olive oil. Serves six as a side dish.
1.5kg small new or salad potatoes, scrubbed
5-6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 knob butter
1 small clove garlic, peeled and very finely chopped (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground blackpepper
At least 4 tbsp chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, chives and thyme
You want the potatoes roughly the same size, and that size should be small (walnut-ish), so cut up any that are too large. Put in a large saucepan, cover with water, add salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, but keeping the potatoes at a brisk simmer, and cook until tender. If anything, you want them very slightly overcooked, so that they are soft enough to crumble and break when you "bash" them – around eight to 15 minutes, depending on the variety and freshness of your spuds.
When the potatoes are cooked, drain, leave them to steam off for a minute or two, then return to the hot pan. Add three tablespoons of olive oil, the butter, the garlic, if using, and a good seasoning of saltand pepper. Put on the lid and shake the pan vigorously up and down to bash the potatoes – the ideais to get them to break down abit, but not too much: you want some of them whole, some more or less collapsed and some in between. Once the potatoes are bashed to your liking, trickle over more olive oil to taste and scatter over the herbs. Stir lightly, or give them a bit more of abash, to distribute the herbs and oil, transfer to a warmed serving dish and serve.
guardian.co.uk/hughfearnleywhittingstall
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