Recipes: Summer on a skewer

I HAVE to confess here and now that I just love chargrilled anything, whether chicken, meat or fish, soft gooey marshmallows, chunks of pineapple, quartered lemons, limes or oranges – I could go on. But barbecues need to be at the right temperature to get the most out of the potentially drying form of cooking. And what could well become dry during chargrilling needs protection.

For example, wrap any chunk of white fish, or a scallop, in stretched streaky bacon rashers before grilling. As an alternative to streaky bacon, use Parma ham as both go very well with fish and shellfish of all types, so the protective wrap also adds very complementary tastes.

And chargrilling takes time. So be sure to start cooking well in advance of your intended eating time – the food will keep warm very happily loosely covered with foil. Nothing is worse than assembled visitors looking on hungrily while fellow guests are tucking into their cooked food, as the next batch grills.

A variety of meats or fish is a delicious idea, but be sure to have enough of everything for all present. Any leftover can be eaten up the next day. And a good homemade barbecue sauce is easily made and ideal on meat and chicken, but tends to overpower grilled fish or shellfish.

Barbecue sauce

This is easy to make and it freezes very well.

SERVES 6

2 onions, skinned, halved and finely diced

2 fat cloves of garlic, skinned and finely sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 lbs/675g cherry tomatoes, washed and dried

2 rounded tablespoons demerara sugar

2 tablespoons the best balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon Heinz ketchup

Put the diced onions, sliced garlic and whole cherry tomatoes into a wide casserole, and mix in the olive oil, salt and demerara sugar thoroughly. Roast in a low moderate heat, 150C/300F/Gas Mark 3 for 2 hours, then take the casserole out of the oven – the tomatoes should look golden brown and shrunk. Tip the contents of the casserole into a wide bowl or jug and mix in the balsamic vinegar and ketchup, and whiz till smooth, using a hand-held blender. Taste, and add more vinegar if you think it is needed. Serve in white bowls, for effect. Or brush over belly of pork before roasting.

Skewers of scallops and courgette

SERVES 6

6 bamboo skewers soaked in cold water

18 king scallops

9 rashers of streaky bacon

3 medium sized courgettes, trimmed at either end, and the courgettes sliced into 1in/2.5cms chunks, each cut in half lengthways

Put each streaky bacon rasher onto a board and, using the blade of a large knife, run the blade down the rasher. This elongates the rasher by half as much as its original length. Cut each lengthened rasher in half.

Cut each scallop in half and wrap each in half a bacon rasher, and stick on a skewer, alternating with a chunk of courgette. Divide the ingredients evenly between the rashers, and brush each skewer with olive oil.

Chargrill each skewer, turning over as it cooks, for about 2 minutes in total. Serve with roasted lemon quarters – quarter lemons and leave them on the grill, turning them over, for about 5 minutes' cooking time.

Chicken marinated in orange and soya, and sage

The marinade is cooked, then must be cooled before the chicken breasts marinade in it.

Chicken marinated in orange, soy and sage

SERVES 6

6 chicken breasts, skin on

For the marinade

2 cloves of garlic, skinned and sliced into slivers

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons strong soy sauce

finely grated rind of 1 orange and its juice

1 tablespoon sesame oil

about 15 grinds of black pepper – no need for salt, the soy sauce provides enough

6 sage leaves, chopped

Put the slivers of garlic into a saucepan with the olive oil, soy sauce, orange rind and juice, sesame oil, black pepper and chopped sage. Over moderate heat bring the liquid to a gentle simmer, and simmer gently for 2-3 minutes. Then take the pan off the heat and cool the contents completely.

Put the chicken breasts into a wide dish. Stick the point of a sharp knife in several places on each breast, right through the skins. This allows the marinade to penetrate the chicken meat. Pour the cold marinade over the chicken breasts. Cover the dish with clingfilm and leave in the fridge for 24 hours.

To chargrill, when the coals are white-hot, lift each breast from the dish and put them skin side down on the grill. Grill for about 7 minutes then turn them over to cook for the same time on the other side. Stick a knife into each breast and press gently; the juices should run clear. If they are pink-tinged, continue to chargrill for a further few minutes.

TOP TIP: When barbecuing chicken, take it from the fridge in good time to bring the meat to room temp- erature before cooking