By Tania Martin
MT DANDNEONG chef Ben Higgs says that as summer approaches it is time to get out the barbecue and enjoy cooking.
He said the key to enjoying cooking was not to make anything too difficult.
For a simple salad people can throw together some fresh salad leaves with a drizzle of good olive oil and a nice balsamic vinegar or fresh lemon, and serve with some in season ripe vegetables, he said.
A tip for cooking a succulent steak or chicken breasts is to marinate the meat for a little extra flavour or tenderness.
A good marinade can be made out of a number of ingredients including sesame oil and a good quality soy sauce.
Mr Higgs said skewered items also made a barbecue interesting. He suggests using pieces of fish, prawns, or scallops.
“The most important thing is to keep the cooking light and simple and have lots of fun,” he said.
When looking to buy that perfect barbecue for Christmas it is important to know what you want as there is a huge range available, according to Greg Smith of Emerald Mitre 10. Mr Smith said barbecues ranged in price from $50 to $5,500, and came in all shapes and sizes, from the small heat bead operated, to the top of the line six-burner with a roasting hood.
He said those looking to buy a barbecue for outdoor cooking might want to look at buying one that has a wok burner on the side.
He said ultimately the size of the barbecue would depend on how often the person was going to use it and how big the crowd was that they were going to be cooking for.
Spicy lamb with saffron aioli
Marinade
Ingredients:
•500g tender lamb, diced
•Half a cup of chopped parsley
•Four cloves of garlic
•The juice of one lemon
•One tsp smoked paprika
•One tsp ground cumin
•A quarter of a cup of oil
•Salt, pepper
Method:
Place all ingredients, except the lamb, into a food processor and blend until it is a paste.
Mix the lamb with the marinade, allow to sit in the fridge for several hours. Skewer the lamb and then fry or grill on the barbecue until slightly pink in the middle.
Saffron aioli
Ingredients:
•Two garlic cloves, crushed
•Half a teaspoon of saffron steeped in one tablespoon of hot water for five minutes
•Two eggs
•One and a half cups of oil, or enough oil to make a thick aioli
•Salt and pepper to taste
•One tablespoon of chopped fresh Italian parsley
• The juice of half a lemon.
Method:
Steep the saffron in the hot water and set aside. In a blender or food processor place the eggs, garlic, lemon juice and saffron, whiz the eggs and slowly drizzle in the oil until the aioli comes together and is slightly thick.
Season with salt, whiz again and stir through the chopped parsley. Serve alongside the lamb skewers.
