Summer barbecue: chicken, lamb and ribs

One of my favourite things about summer is barbecued food. Thanks to my local butcher (James Elliot on 96 Essex Road N1 8LU) and our new barbecue Mr. Sprinkle and I have enjoyed some excellent meals this summer.

Yesterday I picked up some chicken thighs, pork ribs and lamb chops; I marinated them 4 hours before whacking them on the grill.   

I marinated the chicken using soy sauce, white onion, garlic, fresh ginger, lemon, groundnut oil, sesame oil, dried chilli, salt and pepper. 

For the lamb I used olive oil, rosemary, white onion, garlic, salt and pepper. 

We soaked the ribs in Jamie Oliver's absolutely incredible marinade which we regularly use for chicken and pork.  It has become a staple at our barbecues and, so far, we have never had any leftovers.

I served the meat with a big salad and rice cooked in chicken stock with onion and fresh ginger (another staple when we barbecue).

Rice recipe:

1/2 a white onion

a thumb of fresh ginger

1 chicken stock cube

1 cup of rice

2 cups of water

1 tbsp of olive oil

1. Chop the onion into small pieces, grate the ginger and chop the stock cube into small pieces.  

2.  Heat the oil in a pot.  Fry the onion until it's nearly translucent, then add the ginger.  Fry for a minute then add the rice, water and stock.  Stir until the stock has dissolved. 

3.  Boil until the all water is gone.  Leave it to stand with the lid on for at least 10 minutes or preferably a bit longer. 

Traditional Morocco: Harira

I read a recipe in The Times two weeks ago on how to make the tradtional soup of Morocco, Harira.  I've already cooked it twice and, let me tell you, it is fantastic!  Harira is quick to prepare, but takes about two hours to cook so you may wanna save it for a Saturday or a day when you're working from home.

Something between a soup and a stew, Harira is tasty and well, just plain comforting.  It is like stepping onto a heated floor after a steaming hot shower and tucking into a big fluffy bath robe.  

To feed 4 people:

olive oil

2 peeled and chopped onions

3 chopped garlic cloves

1 can of tomatoes

2 cans of chick peas

70g of brown lentils

tomato paste

ground cumin

paprika

1 bay leaf 

400g-500g of lamb shoulder

1 litre of beef stock 

salt and pepper

1. Cut the lamb shoulder into bite-sized pieces.

2. Heat some olive oil in a big pot.  Add the onions and garlic.  Fry for a few minutes.  Add 2 tablespoonfuls of paprika and 2 tablespoonfuls of cumin. Add the lamb and fry for another minute

3. Add the canned tomatoes, the bay leaf, 3 tablespoonfuls of tomato paste and the beef stock.  Bring to a the boil before turning down the heat and letting it simmer for 45 minutes with the lid on.

4. Rinse the lentils under cold water and drain the chick peas.  Add both and cook for another 45 minutes to an hour.  

5. Taste and add salt and pepper to your liking. 

You can eat this hearty dish on its own, with bread or perhaps with a bit of rice if you are really hungry. It is traditionally served with lemon wedges - haven't tried, but I can see why that would work.