BBQ Ideas for Summer Evenings
With the good weather here (well mostly) there is more than enough reason to enjoy the great outdoors. BBQ’s are probably the easiest way to cook outdoors and it is a great social activity and a change from normal conventional cooking. This is one of the reasons I enjoy BBQ’s and the evenings at the fire. Here is a little Greek recipe for those of you who like pork, it is called Pork Souvlaki created by chef Maria Elia and was recently published in the Guardian.
What do you need for these neat kebabs?
1kg boneless pork shoulder or neck, trimmed of sinew, cut into 2.5cm chunks
60ml olive oil
Zest of ½ an orange, finely grated
1 tsp garlic powder
2tsp coriander seeds, lightly toasted and crushed
1 tsp fennel seeds, lightly toasted and crushed
2 bay leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
A pinch of sea salt
For the tzatziki
1 tsp fennel seeds, toasted
2 garlic cloves
A generous pinch of salt
200g Granny Smith apples, finely grated
2 tbsp lemon juice
250g Greek Yoghurt
A oinch of sugar
1 tsp red wine vinegar
For the serving you will need
8 pitta breads
A handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 small red onion, finely sliced
½ a white cabbage, finely sliced
½ a cucumber, finely sliced
4 vine tomatoes, finely sliced
Pickled peppers (optional)
Method
If you are using wooden skewers, soak them in water to stop them from burning. Place all of the kebab ingredients into a bowl, mix together, cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight if you have time.
To make the tzatziki, crush the fennel seeds, garlic and sea salt in a pestle and mortar, allowing the flavours to infuse.
Preheat a barbecue or griddle pan on a high heat. Skewer the pork, leaving little gaps between the pieces so the meat cooks more evenly. Cook the skewers over a high heat for about 8 to 10 minutes, turning occasionally until nicely charred and cooked all the way through, then set aside to rest. Grill the pitta breads for a minute on both sides.
Put a dollop of tzatziki and the meat from one skewer on each warmed pitta bread, top with your choice of salad, wrap and serve hot.
Compliments to the chef!
