With the bank holiday upon us and summer finally making a hesitant entrance, it’s time to fire up the barbecue – or, let’s be honest, maybe just the griddle pan. In true British style, the forecast is looking decidedly moody, but that doesn’t mean your menu has to be.
Whether you’re braving the drizzle for a smoky outdoor feast or keeping it cosy indoors, we’ve got you covered with two vibrant, flavour-packed recipes. Tom Hunt’s barbecued venison with green sauce brings deep, earthy flavours to the grill, while Urvesh Parvais’s griddled courgettes with spicy chickpeas offer a punchy, plant-based dish that sings of sunshine, no matter the setting.
Barbecue optional. Flavour guaranteed.
Barbecued venison with green sauce
Recipe by: Tom Hunt for Borough Market
“Venison is a very lean meat. In order to keep it juicy, marinate for as long as possible and serve it rare to medium. Ask your butcher to seam out the haunch so that you end up with several large pieces of muscle. I’d highly recommend getting the barbecue set up for this, even if you’re cooking it in the winter – it will give the meat even more flavour and is always a fun way to cook. “
Ingredients:
For the venison:
1.5kg joint of venison haunch
100ml extra virgin olive oil
30g salt
10g ground black pepper
50g mixed seasonal green herbs and/or herb stalks
For the green sauce:
200g mixed seasonal green herbs, stalks removed
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
100ml extra virgin olive oil
50ml red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp capers, finely chopped
Method:
- To marinate the venison, put the meat in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. It may seem like a lot of seasoning, but it needs to penetrate the meat to the core to make a full, rounded and savoury flavour. Add the herbs and/or stalks if you have them. Leave in the fridge for a minimum of 24 hours, but up to 5 days. Turn once a day.
- The green sauce can be made a day or two in advance. Chop up all your herbs finely using a knife. I find it creates a much nicer texture than using a blender and it’s a good excuse to practice your knife skills.
- Add the garlic, then pound with a pestle and mortar to bring out the flavour and help the herbs break down. Add the olive oil, vinegar, mustard and capers if using. Season to taste.
- Remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry with a paper towel. Heat your barbecue or griddle to a medium heat. Place the venison on the heat and char each side well. This should take about 3-4 minutes on each side. If it is charring too quickly or too slowly, adjust the heat as necessary.
- When the meat is charred all over (this should take 12-16 mins in total), rest in a warm place for 5-10 mins, then slice and serve with the green sauce.
- It’s worth noting that if your piece of meat is round and very thick, it will take longer on each side. If it is a flatter joint and seems like it only has two sides worthy of grilling, cook it just on those sides for 3-4 minutes. The meat should be rare to medium so that it’s tender and succulent.
Griddled courgettes, spicy chickpeas
Recipe by: Urvesh Parvais for Borough Market
Ingredients:
For the chickpeas:
250g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
2 tbsp sunflower oil
4 x 2cm lengths of cinnamon
2 bird’s eye chillies, sliced lengthways from stalk to tip
8 curry leaves
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ medium onion, finely diced
3cm fresh turmeric, very finely sliced
For the courgettes:
4 large courgettes of different colours, sliced lengthways into 4-5mm slices
1 tbsp cumin seeds
6 cloves
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp golden raisins
A handful of fresh coriander leaves
A handful of micro mustard shoots
Method:
- Rinse the chickpeas and soak for 6 hours in enough water to allow them to double in size. Rinse once, cover with lightly salted water, then boil for 1-1½ hours, until soft enough to squeeze between your thumb and index finger – do not allow them to overcook and become a mush. Drain and spread them out on a clean cloth to dry for 15 minutes or so.
- Place the sunflower oil into a large pan over a medium heat. Add the cinnamon, then once you see little bubbles starting to appear around the bark, add the sliced chilli and curry leaves (these may splutter as they go in the pan, so move away quickly or have a lid ready as a shield). Once the chilli skin has turned white, remove the chillies and the curry leaves and reserve them for later.
- Add the cumin seeds, allow them to sizzle for 10-15 seconds, then add the onions and half the turmeric. Stir it, then add the chickpeas. Cook for about 8-10 mins on a medium heat, moving the mixture gently.
- Add ½ tsp salt and the rest of the turmeric, taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- To make the courgettes, dry roast the cumin seeds, then grind in a pestle with the cloves. Add this ground spice to the olive oil, then use a pastry brush to anoint the courgette slices on both sides.
- Place the courgette slices in a griddle pan or on a barbecue and cook until you get those lovely char lines.
- Place some of the courgette slices onto a serving plate, sprinkle with a few sea salt flakes and some of the spicy chickpeas, then scatter over some raisins, fresh coriander and mustard shoots. Continue to layer the plate with courgette and chickpeas. Top with the fried curry leaves and chillies.
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