Recipes For the Perfect Steakcation

Enjoy your Bank Holiday Monday with exclusive BBQ recipes from a culinary master for DDW readers & members

Ah the Spring bank holiday. During normal times, this long weekend is one we look forward to for a much needed rest from the hustle and bustle of daily work life. Every year since 1965 (1970 in the USA) we have used this break to trade the commute in for a short sojourn in Europe or a lazy weekend barbecuing with friends.

For the moment, travel is still limited but we can still indulge in a bank holiday tradition by fighting the urge to sulk around the TV all day and become masters of the barbecue.

If you are worried that your skills are a bit rusty or that you are out of practice, worry not; we have a batch fool-proof recipes for you from Mike Reid, the renown BBQ maestro and culinary director of Gaucho / M Restaurants himself.

Fire up that grill and delight your palate – this is going to be a bank holiday #steakcation to remember 🙂

Recipes

Chilli Edamame – Serves 4

800g Fresh or Frozen edamame beans + Sea Salt to taste

For Firecracker Sauce

Blitz red chilli, onion and garlic in a food processor, it should still be a little coarse
Cook out on your hob for about 2-3 hours on a low heat until darkened in colour and natural sugars have separated
Once finished bring off the heat and add the rest of the ingredients and adjust seasoning to taste
Store until needed, also great to go with your proteins on a bbq and a staple in my fridge at home

To Finish

When ready to serve bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the edamame beans and boil for 1 minute, or until tender. Drain well and transfer the beans to a bowl. Add the firecracker sauce (as much or as little as you like depending on your heat preference) and toss so the beans are coated.

Beetroot, Pear & Watercress Salad – Serves 4

To cook the baby beets you can either preheat the oven to 180/Gas Mark 4 or cook them directly on your bbq. BBQ cooking will give you that depth of flavour especially if it’s over charcoal or wood. Either way, wrap the beetroots, garlic, 1 tsp olive oil, bay leaves, thyme and a pinch of salt in a large piece of kitchen foil, sealing the packer so none of the steam escapes.

Roast for 25 minutes, or until the baby beetroots are tender and a skewer slides in without any resistance. When the beetroots are cool enough to handle peel them and cut each in half. Leave to cool to room temperature for serving.

Slice the pear into thin strips and toss through the picked watercress.

On your serving plate first add the goats curd in a mound, spread it out to form a loose well. Next dot your beetroots around it allowing some overlapping. Then toss your watercress with the rest of the olive oil and season to taste. Now place this around the plate as well, ensuring not to cover the beetroots to much.

(Top with roasted walnuts or Almonds if you wish for some added texture and flavour)

Crispy Jersey Hot Potato Salad – Serves 4

Bring a pot of water with the sprig of thyme to the boil before adding chopped potatoes to it. Cook them until tender and then drain and cool them down slightly.
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees/Gas Mark 5. Place your oven tray in the oven to preheat the tray and get it nice and hot, add the vegetable oil to the tray to heat up as well. Add potatoes to the tray and roast for about 45 minutes to an hour depending on your oven, you want them looking nice and crispy all over.
Whilst potatoes are cooking, toast of in a dry pan on a medium heat the smoked paprika for 2 minutes before combining it with the yoghurt and lemon juice together, set aside until needed.
Sautee your chopped bacon in the same pan over a medium heat adding no extra oil, you want to render down the fat and get a crisp on it. Set aside again
Once your potatoes are ready, add chilli, bacon and parsley and season with salt to taste. Get a large serving bowl and add your yoghurt dressing first, then your hot potato salad mix. Top it with the finely chopped spring onions.

Asian BBQ Pork Belly – Serves 4

Mix the soy, miso and sugar together before adding the garlic, chilli and ginger. Rub all over the pork belly avoiding the skin before covering in your fridge for 12 hours to marinate.
Remove marinade thoroughly reserving for later. Make sure the pork is completely dry before returning to the fridge for another 12 hours uncovered to dry out. This process helps achieve the crispy crackling everybody wants to have.
Ok get BBQ hot and ready, ensure the embers have turned white before you start to cook on it.
Prepare two pieces of foil and form a cross with them before folding in the edges to the size of the pork. Add your reserved marinate back to the bottom of this foil.
In a hot pan over a medium heat seal of the pork belly on the base and the sides only not the skin. Once finished add pork on top of the marinade. Cover the skin of the pork with the salt. Place on to oven tray sitting on a rack so the pork isn’t directly touching the tray. Add to your bbq with lid on for about 3 hours maintaining 160 degrees.
Remove knock of salt thoroughly and finish under your grill for the crackling to pop.

Spicy Mango Grilled Spatchcocked Chicken – Serves 4

Spiced Mango Puree

Heat a small pot on a stove over a medium heat, add all ingredients and cook slowly until soft, ensuring it does not catch on the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly
Pour into a food processor and blitz until smooth.

To Finish

Remove the back bone from your chicken with a sharp knife, you want to be left with just the spatchcock (ideally purchase in like this to avoid the extra work)
Coat the chicken in the marinade (reserving a small amount for basting later) and leave for at least 1 hour before cooking.
Cook over your bbq on a medium heat, basting every few minutes to ensure it stays nice and moist.
It should be a gorgeous golden colour, slightly crispy and charred in places when cooked. Serve with a little more of the marinade if you like, works equally well as a sauce.

Hanger Steak With Chimichurri – Serves 4

It’s important your steaks are removed from the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking. Light your bbq and leave the coals until they are glowing and grey.
Meanwhile to make the chimichurri sauce, blend all the sauce ingredients in a powerful food processor until thoroughly combined. Alternatively, use a pestle and mortar.
When the coals are ready, brush one side the of the steaks with a little rapeseed oil and place brushed side down on the grill. Season the showing side generously with salt and grill for 3 minutes. Flip the steak over, add a light sprinkling of salt and continue grilling for a further 2 minutes.
Allow to rest warm for 4 minutes and then enjoy with your chimichurri

Perfect those recipes and we can guarantee you will be the master of your BBQ and the envy of your friends. Just think about how deliciously mouth watering they look on Instagram…let alone how tasty your meal will be.

And for some other great news; it seems like we may begin to see some semblance of normality with restaurants soon. DDW spoke to Martin Williams CEO Gaucho & M Restaurants for comment:

“London’s Best Restaurants are as excited to re-open as the dining elite of London are to have the chance to enjoy the finest food and drink from around the globe in great company! At our Gaucho and M restaurants, we will be pairing our heightened hospitality with ‘Mindful dining’ to allow for a safe-social experience which ensures that our people and guests are not at risk”
Martin Williams

We certainly cannot wait. In the meantime, we’re diving into our BBQ masterclass for our culinary fix.

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