BBQ treats

Weekend BBQ by Ross Dobson, Photography by Nicky Ryan, published Murdoch Books, RRP $22.99.

No need to put the barbecue into storage yet with at least a month of warm weather to go, and the prospects of an Indian summer looking good. Australian chef and food writer Ross Dobson says his idea of barbecueing is about producing tasty, no nonsense food. Here are two recipes from his new book, Weekend BBQ.

Lamb fillet with herbs and pistachiosMarinades for lamb can afford to have a bite in the form of vinegars and mustards without being overbearing. This recipe also includes a wonderfully tangy pomegranate molasses. Hailing from the Middle East, a little bit of this stuff goes a long way.

Put the lamb in a dish. Combine the parsley, chives,thyme, shallots, garlic, vinegar, mustard and olive oil in a food processor. Process to a rough paste.

Spoon the mixture over the lamb. Roll the lamb around in the dish so it is coated all over in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 3–6 hours.

Remove the lamb from the fridge 1 hour before cooking. Preheat the barbecue hotplate to high and lightly brush with some olive oil to grease. Put the lamb on the hotplate and pour over the marinade.Sprinkle with sea salt. Cook for 3 minutes each side.

Remove, cover with foil and rest for 5 minutes.

Thickly slice the lamb and arrange on a servingplate.

Top with the pistachios and drizzle with the pomegranate molasses. Serve with the crusty bread.

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 lamb backstrap fillets, about

260 g (9. oz) each

2 tablespoons finely chopped

flat-leaf (Italian) parsley

1 tablespoon finely snipped chives

1 teaspoon finely chopped thyme

2 thinly sliced French shallots

(eschalots)

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra,

for cooking

2 tablespoons pistachio nuts,

roughly chopped

1 tablespoon pomegranate

molasses

Crusty bread, to serve

Prawn and chorizo skewersChonza is the nickname I have for the chorizo we use, actually called ‘cheeky chorizo’ because of the extra chilli used in it. Raw chorizo is used here so it has to be cooked before eating. Chorizo should be a deep and rich colour and jam-packed with garlic and paprika. Please don’t use the chorizo that looks like cabanossi.

Cut the chorizo into 16 chunks similar in thickness tothe prawns. Put the chorizo in a bowl with the prawns,olive oil, lemon juice and mint. Toss the ingredientsaround to combine. Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes or cover and refrigerate for 3–6 hours.

Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.

Preheat the barbecue grill or hotplate to high.

Put 2 pieces of chorizo and 2 prawns on each of the 8 skewers. Cook the skewers for 3–4 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.

Serve with the lemon cheeks and barbecued truss cherry tomatoes, if desired. Serves 4

Ingredients

3 raw chorizo, about 350 g (12 oz)

16 raw large prawns (shrimp), peeled and deveined, leaving the tails intact

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

A teaspoon of good quality dried mint

Lemon cheeks, to serve.