Food photographer and director of Relish, ROBERT GOVES, gets inspired by the big smoke
A
fter a tedious, agonising wait, it would appear that summer has finally arrived: hallelujah! I would stress a word of caution, however, because it’s still predicted to be the soggiest year on record. So, while you can, enjoy yourself and get caught up
in the furore that the sunshine brings because it won’t be too long until the flip-flops, sunglasses, and most importantly, the barbecue are put away for another year. For me, digging out the barbecue is an acknowledgement
that summer is here, and mastering the grill is something every man will lay claim to. Nobody forgets watching their dad cremating the sausages, uncontrollable flames licking higher and higher as fat is rapidly rendered from the weeping banger; even the dog stuck his nose up nonchalantly when offered the charcoal biscuits as scraps (sorry, Dad). These days, home barbecuing has evolved and most home setups allow for varying cooking heights, temperature gauged hoods, and a multitude of books on soaking wood chips to impart flavour and other advanced techniques. Recently I’ve been lucky enough to travel extensively
around California and sample some of the Cali-Mexican barbecue eat-outs. I took so much knowledge away from my jaunt that I’m brimming with ideas and finding any excuse to get out there and use the barbecue. When cooking over coals, I’m a firm believer that less is
more. People have a tendency to get as much meat as possible, but burnt bangers and the unimaginative quarter pounder just don’t cut it for me anymore. Cotswold Chicken supplies us with Caldecott’s Cotswold White chickens for this recipe. They are a slow-growing, free- range breed, reared superbly, and are about as good a chicken as you’ll ever find: I can’t recommend them enough. Wait ’til the coals have really calmed and position the
chicken wings so they cook slowly. Using the sauce as a marinade is a finishing touch that will create a wonderfully sweet, sticky, smoky meat. Accompanied by the cooling, aromatic watermelon salad, I can assure you that the next time someone suggests a barbecue, this dish will instantaneously spring to mind and draw a great big smile.
✱ Follow Robert and the Relish team at:
www.relishevent.co.uk and on Twitter at @relisheventsuk
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crumbsmag.com
COTSWOLD BARBECUE CHICKEN WINGS with WATERMELON, GINGER
and CHILLI ( SERVES 4 )
INGREDIENTS 1 kg free-range chicken wings
For the spice mix: 2 heaped tsp each of fennel seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, celery seeds, black peppercorns, smoked paprika 2 blades mace 2 large dried chipotle chillies 1 tsp chilli flakes ½ tsp caraway seeds
For the sauce: 25ml oil 8 shallots, sliced 2 garlic cloves, chopped 200ml local cider 100ml sherry vinegar 175ml runny honey 2 tbsp Dijon mustard 2 tbsp grain mustard 150g soft dark brown sugar 150g apricot jam 500ml tomato ketchup 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 40g Malden sea salt (use smoked Malden for extra smoky flavour)
For the garnish: 1/2 watermelon 200g fresh ginger 1 bunch spring onions, sliced into rings 3 red chillies, sliced 1 punnet coriander shoots
METHOD – Toast all of the spices in a dry pan on a medium heat for 2-3 minutes until aromatic, then remove from the heat, allow to cool and either grind in a machine or crush with a pestle and mortar. – To make the sauce, add the shallots to the oil and fry on a medium heat in a heavy saucepan until they have caramelized. Add the garlic and cook for a further 3 minutes. – Add the toasted spice mix and remaining ingredients and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Blend in a food processor before chilling. It will make 1 litre of sauce and, if decanted into a sterilised jar, will keep for 2 weeks. – Marinate the chicken wings in the sauce overnight, ideally, and then cook on the barbecue or in a griddle pan for 20 minutes, making sure the wings aren’t too close to the coals. Baste with the marinade each time you turn and again before serving. They should be super-sticky, charred and moist. – For the garnish, cut the watermelon into chunky chips and arrange in a dish. Slice the ginger into fine matchsticks and sprinkle with the spring onions, chilles and coriander shoots over the watermelon to serve.
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