The Roots of a good Barbie
We’ve been blessed with wonderful weather so it’s the perfect time to celebrate with a really decent barbecue. Grill fanatic Levi Roots shows Keeley Bolger how to sizzle in style.
When it comes to barbecues, we’re certainly not lacking in enthusiasm, but some expert inspiration on the recipe front wouldn’t go amiss.
And with the record-breaking heatwave and Royal Baby fever making this a memorable summer, why not be inspired and pull off something a little more impressive than burnt bangers and charred chicken?
For Dragons’ Den entrepreneur and TV chef Levi Roots, the barbecue is a time to shine – and July’s abundant sunshine has made it all the better.
“The weather here’s been brilliant. This is the first time in years I haven’t felt like I should be back in Jamaica!” says Roots with a hearty laugh.
“In previous summers I’ve felt like I should get out of the UK but this year I feel very at home with the weather,” adds the chef, who moved from Jamaica to live in the UK in the 1970s.
Roots, who wowed Dragons’ Den judges with his Reggae Reggae Sauce in 2006, never feels more at home than when he has food blazing away on the barbecue.
“I grew up cooking food on the barbecue and I see grilling as the best way to get flavours from food,” says the cook, who’s just released a new book, Grill It With Levi. “Barbecuing is a Caribbean person’s heritage. I love grilled food.”
The charismatic cook, who has written three other recipe books and starred in his own BBC Two programme Caribbean Food Made Easy, has some fail-safe advice for grill fans.
“When people talk about grilling food, it’s not just about throwing it on the barbecue. It needs help so that the flavours deepen,” he says.
He suggests spending time prepping meat before putting in on the grill.
“Once you put something on the heat and it starts cooking, the flavours start to go,” he says. “I always say if you are using meat, marinate it for a good while before, because the flavour will get lost otherwise.”
Roots recommends cool salads as the perfect accompaniment to barbecued dishes. And one final important ingredient…
“Once you’ve marinated your meat and put it on the barbecue, all you need to do is to put some music on and let the magic happen,” he says, grinning.
Here are three grill-tastic recipes from Roots’s new book to try.
STICKY STOUT RIBS
(Serves 6-8)
2 small racks of pork ribs
2 bay leaves
1tbsp soy sauce
For the marinade:
400ml stout
4tbsp soft dark brown sugar
2tbsp Mild or X Hot Reggae Reggae Sauce or a barbecue or chilli sauce of your choosing
2tbsp cider vinegar
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1tbsp soy sauce
2 bay leaves
Put the ribs in a large lidded pan and cover with water. Add two bay leaves and the soy sauce and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer with the lid on for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size of the ribs.
Meanwhile, combine the marinade ingredients in a pan. Simmer over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved, then boil for 5 minutes to thicken slightly. Leave to cool and then transfer to a shallow dish.
Drain the ribs, add them to the marinade and turn well to coat. Set aside. As soon as the ribs are cool, cover and chill, ideally overnight, or for as long as possible, turning them over every so often.
Lift the ribs out of the marinade 20 minutes before cooking. Reserve about 150ml of the liquid for basting and boil the rest to produce a sticky glaze, taking care that it doesn’t burn.
Barbecue the ribs for 5 minutes or so on each side, turning and basting with the marinade as you go. Towards the end, give the ribs a couple of licks of the glaze to give them a nice shiny lacquer.
BARBECUED CHICKEN FILLETS WITH MOLASSES SUGAR AND LIME
(Serves 6)
6 chicken breasts, skin removed
4tbsp molasses sugar
Juice of 4 limes
3tbsp olive oil
Leaves from 3 fresh thyme sprigs
Salt and pepper
Put the chicken breasts between two sheets of greaseproof paper or clingfilm and bash them flat with a rolling pin. If you don’t do this you might find that the outside is cooked and dry while the inside is still raw.
Mix the remaining ingredients in a large, shallow dish and add the chicken. Cover with clingfilm and marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours. Lift the chicken out of the marinade, shaking off the excess. Barbecue for seven minutes, turning and basting with the marinade as it cooks. Serve immediately.
WILD, RED AND BROWN RICE SALAD WITH ROASTED PUMPKIN
(Serves 8)
For the dressing:
3tbsp cider vinegar
½tsp Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½tsp soft light brown sugar
180ml extra virgin olive oil
For the rice:
1tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 cinnamon stick, halved
5 allspice berries, crushed
½tsp ground ginger
¼tsp chilli flakes
500g mixed brown basmati, red and wild rice
1 litre light chicken or vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
2tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
50g pistachios, chopped
For the pumpkin:
750g sweet pumpkin or squash, peeled, seeded and cut into wedges or chunks
75ml olive oil
2tbsp clear honey
3tbsp balsamic vinegar
Make the dressing so that it’s ready when you need it – just put all the ingredients in a jam jar and give it a good shake. For the rice, heat the oil in a pan and gently saute the onion until soft and pale gold. Add the cinnamon, allspice, ginger and chilli and cook for about one minute to release the fragrance.
Pour in the rice, stir to coat in the oil and then add the chicken stock and bay leaf. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat and briskly simmer until the rice is tender and the stock is absorbed, about 45 minutes. (These types of rice never soften in the way white rice does.) Keep an eye on the liquid to make sure the rice doesn’t dry out or burn.
When ready, immediately toss with two-thirds of the dressing. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Put the pumpkin or squash in a roasting tin. Mix the oil, honey and vinegar together and drizzle over the pumpkin. Roast for about 20 minutes, or until the pumpkin is completely tender and slightly caramelised. Add the pumpkin to the rice salad with the parsley and pistachios. Serve immediately or at room temperature.
:: Grill It With Levi by Levi Roots is published by Ebury Press, priced £18.99. Available now
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