From Red Thai Monkfish To Cauli Steaks: Up Your BBQ Game With Mindful Chef

With England basking in the warm glow of a 28 degree heatwave and Sunday’s 6-1 result against Panama, BBQs are firing up across the country. This month, take your cue from Digital Editor’s Molly Flatt’s feature on making small, easy-to-implement changes and switch up your usual grill favourites for something different. Health conscious food delivery service Mindful Chef is on hand to give you all the culinary inspo you need, from tender pork kebabs with sweet apricot segments to red Thai-spiced monkfish skewers via chargrilled cauli steaks heaped with hummus. If that doesn’t lure you away from your cut-price quarter pounder, nothing will.

Pork & apricot kebabs with pistachio quinoa

We’ve paired seasonal sweet apricots together with succulent pork for a delicious fruity summer kebab, loaded with Vitamin C. We’ve sprinkled over nutrient-rich pistachios and served alongside chargrilled broccoli.

Method:

1. Boil a kettle. Slice the apricots into quarters and de-stone. Trim the broccoli stalks. Remove the skin from the red onion, trim the root end but don’t cut off as you want the layers to stay intact when you grill them. Cut the red onion into quarters. Rub the vegetables with 1/2 tbsp oil and a pinch of sea salt.

2. Rinse the quinoa and place in a saucepan with 300ml boiling water and a pinch of sea salt. Simmer for 15 mins.

3. Slice each pork loin into 8 pieces. Thread 4 pieces of pork and 4 apricot quarters onto each of the skewers. Drizzle over 1/2 tbsp oil and sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper.

4. Preheat the BBQ (griddle pan) to a medium-high heat and cook the pork and apricot skewers for 15 mins turning every 3-4 mins, until the pork is cooked through.

5. At the same time, add the onion quarters and broccoli stalks to the BBQ (or griddle pan) for 3-4 mins until softening and chargrilled.

6. Drain the quinoa and stir through the dried oregano, pistachios and half of the lemon juice.

7. Spoon the quinoa onto two warm plates and serve alongside the chargrilled onions and broccoli. Top with the pork and apricot kebabs and drizzle over the remaining lemon juice.

Red Thai monkfish skewers & grilled pak choi

Chunky monkfish coated in Red Thai curry spices and grilled on skewers alongside pak choi, a nutritional powerhouse containing a wealth of vitamins. The spicy baby potato salad accompanying the skewers is loaded with Asian flavours including ginger, garlic, red chilli, lime and fresh coriander.

Method

1. Boil a kettle

2. Slice the baby potatoes in half. Place the baby white potatoes into a saucepan with a pinch of sea salt and cover with boiling water. Simmer for 10-15 mins until tender, then drain.

3. Peel and grate or finely chop the ginger. Finely chop the red chilli and the coriander leaves. Finely slice the spring onions, removing the root ends. Cut the pak choi in half lengthways and rub with 1 tbsp oil.

4. In a small bowl, mix the red Thai curry paste with 1 tbsp oil. Add the diced monkfish to this bowl and coat well. Thread the monkfish through the skewers.

5. Preheat a BBQ (or frying pan) and cook the monkfish skewers for 10-15 mins, turning occasionally, until cooked through. Towards the end of cooking the skewers, place the pak choi on a BBQ (or frying pan) for 2 mins each side until softened.

6. Place the cooked potatoes into a large bowl, and stir through the ginger, chilli, coriander, spring onions and half of the juice from the lime. Season with a pinch of sea salt.

7. Spoon the spicy potatoes onto two warm plates, top with the monkfish skewers. Sprinkle over the black sesame seeds and serve with the remaining juice from the lime.

Cauliflower steaks, harissa hummus & walnuts

Baby cauliflower ‘steaks’ chargrilled and sprinkled with Egyptian dukkah, a crunchy blend of nuts and spices and layered over herby buckwheat and harissa infused homemade hummus. We’ve sprinkled over walnuts for a boost of vitamin E and selenium for healthy skin.

Method

1. Boil a kettle. Rinse the buckwheat and place into as saucepan with 300ml boiling water and a pinch of sea salt. Simmer for 15 mins, then drain.

2. Thinly slice the baby cauliflower into thin 1cm wide ‘steaks’. Remove the skin from the red onion, trim the root end but don’t cut off as you want the layers to stay intact when you grill them. Cut the red onion into quarters. Cut the pomegranate in half, remove and reserve the seeds. Roughly chop the mint leaves and break the walnuts in half.

3. To make the harissa hummus; drain the chickpeas, reserving 1 tbsp of the liquid. Place in a bowl and mash the chickpeas until they are all crushed. Stir through the harissa and season with sea salt and black pepper.

4. Brush the cauliflower steaks and red onion with 1 tbsp oil and season with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Heat the BBQ (or a griddle pan) to a medium-high heat and cook the red onion for 3-4 mins each side and the baby cauliflower steaks for 2-3 mins each side until softened.

5. To make a dressing, in a bowl, mix a generous squeeze of lemon juice with the pomegranate molasses.

6. In a bowl, mix the cooked buckwheat, rocket, mint, walnuts and pomegranate seeds together then stir in half of the pomegranate dressing.

7. Spoon the buckwheat onto two warm plates and top with the chargrilled cauliflower, red onion and spoonfuls of the harissa hummus. Drizzle over the remaining pomegranate dressing and sprinkle over the dukkah.