DJ BBQ's halloumi burger and cheat's peri-peri sauce
We Brits don’t need much sunshine to fire up the barbecue, so if you haven't already it's definitely time to get your grill on! From keeping your utensils clean to ensuring you don't burn your back garden down, the country's biggest barbecue fan Christian Stevenson, aka DJ BBQ, is here with everything you need to know about grilling your food to perfection - whatever the weather!
Cheat's piri-piri sauce
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For the piri-piri sauce
80g butter1 tablespoon sunflower oil or vegetable oil1 large bulb garlic, sliced200g bacon lardons1-2 tablespoons dried oregano1 tablespoon paprika1 teaspoon sumac (optional)2 teaspoon preserved lemons, chopped (optional)2 tablespoons ready made hot sauce (or more depending on hot you like it).
The sauce works well with chicken, pork and vegetables.
Method
Take a cast iron pan and add the butter, oil, garlic, bacon, dried oregano, paprika and if you want a little more depth of flavour and a little more tang add the sumac and preserved lemon.
Take the bottle of hot sauce and add a couple of tablespoons depending on how hot you like it
Add the pan to the heat or onto the barbecue and allow to bubble away on a medium heat
Once the sauce is cooked add slowly over the chicken, pork or even veggies half way through cooking. If the meat and the sauce are warm it will absorb the piri piri sauce nicely.
Spiced halloumi burger
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For the burger:
1 block of halloumi cheese, sliced into thick slabs – 1 per persona pinch of paprika
For the smashed avocado
2 very ripe avocadosJuice of half a lemon1 teaspoon chilli flakes
To serve
RocketHeritage tomatoes, slicedBrioche buns
Method
For the burger
Take the halloumi cheese and slice into thick wedges. Drizzle over olive oil and sprinkle over the paprika over the slabs.
Oil the bars of the barbecue with a piece of kitchen towel with a little oil on and place the halloumi on.
Keep an eye on the halloumi – it will need around 2 minutes on each side.
For the smashed avocado
Mix the avocado with the juice of half a lemon and add the dried chilli flakes.
To serve
Remove the halloumi from the barbecue, and place inside the brioche bun, drizzle over the pomegranate molasses and top with rocket, smashed avocado and tomatoes.