Midsummer barbecue recipes

We’re having a midsummer barbecue for a few of our friends on June 24, but as soon as I mentioned what I was planning to do by way of food I started getting requests for recipes.

So, here are a few recipes to get people started…

Fidget Pie

• 4-5 new potatoes
• 1 large dessert apple (or two small ones)
• 6 rashers of bacon
• 8oz sausage meat (not too strongly flavoured)
• 1 rabbit, jointed and boned
• Fresh parsley, finely chopped (large handful!)
• Salt and pepper
• Stock (made using rabbit carcass, a stick of celery, a small carrot, a bay leaf and peppercorns)
• 16oz shortcrust pastry (or cheat and buy a frozen 500g block)

Clean and rub the skin off the potatoes, then slice thinly.

Clean, core and peel the apples, then slice thinly.

Cut the bacon and the rabbit into small pieces.

In a large bowl combine the chopped bacon, the sausage meat, the chopped rabbit and the parsley, seasoning to taste.

Divide the pastry almost in half, putting aside the slightly smaller piece. Roll the pastry into a ball and then roll out flat with a rolling pin. Line a large pie dish with the pastry.

Place a layer of potatoes on top of the pastry in the pie dish, then a layer of apples. Spread the meat filling evenly over the layer of apples, then top with another layer of apples and another layer of potatoes.

Pour the stock over the filling until it’s just below the edge of the pie case.

Roll out the second piece of pastry and place it over the pie, closing the edges with a fork before trimming. Make a hole in the centre of the pie crust and then decorate using the offcuts of pastry.

Bake the pie in an oven preheated to 200C (180C or so for fan force) for one hour.

Serve hot or cold. If cold, a home-made chutney is a good accompaniment.

NOTE: For freshness, shoot the rabbit through the kitchen window while doing the preparation! It also helps to soak the rabbit carcass in brine for at least two hours as this improves the flavour.

Huffkins

• 1lb 4oz strong wholemeal flour
• 4oz rye flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3/4 pint warm milk and water (about 50/50)
• 1/2 oz yeast
• 2 oz butter (or lard if you’re not worried about vegetarians)

Place the flours and salt in a large mixing bowl.

Whisk the sugar into the warm milk and water, then stir in the yeast and leave for about 20 minutes.

Make a well in the centre of the flour, pour in the yeast mixture and mix well (you’ll almost certainly have to use your fingers).

Tip the dough out and knead well. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a cloth and leave to rise until doubled in size.

Chop the butter into small pieces and work into the dough. You may need to sprinkle a little extra flour on the dough to soak up the extra moisture.

Leave the dough to rise until doubled in size (yes, oiled bowl, cloth etc).

Divide the dough (a small handful of my size hands - so 2-3oz) and roll into balls, then roll out to 1in thickness with a rolling pin.

Place balls on lightly floured baking trays and leave to prove for a further half an hour. Gently push your thumb into each huffkin, leaving a distinct indentation but don’t squash them!

Place in an oven preheated to 220C (about 200C fan force) and bake for 12 minutes. Turn the huffkins over and bake for a further eight minutes.

Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Serve while still warm with plenty of butter.

Barbecued trout

• 1 large trout, cleaned and gutted
• 1 medium dill frond
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Place the trout on a large sheet of aluminium foil, enough to make a secure package around the fish.

Lay a layer on lemon slices inside the cavity of the trout, then a layer of garlic and then break the frond of dill up and sprinkle that inside.

Brush the trout with the oil and season to taste.

Loosely wrap the trout in the foil (so there’s room for steam to expand) but seal the edges up very tight (triple folds are good).

Wait until the barbecue has burned down low but is still giving off good heat (assuming you’re using charcoal), then place the foil wrapped trout about six inches above the surface of the coals.

Cook for six minutes, then turn over and cook for a further six minutes.

Remove the trout from the barbecue and, carefully, open a side of the packet. If the trout is cooked, the flesh will be opaque and flake easily. If not, reseal and cook for a further three minutes.