Recipes for grilled vegetables from Daniel Watkins, Acme Fire Cult

Rather than waving vague smoke signals, let’s be blunt: barbecues weren’t meant for meat and meat alone. Alas, summertime in the UK brings with it an abundance of delicious, in-season fruits and vegetables that are perfect for grilling and leaving behind a unique smokey flavour.

Daniel Watkins, chef and co-founder of Acme Fire Cult, stresses the need of “washing and drying all your vegetables well” when grilling veggies. This is due to the fact that drying vegetables after washing is crucial for grilling. A surplus of water can impede the cooking process, causing the food to simmer rather than grill and inhibiting the development of a beautiful grilled char. Additionally, oil and marinades help dry veggies stick together better and spread flavour evenly.

In relation to oil, he also suggests using premium sea salt and olive oil. It’s true that high-quality olive oils have a unique flavour that greatly enhances the flavour of veggies by bringing in notes of freshness, fruitiness, and pepperiness that inferior oils are just unable to deliver. The same holds true for salt.

Many chefs like maldon sea salt because, in contrast to some table salts, it is entirely natural, unprocessed, and additive-free. As a result, the rich minerals from the sea can be preserved, improving the flavour of food. Maldon sea salt is also renowned for having a distinctively flaky texture. The procedure of hand-harvesting and hand-drawing results in this unique shape. Its mild saltiness can bring out the tastes of a meal without overpowering it, and it has a clean, light flavour without the bitter aftertaste that is sometimes associated with lower-quality salts.

Chef Watkins offers advice such as, “Use your instinct – you are in control, depending on the recipe.” It is crucial to ensure that every veggie has a sufficient degree of heat.

“Overcooking is the main common mistake,” he continues. Everything counts when cooking over a fire: selecting the ideal coal, heating it to the ideal temperature, and timing the cooking process.

Here are a few of Watkins’s favourite BBQ veggie dishes that you may make at home while keeping those suggestions in mind.

Salsa Verde, Cantabrian Anchovies, and Roasted Corno Peppers

4 servings

Components

Regarding the peppers

• sixteen huge corno peppers
• olive oil according to flavour
• Merlot vinegar, according to preference

For the salsa verde, add salt to taste.

• 50g parsley, flat leaves
• 50g each of chervil and tarragon
• 50 grammes of cilantro
• 50g of liliput capers
• The juice from around 1⁄2 a lemon
• One clove of garlic
• 150 millilitres of olive oil

To sum up

Twelve anchovies

Technique

Regarding the peppers

Place directly into the coals, rotating so that both sides begin to blacken, and then transfer into a bowl. Cover the top with a towel or clingfilm. By doing this, the steam will be able to assist in removing the peppers’ skin.

After the peppers have cooled down a bit, carefully remove the skins, transfer the peppers to a mixing bowl, and then drizzle with merlot vinegar and olive oil. Adjust the amount of seasoning to suit your preference.

Regarding the salsa verde

Add all the herbs, garlic, olive oil, and a small sprinkle of salt to a blender. Blend until you get the desired consistency—you can have it chunky or smooth. To taste, add extra lemon juice, olive oil, and salt.

Feel free to experiment with the herbs you have on hand; salsa verde can be made with many different herbs.

We prefer to use the herb stalks rather than the liliput capers in order to reduce waste. After lightly salting them, cover them with vinegar and store them in the refrigerator for the entire night.

To sum up

Arrange the peppers on two plates and drizzle with a little of the oil and merlot vinegar mixture from the bowl.

Top with a heaping helping of anchovies and garnish with dollops of the green salsa.

4 servings

Components

• To cook leeks over coals
• Four big leeks
• Regarding the leek oil
• Unused 1 kilogramme of leek tips
• One kilogramme of pomace oil

Regarding the Romesco pistachio

• Pistachios: 150g (plus extra for garnish)
• 150 grammes of almonds
• one garlic clove
• 300 millilitres of leek oil
• Salt
• Eight bell peppers, green
• Green Tabasco or jalapeño vinegar
• cold water, if necessary

Regarding the tofu whip

• One silken tofu pack
• One lemon’s juice
• Salt

Technique

To cook leeks over coals

• Trim the green tops and set aside to make leek oil.
• After carefully cleaning, pat dry the leeks.
• Place the leeks over hot coals, letting the skin get black.
• uniformly, causing the internal fluids to steam.
• Periodically check the leeks by lightly pushing them to see if they feel tender. Remove from the coals as soon as they do.

Making the oil from leek

• After thorough cleaning, chop, shred, and add to a Thermomix.
• Put the oil cover on and program the Thermomix to run at 70 degrees for seven minutes
• at speed 10. Transfer into a bowl set over ice, cover, and chill for the entire night.
• Put through a sieve and season the following day.

For the pistachio romesco recipe

• Gradually roast the nuts until they acquire an even colour, then remove and let them cool.
• Place the peppers in a bowl with a lid and let them rest over the heat until the skin blisters and turns black. This will allow the peppers to steam and loosen their skin.

Take off the peppers’ seeds and peel.

• Blend the peppers, toasted nuts, garlic, and a small amount of leek oil in a Thermomix until a fine purée is formed, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is properly combined.
• Blend on a reduced speed while adding the remaining leek oil.
• Add the cold water to the mixture if it’s a touch too thick to soften the texture.

For the tofu whip recipe

• In a Thermomix, blend the ingredients until they are smooth and creamy.
• Keep in an easy-to-open bottle.

To sum up

Spoon the romesco into the centre of a bowl using a big spoon or piping bag. Slice the leeks at room temperature into 3-inch barrels, arrange them over the Romesco, and then season and drizzle with leek oil. Add a dollop of tofu whip and additional chopped roasted pistachios on top.

Trombetta Courgettes grilled with Vadouvan butter

4 servings

Components

Regarding the courgettes

• Four courgettes in a trombetta style

For the butter from Vadouvan

Yields a serving for eight people, half of which can be frozen and served.

• 400g dairy-free butter can be used with dairy; it’s just meant to be vegan.
• 220g of Shallots
• Madras curry powder, 11g
• 11 grammes of turmeric
• Six grammes of each of the following: salt, cumin, fennel, and
  Mustard seeds, peppercorns, and black cardamom
• chopped finely red chilli
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• One orange peel
• 2 inches of finely sliced ginger

For the puréed chickpeas

• 800g of chickpeas in cans
• Five tablespoons of olive oil
• two bay leaves
• One teaspoon of thyme leaves
• Juice from one-half lemon
• (Optional): confit garlic

Regarding the tofu whip

• One silken tofu pack
• One lemon’s juice
• Salt
• Technique

For the trombetta courgettes recipe

Just wash and chop into nice-sized pieces. Season and drizzle with a little olive oil. Grill, depending on fire temperature, on all sides until they begin to soften. Trombettas are incredibly suitable for open flames.

To prepare the butter vadouvan

Saute the shallots and all the other ingredients until they are soft and colourless, around two to three hours.

After turning off the heat, leave it for half an hour.

After the mixture has slightly cooled, combine it at a high speed until it’s smooth. Taste, adjust seasoning, and sprinkle with a little salt.

This is a fantastic side dish that can be frozen and goes well with any veggies, but it tastes especially good with courgettes.

To prepare the puréed chickpeas

Add the thyme and bay leaves to a pan of boiling water and cook the chickpeas for around 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaves from the chickpeas and drain them, reserving 2 tablespoons of the cooking water. Blend the beans until they form a smooth cream using the olive oil and the cooking liquid that was set aside. Finally, add the lemon juice and salt to taste.

Add extra lemon juice, olive oil, or confit garlic at this point if desired.

For the tofu whip recipe

In a Thermomix, blend the ingredients until they are smooth and creamy. Keep in an easy-to-open bottle.

To sum up

Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the chickpea puree into the centre of a plate, then nestle the grilled courgettes there. Drizzle with plenty of butter. Finish with a dollop of crème fraiche or tofu whip.

The Final Word

There you have it: some incredibly appetizing-sounding veggie-focused barbecue recipes. I’m grateful, chef!