Enjoy: New veg with dash

Place the tofu on the hot barbecue plate and cook for 5 minutes, pouring on about half the marinade, a little at a time, and turning the tofu once. Transfer to the grill side of the barbecue and give the slices a final 30 seconds on each. Transfer to a plate and pour the remaining marinade over.

Aubergine Stacks with Mozzarella

I think these became a bit of a cliché for a while but that doesn’t stop them being very good to eat and to look at. You can sandwich the slices of aubergine with all manner of things – houmous, pesto, grilled and peeled red peppers. Anything Mediterranean, Moorish or Middle Eastern works well.

SERVES 6

1 aubergine (eggplant), long enough to slice into 12

2 large tomatoes, 1 thickly sliced, 1 roughly chopped

2–3 tablespoons olive oil

a dash of Tabasco sauce

6 thick slices of mozzarella cheese

3 tablespoons pesto

sea salt

a few small basil leaves, to garnish

Brush the aubergine (eggplant) and tomato slices with the olive oil and Tabasco and sprinkle with salt. Grill the aubergine (eggplant) over a medium heat for 5–6 minutes on each side. Add the tomatoes and grill for a minute on each side. Remove from the heat and make into stacks with a slice of mozzarella, a slice of tomato and ½ tablespoon of pesto between 2 slices of aubergine (eggplant). Return to the barbecue for a minute on each side, just so the mozzarella can melt. Meanwhile, quickly stir the chopped tomato on the hot plate of the barbecue, if you have one, then remove. Garnish the stacks with basil leaves and the chopped tomato and serve.

Sweet Potatoes with Asparagus and Pesto

I often make a salad of these three ingredients, roasting the sweet potatoes till they’re prettily browned and tender. The charring over a barbecue is just going a step further. I add goat’s cheese or very well marinated and fried tofu, with slivers of sunblush (semi-dried) tomatoes, both of which you could also include here. Pesto is obviously not the only option either. Try extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and dukka (#ulink_ba484005-6737-5fa0-80cf-c1ebf143f642) as an alternative. Or any other dressing in the book.

SERVES 4

4 small sweet potatoes, preferably thin ones

2 bunches (about 450g) asparagus – quite thick spears are best, given the vicious treatment

2 ripe tomatoes, cut in half

For the marinade:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon tamari

2 tablespoons water

a good dash of Tabasco sauce

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

To serve:

pesto

Greek or sheep’s milk yoghurt

Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. Peel the potatoes and score them all over with a sharp knife. Cut into slices no more than 1cm thick, then place in the bowl with the marinade and leave for at least 10 minutes. Place over the grill on a medium heat for 15–17 minutes, turning regularly to prevent burning. As the potato slices start to soften, you can brush them with some of the remaining marinade.

Baste the asparagus with more of the marinade and place on the grill, medium heat again, for 2–3 minutes on each side, watching that they don’t fall through the gaps. If you prefer, you can push a couple of skewers through 5 or 6 spears at a time, which will make them easier to handle and stop them falling through.

Finally, place the tomatoes on the hot plate of the barbecue, if you have one (otherwise just put them straight on the grill). This will allow you to bash them about a bit with a wooden spoon so they burst, release their juices and turn almost to a sauce.

You can plate this if you like before serving, a few potato slices per person, topped with the asparagus and the bashed tomato. A spoonful of pesto on top and a dollop of yoghurt looks as good as it tastes.

Corn on the Cob Grilled and Served Half a Dozen Ways

Here are several ideas, for all of which you have to prepare and cook the corn as follows. First, soak the cobs, still in their husks, in cold salted water for 30 minutes. Peel back the husks and remove the hairy bit, then pull the husks back over the cobs to protect them from the high heat. Place them on a hot barbecue for 15 minutes, turning them once. Then remove the husks, dip the cobs into the salted water again and return them to a medium heat for another 8–10 minutes, again turning them over to make sure that they are charred all the way round.

ALL THE SUGGESTIONS BELOW SERVE 4

With Butter and Harissa:

40g softened butter

1 tablespoon harissa

Put the softened butter and harissa in a bowl large enough to hold the grilled cobs and beat until combined. Add the cobs to the bowl, toss to coat them in the butter and eat at once.

With Butter, Lime and Garlic:

40g softened butter

juice of 1 lime

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and beat until combined. Toss with the grilled cobs and serve at once.

With Coconut Milk, Tamari and Thai Curry Paste:

150ml coconut milk

1 tablespoon tamari

juice of ½ lime

1 teaspoon red or green Thai curry paste