Meatball Pasta Bake

Meatball Pasta Bake

  • Prep Time20 min
  • Cook Time45 min
  • Total Time1 hr 5 min
  • Yield4 Servings
  • Cooking Method
    • Direct /Indirect

Ingredients

  • 400gms of burgers (this is an easy way to make meatballs as you don't need any binders)
  • 300gms of Pasta
  • 350gm Jar of Cirio Passata Rustica
  • 1 red onion chopped
  • 1 red pepper chopped
  • 100gms mushrooms sliced
  • 2 teaspoons of mixed herbs (we brought this mix home from our holiday in Rome but any herbs will do, such as dried garlic, rosemary, time, oregano, chilli flakes)
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 75 gms of grated mature cheddar
  • Olive Oil

Method

1

Boil the pasta for about 2 mins less than the time suggested on the packet, drain and set aside.

2

Light the bbq and allow it to come to around 180°C. (If using a kettle then set up for direct and indirect cooking)

3

Add oil to a cast iron pan, heat on the bbq and fry the meatballs until they start to brown, remove from pan and set aside

4

Fry the onion and pepper in the pan until it starts to soften, add the mushrooms and the herb along with some Salt and Pepper (you might need a little extra oil)

5

Fry for a couple of minutes and add the passata, mix well

6

Combine the meatballs and the sauce and simmer for 5 mins

7

Combine the pasta and the sauce and place in a baking dish, cover with cheese

8

Put the deflector plates in if using a ceramic or if using a bbq then cook indirect.

9

Bake the pasta bake for 20-30 mins until its bubbling.

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BBQ Dragon and Chimney of Insanity

The BBQ Dragon and Chimney of Insanity have been around a few years in the states and not really available here until now. Here’s a review from Mark Quigg (@Markie_q_bbq)

Those of you that follow me on social media, will be aware that I am a big fan of plancha cooking and have a great relationship with Smokerig and their sister site Totally BBQ. A few weeks ago, we were chatting about a new kettle BBQ they will be stocking when it is released in the coming months. They mentioned a new product that they had just managed to get hold of from America.

That product was the BBQ Dragon and the Chimney of Insanity. I must admit I had never heard of them, but they very generously offered to send them to me to play with. Just to clarify, they have at no point asked me to review the products, or promote them in anyway. I am free to give my honest opinion.

The BBQ Dragon is a stainless steel, battery powered variable speed fan on a flexible neck. At the other end is a heavy-duty rubber lined bulldog clip to fasten it, so it is completely hands-free. It has a variety of uses, from lighting fires, increasing temps, to recovering smouldering fires.

    The Chimney of Insanity’s design from the outside looks like most chimney starters, apart from the protruding hole on one side, towards the bottom of the chimney. When you look inside, the charcoal grate is not conical, but flat and you can see that the hole that protrudes for the side, is actually a 90-degree elbow joint. The concept is that you place a firelighter in the elbow joint and this causes a large draw of air up through the coals.

    But this is where they come into their own. The hole is the exact size of the BBQ Dragon fan head, which slots into the hole on the chimney and transforms it into more of a rocket stove. On my first use, I lit a chimney full of new Weber briquettes in 4 minutes and 32 seconds. No mean feat. It’s capacity is slightly less than a Weber chimney starter, probably around ¾ the size. This isn’t an issue for me as I rarely used to light a full chimney.

    Since then I have been experimenting with them both and having a lot of fun.  I have used the BBQ Dragon at the end of cooks to bring the temperature of the coals up, so I have an intense sear zone. This is great with a Slow N Sear. It’s worked well with my Kadai Fire Bowl, on some Oak wood that has always previously really struggled and always smouldered. It has also worked with my Ooni 2S, to fire up the pellets quicker and in between pizzas to keep the temperature up. All of which it has handled with ease.
    I’ve used the Chimney of insanity with a grate across the top, with the BBQ Dragon on and cooked some proper flame grilled steaks. On YouTube others have also used them as a Wok burner.

    I am very impressed with them so far. The build quality seems great. It’s the first chimney starter I have used where the handle doesn’t even get slightly warm. The BBQ Dragon runs on 4 x AA batteries. It does have a micro USB socket on the handle, so you can trickle charge rechargeable batteries if you like.

    So do you need one in order to be able to BBQ?  No.  But do you want a quicker method of lighting your BBQ, that’s portable, handsfree and can help searing, fire management, pizza making etc? Then I would recommend checking it out. It’s one of those gadgets that once you have it, you wonder how you ever coped without it. The BBQ Dragon and Chimney of Insanity are available separately or as a bundle on www.tbbq.co.uk.  Feel free to get in touch on Twitter or Instagram (@Markie_q_bbq) if you want any more information.

    SNS Grills – Slow ‘N Sear

    What is a Slow ‘N Sear I hear you ask. Basically it turns your kettle bbq into a smoker to allow you to cook food at a low temperature. Pulled pork is a great example. Normally cooked at 110°C (225°F) over many hours which is not easily achievable on a kettle without a lot of baby sitting.

    I bought this a while ago from Totally BBQ after watching a load of YouTube videos and being initially attracted by how easy it looked. I’ve seen numerous basket set ups and snakes etc in the Weber that will do a similar job but this seemed a lot easier to use, so the Slow ‘n Sear 2.0 was ordered.

    Arrived and unboxed, first impressions were a well-made sturdy piece of stainless steel which fitted perfectly in my Weber 57. The coals obviously go in the back and the water baffle is filled with hot water.

      The instructions said to start a few coals in one end of the basket as shown above. (I now just start some in my small weber chimney and stack in when hot). Once initial coals are going, fill with more fuel and then I filled the baffle with water from a boiling kettle. Add a couple of bits of your favourite wood on and your good to go.

      The baffle can be removed if you just want to use it with charcoal for a sear zone of for indirect cooking.

      Once the  lid was on it didn’t take long for it to approach the desired temp of 110°C (225°F) and then just cracking the bottom vent and the top vent slightly open, it didn’t need much tweaking for it to stay around there for the next 8 hours.

      Just for information I was using Cococabana Grillbriketts

      Here’s them at 3 hours, 6 hours and 8 hours respectively. The temp was easy to maintain with just a little vent tweaking now and again.

      I’ve now used this on a quite few cooks and been more than pleased with it. To be honest it doesn’t really come out of the BBQ unless I’m using the Fuel Dome for wings. As there’s only two of us at home now, I even got rid of a couple of smokers that now just weren’t being used.

      There’s a few extras available for it like a griddle pan and a rotating rack with a bigger flip up portion for adding coals.

      For me, I really like it and if anything happened to it, I’d definitely replace it in a heartbeat.

      Available from Totally BBQ.

      Baked Prawns

      This is a popular one pot dish served throughout Turkey. The recipe, comes from the book Ozlem’s Turkish Table by Ozlem Warren and has been adapted for cooking on the BBQ.
      I’ve  only had the book a couple of months and have marked quite a few recipes to cook on the BBQ.  Ozlem kindly gave permission to reproduce this recipe. Below is the link to her book,

      Baked Prawns

      • Prep Time15 min
      • Cook Time30 min
      • Total Time45 min
      • Yield4 Servings
      • Cuisine
        • Mediterranean
      • Course
      • Cooking Method
        • Direct/InDirect

      Ingredients

      • 225gms Raw King Prawns (shelled)
      • 225gms mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
      • 1 onion thinly sliced
      • 2 garlic cloves
      • 1 green pepper
      • 2 bay leaves
      • 400gms tin of chopped tomatoes
      • 60ml water
      • 120gms grated chedder
      • 3 tbs olive oil
      • salt and pepper to taste
      • 2 tsp turkish red pepper flakes (pul biber) or chilli flakes if you can't get them
      • Handful of fresh parsley
      • Flat breads or sourdough to serve

      Method

      1

      Preheat the BBQ to 180°C and set up for indirect.

      2

      Heat the olive oil over the coals, and stir in the onion, peppers and mushrooms cook for about 4 to 5 mins until they begin to soften

      3

      Add the garlic, season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes cook for another 4-5 mins

      4

      Add the chopped tomatoes, bay leaves and water, combine well

      5

      Simmer for about 10 mins until the sauce starts to thicken

      6

      Stir in the prawns sprinkle with grated cheese, move to indirect heat, cover the pan or the bbq with a lid and bake for 10 mins until prawns are cooked and the cheese is nicely melted.

      7

      Garnish with chopped parsley and serve hot with bread of your choice

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      Baked Prawns

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      Ozlem Warrens book ‘Ozlems Turkish Table’ is available from all good bookshops.
      OURMAND World Cookbook Awards WINNER and BEST IN THE WORLD, Heritage: Turkey. Foreword Indies Awards (USA, International) HONORABLE Mention for Cooking.

      ISBN-10: 1912031949
      ISBN-13: 978-1912031948

      Grilled Sea Bass

      Grilled Whole Sea Bass Chreime with ginger and coriander relish
      Chreime is a Tunisian fish stew but in this recipe bbq-ing the fish adds a depth of smoke flavour

      Grilled Sea Bass

      • Prep Time10 min
      • Cook Time20 min
      • Total Time30 min
      • Yield2 Servings

      Ingredients

      • 6 garlic cloves peeled and roughly chopped
      • 1tbsp salt
      • 1 1/2tsp caraway seeds toasted in a dry pan and ground in a spice blender
      • 1 tsp cumin seeds toasted in a dry pan and ground in a spice blender
      • 100ml olive oil
      • 2tbs smoked paprika
      • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
      • 50g tomato paste
      • 1tbsp red wine vinegar
      • 1tsp sugar
      • 1 sea bass approximately 700gms scaled and gutted.
      • Juice of 1 lime

      Method

      For the Ginger and Coriander Relish

      1

      Combine all the ingredients in a bow, season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside

      For the Chreime

      2

      Crush the garlic with the salt, caraway and cumin and garlic in a pestle and mortar, add a table spoon of olive oil, the paprika and cayenne pepper and stir to combine

      3

      Heat the rest of the oil in pan over medium heat, add the garlic and spice mix and fry stirring frequently to avoid burning.

      4

      Bring to a gentle simmer then add the vinegar and sugar. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Keep warm.

      5

      Score the sea bass on each side and drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper

      6

      Set the bbq up for direct grilling, once ready grill your sea bass for 3-4 mins a side, it should be opaque and slightly firm when ready.

      7

      Put sea bass into sauce and bring to a gentle simmer spooning some sauce over to finish the cooking.

      8

      Serve with the relish spooned over and straight from the pan.

      9

      Some toasty crusty bread and a green salad make great sides

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      Grilled Sea Bass

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      Turkish Scrambled Eggs

      This is another recipe from the book Ozlem’s Turkish Table. Whilst not a bbq book the recipes can easily be done on the BBQ.
      Menemen is a turkish scrambled eggs with vegetables which is popular in many Turkish households as a weekend breakfast.
      I cooked this a few weeks ago as part of a COVID 19 lockdown bbq competition and served it in a bacon weave basket with a bloody mary, it would be just as nice served on sourdough toast

      Turkish Scrambled Eggs

      • Prep Time15 min
      • Cook Time10 min
      • Total Time25 min
      • Yield2 - 3 Servings

      Ingredients

      • 4 eggs
      • 1/2 green pepper
      • 1 spring onion
      • 2 medium ripe tomatoes finely diced
      • 1 tbs olive oil
      • 60 gms feta crumbled
      • 1tsp turkish red pepper flakes of chilli flakes
      • salt and ground black pepper
      • Bread to Serve

      Method

      1

      Light the BBQ and set a cool fire zone with a few coals

      2

      Crack eggs into bowl and lightly beat, add feta and combine

      3

      Add olive oil into pan and heat.

      4

      Stir in the green peppers and cook for a couple of minutes.

      5

      Add the spring onions, tomatoes and red pepper flakes and mix well.

      6

      Pour in the eggs and scramble over a medium heat until the are just done but retain some moisture.

      7

      Season with salt and pepper.

      8

      Serve with crusty sourdough or pita bread.

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      Turkish Scrambled Eggs

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      Ozlem Warrens book ‘Ozlems Turkish Table’ is available from all good bookshops.
      OURMAND World Cookbook Awards WINNER and BEST IN THE WORLD, Heritage: Turkey. Foreword Indies Awards (USA, International) HONORABLE Mention for Cooking.

      ISBN-10: 1912031949
      ISBN-13: 978-1912031948

      Dirty Scallops with Nduja and Wild Garlic Butter.

      Nduja is a soft spicy salami from Italy which melts and compliments the flavour of the scallops.

      If you’re cooking this on a charcoal BBQ please ensure you’re using Lumpwood charcoal.

      This is a recipe from Steve Johnson who is a passionate and experienced bbq chef from Brixham Devon , winner of PenGrille 2018, demonstrator and pop up bbq chef, specialising in fish and shellfish.

      Dirty Scallops with Nduja and Wild Garlic Butter.

      • Prep Time10 min
      • Cook Time10 min
      • Total Time20 min
      • Yield4 Servings

      Ingredients

      • 12 scallops in the half shell
      • Nduja approximately 80-100g
      • Wild garlic butter
      • Pastis such as Pernod

      Method

      1

      Ask your fishmonger to sell you scallops in the half shell. These may need to be ordered in advance.

      2

      I make wild garlic butter each spring using 80g of fresh wild garlic leaves to 250g of butter and half a tsp of sea salt. Portion and freeze for use later. If wild garlic butter isn’t available use normal garlic instead.

      3

      Have your coals hot and spread evenly. Add a knob of Nduja and wild garlic butter to each scallop shell.

      4

      Place the scallops directly on the coals. The scallops are cooked when the Nduja and garlic butter are melted an the internal temperature of the scallops is 50°C. Just before removing add a dash of pastis and flambé. I recommend the use of a protective glove for this.

      5

      This dish may be cooked on a conventional charcoal or gas bbq.

      6

      The scallops may be substituted for fresh oysters which are also delicious cooked this way.

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      Dirty scallops with Nduja and Wild Garlic Butter

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      Monkfish and Scallop Kebabs with Miso and Grapefruit Glaze

      Monkfish and Scallop Kebabs with Miso and Grapefruit Glaze are an easy fish kebab best cooked on an open fire pit resting on smouldering birch wood logs which imparts a delicate but not overbearing flavour. However is still very tasty grilled on a lumpwood conventional charcoal or gas barbecue. 
      This is a recipe from Steve Johnson who is a passionate and experienced bbq chef from Brixham Devon , winner of PenGrille 2018, demonstrator and pop up bbq chef, specialising in fish and shellfish.

      Monkfish and Scallop Kebabs with Miso and Grapefruit Glaze

      • Prep Time15 min
      • Cook Time10 min
      • Total Time25 min
      • Yield4 Servings

      Ingredients

      For the Kebabs

      • 500g Monkfish fillets
      • 12 scallops shelled
      • 4 metal or bamboo skewers.

      For the Miso glaze

      • 1 tbsp miso paste
      • 1 tbsp soy sauce
      • 1 tbsp sesame oil
      • Grated piece of fresh ginger (about thumb size
      • 2 grated cloves of garlic
      • Juice half a grapefruit.

      Method

      1

      If using wooden or bamboo skewers soak in water for an hour.

      2

      Cut the monkfish tails into cubes approximately the same size as the scallops and thread alternately on the skewers.

      3

      Mix all the glaze ingredients in a very small saucepan and heat gently until boiling. This can be done on the bbq. Then reserve the hot glaze for the cook.

      4

      If using the open fire birch log method put the logs on the coals for five minutes before cooking then rest the skewers over the fire on the logs.

      5

      Cook, turning occasionally. About half way through the cook apply the miso glaze repeatedly with a silicone brush. Take off the fire when the internal temperature reaches 50°C.

      6

      Enjoy alone or with a simple slaw or salad.

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      BBQ Jerk Chicken

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      Susan Stoneman – Hot Cross Buns

      Susan Stoneman – Hot Cross Buns

      • YieldMakes 12 (depending on size)

      Ingredients

      • 300ml milk
      • 50g butter
      • 500g strong bread flour
      • 1 tsp salt
      • 75g caster sugar
      • 7g sachet fast-action or easy-blend yeast
      • 1 egg, beaten
      • 75g sultanas
      • 50g mixed peel
      • (or 125g dried mixed fruit for the dried fruit ie. Sultanas & mixed peel)
      • zest 1 orange
      • 1 apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
      • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
      • 1 tsp ground mixed spice
      • For the crosses - 75g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
      • For the glaze - 3 tbsp apricot jam or orange marmalade

      Method

      1

      Gently warm the milk and add the butter. Stir to help it melt. Leave to cool until it reaches hand temperature.

      2

      Put the flour, salt, sugar and yeast into a bowl. Make a well in the centre. Pour in the warm milk and butter mixture, then add the egg.

      3

      Add in the dried mixed fruit, apple, orange zest, ground cinnamon and mixed spice.

      4

      Using a wooden spoon, mix well, then bring everything together with your hands until you have a sticky dough.

      5

      Tip on to a lightly floured surface and knead for about five minutes until smooth and elastic.

      6

      Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hr or until doubled in size.

      7

      Divide the dough into 12 even pieces the roll each piece into a smooth ball on a lightly floured work surface.

      8

      Cover with more oiled cling film, or a clean tea towel, then set aside to prove for an hour (or until doubled in size).

      9

      To make the crosses on the buns, mix the 75g flour with about 5 tbsp water to make a paste – add the water 1 tbsp at a time, so you add just enough for a thick paste.

      10

      Spoon into a piping bag with a small nozzle and then pipe crosses on the buns.

      11

      I cooked the buns in the Kamado Joe for about 30 mins at 150°C (using the deflector plates and cooking on the top grill). Usual bake test, brown on top and sounding hollow when tapped on the base of the buns.

      12

      Gently heat the apricot jam to melt, then sieve to get rid of any chunks and while the jam is still warm, brush over the top of the warm buns and leave to cool.

      13

      Gently heat the apricot jam to melt, then sieve to get rid of any chunks and while the jam is still warm, brush over the top of the warm buns and leave to cool.

      14

      Gently heat the apricot jam to melt, then sieve to get rid of any chunks and while the jam is still warm, brush over the top of the warm buns and leave to cool.

      Recipe from Susan Stoneman

      Hot Cross Buns

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      Saag Aloo

      Saag Aloo

      • Prep Time15 min
      • Cook Time45 min
      • Total Time1 hr
      • Yield4 Servings

      Ingredients

      • 3 tablespoons of ghee or butter.
      • 2 - 3 tablespoons Garlic/ginger paste (5 or 6 garlic cloves and a thumb of ginger)
      • 5 green cardamom pods, cracked slightly
      • Stick of cinnamon
      • 1 tablespoon of cumin seeds
      • Two bay leaves
      • 1 Tablespoon garam masala
      • 1 teaspoon of salt
      • 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
      • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
      • 3 onions finely sliced
      • 1 x 400g tin of good tomatoes
      • 1 Pint of stock with a teaspoon of garam masala and a clove added
      • 500g potatoes (waxy)
      • Big bag of fresh spinach.

      Method

      1

      Set the Weber up for indirect cooking- coals left and right with central sanctuary.

      A wok type pan with small handles that fit inside a closed lid, cast iron Dutch Oven or the Weber GBS pan would work best. (You’ll need a glove)

      2

      Start with the pan over one of the fuel sides and add the ghee/butter.

      3

      Fry the spices for a minute being careful not to burn.

      4

      Add the garlic/ginger paste and cook for a further minute, stirring continuously.

      5

      Add the onion, and cook for a few minutes until soft and glossy but not too brown.

      6

      Add the potatoes and turn everything around to coat.

      7

      Add the tomatoes and most of the stock. You want to try and cover the potatoes.

      8

      Place the pan in the centre of the grill, lid on and vents wide open to simmer. This should take 30-40 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

      9

      Whilst the potatoes are cooking, wilt the spinach down in an inch of boiling water with a teaspoon of salt and half teaspoon of turmeric added. (If you’re hardcore, you can do this on your ‘other’ BBQ. I did this on the stove)

      10

      After a couple of minutes, drain the spinach and let cool enough to squeeze much of the water out.

      11

      Chop through the spinach and add to the potatoes just before they’re cooked through.

      12

      Mix well being careful not to break up the potatoes

      13

      Let the Saag Aloo reduce to your desired thickness. Add your reserved stock if needed.

      14

      Serve with Naan

      Recipe by Mike Cheryl Saunders

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      Saag Aloo

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