‘Fire, Smoke and Green’ cookbook recipes: From grilled pimientos to asparagus with burrata

Barbecues aren’t just about slabs of meat. From pimientos to asparagus with burrata, Martin Nordin creates some tasty treats

Toast peas in the pods for 10 minutes on the barbecue along with spring onions for this salad

Grilled peas and spring onions with mint and bean sprouts

Serves 6

12 small spring onions
3 tbsp olive oil
1kg peas in pods
125g bean sprouts
10g chopped mint leaves
Sea salt flakes

Light the barbecue and let the charcoal take on a soft glow.

Split the spring onions lengthways – try to keep some of the leaves. Brush the cut edges of the onions with oil. Place the spring onion on the barbecue and leave them until they have taken on some colour and started to soften – this should take around 10 minutes.

Turn them over and grill on the other side for around 5 minutes. Place the spring onions in a large bowl and set aside.

Place the peas in their pods on the barbecue and leave them until the pods start to blacken – this should take around 5 minutes. Turn them over and leave for a further 5 minutes.

Remove from the barbecue and allow them to cool. When the pods are cool enough to handle remove the peas from the pods and place the peas in the bowl with the spring onions.

Drizzle the remainder of the oil into the bowl, then add the bean sprouts and mint. Stir so that everything is airy, ideally using your hands, and season with salt. Place onto a large plate and serve as a side dish or a starter.

Grilled pimientos de padron​ with creme fraiche and grated kombu

Serves 6

300g pimientos de padron​
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
Sea salt flakes
300ml creme fraiche​
2 tsp mild chilli powder
1 tsp sesame seeds (preferably a mixture of colours)
Kombu leaves (available from Asian grocery shops)

Light the table barbecue and let the charcoal take on a fine, even glow. Place the chillies in a bowl, cover with oil and massage until everything is covered.

Place the chillies in a coarse mesh strainer and grill until they take on colour and their skin starts to bubble and crack. Remove from the grill and season with sea salt flakes to taste.

Dollop creme fraiche onto a plate, sprinkle chilli powder and sesame seeds on top and grate the kombu over it using a zester. Place the chillies on top and serve immediately.

Grilled asparagus with burrata, egg yolk and kumquat sauce

Serves 6

1kg asparagus
2 tbsp rapeseed oil

Kumquat sauce

12 kumquats, sliced
2 tablespoons grated fresh turmeric
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
3 star anise
100ml honey
300ml water

To serve

6 burrata balls
6 egg yolks
6 tbsp roasted buckwheat (see below)
Chive flowers (or another onion flower)
6 tsp leek ash, see recipe below

Light the barbecue and let the charcoal take on a fine glow. Make the kumquat sauce. Bring all the ingredients to the boil in a saucepan on a high heat.

Boil for around 10 minutes until it begins to thicken and is foaming a lot. Strain the sauce into a bowl through a sieve (fine-mesh strainer) and press as much of the kumquat fruit through as possible.

Trim and wash the asparagus. Ideally, peel them all the way to the top – you don’t have to, but it looks good! Dry them and place in a bowl together with the rapeseed oil. Mix so that they are covered in the oil then place the asparagus on the barbecue.

Roll them back and forth constantly for around 5 minutes, taking care to ensure they don’t burn too much. Remove them from the grill once they have blacked slightly.

Take a burrata ball and tear it in half using your hands. Place it on a plate and let the cream drain out. Place a pile of asparagus beside it, put an egg yolk on the burrata and cut into it so that the yolk runs out. Drizzle with 3-4 tbsp of kumquat sauce. Top with roasted buckwheat, chive flowers and leek ash.

​Roasted buckwheat

280g whole buckwheat
1 tbsp rapeseed oil

Rinse the buckwheat in hot water and then cold water. Place in a mixing bowl, fill with water and leave to stand for at least 1 hour.

Strain and place the buckwheat on a dish towel and let it dry slightly. Put a frying pan on a medium heat, add the oil and let it heat up. Add the buckwheat just before the oil begins to smoke. Fry the buckwheat until it turns crispy and golden brown, around 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to ensure it does not burn.

Leek four ways

Serves 6

Pickled leek

100ml vinegar
180g caster sugar
300ml water for the syrup
500ml for blanching
1 leek
100g salt

Leek ash

Leftover parts from the pickled leek

Grilled leek

2 large leeks

Leek and parsley mayonnaise

100 ml olive oil
Leftover parts of the leek from the grilled leek
10g parsley leaves
400ml mayonnaise with eggs

To serve

6 tsp toasted sesame oil
6 tbsp finely chopped cashews
Sea salt flakes

Start with the pickled leek – it needs 24 hours in the refrigerator. Boil the vinegar, sugar and 300ml of water in a saucepan. Wash and remove the outer layer of the leek, save the green parts for making ash. Cut the leek into slices ½ cm thick and press out the leek rings as much as possible. Boil 500ml of water in a saucepan with the salt.

Blanch the leek rings in the hot water for a few seconds then drain in a colander and rinse the leeks under cold running water. Place the leeks in a bowl and pour the syrup over, cover with a lid or cling film and put in the refrigerator.

Set the oven to the highest temperature. Take the leftover green parts from the leeks and cut them into long, thin, flat pieces. Place them on a baking sheet and put in the oven for a few minutes until the leeks are completely black.

Remove the baking sheet and turn over the leaves. Return to the oven and let the other side turn black. Remove and leave to cool. Use a hand-held blender or food processor to blend the black leaves into a fine powder.

Add charcoal or firewood to half the barbecue so that you have space to roast the leeks using indirect heat later. Light the barbecue and once it is burning strongly, place the leeks on the grill or straight onto the charcoal so that the outer layer burns. Place the grill on top of the barbecue and position the leeks on the side away from the flames. Close the lid and roast using indirect heat for 20-30 minutes until the leeks are soft all the way through.

You can measure the core temperature – it should preferably be above 85C in the middle. Cut the leek into pieces as shown in the picture on the previous page, then set the diagonally cut pieces aside. Use the leftover pieces for the mayonnaise.

Warm up the olive oil on a medium heat in a saucepan, then add the leftover pieces of leek together with the parsley. Cook until soft, around 10 minutes. Pour everything into a food processor. Blend until smooth then pour the mixture into a mixing bowl and leave to cool. Add the mayonnaise and stir to ensure everything is well combined.

Place a piece of leek onto each plate. Drizzle a teaspoon of sesame oil, add some cashew crumbs along the sides and top with the pickled leeks. Sprinkle a few pinches of leek ash and dollop a generous spoonful of mayonnaise on top.

‘Fire, Smoke, Green’ by Martin Nordin (Hardie Grant, Hardback & eBook)