Keep an eye on the weather and when you see a good spell coming this is a great al fresco all savoury meal. Beef brisket is a tender succulent cut that is good value and very popular for barbecues.

When you order the brisket from your butcher, make sure you ask him to bone and roll it for you. If you have some left over you can use the shredded beef just like you would pulled pork as a starter or in a burger.

This barbecue sauce will keep for up to a month in a kilner jar on the fridge. It is very good with chicken, duck or pork. The rub is also great for barbecue meats and I love it with roast chicken. People are enjoying trying out new flavoured butters and I think you will like the two here. They are ideal with grills, with pasta or a baked potato.

Cauliflower is a very versatile vegetable and hazelnuts work well with it. This is a tasty salad that is easy to make. And the spice crusted butternut squash wedges with tahini sauce snack is simple to prepare and full of flavour. You could substitute sweet potatoes, or regular potatoes or carrots. The tahini sauce is easy to get these days. It is somewhat of an acquired taste but it is getting more popular and it is a taste I really enjoy.

Happy cooking,

Neven

 

Texas barbecue brisket

Serves 8 –10

3kg (6½lb) boned and rolled beef brisket

500ml (18fl oz) beef stock

chargrilled corn on the cob with Parmesan, to serve

barbecued sweet potatoes with sour cream and chives, to serve

 

For the rub:

2 tbsp chilli powder

2 tbsp mustard powder

1 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp ground black pepper

1 tbsp caster sugar

1 dried bay leaf, finely crushed

 

For the barbecue sauce:

1 tbsp rapeseed oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed

500ml (18fl oz) tomato ketchup

100ml (3½fl oz) Worcestershire sauce

5 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp light brown sugar

1 tbsp malt vinegar

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp Tabasco sauce

1 tsp dried thyme

sea salt, freshly ground black pepper

 

1 First make the barbecue sauce. Heat the oil in a frying pan, then cook the onion and garlic for a few minutes, until softened but not coloured. Add the tomato ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, Tabasco and thyme, stirring to combine. Season to taste and simmer for 20 minutes, until slightly reduced and thickened, then blitz with a hand blender to a smooth purée.

2 Preheat the oven to 140°C (275°F/gas mark 1) or you could use a slow cooker.

3 To make the rub, mix the chilli powder with the mustard powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, ground black pepper, caster sugar and bay leaf. Rub this all over the beef brisket and set aside at room temperature to allow the flavours to develop until needed.

4 Pour the beef stock into a large roasting tin, then stir in half of the barbecue sauce. Add the beef brisket and cover tightly with foil. Place in the oven or slow cooker and cook for 10 hours, until the meat is so tender that you can push a fork into it. The beef can be prepared the night before – just leave it to cool in the tin covered with the foil but do not refrigerate.

5 To finish the beef, get a barbecue fired up and wait until the coals are completely ashen – you want a low, not fierce, heat. Lift the beef out of the roasting tin and cut it into 10–12 thick slices, then place on the barbecue to char. Cook for a few minutes, turning it carefully with tongs, until lightly charred all over and well heated through.

6 Arrange on warmed plates and serve with the remaining barbecue sauce on the side and the corn on the cob and barbecue baked sweet potatoes.

 

Chilli and orange butter

Makes about 300g (11oz)

250g (9oz) unsalted butter, softened

2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped

grated rind of 1 large orange

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

½ tsp sea salt

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

 

Soften the butter in a bowl, add the chillies, orange rind, oil, salt and pepper. Place in the fridge for 10–15 minutes to firm up a little, as the oil makes it quite runny, then shape and roll in non-stick baking paper to give a cylinder shape. Chill to firm up completely, then cut into rounds to use.

 

Garlic and parsley butter

Makes about 300g (11oz)

250g (9oz) unsalted butter, softened

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tbsp rinsed capers, finely chopped

½ tsp fine salt

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

 

Soften the butter in a bowl, then add the garlic, parsley, capers, salt and pepper. Shape and roll the butter in non-stick baking paper to give a cylinder shape. Chill to firm up, then cut into rounds to use.

 

Spice-Crusted Butternut Squash Wedges with Tahini Sauce

Serves 4

50g (2oz) skinned hazelnuts

2 tbsp sesame seeds

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 large butternut squash

1 tbsp olive oil chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, to garnish

   

Tahini sauce:

4 tbsp light tahini (sesame seed paste)

4 tbsp water

2 tsp lemon juice

1 small garlic clove

sea salt, freshly ground black pepper

 

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/gas mark 6).

2 Place the hazelnuts in a baking tin and toast for 6–8 minutes, until golden. Add the sesame, coriander and cumin seeds and roast for another minute or two. Set aside and leave to cool.

3 Meanwhile, peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds and slice into long, thin wedges.

4 When the hazelnut mixture is completely cool, put it into a pestle and mortar with a good pinch of salt and pepper and roughly bash. Place the butternut squash wedges in a large roasting tin and drizzle over the olive oil, tossing to coat. Sprinkle over the spice mixture and spread out the butternut squash wedges in a single layer in the tin. Roast for 30–40 minutes, turning halfway through, until the wedges are cooked through and have started to take on some colour.

5 Meanwhile, to make the sauce, place the tahini in a small bowl with the water, lemon juice, garlic and a good pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Whisk until it’s the consistency of honey, adding a little more water if necessary.

6 Spread the spice-crusted butternut squash wedges on a large platter and serve the tahini sauce in a separate bowl. Scatter over the parsley to serve.

 

Cauliflower and Hazelnut Salad

Serves 4

1 medium cauliflower, broken into small florets

2 tbsp olive oil

1 red onion, thinly sliced

50g (2oz) skinned hazelnuts

50g (2oz) baby spinach leaves

3 tbsp raisins

 

Dressing:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp sherry vinegar

2 tsp maple syrup

good pinch of ground allspice

pinch of ground cinnamon

sea salt, freshly ground black pepper

 

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/gas mark 6).

2 Toss the cauliflower in the olive oil in a large baking tin, season with salt and pepper and roast for 15 minutes.

3 Stir in the red onion and continue roasting for another 15–20 minutes, until the cauliflower is crisp and parts of it have turned golden brown and the red onion is just beginning to catch and char. Set aside to cool.

4 Place the hazelnuts in a small baking tin and roast for 10–12 minutes, until golden brown. Leave to cool a little, then roughly chop.

5 To make the dressing, place the olive oil in a screwtopped jar with the sherry vinegar, maple syrup, allspice and cinnamon. Shake until emulsified, season with salt and pepper.

6 Put the roasted cauliflower and red onion in a large bowl and fold in the spinach, raisins and hazelnuts. Drizzle over the dressing, tossing to coat, then season to taste. Arrange on plates to serve.