The Veg

We should have had more veg. I guess we had a good variety (courgette salad, roasted squash, beet salad, ricotta and pinenut salad) but we should have doubled the quantities. Looking back, it makes good sense to make plenty of salads for large buffets as the dressings can be made easily in advance and it's a snap to mix it all up before serving, plus everyone likes salads at BBQs.

I'm not going to give the recipes for the beet salad with balsamic vinegar dressing and the ricotta and pinenut salad as I think their names are quite self-explanatory.

Courgette salad
from Happy Days with the Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver

4 small courgettes
1 red chilli
1/2 clove of garlic
1 handful fresh mint
1/2 lemon

Extra virgin olive oil

Slice the courgettes lengthways as thin as you can (use a mandolin if you have one). Grill on a hot griddle pan or on the barbeque until lightly charred on each side. Scatter the slices over a large plate, making sure you don't sit them on top of each other otherwise they'll steam and go a bit limp. Sprinkle with a little salt and freshly ground pepper.

Deseed the chilli and chop finely. Finely chop the garlic and sprinkle the chili and garlic evenly over the courgettes.

Tear over fresh mint and drizzle with good extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.

Spicy roasted squash
from The Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver

1 medium/large butternut squash
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
2 teasponns dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 small dried red chillies
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat the oven to 200 C. Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into wedges.

Put all the dried herbs and spices into a mortar and pestle and pound them up with the salt and pepper to make a fine powder. Add the garlic clove and pound it into the spices. Scrape out the contents into a bowl and add the olive oil. Toss the squash thoroughly in this herb and spice mixture, making sure that all the pieces are well coated.

Place the squash pieces skin side down on a baking tray. Roast them for about 30 minutes, or until tender.