The barbecue as a place of meditation and calm: three recipes for more than just the typical meat barbecue

Fire was one of the first revolutions in cooking, and it remains one of the cooking methods that takes us back to our origins, to home, to community gatherings. “Cooking over the flames warms the soul,” writes Jamie Oliver in his latest book, Barbecue: Easy, Tasty, Grilled Cooking (Grijalbo). “The idea is to forge memories, foster get-togethers, and eat real food. I’m convinced that manipulating fire is somehow written in our DNA,” the British chef emphasizes. His book is an invitation to lose the fear of cooking with embers, attempting to explain more than recipes and techniques; it's a philosophy. “Cooking in front of a barbecue is an ancestral ritual that has the power to awaken something deep within us,” he writes at the beginning of the book, adding: “Mastering the flames, interpreting the embers, and controlling the heat is hypnotic.” This is a book of processes and ideas where what is cooked over the fire is the main ingredient: carrots for a salad; tofu for an Asian-style dish; Vegetables to accompany hummus… It is a recipe book that is more vegetable-based than meat-based, and an invitation to think that at a barbecue you can create everything from appetizers to breads or desserts.

Going beyond traditional meat barbecues is also the idea behind Toni García Ramón and Óscar Manresa's book, *La Marbacoa. Mariscos y pescados a la parrilla* (Debate). This collection of 80 recipes is intended as a small tribute to "all those who have spent their lives at sea, to fishermen, shellfish gatherers, and those who know the water better than dry land." The title is a neologism that evokes the sea and the grill, and inside, we find the same clean and simple approach as the other titles published under the Mesa y Mantel imprint: just the recipe collection, a few illustrations, and practical recipes.

Discovering in the embers a place of calm, reflection, and the tranquility of cooking in solitude, as Gaston Bachelard wrote in his work Psychoanalysis of Fire (1938), that “fire is the ultra-alive. It is intimate and universal,” is what we find in the book Barbecue: Roasts and Grills from Around the World (Phaidon), by Hugh Mangum. The book starts from the premise that “something seemingly primitive and simple can go from good to excellent,” and that this can only be achieved “with the consistency and full attention of the one who cooks.”

The book features over 200 recipes showcasing barbecue techniques from kitchens across various regions: “I’ve traveled the world in search of great dishes grilled with fire and smoke. I’ve immersed myself in the international heritage of barbecue and how different cultures celebrate food and life around the fire.” The result is an eye-opening book that whets the appetite and reveals basic techniques and tricks for getting the most out of your barbecue. The author offers guidance on achieving what he calls “cooking perfection”: “White smoke spoils the flavors and indicates improper combustion; blue smoke caresses the food and blesses it”; “Forget marinades and fancy sauces: a bad fire will make a bad meal”… All of this is based on a philosophy of the fire: “Barbecuing is very much like meditation. It all begins with preparing the fire, which is like a dance and requires care.”

To start putting all these tips into practice, here are three recipes from Hugh Mangum for traveling without leaving the fireside.

Turkish chicken skewers

These spicy chicken skewers, known as tavuk şiş, are a staple of Turkish cuisine. They are typically served with rice, salad, and tzatziki for special occasions and celebrations. In this simple yet authentic recipe, the chicken thighs are coated in mint, Aleppo pepper, and a Turkish red pepper paste (biber salçası) that caramelizes beautifully when grilled and is not spicy.

For the marinated meat

• 2 tbsp. of dried mint
• 1 tbsp. of chili flakes
• 1 tbsp. of finely chopped thyme
• 1 tbsp. of Aleppo pepper
• 1 tsp. of black pepper
• 1 tsp. of salt, 120 ml of extra virgin olive oil
• 120 ml of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp. of Turkish red pepper paste (biber salçası) or another tablespoon of tomato concentrate
• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 2.5 cm pieces

To serve

• Tzatziki (sauce made with yogurt, cucumber, olive oil, lemon juice, or vinegar, garlic, mint, pepper or dill).
• Cooked rice

1. To marinate the meat

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients except the meat.

Place them on the grill and grill for 12 minutes, turning them over occasionally, until charred.

Serve hot with tzatziki and cooked rice.

Filipino pancetta

Inihaw na liempo (grilled pork belly) is marinated in a very Filipino mixture of citrus, fish sauce, garlic, and chili, then grilled. The sweet, spicy, and sticky pork belly is served without skewers and with a spiced vinegar sauce known as sawsawan.

For the marinated meat

• 120 ml of lemon juice
• 4 tbsp. of fish sauce
• 8 cloves of chopped garlic
• 2 finely chopped bird's eye chilies
• 2 tbsp. of brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 900g of pork belly in 1cm thick fillets

For the vinegar sauce

• 240 ml of rice vinegar
• 4 cloves of chopped garlic
• 2 tbsp. of finely chopped onion
• 2 chopped bird's eye chilies
• ½ tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

For the sauce to spread on the meat

• 2 tbsp. of oyster sauce
• P1 cda. de aceite de rapza o de seisam.

1. For the marinated meat

In a ceramic or glass bowl, mix all the ingredients except the meat and stir well.

Add the meat and massage it with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours. Stir once.

4. For the vinegar sauce

In a bowl, beat all the ingredients until mixed.

Remove the meat from the marinade and pour the marinade into a saucepan.

Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 5 minutes.

7. For the sauce to spread on the meat

In a bowl, mix the reduced marinade with the oyster sauce and oil.

Grill the meat for 2 or 3 minutes on each side.

Spread the sauce on one side and grill for 2 minutes.

Spread the oil on the other side and grill for another 2 minutes.

Transfer it to a serving dish and serve with the vinegar sauce.

Oyster mushroom satay

In sate jamur, a vegan street food dish from the island of Java (Indonesia), oyster mushrooms are marinated in an umami-rich mixture of miso paste, dried porcini mushrooms and peanut sauce, and charred over high heat.

For six people

• 3 cloves of garlic
• 3 macadamia nuts
• 2 small shallots, chopped
• 1 tbsp. of coriander seeds
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp. of powdered tickets
• 2 tbsp. of sweet soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. of rapeseed oil, and a little more for greasing
• 1 tbsp. of red miso
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 400g sliced ​​oyster mushrooms, 2 tbsp Indonesian Peanut Sauce (see p. 346), plus a little extra for serving
• 2 tbsp. of Indonesian peanut sauce, and a little more for serving

Instructions

In a food processor, blend the garlic with the macadamia nuts, shallot, coriander seeds, and salt.

Add the porcini powder, sweet soy sauce, oil, miso, and pepper, and blend well.

Preheat the barbecue over indirect medium-high heat.

In a bowl, mix the mushrooms with the marinade and let marinate for 1 hour.

Add the peanut sauce and thread the mushrooms onto the skewers.

Place them on the hot part of the barbecue and grill for 6 minutes, until charred on both sides.

Transfer to a serving dish. Serve the skewers immediately with a little more peanut sauce.