A Summertime Spread
with Rukmini Iyer
The food writer shares her favourite
recipes to eat al fresco.
"Laughter is brightest where food is best," is a proverb we live by at Anthropologie. Some of our fondest memories have taken place around the dinner table – glasses filled, plates piled. It's the reason why we're so excited to roll up our sleeves and get cooking this summertime.
Someone who's also inspired by the bliss of blue skies and good dishes shared amongst friends is food writer Rukmini Iyer. Before writing her first (and best-selling) cookbook, The Roasting Tin, Rukmini realised that a hectic work life meant the meals she was making grew simpler, yet there were ways of packing colour and flavour into dishes with minimum effort.
Less cooking time, all of the joy? Sounds right up our street! We caught up with the imaginative foodie to find out what she'll be dishing up this season, as well as to celebrate her new release, The Green Barbecue, a collection centred around vibrant seasonal veggies and a chuck-on-the-grill attitude. Time to tuck in...
Less cooking time, all of the joy? Sounds right up our street! We caught up with the imaginative foodie to find out what she'll be dishing up this season, as well as to celebrate her new release, The Green Barbecue, a collection centred around vibrant seasonal veggies and a chuck-on-the-grill attitude. Time to tuck in...
"One of my favourite Spanish dishes is berenjenas con miel – aubergines, deep-fried in batter, served with honey. It occurred to me that goat’s cheese is just as lovely with honey as aubergine, and so these moreish burger stacks were born. The cheese melts between the aubergine slices, scented with thyme – perfect by themselves or squashed between crusty white rolls."
Serves: 4
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
What you will need:
- 2 large, evenly sized aubergines
- 2 x 100g rind-on goat’s cheese wheels
- A handful of fresh lemon thyme sprigs
- Olive oil, for brushing
- Sea salt flakes
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Runny honey
- Crusty bread rolls, to serve
How to make it:
1. Cut the aubergines into 1cm slices, and the goat’s cheese into very thin rounds. Sandwich each piece of goat’s cheese between two similarly sized slices of aubergine, along with a sprig of thyme. Brush both sides of the aubergine with oil and add a tiny pinch of sea salt flakes and black pepper.
2. Once your barbecue is ready, place the aubergine stacks on the grill and cook for 10–15 minutes per side, until the aubergine is cooked through and the cheese has melted. You can flip them every 5–6 minutes or so and give them a brush with olive oil.
3. Transfer to a serving platter, drizzle with honey, scatter over the remaining thyme, and serve with crusty rolls on the side. 4.
Serves: 4
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
What you will need:
- 2 large, evenly sized aubergines
- 2 x 100g rind-on goat’s cheese wheels
- A handful of fresh lemon thyme sprigs
- Olive oil, for brushing
- Sea salt flakes
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Runny honey
- Crusty bread rolls, to serve
How to make it:
1. Cut the aubergines into 1cm slices, and the goat’s cheese into very thin rounds. Sandwich each piece of goat’s cheese between two similarly sized slices of aubergine, along with a sprig of thyme. Brush both sides of the aubergine with oil and add a tiny pinch of sea salt flakes and black pepper.
2. Once your barbecue is ready, place the aubergine stacks on the grill and cook for 10–15 minutes per side, until the aubergine is cooked through and the cheese has melted. You can flip them every 5–6 minutes or so and give them a brush with olive oil.
3. Transfer to a serving platter, drizzle with honey, scatter over the remaining thyme, and serve with crusty rolls on the side. 4.
"A substantial and moreish main dish. The natural sugars in squash and carrots caramelise beautifully on the barbecue and work perfectly against the aromatic lime and spices."
Serves: 4
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 50 minutes
What you will need:
For the main
- 600g squash, cut into 2ó cm slices (no need to peel)
- 150g baby carrots, whole and unpeeled (or 3 medium carrots, peeled and halved)
- 1 red onion, quartered, core intact
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
- 50g pistachios, roughly chopped
For the dressing
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lime, zest and juice
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds, crushed
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed
- 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
How to make it:
1. Tip the squash, carrots and red onion into a large bowl, and mix with the oil, spices and sea salt flakes.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the extra virgin olive oil, lime zest and juice, coriander seeds, crushed black pepper and sea salt flakes. Taste and adjust the salt as needed, and set aside.
3. Once your barbecue is ready, lay the squash slices on the grill, and cook for 25 minutes on each side, covered if you can. The carrots and the onions should only take about 15 minutes per side, so pop them on 10 minutes after the squash and take them off 10 minutes before the squash.
4. Once the vegetables are all cooked through, transfer them to a platter and gently mix with the lime and coriander-seed dressing. Scatter with the pistachios, and serve hot or warm.
Serves: 4
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 50 minutes
What you will need:
For the main
- 600g squash, cut into 2ó cm slices (no need to peel)
- 150g baby carrots, whole and unpeeled (or 3 medium carrots, peeled and halved)
- 1 red onion, quartered, core intact
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
- 50g pistachios, roughly chopped
For the dressing
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lime, zest and juice
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds, crushed
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed
- 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
How to make it:
1. Tip the squash, carrots and red onion into a large bowl, and mix with the oil, spices and sea salt flakes.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the extra virgin olive oil, lime zest and juice, coriander seeds, crushed black pepper and sea salt flakes. Taste and adjust the salt as needed, and set aside.
3. Once your barbecue is ready, lay the squash slices on the grill, and cook for 25 minutes on each side, covered if you can. The carrots and the onions should only take about 15 minutes per side, so pop them on 10 minutes after the squash and take them off 10 minutes before the squash.
4. Once the vegetables are all cooked through, transfer them to a platter and gently mix with the lime and coriander-seed dressing. Scatter with the pistachios, and serve hot or warm.
"This deconstructed spin on a summer pudding (where deconstructed is code for much, much easier) lets you gently cook your fruit in a packet on the barbecue, and toast your brioche alongside. Replace the chilled mascarpone with ice cream, if you wish."
Serves: 4
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
What you will need:
- 150g blackberries
- 275g raspberries
- 225g blueberries or grapes
- 2 teaspoons caster sugar
- 1 vanilla pod, split
- 8 slices of brioche
- 4 tablespoons chilled mascarpone
- A handful of toasted almonds and fresh mint leaves, to serve
How to make it:
1. Take a large piece of foil and place the blackberries, raspberries and blueberries or grapes in the middle. Scatter over the caster sugar, lay the vanilla pod on top, then fold the foil into a neat parcel, with the seams at the top.
2. Once your barbecue is medium hot, place the foil packet on one side of the barbecue, and let the berries cook for 10–15 minutes. Meanwhile, toast your sliced brioche in batches on the other side of the barbecue, cutting them into triangles once toasted.
3. Divide the lightly cooked fruit between four plates, with the toasted brioche. Add a tablespoon of mascarpone, scatter over the toasted almonds and mint leaves, and serve hot.
Serves: 4
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
What you will need:
- 150g blackberries
- 275g raspberries
- 225g blueberries or grapes
- 2 teaspoons caster sugar
- 1 vanilla pod, split
- 8 slices of brioche
- 4 tablespoons chilled mascarpone
- A handful of toasted almonds and fresh mint leaves, to serve
How to make it:
1. Take a large piece of foil and place the blackberries, raspberries and blueberries or grapes in the middle. Scatter over the caster sugar, lay the vanilla pod on top, then fold the foil into a neat parcel, with the seams at the top.
2. Once your barbecue is medium hot, place the foil packet on one side of the barbecue, and let the berries cook for 10–15 minutes. Meanwhile, toast your sliced brioche in batches on the other side of the barbecue, cutting them into triangles once toasted.
3. Divide the lightly cooked fruit between four plates, with the toasted brioche. Add a tablespoon of mascarpone, scatter over the toasted almonds and mint leaves, and serve hot.
The Green Barbecue by Rukmini Iyer (Square Peg, 2021)
Photography by David Loftus
Follow Rukmini's journey @missminifer
Feeling inspired? Whet your appetite with our collection of cookbooks and kitchen accessories.
Photography by David Loftus
Follow Rukmini's journey @missminifer
Feeling inspired? Whet your appetite with our collection of cookbooks and kitchen accessories.