All Fired Up

Chef Nico Reynolds debut RTÉ One series is all about outdoor cooking and taking BBQ grilling to a new level with incredible flavours and lots of tips for cookout newbies. Here are some of the great recipes from his new show.

Dublin native Nico says his inspiration comes from watching his Jamaican granny (a special guest on the show) cooking while he was growing up, including Caribbean Chicken Curry and Grilled Peaches with Thyme & Honey Cream. Nico blends spicey Carribbean flavours with Irish ingredients to create unique favoursome combinations  - like his Prawns with Mango & Black Pudding on Sourdough Toast. His cooking also has hints of Latin America, where he ran a catered event company and a small restaurant in Buenos Aires for 6 years.

"My Granny would bring informal bottles of scotch bonnet hot sauce by the litre to Dublin that I would in turn, bring back to South America and introduce into creative projects with chefs and cooks from around the world. This became the starting point for my recipes, adding them to colourful South American palates. Finding different ways to use my granny’s sauce for marinades, sauces, dips and bases became an obsession", he says.

CRUSHED PORK AND PINEAPPLE BURGER WITH CHILLI MAYO AND SHREDDED SLAW  

Cooking Time:  40 mins

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

FOR THE BURGER:

◆ 500g pork mince (10%-15% fat)

◆ 4 sausages, skins removed

◆ 1 tsp chilli flakes (more or less depending on your tastes)

◆ 1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds

◆ 2 tbsps coriander seeds

◆ 4 cloves of garlic, grated

◆ A big knob of unsalted butter

◆ A handful of fresh breadcrumbs

◆ 6 scallions, separated into white part and green ends

◆ Zest of 1 lime

◆ Salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE CHILLI MAYO SLAW:

◆ Hot sauce, to your personal taste

◆ 3 tbsp mayo

◆ 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

◆ Zest and Juice of 2 limes

◆ 2 carrots

◆ 1 small head of red cabbage

TO SERVE:

◆ 1 small pineapple or 1 can of tinned pineapple ( Pat the slice dry before seasoning)

◆ Brown sugar

◆ Brioche buns

METHOD

FOR THE BURGER:

➊ Toast the chilli flakes, mustard and coriander seeds in a dry pan until fragrant.

➋ Crush in a pestle & mortar.

➌ Finely slice the white part of the spring onion, reserving the greens for your slaw.

➍ Place the pork mince, sausage meat, breadcrumbs, grated garlic, lime zest, butter, sliced spring onion and as much of the spice mix as you like into a large bowl. Season well with salt and pepper and mix to thoroughly combine.

➎ Shape the meat into evenly sized patties about the thickness of your finger to ensure they cook evenly on the grill.

➎ Refrigerate for 30 minutes

➐ When ready, grill over a medium heat for 10- 15 minutes on each side or until cooked through.

FOR THE CHILLI MAYO SLAW:

➊ Finely slice the spring onion greens set aside from your burger.

➋ In a small bowl, mix together the hot sauce, mayo, mustard and scallions.

➌ Using a grater, shred the cabbage and carrot into a large bowl

➍ Add the lime juice and a good pinch of salt to the cabbage and carrot and mix to combine - leave to soften for 5 minutes.

➎ Mix in the chilli mayo making sure to reserve some for later.

FOR THE PINEAPPLE:

➊ If using a whole pineapple, cut into quarters and remove the woody core.

➋ Brush the pineapple with some oil and sprinkle with the brown sugar and a crack of black pepper

➌ Grill the pineapple over a high heat until the sugar has caramelised - be careful not to burn it.

➍ Carefully remove the pineapple skin and roughly chop the flesh.

TO SERVE:

➊ Gently toast the bun.

➋ Spread some of your reserved chilli mayo on the bottom bun.

➌ Then add the caramelised pineapple, burger and finally top with the slaw.

CARIBBEAN GRILLED CHICKEN CURRY

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS

◆ 2 ripe yellow plantains

◆ 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs

FOR THE SPICE MIX:

◆ 1 tsp Allspice

◆ 3 tsp Curry powder

◆ 1 tsp ground cinnamon

FOR THE CURRY SAUCE:

◆ 3 Garlic cloves, minced

◆ 1 thumb sized piece Ginger, finely chopped

◆ 1 Chilli, diced (remove the seeds for a milder heat)

◆ 1 tsp Coriander stems, finely diced

◆ 2 bay leaves

◆ 1 Onion, finely diced

◆ A knob of butter

◆ Zest of 2 limes

◆ 1 can of coconut milk

◆ 1 tbsp hot sauce

◆ Olive Oil

FOR THE COLESLAW:

◆ ½ White Cabbage

◆ 2 Carrots

◆ 2 Spring onions

◆ 3 tbsp Mayo

◆ Juice of 1 Lime

TO SERVE:

◆ Naan Bread

◆ Coriander Leaves

◆ Lime Juice

METHOD

FOR THE CURRY:

➊ Stir together pimento, cinnamon and curry powder to make a spice mix and set aside.

➋ In a cast iron skillet on medium heat, pour in enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan and add the bay leaves to flavour the oil.

➌ Add the garlic, ginger, chilli and coriander and sauté for 2 minutes.

➍ Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes

➎ Add the zest of 2 limes, the butter and a teaspoon of the spice mix and stir.

➏ Add 1 tbsp of hot sauce (or more, depending on your taste).

➐ Add the coconut milk and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

➑ Brush the chicken thighs with oil and a teaspoon of the spice mix per thigh and season with salt. Thread onto a skewer and grill over a medium heat (15-20mins or until cooked through)

➒ Place the Plantains on the grill in their skin for 10 mins

➓ Once cooked, remove them from their skin and slice

FOR THE COLESLAW:

➊ Using a grater, shred the cabbage and carrot into a large bowl.

➋ Add the lime juice and some salt and pepper to the cabbage and carrot and mix to combine - leave to soften for 5 minutes

➌ Add the mayo and spring onions and stir it all together.

➍ Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

TO SERVE:

➊ Heat the naan bread on the grill

➋ Pour the curry into a bowl with the chicken thighs on top.

➌ Top with fresh coriander leaves and a squeeze of lime and serve with the naan bread and plantains.

GRANNY’S HOT SAUCE

Makes about 500ml of sauce

Ingredients

2 Onions

◆ 1 bulb of Garlic

◆ 4-10 Scotch Bonnet Chillies (or any other red chilli) (depending how hot you like it!)

◆ 1 tbsp Turmeric powder

◆ 4 red chillies

◆ 3 Sweet red peppers (eg Ramiro)

◆ 250mls distilled white vinegar

◆ 3 tbsp French mustard

◆ 1 heaped teaspoon of Turmeric

◆ Salt

METHOD

➊ Put the onions, garlic and vinegar into a blender or food processor and blitz until fi ne.

➋ Add the red chillies and peppers, mustard and blitz again.

➌ Pour into a bowl and stir into the Turmeric.

➍ Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

➎ Goes great mixed into sauces, curries, with BBQ meats & veggies and even in your scrambled eggs for a breakfast kick!

Grilled Prawns with mango and black pudding

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE MANGO RELISH:

◆ 1 Onion, finely chopped

◆ Thumb sized piece of ginger, minced

◆ 2 garlic cloves, minced

◆ 1 ripe Mango, peeled and roughly chopped

◆ 2 tbsp brown sugar

◆ 1 red chilli, diced (remove the seeds for milder heat) or your favourite hot sauce

◆ Tsp mustard seeds

◆ Black pudding (2-3 slices per person)

◆ Shelled Raw Prawns, deveined (4-5 prawns per person)

TO SERVE:

◆ Thick slices of Sourdough bread

◆ A Big knob of butter

METHOD

➊ In an oiled pan add the mustard seeds and toast on a low heat for 3 minutes

➋ Spoon the sugar in and cook until it turns an gorgeous amber shade

➌ Add the mango , chilli, ginger and garlic, then turn the heat up to medium and cook for another 3 minutes

➍ Add the onions, season with salt & pepper and sweat for 5 mins

➎ Slice the Black pudding into half inch sliced and cook over the grill,

➏ Drizzle the prawns with a little bit of olive oil and season - put onto 2 skewers and grill over a high heat (3mins each side until pink and cooked through)

➐ Toast the sourdough bread on the barbecue or in a toaster and butter the bread.

➑ Top the toast with a layer of the Mango relish, then the crumbled black pudding and top with the grilled prawns.

GRILLED PEACHES WITH HONEY THYME MASCARPONE CREAM

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS

◆ 5 peaches, destoned and halved

◆ 250g Mascarpone

◆ Zest of 1 Lime

◆ 1 tbsp Honey

◆ 2 Thyme sprigs

◆ ½ tsp Vanilla extract

◆ 2-3 Gingernut biscuits, crushed

◆ White chocolate, grated

◆ Whole almonds

METHOD

➊ Grill the peaches over a medium heat until soft and nicely charred (approx 6-7mins)

➋ In a mixing bowl whisk the Mascarpone with the thyme leaves, vanilla extract , lime zest and honey.

➌ Toast the almonds on a skillet on the grill and roughly chop.

TO SERVE:

➊ Slice the grilled peaches into segments and pile on top of the Mascarpone

➋ Sprinkle the almonds over the peaches and grate over the white chocolate, crumble the biscuits on top.

Nico Reynolds: All Fired Up, from Wednesday June 15 at 8.30pm on RTÉ One

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