BBQ Panzanella - charred leeks, spring onions & feta

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Katy can’t get enough of cooking on fire at the moment. Sometimes she treats us to a little meat but more often than not it’s veg. Increasing the weekly content of our Riverford is being thrown onto - and into - the coals with very creative, tasty results. The little Webber is being put through its paces to say the least.

We always say that if you treat your veg like meat - think rubs, marinades, and great char - you will always have something complex and delicious to eat. Veggies, with a little thinking around the plate, can yield just as tasty results, if not more tasty, than meat, and there’s huge scope to get creative.

Here’s the vegentric BBQ recipe we devoured last Sunday. It was a joy to prepare and a real taste sensation. The coriander & mint dressing recipe is double what you’ll need, but it’s tricky to make any less in a blender. The leftover is delightful the next day with roasted veggies and rice, or stirred through a pasta or potato salad; we dolloped our leftover dressing over a purple sprouting broccoli frittata and it was epic! Whatever you do, don’t let it go to waste.

Prep time: 15 minutes + lighting the BBQ etc.

Cooking time: 20-30 minutes

This recipe serves 2 as a singular meal, or 4 if part of a larger spread.

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Ingredients :

• 2 large leeks

• 6 spring onions

• 2 large slices of sourdough 

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• ½ block of feta

• 1 clove garlic

• 2 tbsp Dukkah

For the green dressing:

• 60g coriander, stalks and all (~ 2 packs)

• 20 g mint leaves (~ 1 pack mint, stalks removed)

• 1 lemon, juice only

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp water

• ½ tsp flaky sea salt

Method:

The outside bit:

1. Light your BBQ, let the coals turn white, and allow the smoke to die down. This can take anywhere from 20 minutes to 60 minutes depending on the size of your BBQ and the type of coals or wood you are using.

2. Rinse any loose dirt off the leeks and throw these onto your BBQ whole. The outside layer will char well and form a protective casing for the interior layers which will soften and become sweet and slightly ‘smoked’. Cook the leeks for 20-30 minutes turning often.

3. Keep the spring onions whole too and grill these for 5-10 minutes until charred and soft.

4. Simultaneously grill your sourdough bread on the BBQ until well-charred.

   The inside bit:

5. Halve the garlic clove and rub the cut side on the charred sourdough; rub the garlicky toasts very lightly with some olive oil - we find using our fingers works best for this; lastly tear or cut the bread into bite size pieces.

6. Whizz up the vibrant coriander & mint dressing in a small jug blender or nutribullet.

7. Peel away the super charred external layer of the leek, then slice the interior.

8. Crumble the feta.

9. When you are ready to eat muddle the BBQ’d leeks, charred spring onions, garlic sourdough, crumbled feta and green dressing together, and tip into your desired serving dish. Garnish with plenty of dukkah, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and eat right away. Not only is this salad is as flavoursome as can be, but it’s warm and comforting too, and let’s be honest, ‘BBQ weather’ is never quite as balmy as one hopes..!

Tip. If you plan on semi-cooking ahead you can keep the leeks, spring onions and grilled sourdough warm in a low oven until you are ready to toss your salad and serve. Keep the green dressing at room temperature rather than chilled.