Recipes with Roddy Damalis

Celebrate BBQ season

With the right preparation, less is definitely more when it comes to grilling food says RODDY DAMALIS

It’s barbeque season! One of the many joys of our beautiful island is the weather, and our summer is certainly conducive to a barbeque or souvla. I love the ritual surrounding it all… halloumi on the grill to start, with lots of lemon juice, maybe a couple of loukanika and mushrooms. I like to keep things simple, a couple of good steaks, a salad, and an accompaniment to the meat. And of course a couple of ice-cold beers!

A couple of pointers on preparing your steaks. Try to buy fresh rather than frozen. I like to buy vacuum packed meat, either already cut, or a whole piece of ribeye. This gives you the opportunity to allow the meat to mature. When vacuum packed the meat can mature for up to two weeks in the fridge. I remove the steak two days before I use them, drain them, and pat them dry. Make two incisions through the outer layer of fat and sinew so that the meat does not gather and become tough once it is placed on the grill or pan (use this trick with lamb and pork chops too). Place them into a dish, cover in olive oil, sprinkle with smoked paprika crack a few garlic cloves and bruise a few sprigs of fresh rosemary and place them under the steaks. Leave them in the fridge to marinate for two days, turning them twice a day. By bruising, smacking the leaves gently with the back of a wooden spoon, we release the essential oils and therefore gain much more flavour.

Make sure that all your accompaniments and side dishes are ready before you place the steaks on the grill as they need to be served immediately. The grill should be on a high temperature so as to sear the outside. Do not turn the meat often! We are tempted to play around and turn it often but this will toughen the meat, as you are losing the juices inside. I turn it twice only to get the rare result as seen in the picture. If you require it to be more well done simply leave it for a little longer and turn another time. Please remember, that you can always place the steak back on the grill if required. Remove from the heat, plate, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with coarse salt and plenty of freshly cracked pepper. Kali Orexi!

 

Beef rib eye steak

Prep: 15 minutes, Cook: 5-6 minutes, Serves: 1

 

300g beef rib eye

2 tbsp spoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 sprig fresh rosemary (bruised by lightly pressing with the back of a wooden spoon)

paprika

½ tsp coarse salt & cracked black pepper

 

Marinate beef in above ingredients (except for salt) & refrigerate overnight.

Sear steak in a pre-heated non-stick pan/ griddle pan or barbeque.

Resist the urge to turn over often, three times at most, and about 2 minutes on each side.

Place steak onto a plate, drizzle with little olive oil & sprinkle with coarse salt.

 

 

Boerbointjies

‘Boerbointjies’ is a traditional South African potato dish served with a ‘braai’ or barbeque. Translated, ‘the farmers green beans’ is an ideal accompaniment to all barbecued meats.

 

Prep: 1 hour, Cook: 30 minutes, Serves: 6-8

 

2kg potatoes (peeled & cubed)

1kg frozen green beans (fresh can also be used but need to be boiled first, cut into small pieces)

2 large white onions (peeled & thinly sliced)

½ cup olive oil

100g butter

1 organic vegetable stock cube

½ cup milk (or fresh cream if you feel like being decadent!)

salt & coarsely ground black pepper

 

Boil the potatoes in salted water until very soft.

Sauté onions & green beans in olive oil, when browned add a little water & the stock cube & cook until soft.

Strain the potatoes and place them back into the pot, add the onions and beans.

Using a hand masher, mash together adding the butter & milk, then pepper (must be quite peppery), as we want a coarse chunky consistency.

The beans can be substituted with spinach, peas or courgette.

 

Roddy Damalis is the author of two books, MY CY is a photographic journey through Cyprus, with stories, commentary, culinary tips, and anecdotes that let you in on the mind behind the recipes, and MY LITTLE PLATES a guide to 100 adored recipes inspired by our beautiful island served over two decades at the beloved Ta Piatakia restaurant in Limassol. Roddy is a restaurateur, celebrity chef, food guru and consultant. He stole both local and international hearts with his infamous and highly acclaimed restaurant Ta Piatakia in downtown Limassol and now operates My View, an exclusive private dining venue in his home. For more information and to purchase the books visit www.roddydamalis.com