The Gladwin Brothers have reopened our doors at both The Shed, Notting Hill and Nutbourne, Battersea. We are greatly relieved to have happy customers back in these restaurants, of course with suitable social distancing plus health safety measures in place.
Gregory’s pigs are having a fabulous summer on the family farm. A new batch of piglets appeared last week. The grape crop at Nutbourne is also looking good for a bumper year. The key thing is to keep the pigs and the grapes apart.
Not so with pork and peaches which, surprisingly, are an ideal summer pairing, especially for the BBQ season.
Most fast cooking meats, vegetables and seafood can be cooked on a barbecue but delicate fish is more of a challenge. Oliver’s tip is to use a solid griddle plate across the grill- you still get the smoky flavour, tongs and drink but a little less of the sticking and burning!
Marinades and salsas are a great way to be daring with flavours. These pork chops have a lovely sweet spicy coating which works really well with the soft, fruity acidity of the peaches plus the textured punchy salsa.
What better way to show off your BBQ skills as we return to a more sociable world?
The Gladwin Brothers on the family farm.
Pork chops and chargrilled peaches, with avocado and walnut salsa
Serves 6
Ingredients
6 x 180g pork chops
125ml dark soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp. demerara sugar
For the walnut salsa
1 Cucumber –chopped into pieces
Juice of 1 lime
30ml olive oil
1 red pepper, finely diced
1 fresh chilli, finely diced
1 small red onion, finely diced
80g walnuts, shelled
And chopped
50g sultanas
Small bunch of dill, chopped
Salt and black pepper
To finish
3 peaches, quartered, stoned
And fanned
Salad leaves and continental parsley
- Marinate the pork chops for a minimum of 2 hours in a mixture of the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, cayenne and sugar. To prepare the salsa, place the cucumber in a bowl with the lime juice and olive oil.
- Add the pepper, chilli, onion, walnuts, sultanas and dill. Gently mix and season with salt and pepper.
- Transfer the salsa to a serving dish. Place in the fridge for an hour or so to combine the flavours.
- Light a hot barbecue, but be patient and wait until the flames are gone and you have glowing embers to cook on. Grill the pork chops on both sides, basting them with the marinade.
- Do the same with the peach pieces. Then arrange on a serving platter lined with some colourful salad leaves and parsley.
Richard’s wines to match
There are absolutely no rules to wine paring with barbecued foods. From a delicate southern French rosé to a huge robust Australian red Shiraz – someone will argue the case for each. And of course there is beer – our local craft brewery is doing great “cellar door” business throughout Covid and you can’t go far wrong with very cold beer on a hot summers day.
Here are just a few more unusual wine finds for you to consider-
Picpoul de Pinet
Picpoul literally meaning, “stinging the lips” and Pinet is the area in Languedoc, surrounded by pine forests. This is an acidic wine with a real hit of Apples and Pears tamed with the gentle botanicals of the pines. Great with strong flavoured barbecued food and not too expensive.
Nutbourne Blush
Our own very pale pink, fresh and zesty rose from the family Vineyard. A field blend of Pinot Noir, Bacchus and Riechenstiener grapes from the fabulous 2018 vintage. Hints of red berries, soft citrus and rose petals with lasting finish- great on a hot summers day.
Margret River
Cabernet Shiraz…You can invest a lot of money in world-class wines from Margaret River or there are more modestly priced brands but you are sure of consistent very ripe fruit, rich berry flavours and lasting peppery and spiced tones on the tongue. A must for Steak cooked on the open fire.
