Fire up the coals

MONITOR:ROSEMARY, THYME, paprika and garlic, a great deal of black pepper and slugs of olive oil comprise my basic summer marinade for lamb. Cumin is often added, coriander too. Sometimes yoghurt, occasionally chilli, but not too much. My favourite cut is a butterflied leg, the bone removed along with almost all of the fat so you end up with an oversized and messy steak. But when it cooks, it tastes of summer -- exotic, heady and intoxicating.

Once the air is filled with the smell of heady charcoal fumes, with spices adding exotic richness, I know summer is finally here. But this ancient and simple form of cooking is far from instant. Certainly not if you want to enjoy its complexities.

Marinades and rubs take time to work, barbecues need preparation, menus need thought. Burgers and steaks are a breeze, but there is so much more to consider. It may sound like an obvious tip, but buy the charcoal today, regardless of the weather. It keeps, so stash it away and it’s one thing less to buy when the weather lends itself to firing things up.

As to what charcoal, there is more to this than you might imagine. Oak is best but rarely available in its pure form. Most of us are faced with briquettes or mixed wood charcoal. Dont be tempted to skimp, the cheap stuff will barely toast a slice of bread and you’ll end up using twice as much.

The common advice to light up early is too often overlooked, so it bears repeating. Wood chips added to the hot coals will further build on the smoky flavour. And oily herbs such as bay and rosemary added to the fire just at the end give a blast of flavour to both meats and vegetables.

Both dry and wet marinades add complexity and variety to meats and fish. Thyme is a particularly pungent herb when used with olive oil and lemon juice, but rosemary, sage and bay are also strong contenders.

Fish cooked on the bone is generally more successful, in part because of ease of handling but also because it cooks more evenly and slowly and with the skin on is less prone to sticking. The likes of sea bass, sea bream and mackerel have the added advantage of being portion-sized and stuffable.

Key to cooking both fish and meat on a barbecue is not to jiggle it. The temptation with everyone gathered round is to poke at things and constantly move them about when it’s far better to leave them alone. If the flames are engulfing your food, the fire is too hot or you are leaking oil. Either way remove the food and resolve the problem without jiggling.

For many people, vegetables are the undiscovered gems of barbecuing. Large field mushrooms with garlic and oil drizzled on to the stem side roast to a smoky finish. Tomatoes and peppers threaded on to skewers with haloumi cheese make for a vegetarian delight with attitude. Asparagus, briefly blanched and skewered, will grill to a nutty finish and be improved by a slick of olive oil and a splash of Balsamic vinegar and a little shaving or two of Parmesan.

Mediterranean vegetables – peppers, aubergines, red onions and courgettes sliced and salted, rinsed and lightly oiled – produce a bowl full of summer sunshine when left to macerate with lots of herbs, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice. The heat from the vegetables will produce a heady steam-bath under clingfilm if you transfer them as they cook. You can serve these with meat or fish if you like, or on their own with some fresh and fragrant goats’ cheese or feta. Now here’s hoping for weeks of sunshine.