When you have fired up the barbecue the steak will take about 10 minutes, depending on whether your guests prefer rare, medium or well done. The chicken and sausages take around five minutes, so all can be ready and served together in a very short time.
I like to try out a recipe before I pass it on, so I duly prepared the stuffed chicken pieces – but when the time came to bake them the weather had turned and it was raining outside. I left them cooking in the oven until they were done and served them up in their tinfoil boats. The cheese had melted around the crunchy walnuts and sweet cranberries and amalgamated with the meat juices into a rich gravy. Not quite as delicious as if the bottoms had been charred on the barbecue, but still really tasty. Good to discover that this can be a flexible all-weather dish.
Use boneless chicken breasts. Cut a pocket into each chicken breast and insert some stuffing – a mixture of cranberries, walnuts and camembert tastes good. Alex also likes to sprinkle some crushed pistachios over the top to form a crust.
To go alongside I would serve hot bread rolls or the perennial favourite, garlic bread; a green salad made with mesclun, cucumber and avocado; and a platter of new season asparagus dribbled with a squeeze of lemon juice, some good olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
For some inspiration for a barbecue feast for 8-10 guests I consulted Alex Maka, who can be found behind the butcher’s counter in Ponsonby Nosh and knows how to feed a crowd. He is half Tongan and his wife is Italian, two cultures known for their hospitality and generosity when it comes to food.
I mean to replicate the lobster salad, but croissants don’t make very convenient hors d’oeuvres. I pull out the best Martha issue ever, November 1997, for the answer: Mixed Herb Swatches. These are crackers made with sour cream and herbs and tarragon and dill sound just about right to me.