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Tandoori venison kebabs

Makes 8 kebabs Hands-on time 30 min, plus 24 hours marinating Specialist kit 8 metal skewers

FOOD TEAM’S TIPS

Achiote paste is popular in Central America. Buy it at mextrade.co.uk (check it’s gluten free if you need it to be). You can buy kashmiri chillies, sold dried and usually whole in the UK, from Waitrose or online suppliers such as spicesofindia.co.uk. Buy venison haunch steaks in good butchers or at wildmeat.co.uk.

• 50g achiote paste, crumbled or chopped (see Genevieve’s know-how and tips)

• 3 kashmiri chillies (or more to taste), stalks removed, roughly torn (see know-how and tips)

• 1 tbsp cumin seeds

• 2 tsp fenugreek seeds

• 150g greek yogurt

• 50g fresh ginger, grated

• 3 garlic cloves, crushed

• 1 tsp salt

• 750g venison haunch steaks (see know-how and tips)

• 2 red peppers, cut into 2-3cm pieces

• 1 small red onion, cut into 6-8 wedges and separated into slivers

• Grated zest and juice 1 lime

• Small bunch coriander, chopped

1 Set a small frying pan over a medium heat and add the achiote, chillies, cumin and fenugreek seeds. Toast for a couple of minutes, then transfer to a spice grinder and whizz to a powder. Pour into a bowl and stir in the yogurt, ginger, garlic and salt to make a paste. Cut the venison into cubes and mix thoroughly so all the pieces are coated. Cover and put in the fridge for 24 hours.

2 The next day, fire up the barbecue ready for direct cooking (with the coals directly under the grill), leaving a space where there are no coals so you can slide the kebabs off the heat if they’re cooking too fast.

3 Thread the venison onto the skewers, alternating it with the red pepper and slivers of onion. Grill directly over the hot coals for about 15 minutes, turning regularly. Yogurt marinades can burn, so be prepared to slide them further from the heat if they’re catching too fast.

4 Rest on a serving plate, then add the lime zest and juice and scatter over the coriander.

Per kebab 147kcals, 3.5g fat (1.6g saturated), 23.8g protein, 4.4g carbs (3.7g sugars), 0.9g salt, 1.6g fibre

Genevieve’s expert know-how

“Venison haunch is lean and prone to drying out, so the yogurt-based marinade here is designed to tenderise and relax the meat fibres to keep things as juicy as possible. Achiote paste, made from the ground seeds of the annatto tree mixed with other spices, adds a glorious red hue to the meat. It’s easy to find online. Kashmiri chillies are mild and brightly coloured, so if you substitute a different chilli, reduce the quantity unless you want it mind-blowingly hot!”

Steak, spring onion and ginger skewers with chilli peanut oil

Makes 8 kebabs Hands-on time 45 min, plus cooling and up to 48 hours marinating Specialist kit 8 metal skewers

• 800g quick-cooking steak – bavette (flank), skirt or hanger (onglet) is ideal

• Bunch spring onions, cut into 3-4cm lengths

• 50g fresh ginger, grated

• 4 tbsp soy sauce

• ½-1 tsp chinese five-spice (to taste; it’s quite a strong spice blend)

For the chilli peanut oil

• 250ml vegetable oil

• 50g salted peanuts, chopped

• 50g dried chilli flakes

• 4 garlic cloves, sliced

• 1 banana shallot, finely chopped

• 2 tsp sea salt flakes

1 Put the steak on a board and use a large sharp knife to cut into 1cm strips, making sure you cut it across the grain. Put in a bowl and add the spring onions, ginger, soy sauce, five-spice and a good grind of black pepper. Toss to mix, then cover and refrigerate for 24-48 hours – longer is better here.

2 Make the chilli oil at the same time (see Genevieve’s know-how). Pour the oil into a small heavy-based saucepan and set over a low heat on the hob. Add the peanuts, chilli flakes, garlic, shallots and salt, then simmer really gently for a good 30 minutes until the chilli is crisp and the peanuts, garlic and shallot are golden. Leave to cool in the pan before transferring to a screw-top jar or a bowl with a lid. Once cold, store in the fridge where it will keep for a good month, although I guarantee it won’t last that long.

3 When ready to cook, thread the meat onto the skewers, ribboning the slices a few times on the sticks and alternating with lengths of spring onion.

4 Fire up the barbecue ready for direct grilling – the skewers cook quickly, so you shouldn’t need to use too much charcoal. Sear the skewers over a high direct heat for 5-7 minutes, turning regularly.

Serve straightaway with the crispy chilli oil alongside.

Per kebab 250kcals, 17.1g fat (5.3g saturated), 20.2g protein, 3.2g carbs (2.6g sugars), 1.7g salt, 1.2g fibre

Recipes taken from Seared: The Ultimate Guide to Barbecuing Meat by Genevieve Taylor (Quadrille £20)

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Fantastic African recipes from Lerato Umah-Shaylor

Genevieve’s expert know-how “I love using bavette (also known as flank) steak for kebabs: sliced across the grain and put onto sticks, it cooks quickly and stays tender. You could use hanger (onglet) too. It also stands up to a long marinade for maximum flavour – up to 48 hours – and the chilli oil gets better after a couple of days, so start early if you can. Served with rice and grilled broccoli, these steak skewers are insanely good – and fast.”

Lamb and apricot sosaties

Makes 8 kebabs Hands-on time 40 min, plus cooling and marinating Specialist kit 8 metal skewers

• 900g lamb neck fillet, cut into 1cm discs

• 1 small red onion, cut into 6-8 wedges and separated into slivers

• 200g dried apricots

For the marinade

• 2 tsp cumin seeds

• 2 tsp coriander seeds

• 4 cardamom pods

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 small red onion, finely chopped

• 3 bay leaves, chopped

• 1 tsp salt

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed

• 1 tsp ground turmeric

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 5 tbsp apricot jam

• 5 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 First make the marinade: set a small saucepan over a medium heat, then add the cumin and coriander seeds and cardamom pods. Toast for a couple of minutes, stirring, until they smell fragrant, then tip into a pestle and mortar and roughly grind.

2 Pour the oil into the pan, add the chopped onion, bay leaves and salt and cook very gently for 15-20 minutes until softened. Add the garlic, crushed spices, turmeric and cinnamon and cook for another minute. Spoon in the jam and add the vinegar, along with a good grind of black pepper. Cook for a few minutes until the jam has melted and you have a sticky sauce. Pour into a bowl and set aside to cool completely.

3 Once the marinade is cold, add the lamb and stir thoroughly to coat each piece. Cover and keep in the fridge for 24 hours if you have time – longer wouldn’t hurt at all (see Genevieve’s know-how).

4 When you’re ready to cook, fire up your barbecue ready for direct grilling but, as always, leave a good area of the grill surface with no coals under so you can slide the skewers off the direct heat if they’re cooking too fast.

5 Thread the lamb pieces onto skewers, alternating with the slivers of onion and apricots. Lay the skewers on the grill bars over the hot coals and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side – so around 8-12 minutes in total – until the lamb is cooked and the apricots are lightly charred. Serve hot from the grill.

Per serving 344kcals, 18.7g fat (7.6g saturated), 23.5g protein, 18.6g carbs (18.1g sugars), 0.8g salt, 3.6g fibre

Genevieve’s expert know-how “With all that bending down to graze, lamb neck muscles are super hard-working and full of connective tissue. In theory this should mean lamb neck is best suited to low and slow cooking, but actually it’s one of my favourite cuts for slicing across the grain and cooking hot and fast, as in these tasty South African sosaties. I’ve left the meat to marinate for up to 72 hours with only positive effects. The fact that the marinade is cooked and uses apricot jam might seem weird, but you’re creating something similar to a spicy chutney that the lamb soaks in. Trust me, it’s wonderful.”