Helen says: “I love the way aubergines are like, ‘cook me wrong and hate me forever’ . To be fair, the aubergine did suffer as an unwilling participant in many a sad veggie kebab situ. You can see where she’s coming from. All that’s needed is to lob them on the grill, whole, then scrape out their insides. I do also love grilled strips of aubergine, but that creamy flesh, smoked and mashed with mellow garlic and billowy yoghurt will always be my number one.”

Serves: 4

Cook and assembly time: 1 hour 

Prep ahead: the sultanas can be pickled up to a week ahead, and chilled

Equipment

• Foil

Ingredients

• neutral oil, for cooking
• 1 head of garlic
• 6 large aubergines 
• 8 tablespoons natural yoghurt
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• flaky sea salt

For the maple-pickled sultanas:

• 4 tablespoons maple syrup
• 50ml (1¾ fl oz/3½ tablespoons) sherry vinegar
• 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
• 100ml (3½ fl oz/scant ½ cup) water
• 50g (1¾ oz) sultanas (golden raisins)

For the garam masala onions:

• 3 large onions, halved and thinly
• sliced towards the root end
• 1 tablespoon garam masala

Ideas for dipping

If I’m serving the Advanced Player Garlic Bread [see page 120 of BBQ Days, BBQ Nights] alongside this, I’d serve something fresh like endive or chicory (Belgian endive) leaves. If not, pitta bread or toasted flatbreads work well.

Method

Put the maple syrup, vinegar, salt and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil, then pour over the sultanas (golden raisins) in a heatproof bowl and let stand for 1 hour.

Heat a frying pan (skillet) over a medium-low heat and add a generous splash of oil. Add the onions with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, for 40 minutes, or until caramelised. Five minutes before the end of cooking time, add the garam masala and a splash of water. Cook, stirring, until the water has evaporated.

Prepare a barbecue for two-zone cooking as described on page 12, with medium heat.

Cut the very top off the head of garlic to expose the cloves and drizzle with oil. Wrap in foil and place over indirect heat.

Place the aubergines over direct heat, adding a chunk of wood (such as oak) to the coals if you wish. Close the lid and leave the vents about a quarter open. Cook for 30 minutes, turning the aubergines occasionally, until collapsed and black.

Remove the aubergines and garlic from the grill, transfer the aubergines to a bowl and cover. Allow them to steam and cool a bit, then scrape out the flesh in a bowl, avoiding the skin, with a splash of the juices.

Mash the flesh with the garlic, yoghurt and lemon juice and season with salt. Stir through the onions and sultanas and serve.

To cook indoors: 

You could roast the aubergines over a flame or under a grill, and roast the garlic, but you won’t get the smokiness.

Helen says: “It took me a while to come around to beans, and I think it was because I was always using them as a filler, rather than celebrating their unique qualities. Now, I love soaking them overnight to cook fresh. However, while I’ve been on a journey of beany discovery, some cooked bean brands have emerged that are actually worth the money (I like Bold Bean Co.) so if you don’t have time to soak, they are a fantastic alternative. Topped with silky confit garlic this is an elegant side dish, barbecue or no barbecue. I like to serve it with some bread, too – a smooshing vessel for both beans and cloves.”

Serves: 4

Prep: The confit garlic can be made up to a week in advance and refrigerated.

Cook and assembly time: 1 hour 30 minutes, plus overnight soaking

Equipment

• Foil
• Small blender

Ingredients

• 250g (9 oz) dried cannellini beans
• 1 sprig of thyme
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon double (heavy) cream
• flaky sea salt and freshly
• ground black pepper

For the confit garlic

• 2 large heads of garlic
• extra virgin olive oil

Method

Soak the dried beans overnight in cold water.

Preheat the oven to 130°C (260°F/gas 2).

Slice the tops off the heads of garlic to reveal the tops of the cloves and place into a small, shallow ovenproof dish, cut-sides down. Pour over oil until the bulbs are just covered. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until really soft.

Remove from the oven and allow the garlic to cool in the oil, then transfer everything to a sealed container and chill.

Adjust the oven temperature to 150°C (300°F/gas 2½).

To cook the beans, drain them, transfer to a lidded ovenproof dish and cover again so that the water level is about 2.5 cm (1 inch) above the surface of the beans. Bring them gently to the boil, skimming off any scum, then add the thyme, rosemary, a generous pinch of salt and the bay. Bring to almost boiling point, then put the lid on and transfer to the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes, or until the beans are tender with a little liquid remaining.

Strain, reserving both the juice and beans. Blend the beans with 100ml (3½ fl oz/scant ½ cup) of the cooking liquid and the cream, then season with black pepper. Check the seasoning and add more salt, if needed.

To serve, spread the beans over a large platter, then top with the heads of garlic cut in half across the cloves. Serve swirled with a generous amount of the garlic oil and lots of black pepper.

Helen says: “Big fan of layered dips over here *waves*. They look much fancier than regular dips because you can see all the different elements – think about eating a plate of food where everything is distinct as opposed to mixing it together into one big slop. They’re also more fun to eat because you’re getting different proportions of each element with every mouthful. No-one can say I don’t know how to have a good time!”

Serves: 4, easily doubled

Prep ahead: The crema can be made the day before and refrigerated, and the candied chillies can be made up to a week in advance and stored in the fridge

Cook and assembly time: 20 minutes

Equipment

• Small blender

Ingredients

For the cucumber:

• ½ cucumber
• 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
• grated zest and juice of ½ lime

For the candied green chillies

• 100g (3½ oz/scant ½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt
• 50ml (1¾ fl oz/3½ tablespoons) white wine vinegar
• 100g (3½ oz) fresh green chillies or jalapeños, destemmed and thinly sliced

For the avocado crema:

• 2 ripe avocados
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 garlic clove
• dash of hot sauce
• 4 tablespoons sour cream
• Sea salt, to taste

To serve:

• 300g (10½ oz/1¼ cups) sour cream
• tortilla chips

Method

Split the cucumber lengthways and use a teaspoon to scoop out the seeds. Cut the cucumber lengthways into thin strips and then finely dice it. It’s worth taking time to get it nice and fine. Toss with the salt and transfer to a sieve to drain while you make the other elements.

To make the candied green chillies, combine the sugar, salt and vinegar in a saucepan and heat until the sugar has dissolved, then simmer for 5 minutes. Add the chillies and bring back to the boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for another few minutes.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Make the avocado crema by destoning and peeling the avocados, then putting them in a small blender with the lime juice, garlic, hot sauce and sour cream, blending until completely smooth. Season with salt.

Rinse the cucumber and pat dry with kitchen paper, then toss with the lime juice and zest.

Spread the sour cream over one or two serving plates and top with the crema, cucumber, then as many of the candied green chillies as you like (have a taste of everything together, then add some more if you love them – I like to add loads). Serve with tortilla chips.