THE smell of summer barbecues is beginning to come alive once more. There is something irresistible about the aroma of food cooking on a charcoal grill. Maybe it’s simply the pleasurable thought of eating al fresco, but any waft of smokiness drifting over the garden fence, always makes me feel hungry. Meat or fish can be cooked with ease. Burgers, chops and sausages may be popular, but skewers of marinated lamb, pork, chicken or seafood are easy to cook and there is nothing quite like the smell of a whole fish sizzling on a hot grill with bundles of fresh herbs.

My teenage introduction to burgers was an occasional Wimpy after school, for which we saved our bus fares. We feasted on a burger in a bun, with copious amounts of French mustard, which seemed much more sophisticated than tomato ketchup. Heaven in our hands – or so we thought. But perhaps it was more because we were doing something on our own, slightly frowned upon, but free from parental control.

Following on from my Edinburgh school days, I moved to work in London and in the early 1970s, had a furnished flat in Streatham. My neighbour asked me if I would like to join a cookery class at the local secondary school and I readily agreed. The classes were held in the well-equipped home economics department. It was modern and bright and we had a wonderful teacher. I still have some of the recipes from that night school and this week’s recipe for beef burgers is an adaptation of one of them.

Reading through my original recipe, I remembered that this particular lesson had been my introduction to cooking with garlic. My mother’s generation considered garlic as something French and therefore, rather risqué. It was regarded with distaste by some, just as olive oil was known only as something bought at the chemist to soothe sore ears. Not only did my cookery teacher have a bulb of forbidden garlic on her bench, she also had a garlic press. I had never seen one before and was fascinated with the ease in which she removed the papery skin and squeezed the single clove into the meat mixture. I immediately asked where I could buy one and set out that weekend to Bon Marché in Brixton High Street to make the special purchase. That garlic press went everywhere with me after that, including the Isle of Skye.

Using fresh chilli was also very unusual in the 1970s, but today, there are several highly successful small businesses, particularly in rural areas, growing garlic and chillies and making delicious sauces, flavourings, condiments and preserves. Next time you plan a barbecue, be sure to find some of these modern Scottish ingredients to spice up your burgers.

There is nothing quite like the taste of a homemade burger with top-quality Scotch beef. Get the whole family involved with making tasty salads and sauces to serve with the meal. If looking after the barbecue is a “boy job” in your household, I reckon he definitely ought to have a go at making the burgers too.

Beef burgers with onion marmalade and roast red pepper sauce

(Makes six thick, or eight thin)

500g top-quality, minced Scotch beef

1 small/medium onion

2 fat cloves garlic

1 small bunch fresh, flat-leaf parsley, stems removed

1 large, medium-hot red chilli

2 tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs

Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper

1 egg

2 tsp plain white flour

Method

1. Break up the mince into a mixing bowl.

2. Peel and very finely chop the onion and add to the meat.

3. Finely chop the garlic, fresh parsley and red chilli, seeds removed. Add to the meat and onion together with the breadcrumbs. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Mix ingredients together with the back of a large dinner fork.

4. Crack the egg into a cup, whisk with the fork and pour over the meat mixture. Continue mixing with the back of the fork until the mixture binds together.

5. The finished meat mixture will weigh around 750g. Divide this into six x 125g lumps, or eight x 95g lumps. Shape into balls and pat flat on a clean board, shaping the meat into patties with smooth edges, about 7cm round. Thick ones should be around 2cm deep and thin ones, 1cm deep.

6. Place a piece of greaseproof paper on a flat baking tray. Sieve a very thin layer of flour over the paper. Place the prepared burgers on top and sieve remaining flour very lightly over the surface. Cover the burgers with another sheet of paper and refrigerate for at least one hour before cooking, or overnight.

7. The burgers can be cooked over a barbecue, or fried in a lightly oiled frying pan on a medium heat on a stove. They take up to 10 minutes to cook in total, turning over halfway and pressing down in the pan the back of fish slice. Test by pricking the centre of the burger with a cocktail stick and if the juices run clear, it is ready to serve.

Onion Marmalade

(For eight burgers)

4 small/medium firm red onions

3 tbsp Scottish rapeseed oil

50g Scottish salted butter

2 rounded tsp soft, dark brown sugar

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper

Method

1. Peel and slice the onions into very thin circles and separate them into rings.

2. Heat the oil in a thick-based frying pan and add the onion, turning until well-coated. Season with salt and pepper and continue to cook over a medium heat. When soft and beginning to colour, add the butter, sugar and vinegar. Stir everything together well and continue to cook until the onion is caramelised and any liquid is absorbed. Turn off the heat and leave to rest in the hot pan.

3. Spoon on top of each burger when serving. Alternatively, place in a bowl, cover and store in the refrigerator, reheating gently before serving.

Roast Red Pepper Sauce

(For eight burgers)

3 large red peppers

2 tbsp good quality, soft cream cheese

2 tsp creamed horseradish

Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper

A few drops Worcester sauce

Method

1. Wash and cut peppers into quarters, lengthwise. Remove core, seeds and white membrane. Place each piece flesh down on grill pan, covered with aluminium foil. Grill under a high heat until the skin is blackened all over.

2. Using tongs, or similar, lift the hot peppers and place in a single layer inside a polythene food bag, fold over the opening and set aside to cool completely.

3. When cool, take each piece of pepper and from the pointed end, peel away the black skin. Discard skins and place roasted pepper pieces in a liquidiser. Blend until smooth.

4. Place the cream cheese and horseradish in a bowl. Sieve the pureed peppers into the bowl. Gently mix using a fork, combining the ingredients together. Season with salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Shirley Spear is owner of The Three Chimneys and The House Over-By on the Isle of Skye www.threechimneys.co.uk