Christmas barbecue recipes from Ross Dobson

Christmas barbecued glazed ham

Serves many

2 x 450g tins pineapple rings, liquid reserved
water or orange juice, if needed
45g light brown sugar
2 tablespoons mild mustard
2 tablespoons whole cloves
2 x 100g packets glace cherries
1 whole cooked leg ham, about 8-9 kg

Drain the pineapple and measure the liquid. You will need 500 ml of liquid. If you don't have enough pineapple juice, make up the rest with water or orange juice. Slice each pineapple ring y through the centre to give two thinner rings. Put the juice in a frying pan with the sugar and mustard and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Boil for 5 minutes so the liquid thickens a little.

Add the rings and toss them to coat in the juice, then cook for 5 minutes so the rings darken just a little. Set aside to cool.

Preheat all the barbecue burners to medium, with the lid on to create a hot-oven effect.

To remove the skin from the ham, cut a line through the thick rind a few centimetres from the shank end with a sharp knife. Run your thumb around the edge and carefully pull back the skin, leaving the fat on the leg. When the skin is removed, lightly score the fat in a diamond pattern (if you score too deeply the fat will fall off during cooking).

Start to arrange the pineapple rings on the fat, starting at the shank end. Secure the rings with one or two cloves then secure a glace cherry in the centre of each ring with a clove. Repeat so the ham is covered all over with the pineapple and cherries.

Half fill a large roasting tray with water. Sit the ham on a cooking rack and sit this on top of the tray. Brush some of the pineapple glaze over the ham and put on the barbecue. Cover with the lid. Now you simply have to cook the ham until it looks good. This will take about 1  to 2 hours, brushing more glaze over the ham every 20 minutes or so and making sure the water doesn't dry out, until the pineapple rings are almost dark caramel in colour and some of the fat and juices of the ham have dripped down forming toffee stalactites around the sides.

Allow to rest for 30 minutes before carving.

Baked beetroot with horseradish cream

Serves 4

4 large beetroot, about 170g each
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon, plus extra leaves, to serve

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Combine the horseradish, tarragon and sour cream in a bowl. Season to taste.

Cut a deep cross in the top of each beetroot, gently prying open to make a cavity for the horseradish cream. Spoon the cream into each warm beetroot, scatter with extra tarragon leaves and a grind of black pepper and serve immediately.

Sugar pumpkin with lentils and tangy dressing

Serves 4

55g puy lentils or tiny blue-green lentils
1 sugar or butternut pumpkin, about 2 kg
1 tablespoon rice bran oil
1 red onion, finely sliced
1 cup small mint leaves

Tangy dressing:

60 ml light olive oil
1 large red chilli, finely sliced
4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
60 ml white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar

To make the dressing, put the olive oil, chilli and garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the chilli and garlic start to sizzle, cook for just 1–2 minutes longer, then remove from the heat. Stir in the vinegar, sugar and salt and mix until dissolved. Pour into a jar or bowl and set aside to infuse.

Put the lentils in a small saucepan and pour in enough water to cover. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the lentils are tender but not mushy – this may take as little as 5 minutes, or up to 20 minutes, depending on the age of your lentils, so check them regularly. Drain well and set aside.

Preheat the barbecue grill to medium.

Cut the pumpkin in half, then scoop out and discard the seeds. Leaving the skin on, cut the pumpkin into wedges no thicker than 2cm. Brush the flesh with the rice bran oil and cook on the grill for 10 minutes on each side, or until golden and cooked through, checking regularly to ensure it doesn't burn too much.

Put the hot pumpkin in a large bowl with the onion, herbs and lentils. Stir the dressing, then pour it over the pumpkin.

Toss gently to combine. Serve warm.