BBQ
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So we’re not going to teach you how to throw a prawn on one while your grandmother sucks eggs; we’re just going to share some suggestions for family-friendly chargrilling. Buon appetito, or, as the Aussies would say, get it down ya!
The BBQ Experience
Foiled! You don’t have to place anything direct on the grill, so try wrapping bits and pieces in foil and placing the parcel on top. Superb for keeping the juices, and works particularly well for flaky or tender fish.
Skewered! What a way to cook! Keeps all your foody bits in one place, allows you to turn them at the same time or transport them quickly and they’re fun! Great for meats, vegetables and shellfish. Just remember to soak wooden skewers first so they don’t burn.
Grilled! Steak, whole fish, sausages and big vegetables are perfect placed directly on the grill. We all love a BBQ-branded criss-cross on our grub.
Smokin’! Adding some tree resin, wood chips or incense to your BBQ will release smoke and give some exotic flavour to your food.
Fragrant! Sprinkle herbs on the coals to add aroma and it keeps flies away, apparently.
Meet Tong – and the Essential Collection
Tongs The most essential! A spatula is also handy for lifting and flipping.
Basting brush for coating food with extra marinade.
Water spray to stop flare-ups, which can burn or bitter your food.
Oven mitts for when the going gets hot.
Wire brush clean as you cook.
kids at the grill
We don’t suggest you leave little Johnny to flip burgers while you nip inside for a top up, but you can get him involved in the BBQ-ing without getting burnt.
Kebabs get kids sitting nearby with bowls full of good stuff, threading kebabs and passing them to you for the fire-treatment.
BBQ-copy Get a roasting tray with a grill on top and as the sausages come off the big BBQ put them on the little one and ask kids to turn the sausages with little tongs. They’ll feel very important.
Little helper second-in-command is a great position – especially for the chef! Get kids waiting for the next order: to lay the table, bring over a tray, pass the tongs, or tell big sister she’s not making those kebabs fast enough…
yummy marinades
Marinating is a top technique for introducing kids to different flavours without coating anything in a ‘yukky’ sauce. Try these for sighs of satisfaction…
Soy & honey what it says on the tin
Sesame snap soy sauce, sesame, garlic and ginger (watch for allergies)
Mediterranean olive oil, balsamic vinegar
Thai twist orange/lemon/lime juice and grated ginger
Teryaki 1/3 cup water, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup soy sauce, 1 teaspoon crushed garlic, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Fajita 1 cup lemon juice, 1 tablespoon chopped green onion, 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 1 clove garlic, minced
Hawaii Hi-5 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 small onion, chopped, 1/2 red pepper, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon garlic, 1 tablespoon dry mustard, 1/2 cup cider vinegar, 4 cups pineapple juice
Zesty 1 1/2 cups fresh lime juice, 3/4 cup olive oil, 6 cloves garlic, sliced, pinch of salt, 6 tablespoons dried oregano
Hot-Dang! those Vegetables are good
A BBQ can be just as exciting for vegetarians as it is for their omnivorous chums. Here are our serving suggestions.
Veggie Stacks Grill large circles and slices of aubergine, pepper, onion, courgette, tomato. mushroom – all marinated in olive oil and balsamic (tomatoes best done quickly on foil so they don’t fall apart). When they are tender stack them up with layers of cheese-of-choice, using tongs, and spear them with a rosemary twig. When the cheese starts to melt, pull off the heat and serve quickly on couscous, angel hair pasta or salad, with seasoning and left over marinade warmed and poured over the top. Yum!
Get Stuffed Olive oil-coated peppers or mushrooms work best for the BBQ. Just stuff them with tomato (sundried if available), pre-cooked couscous and parmesan and grill until tender. Garnish with some fragrant sprigs and serve with juice-soaking ciabatta or foccaccia bread!
Asparagus dip the spears in olive oil and salt and bob’s your avuncular.
Corn on the cob, simple, delicious. Great for kids.
Beetroot whole ones, dipped in olive oil, grilled till tender. Scrum.
Medley Mash parboil potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash and grill them off with plenty of seasoning and olive oil.
Meat-Free Don’t forget the meatfree alternatives like veggie burgers and sausages. And kebabbed falafel are fabulous.
Cheese try thickly sliced Halloumi, a firm greek cheese, put straight on the grill.
Strange Little Grill
There are the usual BBQ suspects, but what’s really going to make your al-fresco feast rock is a taste of the unexpected… Why not experiment and see what cooks. Here are a couple of thoughts…
Fruit! Melon, firm strawberries, bananas (best done in skin) – all terrific char-grilled and served with cold ice-cream for a BBQ dessert.
Bread! How about toasted breads – crostini – with olive oil, goats cheese, cinnamon (not all together, obviously)?
Pizza! Truly delicious, real fired pizza. With topping of choice and a doughy base thick enough to transport without flopping, it’s a fab alternative to a chipolata.
Sponsored links
Papsons Continental
If you pop into Papsons, George will point you towards the best flavours, sausages, antipasti accompaniments, oils and vinegars. And maybe you’ll backhand the common burger for something more adventurous.
Check out the website for more BBQ recipes!
www.papsonscontinental.co.uk
Papsons Continental,
2 Cornmarket, Worcester,
Worcestershire, UK WR1 2DJ
Tel: (01905) 25235
Brighten your BBQ and tickle your taste buds with these two treats from Geo Organics.
The luxuriously rich Mexican BBQ Dip & Marinade
Veggie Relish
Find them both at good health food shops and online at www.naturalgrocery.co.uk
Info depot
BBQ health
Researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York have discovered that too many BBQs can create high levels of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) which can damage the heart, kidneys and the brain. A BBQ every now and then is fine, but repeatedly eating fried and grilled meats and cheeses at high temperatures can increase the risk. So if you must BBQ every day, do some seafood and vegetables and serve with a big green salad and grilled veggies.
BBQ food safety
(pinched verbatim from the Food Standards Agency)
Always make sure you cook chicken, pork, burgers, sausages and kebabs until they’re piping hot all the way through, none of the meat is pink and any juices run clear.
*Wait until the charcoal is glowing red, with a powdery grey surface, before cooking.
*Make sure frozen food is properly thawed first.
*Turn the food regularly, and move it around the barbecue to cook it evenly.
*Check that the centre of the food is piping hot.
*Don’t assume if meat is charred on the outside that it will be cooked properly on the inside.
If you’re barbecuing for lots of people, you could cook meat indoors and finish it off on the barbecue for added flavour. Remember, when you reheat food on the barbecue, always make sure it’s piping hot all the way through before serving.
BBQ family
It goes without saying, but we’ll say it: Never leave a BBQ unattended when there are children in the vicinity. Curiosity leads to A&E. Keep kids at a safe distance from the BBQ at all times. Be sure to teach them respect for fire.
Tips
*Marinating is best done more than two hours before serving. Overnight in the fridge is ideal – not great news for impromptu dos, though.
*If your kids are adventurous (or you just don’t care ) throw on the herbs! Crushed cumin seeds, coriander, thyme, oregano. Let them infuse or make a crust for some a real flavoursome crunch.
