Recipes for an easy fun BBQ
by Erin King
Summer is another season for entertaining. It may not be as formal or intense as Christmas and Easter, but it is for some it is just as busy. The kids are off school and people are on the move, it's the easiest thing to say, "Come round for a barbecue." But that barbecue isn't always the easiest thing to deliver when you are already swamped with commitments.
Here are a few easy and delicious recipes and a tip or two.
- Marinate your meat ahead of time and freeze in the marinade.
- When having a barbecue, cook lots of extra meat and then freeze it in 4 person portions. If company comes unexpectedly or if you want to have a spur of the moment or short notice get together, simply defrost and reheat on the barbecue on a low heat with some nice grilling veggies, a French stick and a salad and you have an instant meal.
- Grilled meat and vegetables are great on salad. Add some nice fresh bread and you have a beautiful meal that won't heat up the kitchen.
- Pasta salads are great for this time of year. You can boil up the pasta in the morning before your kitchen has heated up, or at night after it has cooled down and then toss it with a bit of oil and mayo and let it sit in the fridge until later on when you can dress it with a mayo based pesto or vinaigrette type dressing and loads of fresh veggies and cold meat and cheese. Marinated vegetables add more flavour as do fresh herbs. Whole wheat pasta makes this dish more healthy and hearty.
- Make pesto out of all of those nice herbs. Pesto is so easy and I will give you an easy recipe with loads of variations.
- If you have never grilled vegetables, do so NOW!! It is the best way to cook them in any weather, in my opinion. Simply marinate or just baste in a simple solution of olive oil (or coconut oil, a good healthy high heat oil) and balsamic vinegar. Add to that any dry spice you wish and a little salt, sugar and pepper if you are feeling adventurous and you will never want to boil those little darlings again! Great grilling veggies are: peppers, mushrooms (not the more delicate varieties), zucchini, eggplant (be careful it can get a bit mushy if you overcook it), carrots, cauliflower, even lettuce! Rachael Ray often has recipes for charred salads on her show, 30 Minute Meals. Just experiment and see which ones you love the best.
Here are a few hot weather recipes to try:
- Simple marinades for meats will always have certain elements: oil, an acid such as vinegar or lemon (or lime), garlic, sugar and pepper do not use salt if you are marinating over night it will dehydrate the meat. To that base you can add just about anything as well as using different types of vinegar. Try basil, cilantro, peppercorns, onion, ginger, steak spice mixture; keep experimenting until you discover your signature flavor.
- For a Mexican tasting marinade try oil, white vinegar, garlic, chili spice, hot sauce, sugar, cilantro, turmeric, and some jarred salsa.
- For an Indian tasting marinade mix plain yogurt and Tandori or Curry paste. There are many jarred Indian sauces that you can use for marinade or for basting.
- If you want an Asian style marinade you will use sesame oil, Soya sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, fish sauce and sugar. You can add any other Asian flavors you wish, to enhance this base.
- Just remember when barbecuing, sear the meat on a high heat and then turn down the heat to cook.
- Make your own barbecue sauce with any or all of the following ingredients:
(This is a loose recipe because you just add and taste and stop when you get a flavour you love, people are so impressed when you make your own barbecue sauce, but it is so easy!)
- Ketchup (of course the main ingredient)
- Soya sauce
- Sesame oil
- Sugar
- Garlic
- Vinegar
(Those alone will make a lovely sauce, but try adding some of the following for even more flavour)
- Fish sauce
- Basil
- Coriander
- Cilantro
- Hot sauce (Louisiana, Tabasco, Mexican)
- Ginger
- Instant coffee
- Liquid smoke (not too much)
- Here is an easy way to make a Pesto. There are many combinations, all you need is an herb, oil, a nut and a hard cheese with garlic. Here are a few examples:
- Fresh dill
- Almonds
- Olive oil
- Parmesan
- Garlic
- Salt
---------
- Cilantro
- Cashews
- Olive oil
- Asaigo
- Garlic
- Salt
---------
- Parsley
- Walnuts
- Olive oil
- Hard cheddar
- Garlic
- Salt
Take a chance pick out your favourite flavours and go! If you have a food processor that would be ideal, a mortar and pestle will take some more elbow grease but it may be good for working out stress. A hand blender may do the trick but I don't recommend it. I am not a huge fan of hand blenders, even though many people swear by theirs. A regular blender may work as well, but is a bit awkward.
Pesto is great to have on hand because it freezes well and keeps for quite a while in the fridge. Just put it on cold pasta with mayo, or hot pasta with a little canned milk or cream and you have a delicious instant meal. Pesto is also nice on chicken, fish or pork and potatoes.
- And speaking of potatoes, here is a nice German Potato Salad recipe, courtesy of my sister Lisa Dewar and my mother Carolyn Sernasie:
German Potato Salad
- Cut and boil potatoes
- Cut bacon into small pieces and fry until crisp saving the drippings
- Caramelize onions on low heat for a long time until brown
- Dressing:
- 1/3 sugar
- 1/3 water
- 1/3 white vinegar
Add all ingredients together in a bowl and dress adding salt and pepper to taste, drizzle some bacon fat over mixture and toss. The bacon fat can also be added into the dressing in an equal amount and mixed in before tossing. This is best served at room temperature and is not as good when served too hot or cold.
Diced hard boiled egg and chopped celery can be added at the end if desired.
Experiment with the dressing, white balsamic vinegar may be nice, some parsley might be good to toss in at the end, or some chili flakes. This recipe is a classic as it is, but you may find a way to make it even better for yourself. This is also a dish that is best tossed in half the dressing the day before and then reheated and then tossed in the rest of the dressing the next day, so it is a perfect make ahead dish.
As far as the meat part of the meal goes, if you don't have time for anything fancy, then don't do anything fancy! There are loads of gourmet burgers and dogs out there. Make the buns and side dishes snazzy and no one will be the wiser.
I hope this has been helpful for you. I intend to do lots of barbecuing this summer and lots of experimenting. I will keep sharing my discoveries with you and feel free to email yours to me so I can share them with our readers. I would especially love to hear from shy cooks who are taking new chances and people who have recently discovered the joys of cooking. Learning how to make great food without being chained to a recipe and learning shortcuts to easy cooking is very liberating. Breaking the cycle of dependence on processed and fast food is a great gift to give yourself and your family, especially in this season of causal cooking. It's the perfect time to start, so get going!!!
Erin King
Personal Chef/Cooking Coach
Be My Guest Event Staffing and Support
Bartenders, Servers, Chefs
'Be a Guest In Your Own Home'
416-693-0198
esernasie@hotmail.com
"Beware the term 'local delicacy.' It's usually code for something revolting."
Lillian Marsano
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