I know it is a bit late in the Summer, but I wanted to share some thoughts on BBQs.

Last weekend I did a BBQ for my wonderful technical team at e3, and as they know I’m in to my food, I felt there was a little bit of expectation as to what I was going to do.  To which I was thinking, it’s just a BBQ – not a dinner party – how fancy can it be!  So I had to be a little creative with my planning.

Here are some ideas over and above the old burgers and bangers in rolls:

• Tuna: It isn’t the cheapest, but if you can get a whole loin of tuna it is a bit more cost-effective.  I’d suggest controlling portions by cutting steaks in half rather than cutting them thinner (I’d rather go short and fat than long and thin with my tuna).  Add some panache and punch with some salsa verde as a relish.  The trick as ever is to still have it slightly pink in the middle whilst giving it the slightly charred flavour, but if you get it right it is sensational on the barbie.  And if you have leftovers, use it cold for salad nicoise the next day (it make the best cold tuna I’ve ever had).
• Marinated lamb kababs: Get some lamb (rump works well, as does leg as I found out last weekend), dice it in to large chunks and marinate for a few hours – I like garlic, cumin, mint, oil and seasoning, and thread on to skewers, separating the meat with sliced peppers.  If you’ve got good quality and tender meat then it doesn’t matter if it is still slightly pink in the middle.
• Haloumi: This is a great cheese for the Barbie as it contracts when cooked rather then melting.  It is nice on skewers with veg (e.g. small onions, peppers, mushrooms) but it can split when you skewer it in which case it can fall off during cooking.  Otherwise just sliced and cooked directly on the barie works well.  Lovely served with something chilli-based like harissa as a relish.
• Home made burgers: Doing them yourself lets you add your own flavours.  Use good mince (beef or lamb).  Some people add egg to bind and breadcrumbs to make them lighter, but I prefer pure meat – it stays together if you chill it.  You can add what you want as herbs and spices.  And of course, if you buy good meat, you can cook them a little rarer than you might otherwise be confident with shop-bought burgers.
• On the side: If you don’t go for the traditional rolls, you’ll need something else as your carbs.  Potato salad is great, especially as you can add your own flavours to it, e.g. mint or chives.  A nice rustic bread for tearing is great at a barbie.  As for veg, a simple salad with a nice dressing is always summery, or you could do some roasted Mediterranean vegetables (e.g. onion, peppers and courgette – season, roast, and add in cherry tomatoes and even a little balsamic vinegar towards the end to get a bit of caramelised sweetness), either in the oven or make foil parcel an put on the barbie.
• Dessert: My next door neighbours have served me divine baked banana.  Just score the skin a few times vertically, place on the barbie, close the lid (if you have one) or keep turning – it is done once blackened.  Serve with good vanilla icecream.