It's barbecue time!
f course, for some people any time of the year is BBQ time. A friend of ours always cooks his Thanksgiving turkey outside on the grill, even if it's snowing, and in my family it has become traditional to throw sausages on the grill on 26 December. Served with a good potato salad or coleslaw this is a simple and tasty meal after the excessive opulence of Christmas Day.
But May through September is definitely the best, especially when it's warm enough to sit outside throughout the long, balmy summer evenings.
In my book, good sausages are hard to beat and living in Germany where they specialize in tasty, meaty sauages is perfect. In Heidelberg I like to get my sausages from Gerhard Becker at the farmers’ market in Neuenheim or the Altstadt (Wednesdays and Saturdays).
Here are a couple of my favorite simple grill recipes.
Chicken
A simple whole grilled chicken served with a green salad and new potatoes with butter and wild garlic or fresh tarragon is a very fine thing.
I also like Indian-style grilled chicken legs.
Chicken legs grilled in Indian, approximately tandoori style
You need one chicken leg per person (free-range please)
For the simple version, per person:
approximately two tablespoons of plain yoghurt
one finely chopped chili
a couple of teaspoons of fresh lemon or lime juice
either a small piece of fresh ginger, chopped finely or a teaspoon of ginger syrup
1/2 - 1 teaspoon of garam masala
1/2 teaspoon each of ground turmeric and ground cumin
For a more complex version all of the above plus garlic, extra fresh ginger, a teaspoon of honey, a teaspoon of white-wine vinegar, a teaspoon of olive oil per person.
Whizz the marinade ingredients in a liquidizer then marinade the chicken legs for at least half an hour.
Grill approximately 20 minutes (until internal temperature is 85°C / 185°F).
Serve with additional lime wedges. Avocado dressed simply with fresh lime juice and salt is a nice accompaniment, or a spinach salad. And despite this being an Indian dish, it's dry so potatoes are better than rice.
Spare ribs
Marinade for 4 people:
two or three cloves of garlic
teaspoon or more mustard
big spoon or more soy sauce
2 thai red chillis
2 or 3 tablespoons vinegar (white wine or rice vinegar are good)
tablespoon or more of hoisin sauce (from Asian store)
tablespoon or more of black bean sauce (from Asian store)
teaspoon or two of five-spice powder (from Asian store)
couple of big spoons of honey, or if you can get it ginger syrup
You don't need to marinate meat very long before grilling, 10 minutes is fine. Grill for a few minutes until the ribs are sticky and chewy.
Lamb burgers
Ask the butcher to mince/grind leg of lamb, about 150g - 200g per person.
50g of fresh goat’s cheese per person (optional)
mint sauce (optional)
At home, form the lamb into individual burgers. If you like fresh goat's cheese, place a piece of goat's cheese (half of the little individual French cheeses called picandou is good) in the center of the burger.
Grill until brown on the outside. The cheese will have melted - delicious.
If you feel like copying the British, mint sauce is always nice with lamb:
a handful of fresh mint leaves
a tablespoon or more to taste of your favorite vinegar (apple cider vinegar is good, or some people like raspberry vinegar)
a teaspoon of mustard
teasoon of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste.
You can make the sauce creamier with a desert spoon of plain yoghurt.
I like to serve with coleslaw salad made with home-made mayonnaise and bolied new potatoes.
Beef with Thai flavors
My favorite is rump steak, usually tastier than filet. This recipe is my simpler adaptation of a recipe by the great Alsace/American chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten who learned to fuse Thai and French cooking styles at the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok.
Just before grilling, brush steaks with a mixture of several spoonfuls of soy sauce, a red chile, a little garlic, a teaspoon of sugar or preferably some ginger syrup, a spoonful of Thai fish sauce if you have it and some cilanto. Do not marinate the meat for any length of time - it will get tough.
A nice sauce is to first whizz a handful of Thai or reguar basll in the liquidizer with about half a cup of neutral-tasting oil such as peanut oil, Some people like to then strain the oil so there are fewer green bits in it. Then put one egg yolk for four people plus 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice, 2 tablespoons of water and a teaspoon of Thai fish sauce in the liquidizer, whizz for a minute then slowly dribble in the basil oil as if you were making a mayonnaise.
Grill the beef - a minute or two is enough for most people and serve with the sauce. Plus of course some vegetables or salad; spinach salad is nice and pehaps some boiled new potatoes.
