Fresh ideas for barbecue food

Press, 11 January 1986, Page 13

Fresh ideas for barbecue food

Children and adults both find barbecues a special event Barbecue meals are great for parties, relaxed entertaining, camping holidays, picnic meals at the beach or river, or a family meal in the garden when you want to take advantage of the long, warm, summer evenings. Although barbecues usually center on meat vegetarians can still enjoy a barbecue meal. I think the essence of a good barbecue is hot filling food, cooked with very little preparation beforehand. Foods for a vegetarian barbecue are in three categories: baked vegetables, kebabs, and burgers. Don’t forget to serve crisp salad vegetables to balance the meal and keep everyone cool.

Baked Potatoes Scrub some medium-sized baking potatoes. Brush with oil and wrap in a piece of foil, folding the edges together to seal. Bake for 4560 minutes, with the grill right on top of the charcoal, turning occasionally. When the potatoes are ready, remove from foil, split with a knife and fill with a mixture of butter, margarine, grated Cheddar, cottage cheese, chopped parsley or chives. • The potatoes can be split before baking, slices of onion and a knob of butter placed between the halves, then the potato sealed in foil. • If you wish to speed up the cooking time, steam the scrubbed potatoes for 15 minutes before wrapping in foil.

Com On the Cob Remove the husks and silk from fresh corn cobs, or use frozen corn. Place each cob on a piece of foil and spread with butter or margarine. Wrap with foil, place on the grill over hot charcoal and cook 15 to 20 minutes, turning frequently. • Instead of cooking com in foil, cobs can be roasted in their husks. Pull back the green husks gently and remove the strands of silk. Fold the husks back in position. Place on the grill over hot charcoal and roast, turning frequently, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the husks are dry and the com inside beginning to brown. Serve with butter or margarine. Baked tomatoes Choose firm tomatoes and cut each in half crosswise,

sprinkling with a little salt and pepper, if desired. Sandwich a thin slice of onion between the halves, and wrap each tomato in foil. Cook on the edge of the grill for 15 to 20 minutes. Grilled Tomatoes Cut tomatoes in half. Sprinkle the cut surfaces with salt, pepper and basil. Place cut side up on a sheet of foil over the grill, or on a solid metal barbecue plate. Cook 10 minutes, until the tomatoes begin to soften. Do not turn. • nßefore cooking, the cut tomato surfaces can be sprinkled with butter, parsley and basil; or with breadcrumbs, basil and cheese. Kebabs Vegetables that go really well on kebabs are: button mushrooms; small tomatoes,

halved; squares of green pepper, cubed eggplant and slices of zucchini. Try adding cubes of tofu, thick slices of banana and cubed pineapple. Spear the foods of your choice onto wooden kebab skewers. Using a pastry brush, baste with oil or melted butter. Cook over medium-hot charcoal for 15 minutes or so, taking off the heat from time to time to baste again. An enjoyable way to cook kebabs is to place all the ingredients in bowls outside, give everyone skewers and let them choose and cook their own combinations. For family barbecues, young children can skewer their chosen foods, and the adults do the cooking. Burgers You will probably feel

quite full of baked potatoes, corn, tomatoes and kebabs, but if you want something heavier as a contrast, or are really hungry, burgers are the answer. Instant tofu burgers can be made by rinsing and cubing some tofu, brushing with oil, sprinkling with sesame seeds and cooking on a sheet of foil, or on a solid baking plate, for about 10 minutes, until golden brown on both sides. Place inside a wholemeal roll with lettuce, slices of tomato, alfalfa sprouts, some soysauce, relish, chutney, or left-over sauce, if desired. Other types of burgers must be prepared beforehand. Recipes for lentil, bean, peanut or walnut burgers are all suitable for barbecues. Make sure the mixture is thick and dry

enough to hold together well. Baste with oil or butter and grill until nicely browned, turning several times. It is a good idea, when

making burgers for a meal, to double the recipe, form the extra into burgers and freeze, uncooked, so they will be ready for barbecues. Allow at least 15 minutes to defrost before cooking.