h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Although barbecues typically center on meats, vegetarians can have a very nice barbecue as well. Some great ideas for vegetarians include:

1) Potatoes and onions wrapped in tin foil are tasty roasted together. Other veggies may also be added to the wrap. When the smell is simply too nice to ignore any longer, remove the food. Allow a few minutes for the potatoes to cool.

2) Try grilled corn (with or without butter). For best results, buy and roast your corn with the husk still on. After the husk has been slightly charred, remove the ear from the grill and carefully peel off the husk. The result is succulent and tasty.

3) Kebabs can include any selection of vegetables and fruits. Simply cut them into bit-sized pieces and thread a thin pointy stick through them. Be careful about touching the sticks while removing the kebabs, as they can be very hot.

4) For a sugary treat, try cooking pineapples directly on the (hopefully clean enough) grill. The sugar in the pineapple will caramelize nicely. I understand this also works with segments of orange, nectarine, and grapefruit. However, be careful when placing and turning these over on the grill so they don't slip through the metal bars.

For those who occasionally eat fish, salmon is a super substitute for steak or chicken. Salmon may be grilled plainly or brushed lightly with barbecue sauce. Cajun spice packets for fish may also be used for a change from the ordinary. If spices are used, coat the fish in light olive oil to help the spices stay attached through the grilling process.

Kebabs should include bite-sized pieces of food, not bit-sized ones. Oops!

Tofu, Red Pepper and Aubergine (Egg Plant) Brochettes

Marinade in a sauce of 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp seaseme oil, 5mm piece of fresh ginger, 1 galic clove crushed.

Chop some tofu, aubergine(egg plant), Red Pepper, into about 2.5 cm/1 inch cubes or squares, and some destemmed shiitake mushrooms on the skewer and brush with the marinade.

5-10 minutes on the coals.

Patty Pan Squash kebabs.

Note: Patty Pan is a small squash shaped like a flying saucer, don't buzz it for a lift. If not available use thickly cut Courgettes as an alternative.

Marinade: 1 clove garlic, 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme, 3 tbsp of olive oil, seasoning

For 8 kebabs.

6 green patty pans halve, 6 yellow ditto, 1 small onion, 1 Red Pepper and 1 Yellow pepper cut into 2.5 cm/1 inch squares.

Mmmmm...

New Potato, red onion and fennel Kebabs

A fovourite with my mum as she adores baby new potatoes.

Marinade: 1 tbsp mixed chopped fresh herbs (tarrogon, thyme, parsley, chives, chervil or any combination to taste.) , 1 clove garlic, fine grated rind of 1 lemon. 3 tbsp olive oil, seasoning.


225g/8 oz new potatoes, large red onion cut into 2.5 cm/ 1 inch squares, 1 fennel bulb cut into large chunks, 12 bay leaves. Soak in marinade for 20 minutes.

Use 4 wooden skewers.

Alternate veg with bay leave between each selection.

My favourite veggie bbq thing is potatoes, thinly sliced and burned:

Thinly slice half a dozen potatoes and place them evenly on a largish foil sheet which has been coated in butter.
Throw in a couple of pats of butter and salt and pepper to taste.
Wrap up the foil wrappings and put on the grill.
Turn it after about 5 or 10 minutes and let the other side go for the same amount of time.
Take it off the grill and carefully open the foil (you'll get a nasty steam burn if you're not watching!)
There should be some potato slices that are crisped and stuck the foil, peel them off and throw the whole lot into a large serving dish.

Kids love this recipie as the browned/burned ones taste like potato crisps (chips for US readers) and the rest are nicely cooked and lightly seasoned with the butter and salt & pepper.

It's always a big hit with my tribe!

This is a very easy recipe for making beef-style home-made burgers, they're much nicer than anything you can buy from a store. They're also much healthier than a Meat alternative.

INGREDIANTS

-One handful of fresh or frozen Linda McCartney mince (or equivalent) for each burger to be made
-Finely chopped Onion and/or Garlic, to taste
-One egg for every two burgers to be made
-A little grated cheese
-A generous dollop of your favourite BBQ sauce (e.g. Heinz, HP)

1. Toast the mince and onions without oil in a non-stick pan. If you don't have one, use a normal frying pan with a very small dash of oil.

Stir constantly over a medium-high heat until the mince and onions are tender.

2. Transfer to a bowl and add the grated cheese and BBQ sauce. Season to taste with salt, pepper and any herbs or spices you care to use. Finally, add the raw egg and mix well.

3. Form into patties before the mixture has a chance to cool.

If you can find a fine mesh grill to use with the Barbeque, transfer the burgers to it and cook both sides for a few minutes until they crisp up on the outside - the egg and cheese will serve to bind the mince together.

However, if you do not have a fine mesh grill to use, just transfer the burgers onto tin-foil and cook them under your household grill, or under the heat-reflector on your Barbeque, if it has one. Again, they should crisp up in just a few minutes.

Tip: Half-way through grilling/BBQing, the burgers will still be very fragile on the uncooked side. Try to turn them very carefully using a fish-slice.

Enjoy!

Several people have noted the use of aubergine (eggplant) for kebabs. I've found over several summers that you can also do a kind of steak with them.

*Slice the aubergine in about rounds about as thick as the tip of your thumb (smaller or larger depending upon the size of your thumb)
*Salt them and let them sit for a bit
*Press the rounds in a towel and rinse with water (this process takes some of the bitterness out of them
*Brush with olive oil
*Sprinkle with salt and pepper
*Grill like a steak

I've also found this does really nicely with thick strips of zucchini (which is overwhelming your garden anyhow) or any other type of squash.

Add a Thai flavor to the whole thing by serving the veggies with spicy peanut sauce!

So true about the Aubergine steaks.

Sliced Courgetes Work Well on kebabs

also known as Zucini

Baked Brie or Camembert. Take a whole cheese, stud the top with garlic cloves to taste, drizzle with olive oil and add a grind of black pepper. Wrap in foil and place on the grill for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is good and soft. Unwrap and eat with a spoon and some good crusty bread.

Great BBQ recipes! Especially Demon Drawer's Kebabs. I am going to a BYOK (Bring Your Own Kebab) party in a couple weeks and now I don't even have to think about what I'll bring. Thank you!