BBQ at the weekend..........

[Im a BusyBee]

We are having a bbq at the weekend (hopefully the weather will be kind for us!) i wanted to make some things the day before as i dont have time on the day. Then hopefully just cook the meat when guests are here. I have 22 coming can anyone give me some recipes or ideas please - especially for a pasta salad or a rice salad or any other accompanyments? i have a new recipe for Jamaican rice which is cooked in coconut milk with kidney beans, spring onion and a little chilly would that be nice cold? thanks for your help.

[FrillyPancake]

I love making s tattoe salad with some mayo, a little salad cream, very thinly slied white onion, chives and lots of garlic to have alongside the meat. I have a brilliant marinade which I use constantly which suits (skin on) chicken pieces, olive oil garlic, a touch of brown sugar, honey, a squeeze of lemon, a good dollap of mustard (or different kinds works well), whisk then pour over the chicken and leave in the fridge overnight (or longer if you can). The chicken can be precooked slightly in the oven priot to bbq'ing to ensure cooked through. I also cook pork sausages with crushed fennel seeds scattered over, makes them really moreish. Other accompaniements I make are vegetable kebabs which can be made wel in advance, with large chunks of onion, pepper, tomato, mushroom and drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with fresh thyme. Another marinade that I do is worcester sauce, tom ketchup, tom puree, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper this makes a brilliant sticky bbq sauce. Pea and mint pasta done with chopped chives peas and plenty mint and a handmade olive oil, lemon and herb vinagraite (sp). Hope the weather stays dry for you, wish I was having a bbq now lol!

[FrillyPancake]

Oh and to the bbq sauce marinade I also add honey and some brown sugar and a wee smidgen of mustard too......sorry for typos.

Hope this all makes sense.....

[Im a BusyBee]

Thank you so much! dO YOU THINK MY RICE RECIPE WILL BE GOOD COLD? or do you do a rice?

[237SJ]

If I`m really honest, I`m not sure I`d like the idea of cold coconut rice. Just my opinion though but I`d probably do it without the coconut. Or you could do some sort of savoury couscous.

[Im a BusyBee]

Savoury couscous sounds good but i need ideas of how to make it - what to put in it! i do love cooking and am never happpier than when in the kitchen but i dont usually do salads bbqs etc. so tried and tested recipes would be brill.

[FrillyPancake]

You're more than welcome BB.
I think your rice will be lovely cold. Really nice.
Another one you could try is a tomato rice with very finely chopped peppers through it, very finely chopped red chilli to taste, some very finely chopped onion, a tin of tomatoes heated through then added along with some roasted garlic cloves finely chopped through it and fresh herbs, and leave in the fridge overnight, this makes a lovely fresh tasting "vibrant bright red" rice if just before you serve you drizzle some fresh lemon juice and add some fresh parsley to it. Another thing I love to do is whiskey prawns. Get your whiskey - any kind will do I just buy cheap stuff as we don't drink it normally, squeezy honey, small pices of red chilli to taste and brown sugar - also to taste together in a pan, boil down till sticky and more or less reduced, then once cooled (this takes a while) coat your prawns, serve with wedges of lemon to drizzle on and these make lovely sticky prawns once cooked on the bbq and can be done well in advance again and stored in fridge. I like to buy my own cloeslaw, but add to it chives and parsley to make it a little more interesting, and I also cook garlic bread in the oven (again shop bought) to have alongside everything.

[murraymints]

add a big bowl of salad homemade coleslaw..lotsof chicken drumstick in a sticky honey and ginger marinade....LOADS of booze..they wont notice what they are eating so much !!!!lol..hope you get good weather...

[FrillyPancake]

Savoury cous cous is dead easy too. I do one which all you have to do is pour some green pesto through once cooked, add fresh herbs again and yes you've guessed it lol some fresh lemon. I think fresh tasted are great esp when there is lots of meat involved, which our bbq's are always about "the meat" my hubby is meat daft. You can stir through cous cous any herbs, chilli, spices etc, and also onion, peppers, mushrooms. I rememberone of my friends stirred through some egg, which made it tase a bit like egg fried rice was really nice and different. Also, I forgot to add, my tattie salad I add hard boiled eggs to this too, meats it up a bit, and gives it the most wonderful fluffy creamy taste. I don't add too much salad cream or mayo, just anouth to bind, and loads of chives....Happy bbq'ing!!

[ummmm]

Do some simple things as well. It sounds too simple but...pasta, finely chopped pepper, peas, sweetcorn, S&P and mayonnaise. It's really tasty.

Another easy cheat is Birds Eye savoury rice, again with a dollop of mayo.

How simple do you want things to be?

[FrillyPancake]

Oh my, my spelling is abismal - am at work, so typing really fast......sorry for typos.

[Baldric]

Just make sure people know about the Coconut milk, even on its own it can affect some people with a nut allergy.
Have a great time.

[hammerman]

I always do nibbles for people whilst im cooking too...a big tray of chicken nuggets or dippers and home made dips (just different flavoured mayonaise) and sausage rolls always go down well

[Anngel123]

You can make quite a pleasant rice salad just with sweetcorn and peas added. If you cook it in stock it will have a nice flavour too!