Introduction

There are so many vegetable variations you can enjoy on your barbecue, there’s no need to be bored. Vegetables love the barbecue – and you’ll love the treats you can create over the coals with these simple recipes. Mix and match, experiment to find the best combinations – there are plenty of options if you keep your eyes open for new vegetables on the supermarket or greengrocers’ shelves and give them a try.

Unless you live in a place where the sunshine is guaranteed, you will want to take advantage of any good weather by having impromptu barbecues rather than planning them in advance and risking being drowned out! So lots of these ideas are simple and quick to prepare, but still give mouth-watering results.

Whether you are cooking an all-vegetarian barbecue, or making sure you have tasty vegetarian options for your family or guests, you can create colourful and interesting vegetable kebabs, tasty foil-wrapped parcels and vegetable burgers too. Go on – give it a try!

Barbecue Basics

Here are some simple guidelines on getting the best out of your barbecue, and being ready for that quick and easy, inspirational meal!

Barbecuing is an easy technique which gives great results but it is not an exact science. You cannot really control the temperature of the charcoal; so you must control the distance you place the food from the heat – the nearer the food is to the heat, the higher the temperature and the faster the food will cook. Because the heat is direct, of course, the food cooks first on the outside, so you must allow the food enough time to cook right through. This means that larger pieces of food, such as large potatoes, need to be placed further from the coals, otherwise they will be charred on the outside before they are cooked inside. These principles apply whether you have a tiny Hibachi or a large gas-fired barbecue, and you will have to experiment and get to know your own equipment in order to get the best out of it.

On the whole, vegetables cook very quickly on the barbecue, so there is little waiting around. They do tend to dry out more than some other foods, however, so be redy with those tasty basting mixtures or flavoured oils to keep them moist and make sure you get delicious results.

Equipment

You can manage with your ordinary kitchen tools, of course, but if you are an enthusiast, it is a good idea to have a few long-handled utensils to make it easier when you are cooking on the barbecue. Have only what you need; more often than not, fancy gadgets are a waste of space. Your barbecue itself can be as small and simple or as impressive as you want – it doesn’t make that much difference to the taste of the food!

Most people find briquettes of compressed charcoal are the easiest to use. They burn more slowly and at a higher temperature than lump charcoal, although this can light more quickly and so is useful for starting the barbecue.

If you really get hooked on the barbecue habit, you’ll start to consider a bigger and better barbecue, perhaps with an electric or battery-operated spit and motor.

For the Fire

• Charcoal, firelighters, tapers, matches.
• Foil to line the barbecue (it makes it easier to clear up).
• Tongs for spreading the coals.
• Poker for flicking grey ash off the charcoal.
• Sprinkler bottle of water to douse flare-ups.
• Small shovel for adding coals and clearing ash afterwards.
• Bellows for encouraging the fire if it is dying down; blowing is hot and dirty work.
• Pile of sand for dousing the fire after cooking.
• Bucket of water, just in case.
• Cleaning materials; specialist ones are available from barbecue suppliers which you may find are more effective than ordinary kitchen cleansers.

For the Food

• Tongs and spatula with long wooden handles for turning foods.
• Basting brush with long wooden handle and a jug.
• Kebab skewers; always soak wooden skewers in cold water for at least 1 hour before use so that they do not char when cooking.
• Hinged wire grilles to hold soft food between layers of mesh so that it doesn’t break up during cooking. They are ideal for fish, burgers or other similar foods.
• Knives, forks, chopping board.
• Foil for covering and wrapping food.
• Heat-resistant gloves and large apron.
• Trolley or small table for holding foods etc.

For the Guests

• Serving table.
• Crockery and cutlery, including serving cutlery.
• Drinks and glasses. Bottle and can openers, water jug, ice bucket.
• Tablecloth and sturdy napkins.

Safety

• Set up the barbecue on a stable, level surface in the open air, avoiding any overhanging trees or nearby low bushes.
• Light the fire carefully and make sure it is always attended.
• Never move a lighted barbecue.
• Never touch any part of the barbecue once it has been lit. Extremely hot charcoal will look white and powdery rather than glowing red.
• Avoid plastic- or metal-handled tools as they can melt or hold the heat.
• Douse flare-ups quickly.
• Dispose of ashes carefully when they are cold.
• Immerse burns immediately in cold water and keep under water until it feels cool. Cover with a dry, sterile dressing, if necessary, and seek medical attention if severe.

Lighting and Maintaining the Fire

• Tell your neighbours you are about to light a barbecue – especially if they have washing out!
• Line the barbecue with foil, shiny side up. Open the vents if the barbecue has them.
• Arrange a few pieces of broken firelighters in the base.
• Top with a few pieces of lump charcoal or wood chips.
• Arrange a few charcoal briquettes on top.
• Light the firelighters with a taper.
• When the charcoal has caught and is burning steadily, use long-handled tongs to spread the charcoal in a single layer and add more charcoal at the edges.
• Gradually add charcoal around the outside of the fire to keep it at a steady temperature; putting charcoal on top will smother it. Remember that the charcoal will maintain heat for some time, so don’t add more coals if you are coming to the end of cooking.
• Douse the fire with sand when you have finished cooking and leave to cool completely.

Starting to Cook

• The fire should take about 30 minutes to reach cooking temperature, by which time the charcoal will be grey and powdery.
• Oil the rack lightly, then set it about 10 cm/4 in above the coals.
• The fire is ready if you can hold your hand at about that level for only 2–3 seconds.
• The centre of the charcoal will always be hotter than the edges, so you can use this to good effect when arranging your food on the rack. Allow plenty of space around the foods so that you can turn them easily and they are not too crowded to cook evenly.
• Plan your cooking order in advance so that you start with the foods with the longest cooking times.
• Remember that you can arrange your dessert foods on the barbecue and watch them cook while you are enjoying your main course.

Store-cupboard Stand-bys

If you like barbecuing, it makes sense to keep a few things handy in the cupboard or the freezer during the barbecue season so that you can create some interesting dishes at short notice. Start with some basics, and you’ll soon learn the ingredients and seasonings you use most often.

• Spices such as cayenne, cinnamon, coriander (cilantro), cumin, nutmeg and ground or fresh minced ginger.
• Dried herbs such as bay leaves, oregano, rosemary, tarragon and thyme. Prepared frozen herbs are very good, especially mint and parsley.
• Sauces such as soy sauce, Tabasco sauce, tomato purée (paste), Worcestershire sauce, relishes and pickles.
• Seasonings and flavourings such as salt and pepper (of course!), capers, mustard, pesto sauce and sesame seeds.
• Vinegars such as white and red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar and fruit vinegars.
• Lemon juice and other citrus juices.
• Olive or groundnut (peanut) oil and sesame oil.
• Garlic, onions and fresh root ginger.
• Honey, sugar, golden (light corn) syrup and treacle (molasses).
• Canned vegetables, pulses and vegetable mixtures such as lentils, tomatoes and ratatouille.
• Canned fruits such as passion fruit, peaches and lychees.
• Crackers and melba toast.
• French and other interesting continental breads in the freezer – par-baked loaves will give you that straight-from-the-oven smell!

Notes on the Recipes

• The recipes use dairy products. For vegans, either omit the dairy products or use vegetarian alternatives. Make sure cheeses used are suitable for vegetarians too.
• A number of recipes use Worcestershire sauce. Traditional recipes include anchovies, so buy a vegetarian variety from health food shops.
• When following a recipe, use either metric, imperial or American measures; do not mix different sets of measurements.
• All spoon measurements are level: 1 tsp = 5 ml; 1 tbsp = 15 ml.
• Eggs are medium unless otherwise stated.
• Use your favourite good-quality light oil, like sunflower or groundnut (peanut) oil, unless otherwise stated.
• All preparation and cooking times are approximate.
• Always wash and peel, if necessary, all fresh produce before use.
• Where fresh herbs are used, they are specified in the ingredients. You can substitute dried herbs as long as they have time to cook; never use them for sprinkling on finished dishes. If you use dried rather than fresh herbs, use no more than half the stated quantity as they are very pungent. Packets of frozen chopped herbs such as parsley and mint are much better than the dried varieties.
• Always pre-heat the barbecue for about 30 minutes before cooking.
• Soak wooden skewers for about 1 hour before cooking to prevent charring.