Interesting Extras
You need some side dishes to go with your barbecued foods, and it is usually best to prepare these in the kitchen and have them ready to serve when the main course from the barbecue is cooking and piping hot. Here is a selection of simple vegetable, rice and grain dishes and bread ideas that offer interesting barbecue combinations.
You can also use your conventional oven to keep foods warm, especially if you have a large number of guests and a relatively small barbecue. Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/gas mark 3 to make sure that dishes stay hot without overcooking, but do keep an eye on the foods to make sure they are still at their best. Place them on ovenproof serving plates and cover tightly with foil to retain the moisture before placing in the oven. Don’t leave them there longer than you have to.
Artichoke Cream
Serves 4
Can of artichoke hearts, drained 400 g/14 oz/1 large
Mayonnaise 250 ml/8 fl oz/1 cup
Garlic clove, crushed 1
Chopped fresh basil 5 ml/1 tsp
White wine vinegar 5 ml/1 tsp
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese, grated 75 g/3 oz/¾ cup
Fresh breadcrumbs 25 g/1 oz/½ cup
1 Arrange the artichokes in a shallow ovenproof dish.
2 Mix together the mayonnaise, garlic, basil, vinegar, salt and pepper and pour over the artichokes.
3 Mix together the cheese and breadcrumbs and sprinkle over the top.
4 Bake in the oven at 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 for 20–25 minutes until golden.
Preparation time 5 minutes
Cooking time 25 minutes
Celery and Beans in Soured Cream
Serves 4
Celery sticks 6
French (green) beans, trimmed 450 g/1 lb
Olive oil 60 ml/4 tbsp
Soured (dairy sour) cream 150 ml/¼ pt/2/3 cup
Caraway seeds 15 ml/1 tbsp
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Cut the celery into pieces the same size as the beans.
2 Cook the celery in boiling water for 6 minutes, adding the beans for the last 2 minutes, then drain well.
3 Heat the oil and fry (sauté) the vegetables quickly for 2 minutes.
4 Stir in the soured cream and caraway seeds and season with salt and pepper.
Preparation time 5 minutes
Cooking time 10 minutes
Sweet Glazed Shallots
Serves 4-6
Small shallots 450 g/1 lb
Butter or margarine, melted 50 g/2 oz/¼ cup
Golden (light corn) syrup 60 ml/4 tbsp
1 Peel the shallots, then place them in a pan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 4 minutes, then drain thoroughly.
2 Arrange the shallots in a shallow baking tin (pan) and pour over the butter or margarine. Drizzle with the syrup.
3 Cook in a preheated oven at 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are tender and golden.
Preparation time 5 minutes
Cooking time 25 minutes
Mushrooms in Balsamic Vinegar
Serves 4
Button mushrooms 450 g/1 lb
Lemon juice 30 ml/2 tbsp
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Balsamic vinegar 150 ml/¼ pt/2/3 cup
Olive oil 120 ml/4 fl oz/½ cup
Garlic cloves, crushed 4
Chopped capers 15 ml/1 tbsp
Chopped fresh parsley 45 ml/3 tbsp
1 Place the mushrooms and lemon juice in a pan and season with salt and pepper. Add just enough water to cover, bring to the boil, then simmer for about 5 minutes until tender. Drain.
2 Meanwhile, bring the vinegar, oil and garlic to the boil in a separate pan. Simmer for 20 minutes.
3 Pour this hot marinade over the mushrooms, then leave to cool.
4 Add the capers and parsley and season with salt and pepper.
Preparation time 5 minutes
Cooking time 20 minutes plus cooling
Potato Ideas
- Pre-cook jacket potatoes to save time. Pierce scrubbed potatoes with a fork and microwave on high for about 3 minutes per potato. Rub with a little coarse salt and oil, then wrap in foil. Alternatively, season and wrap them and cook them in a hot oven at 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 for about 1 hour. Place the wrapped potatoes directly on the barbecue coals to finish cooking.
- Offer a selection of toppings for baked potatoes: grated or crumbled cheese; pats of herb butter; pats of garlic butter – as strong as you dare!; fresh tomato sauce; even hot baked beans.
- Peel and slice potatoes and layer in an ovenproof dish, sprinkling with salt, pepper and your favourite herb as you go. Half-fill the dish with milk, dot with butter and bake in a preheated oven at 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 for about 50 minutes until tender and the top is browned.
- Peel potatoes and slice thickly, without cutting right through to the base (much as you would to make garlic bread). Slide a piece of bay leaf into each slit, sprinkle with salt and pepper and brush with plenty of olive oil. Bake in a preheated oven at 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5 for about 1 hour, depending on size, until they are tender and golden.
Wild Rice Salad
Serves 4
Vegetable stock 450 ml/¾ pt/2 cups
Wild rice 100 g/4 oz/½ cup
Long-grain rice 175 g/6 oz/¾ cup
Can of red pimientos, drained and chopped 400 g/14 oz/1 large
Oil 60 ml/4 tbsp
Red wine vinegar 30 ml/2 tbsp
Vegetarian Worcestershire sauce 5 ml/1 tsp
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Bring the stock to the boil. Pour in the wild rice, return to the boil, cover and simmer gently for 35 minutes.
2 Add the long-grain rice, cover again and simmer for about 10–15 minutes until all the rice is cooked.
3 If there is any liquid left, uncover and boil until absorbed. Leave to cool.
4 Stir in the pimientos.
5 Mix together the oil, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and a little salt and pepper. Pour over the rice mixture and toss together well.
Preparation time 5 minutes
Cooking time 1 hour
Rice Ideas
- Rice can be used hot or cold, as the basis for a warming accompaniment, or an interesting salad.
- To save time when your guests are arriving or your family is hungry, cook long-grain rice in advance and drain it well. You can then use it for a quick fried-rice dish, either cooked conventionally or in a frying pan (skillet) on the barbecue, or to make a rice salad.
- To make ginger and pepper fried rice: heat a little olive oil and gently soften some chopped onion, garlic and red and green (bell) pepper. Stir in some cooked long-grain rice and 5 ml/1 tsp minced ginger and stir together until hot. Season with salt and pepper or soy sauce.
- If you are serving Eastern-inspired barbecued foods, choose a Chinese fried-rice dish.
- If you like a simple side dish, cook rice in a vegetable stock to give it extra flavour.
- Add a finely pared lemon rind to the water when cooking rice, then sprinkle it with a little lemon juice and top with 5 ml/1 tsp grated lemon rind to serve.
Spiced Bulghar with Pine Nuts
Serves 4
Olive oil 60 ml/4 tbsp
Onions, finely chopped 225 g/8 oz/½ lb
Garlic clove, finely chopped 1
Pine nuts 30 ml/2 tbsp
Bulghar wheat 150 g 5 oz scant 1 cup
Vegetable stock 600 ml/1 pt/2½ cups
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Raisins 30 ml/2 tbsp
Pinch of ground coriander (cilantro)
Pinch of ground cinnamon
1 Heat half the oil and gently fry (sauté) the onions until beginning to soften.
2 Add the garlic and pine nuts and continue to fry until the onions are soft.
3 Stir in the bulghar and the remaining oil and mix well together. Add the stock and the remaining ingredients, cover and bring to the boil.
4 Simmer for about 15 minutes until all the stock is absorbed.
5 If serving hot, stand the pan in a warm place or at the side of the barbecue for about 30 minutes until the bulghar is soft and swollen.
6 Fluff up with a fork before serving hot or cold.
Preparation time 5 minutes
Cooking time 50 minutes
Garlic Bread
Adding parsley to the garlic butter reduces the pungency of the garlic on the breath. The amount of garlic you use is very much a matter of personal taste.
Serves 4
Garlic cloves, crushed 2
Butter or margarine, softened 100 g/4 oz/½ cup
A few drops of lemon juice
Chopped fresh parsley 15 ml/1 tbsp
French stick 1
1 Blend together the garlic, butter or margarine, lemon juice and parsley.
2 Cut the bread in diagonal slices about 2 cm/¾ in thick without cutting right through the base.
3 Spread all the cut sides of the bread with the garlic butter, then wrap the bread in foil.
4 Place the bread in the oven at 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 for about 20 minutes, or place at the side of the barbecue until the butter has melted into the bread and it is hot and crisp on the edges.
Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking time 20 minutes
Vegetable Pitta Packets
Make and wrap these in advance and keep them in the warming drawer if your barbecue has one. If you like the taste of ginger but can’t be bothered with fresh, buy a jar of minced ginger to keep in the fridge.
Serves 4
Vegetable stock 300 ml/½ pt/1¼ cups
Leeks, sliced 225 g/8 oz/½ lb
Small apple, chopped 1
Radishes, chopped 6
Button mushrooms, sliced 4
Grated fresh root ginger 10 ml/2 tsp
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil 60 ml/4 tbsp
White wine vinegar 15 ml/1 tbsp
Pinch of mustard powder
Pitta breads 4
1 Bring the stock to the boil in a pan, add the leeks and simmer for about 10 minutes until soft. Drain and cool.
2 Mix together the leeks, apple, radishes, mushrooms and ginger. Season with salt and pepper.
3 Blend together 45 ml/3 tbsp of the oil, the wine vinegar and mustard powder and sprinkle over the vegetables.
4 Slit the pitta breads lengthways down one side and fill with the vegetable mixture. Brush the outsides with the remaining oil and wrap the breads individually in foil.
5 Heat on the barbecue for about 6 minutes.
Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking time 20 minutes
Classic Campfire Damper
Serves 4
Self-raising (self-rising) flour 350 g/12 oz/3 cups
Salt 5 ml/1 tsp
Dried milk (non-fat milk powder) 15 ml/1 tbsp
Butter or margarine 25 g/1 oz/2 tbsp
Water 300 ml/½ pt/1¼ cups
A little extra butter or margarine for greasing and flour for dusting
1 Mix the flour and salt with the dried milk.
2 Rub in the butter or margarine.
3 Quickly mix in the water with a knife until the mixture forms a dough. Knead in the bowl for a few minutes until smooth.
4 Shape into a round and place on a piece of greased and floured foil, shiny side up.
5 Make a few slashes in the top with a knife, then wrap loosely but securely in foil. Place in the hot coals and cook for about 20 minutes until golden brown and the base sounds hollow when tapped. Serve hot.
Preparation time 8 minutes
Cooking time 20 minutes
Bread Ideas
When you are in a hurry, the last thing you are likely to think about is making bread – especially when there are no end of interesting ones available in the supermarkets and bakers; we are almost spoilt for choice. Two or three tasty breads served with a barbecue add variety and interest.
- French baguettes are great – but there are lots of other possibilities. Try some of the Mediterranean-style breads with olives or sun-dried tomatoes, Italian breads such as ciabatta or pugili, or warm pitta breads. Most of these freeze well, so you can keep something in the freezer for when you need it.
- Wrap the bread in foil and warm it at the side of the barbecue to add that wonderful aroma of warm bread to the cooking.
- Rub a cut garlic clove over slices of baguette or crusty bread, then rub with the cut side of a ripe tomato (or with a tinned tomato) and sprinkle generously with olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve as a starter or with the meal.
- Don’t forget melba toasts or any of the vast range of interesting crackers you can buy to serve as a side dish or if you are serving dips.
- If all you have is some stale bread, don’t despair. Cut it thinly and toast it, then cut it into fingers to make your own crisp melba toasts. Or cut it into squares or triangles and fry (sauté) in hot oil with a dried chilli to make delicious croûtons.