It's 36 degrees, and I have a bbq, a herb garden, an Intermarché and fussy children. What can we eat?

[MissSmila]

Exactly as title. I have to do a supermarket run, and we need to eat something other than bread (but oh my, the bread), and we are on a bit of a budget. I don't want to spend any longer than I have to in a hot kitchen, and we can't eat from the bbq every night. Well, I could, but DH is protesting.

So, any recipes for hot weather main dishes, and really great salads? Fussy kids won't eat more than the basic vegetables but DH and I like most things except fish, so I'll make something more exotic for us.

[TheSpottedZebra]

Cous Cous with chopped up herbs for ultimate ease.

Pasta salad if you can be bothered to boil and drain. With pesto, baby spinach, pine nuts etc.

Can you get a cooked chicken?

[MissSmila]

Good call on the cooked chicken - will check the supermarket.

Couscous and pasta salad might work, if I can get the herbs past the fussy food police...

[BIWI]

I have a recipe in a Sainsbury's book for a really nice fillet of beef salad.

I would post it for you, but all my books are packed away while we have building work done!

From memory:

• fillet steak (about half the quantity you would have if you were going to eat a steak whole)
  
• cauliflower and broccoli florets
  
• green beans
  
• cherry tomatoes
  
• Worcestershire sauce
  

Sprinkle the Worcestershire sauce on the steak and season with freshly ground black pepper and salt, and let it marinate in that for about 20 minutes, then flash fry the steak (whole) so it's nicely charred on either side, but remains rare/medium rare. Transfer to a plate and let it cool

Boil the cauliflower, broccoli and green beans in salted water till just tender (you want a decent bite in them all, rather than them being soft); drain and allow to cool

Cut the cherry tomatoes into halves and put into a salad bowl, add the vegetables, slice the steak thinly and add to the dish - stir it all together

Make a vinaigrette dressing from olive oil, horseradish, wine vinegar, a finely chopped clove of garlic, salt and pepper then pour over the salad - if the veg are still warm (rather than cold) it will absorb the vinaigrette better

[BuildBuildings]

Your Dh should shop for and cook the meals that aren't from the bbq if he's so against eating from it every night.

[MissSmila]

BIWI - that salad sounds amazing.

Buildbuildings - DH has done most of the shopping and cooking so far this holiday, so it's my turn to get some inspiration and head to the shops.

[stucknoue]

Ready cooked chicken, steak, sausages. Pasta with chopped up veg and sausages is a good quick option. Cous cous or rice salad (do they have microwave rice or boil in bag? with aforementioned meats. Check out the prepackaged deli section, they have lots of foods slightly different to the U.K. that make up a salad plate. My kids basically lived in herta frankfurters in France and me the merenguez sausages.

[justasking111]

I am doing gammon tonight, steaks with a baked potato and salad. Its way too hot too faff. Gammon in the oven with baked potatoes, chop salad.

[notatwork]

buy premade tortellini.,
dress with olive oil and black pepper. Serve with carrot, cucumber and pepper sticks for DC, something a bit more dressed up for you and DH.

Lots of fruit and salady stuff.
Grilled (BBQ) meat etc but don't feel it has to be a full on feast BBQ every day. Grill chicken and eat with newps and veg if you like.
Limit all meals to 30 mins. Use table sauces as an alternative to effort!
new potatoes, boiled and threaded onto sticks, basted with garlic oil make fab roasties done on the BBQ.

[BIWI]

Another great/easy dish on the barbecue is aubergine - slice thickly, brush with olive oil, season and then barbecue till soft and charred on both sides.

Serve with yoghurt, into which you have stirred the zest of an orange, some orange juice, black pepper and a little bit of garlic. You could add herbs too if you want!

[EssentialHummus]

Oh god, forget about cooking! Deli section for cheese and meat - sausages at a push - basic chopped veg as a salad, bread.

[EssentialHummus]

new potatoes, boiled and threaded onto sticks, basted with garlic oil make fab roasties done on the BBQ.

This is inspired!

[CoolcoolcoolcoolcoolNoDoubt]

new potatoes, boiled and threaded onto sticks, basted with garlic oil make fab roasties done on the BBQ.

Grabs notepad..

[Chartreuser]

Where are you on France op? Always get the merguez sausages or BBQ packs from supermarket and eat with tabbouleh/cous cous (ready made or packet) and green salad. We love gesiers too but they are particular to certain areas (Dordogne and around). We just heat them up in a pan, slice and place on bed of salad, with microwaved new potatoes.

You can normally get some ok long life food like rosti or potatoes with lardons they only need a quick dry in a pan.

Our tea tonight is frozen chicken cordon bleu with frozen potato sarladaise and salad. Normally get good flammenkuchen or tartiflette to have with salad too.

If it's really really hot DS lies on stone floor in the kitchen in his pants and then eats semi frozen fruit compotes. I eat baguette with chocolate in if I've had overkill of cheese/ham/salami.

I looked and where we go is expecting 41+ this week so really feel for you

[MissSmila]

Great ideas here, thank you. Just done an hugely expensive supermarket trip which will probably last 24 hours, but I will definitely implement those on the next run.

Chartreuser - we're in the Gard. Or would you describe it as the Languedoc? Near Uzès, anyway. The forecast is for 37 degrees but it feels an awful lot hotter.

[Chartreuser]

Ooh you are going to get it, we stay near Rides which is not to far. Have you rivers/pool/lakes at least? Rivers especially are never very warm . .

[Chartreuser]

^Rodez

[MissSmila]

Unbelievably grateful we have a pool