bbq to impress...suggestions???

[lilQuidditchKel]

Hi
Holding a BBQ for 6 adults and a couple of small children. Former colleagues. Would like to do something nice, but easy. Suggestions???
thx!

Marinated chicken breast kebabs:

Cut enough chicken breasts to feed everyone up into chunks, marinate for 2 hrs or preferably overnight with:

4 crushed garlic cloves
1 sbsp paprika
the juice of 1 lemon
half a pot of greek yoghurt
salt and pepper to taste
a bunch of chopped fresh coriander
some chillies if you like
a few good glugs of olive oil

Once marinated, thread the chunks of chicken onto skewers (if wooden soak in water for half an hr first to stop them burning).

Cook over the bbq, turning regularly, until cooked through. Baste with the marinade while cooking.

Serve with warmed up pitta bread or baguette, lots of fresh salad, and dips like humous, yoghurt and cucumber and sour cream.

Also, lamb koftas:

enough lamb mince to feed everyone
mix into this:
one finely chopped onion
4 cloves garlic
a bunch of chopped coriander
a tspn cumin
1 tspn paprika
half a tspn cinnamon

mix together thoroughly, then shape onto skewers and cook on the bbq until done, turning regularly.

Marinate chicken breast pieces in olive oil and wholegrain mustard, wrap each piece in bacon and skewer with mushrooms inbetween.

Make a giant proper ceaser salad and a giant greek salad too.

mmm getting hungry reading this, thx

one caveat - no cucumber or raisins. DH. sigh.

I usually keep BBQs really simple -

3 BBQ'd meats/fish
1)Good quality steaks (fillet if you can stretch to that) or homemade burgers (I include red chilli and red onion in the mince mix)
2)Marinated chicken (I use a sweet chilli sauce & yoghurt marinade overnight - softens the chicken up a treat - or a homemade BBQ sauce)

1. Good qulaity fish wrapped in foil with lemon wedges and fresh herbs of your choice - trout or salmon work well, even a whole large fish to share.

All served with a big leafy green salad, a potato salad (I do a lovely one with Desiree potatoes and a sour cream & dill dressing), cous cous with roasted veg + crusty bread

However, DH is a BBQ whizz and has done some really lovely, slightly more adventurous things over the years

This baramundi is luscious - you can use another delicate white fish if it's easier

He also does BBQ kebabs - a lovely pork one marinated in white wine, king prawns marinated in coconut milk & ginger, Terikyaki steak, Chicken tikka skewers & Surf & Turf skewers - nice if you've got big eaters!

He also does sticky honey & soy marinated chiken wings & legs

God, I can think of loads more...I won't waffle. if you want any of the recipes, just ask!

kebabs made with salmon and courgette. I was a bit when a friend made them but they were gorgeous, simple, and look "pretty" too.

The best bbq chicken I ever had was at my cousins and he had used peach and lemon squash to marinate it.

Just shows it doesn't have to be too fancy.

serious hunger pangs now!

we love fillet and kebabs with salmon sound v interesting.

might just do simple fillet steak with some sort of fish or prawn kebabs.

potato salad would make a nice change from green salad (which I seem to make all the time and am just a bit bored of it).

other sides?? sorry DH not a cous cous man either. sigh sigh.

I posted a morocan lamb recipe which is fab on the BBQ, on the recipe page. Very easy and very popular!

Other sides:

Homemade coleslaw
Homemade Guacamole
Pasta salad - DH does a lovely 'Oriental' style one
Warm new potatoes with green beans drizzled with garlic infused olive oil
Chickpea salad..?
Pre-prepared baked Macaroni cheese
BBQ'd bell peppers, halved and de-seeded
BBq'd stuffed giant mushrooms
Veggie skewers

ah ha - i have a brilliant guacamole recipe!!!

to keep things easy i think the other side/s may have to be (whispers) pre-made...

Oh yes, naturally!@lil

So much easier that way. Don't make too much work for yourself.

A simple pasta with basil pesto?

Bunch of fresh basil
5 tbsp olive oil
handful pine nuts (Optional)
2 gloves garlic
1 oz parmesan cheese
1 oz pecorin cheese
All whizzed up.

Throw a few green beans or asparagus in towards the end of cooking the pasta (Linguine is good) and then just stir throught the fresh pesto.
Delish.

re the salmon skewers...doesn't the salmon get flaky and fall off into the bbq quite easily then?

Bbq a cheap camembert in the still hot but no longer hot enough to cook charcoal.
Mmmm

salmon skewers - nope. I thought they would too but fne. You do need to keep turning them tho.