Great BBQ recipes for accompanying the meat..... ie pasta salads etc....

[HeinzSight]

things you could make in advance that keep for a day or so would be great!!!

you're all out in your gardens having BBQs aren't you!!!

no you're not, you're on other more interesting threads

What meat have you got?

Here's a good one: pasta with broccoli and cashews.

• Cook some pasta shapes of your choice till al dente, then drain, toss them in a little olive oil and let them cool.
• Peel some broccoli florets and chop into same-sized pieces. Fry gently on a medium heat for about 10 minutes, until they're tender and easily pierced with a fork. About 8 minutes in, add some finely chopped red onion to the pan as well.
• Toast some cashews till brown.
• Mix everything together.
• For the dressing: mix together mayonnaise, white wine vinegar, grain mustard and seasoning till it tastes delicious, then pour over the salad and serve.

You could make this the day before and then dress it when everything's ready. It doesn't look like much but trust me, it's really delicious.

A beautiful tomato salad would keep for a day and probably be even better for having been made the day before.

Slice large ripe tomatoes thinly. Drizzle over extra v olive oil, a little salt and pepper and a pinch of sugar. Add a dessertspoon of cold water and turn the tomatoes over. Serve at room temperature with basil torn over the top at the last minute, or a scattering of finely chopped red onion or spring onions.

No vinegar in the dresseing.

thanks so far.... yay

As far as meat goes, the usual, sausages, burgers, chicken . . .

I remain convinced that there is no such thing as a decent pasta salad.

Taboulleh is nice and would keep a day if you left the tomatoes out.

Homemade coleslaw a must.

Homemade onion mush/jam stuff?

Our favourite is cous cous salad. I cook the cous cous and add the juice and zest of 2 lemons, couple of handfuls of cooked peas, rocket leaves, corriander and cubes of feta cheese. Especially nice if you are serving lamb, but we do it at every BBQ we have, which doesn't always include lamb!

i do tomato and mozzarella salad

green salad - curly lettuce, cucumber, celery and some spring onion

potato salad - salad/new pototoes, cooked, cooled, tossed in mayo, then add 3 juicy cloves of minced garlic and stir well, you can add chopped bacon to it too

mango, prawn and avocado - exactly what it sounds like.. king prawns with chopped mango and avocado. absolutely delish and needs nothing except maybe a bit of coriander leaf

potato salad

A nice brown rice salad is also good - cashews, peas or sugar snap peas, soy sauce and oil dressing, spring onions, cucumber. I reckon you could do most of it the day before and add the cu and peas on the day.

Cous couse is also nice if you add just enough fresh chili to give it a bit of a kick

The Delia goats cheese and harissa salad is also popular - it's cous cous, roasted veg and cheese then salad layered. Sure the recipe is on line. It's very nice the next day but if you were making it for other people you could make dressing and do veg day before and assemble on the day. Would take about 5 mins

am loving these, especially the couscous ones - yum

I chop up lots of peppers, corgettes, red onion (aubergine if you have one). Put in roasting tray with a bit of olive oil and roast for 20/30 mins then add to cooked couscous with lots of coriander and lime juice.

Ooh Stirling I had exactly that last night!!! With trout fillets!

Stirling I did a big pan of roast peppers, onions and courgettes to go with our barbecued burgers and jerk chicken this afternoon I always toss them in olive oil and balsamic vinegar with lots of basil and oregano. Lurvely.

Ooh, both sound lovely - I quite often have that with Halloumi - In fact, I think I am addicted

Ooh yes, fried halloumi and roast veg chunks mixed with couscous and dressed in a mixture of harissa, lime juice, garlic and olive oil...raarrr.

I use a peeler to get thin slices of courgette. Rub a bowl with garlic, add the courgette and lemon juice and olive oil. Leave for a few hours in fridge to 'cook'

Bean salad - tins of different sorts with sliced green beans, spring onion, olive oil and apple balsamic vinegar.

Oh, I've got a brilliant recipe for beetroot salad somewhere - let me know if you're a lover or a hater and I'll dig it out (or not)

Cous cous salad.........cooked cous cous with lots of mixed herbs, cubed feta cheese, a little balsamic vinegar. Yum!

Tuna pasta salad ........cooked cold pasta with tuna and sweetcorn. I love this with salad cream!!

Cous cous - make with chicken stock and add sauteed spring onions, red peppers, red chilli and coriander stalks. Stir into cous cous and then stir in fresh coriander leaves. Serve with meat and houmous. Scrumptious.

The salad in this recipe is lovely. I added it to cous cous. Yum yum

thanks for that link Misty

I've bought some Jersey royal potatoes, any suggestions...

I normally boil and add mayo and chives to them.

oops cyteen, yes LOVE beetroot, dig that recipe out please

SPICED BEETROOT SALAD

500g raw beetroot
salt
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 clove garlic
1 tsp soft brown sugar
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
juice of half a lemon
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 spring onions, very finely chopped

Put the beetroot in a saucepan and cover with water. Add several generous pinches of salt and bring to the boil. Simmer, uncovered, till the beetroot feels tender when you pierce it with a knife. Make sure it doesn't boil dry!

While the beetroot is cooking, make the dressing. Heat the cumin and coriander seeds gently in a dry frying pan to release their flavour, then grind in a pestle and mortar. Add the garlic and one teaspoon of salt to the pestle and beat to a mush, or mash the garlic and salt separately with the flat of a knife. Combine the rest of the dressing ingredients and whisk to combine.

When the beetroot is tender, drain from the pot. Put some rubber gloves on unless you like the red hand look, then skin the beetroot and cut into small dice.

Toss the beetroot immediately in the dressing, along with the chopped spring onions (I always make the dressing in the bowl I'm going to put the salad in, save faffing about creating extra washing up [lazy]). Leave to chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving, but it's much tastier the next day.