Barbecued Sardines.

The matter of fact is that when the hot Summer days are here we all love to enjoy a good BBQ and to mainly eat outdoors. Barbecues are somewhat occasions that we do relish to have. It is like a stamp that we did have a Summer this year.

Summertime with L Armstrong and E Fitzgerald

It is the time to invite the Neighbours and Friends around to catch up with them all in leisurely circumstances. It is decontraction at its pick. But it is also the enjoyement of Food which taste fabulous however simply done over the fire. A BBQ is also appealling to all the senses: the vision, the sight of the flames, the grilling marks upon the Food; the Scent of everything from the outdoors to the Meal cooking in front of your own eyes; hearing the crepitation of the Charcoal which is bringing you the promise of a good afternoon or evening; then there is the physical touch of grabbing your Food with your hands or unwrapping the foil that contained a Fish, a Potato or a Sweetcorn Cob, the little parcel of goodness... or grabbing your knife and fork in order to just tuck in. Finally there is the Taste which is just appreciating a BBQ.

 Barbecued Langoustines.

In the hight of the Summer, and the end of one, we have usually a bountiful amount of produce on our doorsteps: Fresh and ripe Vegetables to use. Myself I do love doing Skewers, which are colourful mix and match of Ingredients to put on the Grill or the BBQ. Diced Pork, Sweet Pepper of any colours, Red Onions, Cherry Tomatoes make a simple, easy Skewers to create.

Diced Pork, Red Peppers, Cherry Tomatoes and Red Onions Skewers.

Skewers, also called 'Brochettes' in French are very versatile and easy to prepare but also fast to cook. I will venture that they are no fuss about them at all, apart if you choose different ingredients which will not usually be used on a skewer. I remember a recipe of Tom Kerridge which I enjoyed a lot, using Duck and Lemon Grass stick as the skewer. Well the Lemon grass stick as a skewer hold was impossible to do that evening but the rest was excellent.

Duck Skewers with Broccoli, Red Onions, Green Pepper and Lemongrass.

I love BBQ especially in the Summer but also Grilled food. Somehow even if it is raining outside, it feels like a Summer rain but it is still Summer inside. Those grilled marks upon Meat, Fish or Veg just give you that sense of a Season. I will say especially Summer Vegetables like Courgettes (Zucchini) and Aubergines (Eggplant).

Grilled Aubergines.

Grilling is rather easy to do, however I will state the obvious which is to keep the eyes on the grill or the time or the grilling pan. For safety reason make sure that the grill is clean before using it. In my twenties, sharing a flat with someone who had a very greasy grill I had to stop flames to reach the ceiling with a towel. One lesson learned. It was very scary, but I delt with it. However it gave me the experience that a grill full of fat can be dangerous. My flatmate, the flat was his, was rather keen on fast fat food, but he never cleaned his grill. So I would recommend two things. Any Grill must be checked regurlaly. The other is to lightly oil the food you want to cook, a brushing of oil will do, but be careful and scarce.

Oiling the food or buttering it is better than applying the fat to the device you are using. For exemple oiling and seasoning a Steak on both sides before it reaches the Grilling Pan rather than oiling the Grilling Pan itself is safer but also gives a better taste to the ingredient being grilled.