Gourmet summer barbecue

Bored with burgers? Had enough of hot dogs? When the sun comes out and you feel yourself hankering for a barbecue, don’t just cook the usual. Turn your garden party into a garden soirée, with these posh recipes for a gourmet summer barbecue.

Starter: Hot pistachio prawns

These tasty prawns are the perfect bite-sized snack to share with your guests, and they cook on the barbecue in under five minutes!

Ingredients

∙  1 tbsp toasted pistachios
∙  1 long green chilli, chopped
∙  1 tbsp coriander seeds
∙  1 tsp ground turmeric
∙  1 tsp grated ginger
∙  50 ml coconut milk
∙  1 kg prawns, peeled, tails intact
∙  salad, lime slices, to serve

Recipe

Blend pistachio, chilli, coriander, turmeric, ginger and coconut milk together until smooth. Transfer mixture to a shallow bowl and rub into the prawns.

Skewer prawns and cook on barbecue for 3-4 minutes, until prawns are pink and cooked through. Serve with lime and salad.

Main: Piri-piri chicken

Chicken drumsticks are a staple at most barbecues, but have you ever considered cooking a whole chicken? Here’s how to make enough of that gorgeous piri-piri flavour to go around.

Ingredients

∙  1 chicken (about 1½ kg)
∙  3 red chillies, chopped
∙  2 garlic cloves, crushed
∙  2 tsp sweet paprika
∙  2 tbsp red wine vinegar
∙  2 tbsp chopped parsley
∙  2 tbsp olive oil
∙  lemon wedges to serve

Recipe

Spatchcock the chicken: flip it over so the backbone faces up and use kitchen scissors to cut down either side of the backbone, then throw it away. Turn the chicken over and push down on the breastbone to flatten it. Make slashes in each leg.

Blend chillies and garlic with a pinch of salt to make a paste, then add the paprika, vinegar, parsley and olive oil. Mix and smear over the chicken. Marinate for an hour.

Put the chicken on the barbecue, skin-side down, and cook for 15 mins until charred. Turn the chicken over and cook for another 10 mins. Check the juices run clear to make sure it’s cooked through. Serve with lemon wedges.

Dessert: Grilled banana split

You may have barbecued bananas before, but this is a great recipe for making your banana split posher than ever.

Ingredients

∙  250g strawberries, hulled and halved
∙  2 tbsp icing sugar
∙  1 tbsp lemon juice
∙  4 large bananas
∙  50g dark chocolate
∙  3 scoops vanilla ice cream 
∙  2 tbsp almond flakes, toasted

Recipe

Blend the strawberries with the icing sugar and lemon juice. Set aside.

Keeping the bananas in their skins, cut slits down the length of each one without cutting all the way through. Break up the chocolate and push it into the splits. Wrap each banana in foil and cook on the barbecue for 5 minutes.

Remove the foil and banana skin, keeping the chocolatey bananas intact. Put them on plates and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a few spoons of the strawberry sauce. Sprinkle on the toasted almonds.

Don’t forget to stock up on picnicware for your gourmet barbecue, and bon appétit!

Image source 1: oysy
Image source 2: bhofack22
Image source 3: monkeybusinessimages