insideKENT Magazine Issue 65 - August 2017 | 页面 100

FOOD+DRINK THE ULTIMATE Summer BBQ cont. TIPS AND TRICKS FROM THE EXPERTS… WHILE WE’RE IN NO WAY DOUBTING YOUR BBQ EXPERTISE, IT’S ALWAYS GOOD TO KNOW HOW THE EXPERTS DO IT, SO WE’VE PICKED THE BRAINS OF A FEW CELEBRITY CHEFS (AND A WELL- KNOWN PET FOOD BRAND…) TO GIVE YOU A HELPING HAND. CHEF AND GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF STAR, Selasi Gbormittah (www.swearbyit.com) CHEF, Gizzi Erskine (www.groovyfood.co.uk) INDIAN FOOD WRITER AND CHEF, Anjum Anand (www.thespicetailor.com) 1. Marinate over night. There are couple of tricks when it comes to preparing meat for the barbecue. Firstly, and perhaps the most important, involves marinating the meat overnight in the fridge before bringing it back up to room temperature before cooking. For an extra juicy and tender dish, slash or pierce the chicken, pork or beef with a fork to allow the marinade to sink deep into the flesh. 2. Use a ‘natural tenderiser’ when cooking with red meat. Essential to any standout barbecue is well-prepared and tender meat. When choosing your ingredients, try using a natural tenderiser, such as an acidic citrus juice, which helps to break down muscle fibres and soften the meat. A favourite of mine is grated raw green papaya, which makes the world of difference and the meat juicer and more succulent. 3. It’s not all about the meat! For those who are a little more experimental on the barbecue, why not try cooking with fish. For the best results, score the fish four times on each side and drizzle over some lemon juice and a sprinkling of light salt, before thickly laying on a marinade. Remember to taste this before adding it to the fish – a perfect marinade should be salty and tangy. Overal l the result should be a smoky, light and spicy flavour that’s difficult to resist. 100 “The Groovy Food Company’s Organic Coconut Sugar has a delicious rich toffee caramel taste. It’s great in condiments and sauces, which I cook from scratch. It delivers a real depth of flavour to any homemade chutney, delicious served alongside cold meat and a cheeseboard. It’s also ideal for creating a rich teriyaki marinade for salmon or chicken. A tablespoon of the coconut sugar also adds a sweet, caramel glaze to stir-fried meat dishes, I use it in my Vietnamese caramelised roast pork and it’s the best substitute for palm sugar in South-East Asian curries.” 1. Always marinade the night before to ensure your dishes have added flavour. 2. Speed things up by popping vegetables in the oven for 15 minutes before, then finish them up on the barbecue – perfect for a last- minute get together when the sun decides to shine! 3. Rotate, rotate, rotate! Keep turning your meat and vegetables constantly as you barbecue. 4. For added flavour and to ensure your food doesn’t get stuck to the grill, brush with Vita Coco Coconut Oil as you cook. 5. Get those tunes going! Music is essential when you are barbecuing! DON’T FORGET YOUR FOUR-LEGGED FRIENDS! TIPS FROM James Wellbeloved (www.wellbeloved.com) 1. Give them space. Lots of people in a small space can be overwhelming for our pets. Allocate an area in your garden for your dog before people arrive. It will prevent any falls or trips and will ensure your dog avoids those extra pieces of food from generous party guests. 2. Create a special menu. It may seem natural to throw your dog a bone, but cooked bones found in ribs and chicken wings can splinter and become lodged in their digestive tract. Ensuring your dog is full before the BBQ kicks off will mean you don’t need to share your plate with your four-legged friends. 3. Keep them hydrated. We all love our pets to run around and play, interacting with our family and friends, but it’s important to make sure they stay hydrated with regular refills of their water bowl. Frozen watermelon pieces can be a lovely rehydrating treat in between water bowl refills. 4. Bin it. We all know how good pets are at sniffing out leftovers, so make sure rubbish is out of reach. If covered in grease or leftovers – aluminium foil, plastic wrap and kebab skewers can be very dangerous, so keep a bin in reach of your BBQ and above floor level. 5. Fun and games. Set out some toys or pet-friendly games that your dog and guests can all get involved in – this will ensure your dog gets some attention in between the next round of food!