We declare barbecue season open! We explain how to benefit from the benefits of this cooking method, we give you some tips to gain lightness and we share some recipes to change from traditional sausage-chipo.
At the slightest ray of sunshine, barbecues, skewers and papilottes are out. In addition to being very user-friendly, this cooking method is particularly beneficial for health.
How to enjoy the benefits of barbecue?
Bet on the vegetables! Forget the thin slices of peppers or the few cherry tomatoes that accompany your meat skewers. Rediscover the flavors of vegetables with generous slices of tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, mushrooms and even pineapple! Not only will your antioxidant intake be higher, but your scale and your taste buds will thank you. Colorful and rich in vitamins, seasonal vegetables can even be simmered in a marinade beforehand, to bring your barbecue full of flavor.
Head for lean cuts of meat! Filet mignon, veal, beef steak, chicken breast, poultry or fish skewers… In each meat, there are fatty or, on the contrary, very lean pieces. You don’t know anything about it? Ask your butcher for advice, he will direct you to the best choice.
A marinade for the soft… Who says less fatty meat also says drier texture. Give it softness by letting it marinate for two hours with a little olive oil and lemon juice.
Also consider whole fish for grillingpreferably rich in protein and omega-3, such as sardines, mackerel, herring…
Prefer home-made For your side sauces. Mix, for example, tomatoes and spices to obtain a barbecue sauce or even half tomato sauce and half homemade mayonnaise to make your own cocktail sauce.
>> Caution: any material marked by the flames remains potentially carcinogenic. To prevent the formation of these carcinogenic chemicals, be sure to adjust cooking height not to exceed 220°C. Your food should be cooked by the heat of embers and not flames, which reach 500°C. Ideally, position your grill about ten centimeters from the embers.
Barbecue: how to make it lighter?
- Avoid skewers that alternate cubes of meat and sections of chipolatas or merguez sausages, which are much fattier than those made solely of meat.
- Skip the tartar sauce and mayonnaise. Prefer mustard, minced shallots and fresh herbs. Or a little ketchup or salsa sauce (zero fat).
- For dessert, a large fresh fruit salad. Zero fat, full of fibre, this is the tailor-made dessert to end a menu that is not necessarily easy to digest. Infinitely better than ice cream.
- As an accompaniment, forget the chips. Provide salads: for example Greek (tomatoes, cucumberonion, olive oil), cold ratatouille, homemade tabbouleh… You can also prepare vegetable skewers to cook on the grill: cherry tomatoes, cubes of zucchini and eggplant, peppers and whole mushrooms lend themselves perfectly to the game.
- Don’t forget to prick the sausages during cooking. You will allow the fat to drain. This way, you will easily gain the equivalent of a teaspoon of oil per serving!
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2/9 –
Grilled aubergines on the barbecue
Slice the eggplants lengthwise. Brush the slices with olive oil and green pesto using a brush and place them on the grill to brown.
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3/9 –
Grilled corn on the cob
Immerse the corn on the cob in a pan of boiling salted water and cook for 15 minutes. Drain and brush with olive oil or melted margarine. Grill them on the barbecue for 10 minutes, turning them from time to time.
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4/9 –
Vegetable Skewers
Peel and cut 1 eggplant, 1 zucchini, 1 pepper, cherry tomatoes and mushrooms. Thread them on skewers. Pour a little olive oil and honey over the skewers and leave to rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Grill on the barbecue.
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5/9 –
Pineapple and prawn skewers
Cut off the head of the prawns and shell them, leaving the tail. In a dish, sprinkle them with lemon juice and olive oil. Peel the pineapple and cut the pulp into small cubes. Drain the prawns and thread the skewers alternating pineapple and prawns. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Cook the skewers for a few minutes on the barbecue.
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6/9 –
Grilled vegetable steak
Drain 125g of corn and 250g of carrot peas. Dice the garlic, 2 shallots and 1 pepper. Add olive oil, 2 tablespoons poppy seeds, 2 sunflower seeds, 2 pumpkin seeds. Mix and add the peas and carrots then 3 tablespoons of flour. Mix with a fork, crushing the carrot peas and add 2 tablespoons of pine nuts, 2 tablespoons of pepper, 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of nutmeg, 2 tablespoons of cumin and 4 tablespoons of curry. Mix and add 4 eggs. Pre-cook the mixture in the pan. Remove the brouillade from the heat, leave to cool then take 2 ladles to shape the steak and cook it on the barbecue.
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7/9 –
Grilled seitan sausages
Mix 300g of white beans and their juice with 1 clove of garlic, 1 tablespoon of tomato puree, paprika, salt and pepper. In a salad bowl, mix 180g of gluten flour, 30g of chickpea flour, 2 tablespoons of dried onion, 1 of dried herbs and paprika. Add the liquid preparation to the dry ingredients and mix by adding 90 ml of vegetable stock. Separate the stuffing into 12 small portions and shape sausages by rolling with the palms of your hands. Wrap them in cling film, tighten the sides then steam the sausages for 40 minutes. Let cool completely before opening them. Cook them on the barbecue for a few minutes with a little olive oil.
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8/9 –
Roasted peppers
Crush 1 clove of garlic, mix with olive oil, Provence herbs, salt and pepper. Leave to marinate for 1 hour. Coat the peppers with this marinade. Place them on the barbecue for about fifteen minutes, turning them regularly.
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9/9 –
Grilled asparagus
Wash and point the asparagus. Cook them for 6 minutes in salted boiling water. Refresh them in a large volume of cold water, drain them and set aside. Add 1 garlic clove, thyme, salt, pepper, olive oil and bay leaves to the asparagus. Leave to marinate for 20 minutes. Cut the asparagus into sections, put them on a skewer and place them on the barbecue grill for 2 minutes on each side.