fabulous barbeque meals for the family

12 fabulous recipes for every day meals

contents

barbeque information

The recipes in this book were designed for and tested on Topnotch® barbeques. To get the best results from your gas barbeque, we recommend the following :

• Clean your barbeque after each use, use soft cloths, scotchbrite pads and detergent.
• Don’t use metal utensils on the non-stick plate, plastic and wood are preferred.
• Blue spots will progressively appear on the stainless steel plate and grill which is a natural reaction to heat exposure.

introduction

• The Maquis de Sade (Donatien Alphonse François) 1740-1814, once said "nature created men only in order that they should take pleasure in everything on earth".
• Families of men, women and children cooking and eating together is a custom all should take pleasure in, whether it be an elaborated or a daily occurrence.
• We have developed a diverse range of barbeque recipes to be cooked on Topnotch® Barbeques using an array or surfaces and attachments. These recipes can be re-created at home with minimal fuss and expense using pantry staples and ordinary items available at local your supermarket.
• This handy sized book can be used by all the family, it even has easy barbeque recipes for children to follow too. Most recipes are based on 4 servings, if not stated otherwise and come with a hot hint for variation ideas.
• From an every day lunch or dinner to a leisurely weekend affair, barbequing is for any occasion and all meals. It’s quick, easy, delicious and healthy.
• What better way to enjoy time in the company of family and friends than a get-together with delicious food hot from the barbeque?

12 fabulous barbeque meals for the family

1 — marinated soy & honey chicken wings

1. Combine all the marinade ingredients into a jug and pour ¼ cup of it into a separate bowl. Set this aside to baste the chicken with whilst cooking.
2. Pour the remaining marinade over the chicken wings ensuring they are all evenly covered. Refrigerate for one hour.
3. Pre-heat the barbeque grill to a medium heat.
4. Place all the chicken wings on the grill and baste every five minutes with a pastry brush.
5. Cook the chicken wings for 10 minutes on either side or until cooked through.
6. Serve while still hot with a green leafy salad or pasta salad

Serves 4

• hot hint - To get an even deeper flavour, try marinating the chicken overnight so that the wings absorb maximum flavour.

2 — tomato & cheese baked eggplants

1. Cut the eggplants in half (lengthways) and cut out the flesh leaving a 1 cm shell.
2. Chop the eggplant flesh into small cubes and squeeze out any excess moisture.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan (or wok) on the barbeque element over a medium heat and add the chopped eggplant. Cook for 5 minutes or until browned. Remove and place on absorbent kitchen paper.
4. Heat the remaining oil over a medium heat and cook the onion, garlic and chilli for 2 minutes. Then add the tomato, tomato paste, parsley, pine nuts and vinegar. Cook through for 8-10 minutes, stirring regularly.
5. Add tomato mixture to eggplant with 1 cup of cheese and season with pepper.
6. Spoon equal quantities of the mixture into the eggplant shells and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
7. Place the stuffed eggplants into the barbeque baking dish over low indirect heat (180°C) and cook for 15 minutes or until cooked through.

Serves 4

• hot hint - Replace vinegar with red wine - Vary chilli amounts to your preference or do not add at all.

3 —cajun chicken salad

1. Cut the capsicum in half and cook on the barbeque grill for approximately 15 minutes or until the skin has almost turned black. Once cooled, peel the skin off and cut the flesh into strips.
2. Cut the cucumber into 1cm cubes.
3. Cut the chicken into thick strips and coat with the cajun spice. Pre-heat the non-stick barbeque plate to a medium heat.
4. Cook the chicken on the non-stick barbeque plate until browned and cooked through.
5. For the dressing, pour the vinegar into a bowl and whisk in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Mix the chicken with the grilled capsicum, cucumber, lettuce leaves, sun dried tomatoes and olives and pour over dressing. Toss all the ingredients together and serve.

Serves 4

• hot hint - To coat the chicken without mess, place in a plastic bag with the cajun spice, secure and shake well.

4 — sweet chilli chicken & crispy wedges

1. For the sauce, finely chop the chilli peppers, capsicum, garlic and shallots. Place in a saucepan with a dash of oil and cook over a medium heat until softened. Add the water and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for a further 8 minutes, allow to cool.
3. For the wedges, peel the potatoes and cut in half. Boil in water for 5 minutes, drain and allow to cool.
4. For the chicken, cut into cubes 3 x 3cm and feed onto skewers (you will need approximately 8 skewers). Brush the chicken skewers generously with some of the sauce and marinate for 20 minutes in the refrigerator.
5. Cut potatoes into wedges and season with oil, paprika, oregano and salt. Cook on the pre-heated non-stick barbeque plate with a little oil on high heat for 5 minutes and then lower to a medium heat for 10 minutes.
6. Cook the chicken on the non-stick barbeque plate at medium heat for 1-2 minutes on each side. Serve with the wedges and small bowl of the sauce.

Serves 4

• hot hint - For alternative to the sauce, stir some finely chopped fresh herbs into whole egg mayonnaise and thin with a squeeze of lemon juice.

5 — citrus pork loin medallions
       with sweet potato & tangy yoghurt dressing

1. For the marinade, mix the 2 rinds, oregano and oil in a shallow bowl, season generously with salt and pepper to make a thick paste. Rub this paste evenly over the pork medallions and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
2. For the dressing, mix all the ingredients together, season lightly with salt and set aside.
3. Peel the sweet potato and slice in 1 cm diagonal slices. Season with salt and toss in olive oil to coat well.
4. Preheat the barbeque grill to a medium heat and cook the sweet potato slices for about 2 minutes on each side. The cooked slices should feel soft when poked with a skewer.
5. Turn the barbeque grill up to a high heat and cook the medallions for about 1 minute on each side.
6. Place 3 or 4 slices of sweet potato in the centre of each plate, place 2 medallions per person on top, put a small handful of rocket leaves on the pork and drizzle with the yoghurt dressing.

Serves 4

• hot hint - Pork loin medallions are generally quite thin, if a thicker cut is used, cook for slightly longer and serve 1 per person. - This recipe can be replicated using a lean veal cut instead of pork.

6 — thai fish cakes with sweet chilli dipping sauce

1. Place flathead, eggs, lemon juice and rind, breadcrumbs, sweet soy and ginger into a food processor. Whiz for 30 seconds or until all ingredients are combined and chopped into small pieces.
2. Add the remaining ingredients except for the sesame seeds. Mix thoroughly.
3. Using a set of kitchen scales, weight out 60 grams per fish cake. Shape into patties, then roll into the sesame seeds ensuring the entire surface is covered. Repeat until all the patties are rolled in sesame seeds, place on a plate and refrigerate until ready to fry.
4. Heat the oil in a frying pan over the barbeque grill, when hot fry the patties allowing them to turn a light golden brown colour. Remove from the oil and place on absorbent paper for 2 minutes.
5. Serve four fish cakes per person accompanied by a small bowl of sweet chilli sauce and a fresh mango side salad.

Makes 24 fish cakes

• hot hint - If fresh fish is unavailable, try using canned salmon, it works just as well. Don’t forget to remove the bones first.

7 — balsamic marinated trevally with potato rosti & mango salsa

1. For the rosti, boil potatoes for 10 minutes or until half cooked through. When cool enough to handle, peel and coarsely grate. Season well with salt and set aside.
2. For the fish, mix the marinade of balsamic, lemon juice, olive oil, thyme leaves, garlic and honey in a shallow bowl, season with salt and pepper. Place the fish in this marinade and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
3. For the salsa, place ingredients in a serving bowl, mix and season with salt and pepper.
4. To cook the rosti, pre-heat the non-stick barbeque plate to a moderate heat and lightly oil. Take a good handful of potato, roughly mould into a circle and firmly press down on the barbeque plate to make a flat rosti, turning after 4-5 minutes. Repeat with the rest of the mixture.
5. Cook the fish on the pre-heated non-stick barbeque plate for 3-5 minutes on each side depending on the thickness. The fish is cooked when the flesh is opaque throughout and flakes separate easily with a fork.
6. Serve a piece of fish on top of a rosti and top with salsa, accompany with the lemon wedges and fresh bread.

Serves 4

• hot hint - Fresh salmon or kingfish fillets can replace the trevally. - Exchange the balsamic for sherry vinegar to give a lighter colour.

8 — greek style lamb sirloin

1. Combine olives, garlic and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a blender or food processor until smooth. Season to taste with black pepper.
2. Prepare the sirloin by cutting horizontally most of the way through the piece (leaving a small join at one end). Open it out and you should have a piece half as thick and twice as wide as what you started with.
3. Spread the olive paste evenly over the cut surface of the lamb, then scatter the crumbled feta over the top and sprinkle with the oregano.
4. Roll the lamb up tightly and tie securely with kitchen string, making sure the filling is not spilling out.
5. Put the lamb roll into a shallow dish and drizzle with lemon juice and the remaining olive oil, making sure the surface is entirely coated. Cover and refrigerate for 1-3 hours (longer time produces a more tender dish).
6. Heat the barbeque grill to med-high and season the lamb with black pepper. Cook the lamb for 10 minutes per side or until brown.
7. Remove the lamb from the barbeque, cover with aluminium foil and let it rest for 5 minutes. With a very sharp knife, diagonally cut the roll into 5cm thick pieces. Accompany with a green salad tossed with lots of fresh tomatoes.

• hot hint - Vary cooking time depending on how dark or red you like your meat. - Use different cuts of meat, such as butterfly lamb fillets.

9 — mixed grill

1. To prepare the steak and kebab marinade, place all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.
2. To prepare the lamb kebabs, skewer the lamb cubes with the onion and capsicum alternately on to the kebab sticks. Brush over half of the marinade, cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.
3. Use the rest of the marinade to coat the steaks. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.
4. Insert a tooth pick into each of the chipolata sausages so they can be barbequed.
5. Pre-heat the barbeque hotplate to a medium heat. Brush the hotplate with some oil and once hot place the kebabs, steak and sausages on it. Cook for a few minutes or until the meat is cooked to well done.
6. Serve 2 kebabs, 1 steak and 2 sausages to each person and serve with a tablespoon of tomato sauce.

• hot hint - Soy or vegetarian sausages can be used in place of the chipolata sausages to decrease the total amount of fat. - Try serving with sweet chilli sauce

10 — hoi sin beef & cashew stir-fry

1. Place the raw cashews in a fry pan and toast for 1-2 minutes on a low heat until lightly brown, tossing occasionally.
2. Place the beef strips into a bowl and add 1 tablespoon each of hoi sin sauce, soy sauce, dry sherry and the garlic. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.
3. Pre-heat the wok on high setting for 1-2 minutes, add the peanut oil. Stir-fry the beef strips for approximately for 2-3 minutes or until well sealed. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Stir-fry the vegetables for approximately 2-3 minutes or until they are just tender. Add the remaining hoi sin sauce, soy sauce, beef and cashews. Cook for a further minute or until the ingredients are well combined.
5. Remove the stir-fry from the wok and serve immediately with steamed rice or noodles.

Serves 4

• hot hint - The beef can be omitted and extra vegetables can be added to create a vegetarian dish. - The cashews and oil can be omitted from the recipe to decrease the total amount of fat.

11 — luscious & lite beef burgers

1. Combine lean mince in a large bowl with garlic, brown onion, barbeque sauce, soy sauce, chilli flakes, parsley, breadcrumbs and egg.
2. Shape mixture into six even patties, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (can be left covered overnight in refrigerator).
3. Pre-heat the non-stick barbeque plate to a high heat.
4. Cook the patties on the hot non-stick barbeque plate until brown on both sides and cooked through. While patties are cooking, add extra onion to the barbeque and cook until soft.
5. Cut bread rolls in half and lightly toast on the barbeque.
6. Spread mango chutney evenly on one half of each toasted roll. Sandwich butter lettuce, beef, tomato and cooked onion between the toasted bun.

Serves 6

• hot hint - For a juicier burger, use normal mince instead of lean mince. - Try the tangy yoghurt dressing on page 10 as an alternative to the mango chutney.

12 — delicious pineapple butter cake

1. Pre-heat the barbeque oven to 180°C.
2. Melt the topping butter and sugar together.
3. In a well greased cake tin, spread the butter and sugar mixture evenly across the bottom.
4. Drain the pineapple pieces, reserving 1/3 cup of the juice. Place pineapple on top of butter and sugar mixture in a decorative pattern.
5. In large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Gradually add eggs, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla essence and beat until combined.
6. Fold in the flour alternately with the reserved juice.
7. Pour cake batter into tin, covering the pineapple and butter mixture.
8. Place in the barbeque oven and bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown (try to keep the lid closed)
9. Cool for 15 minutes, then turn over.

Serves 12

• hot hint - Other fruits such as stewed apple or peaches can be substituted for pineapple.

Angela Aloi, Melissa Colossimo, Melissa Ferrera, Tanya Johnson, Nicole Kenyon, Emma Neville
RMIT Melbourne, May 2004.