Beach barbecue

So far this year, I can count the number of barbecues I've attended on two hands. Not bad, but considering we are already in July, I was hoping to do better. On this blog, so far I've posted about three. First, the March barbecue with the game meat, secondly, the simpler affair at a friend's place and now this, our first barbecue of the season on the beach.

Vancouver, being a coastal city, boasts 11 beaches. Trying to choose the correct one is tricky. Some are too busy, some are too far away to comfortably walk or cycle to if boozing is on your mind and some are not as picturesque. Last night we chose the beautifully named Sunset beach, about a 20 minute walk from our apartment. It is quiet, beautiful and a little dusty underfoot, but perfect for friends to gather and enjoy a burger or two. It is situated close to the Burrard bridge, with views over to the white and red tents of the Shakespeare festival at Vanier Park and Granville Island and a myriad of different boats go sailing by frequently. In the distance the silhouette's of Vancouver and Bowen Island can be seen, darkened into profile as the sun goes down.

For this barbecue, I prepared chicken wings with two different marinades: one smoky, paprika and garlic Argentinian paste and one spicy tandoori with cool yogurt.  I also made prawns in an insanely spicy Japanese yuzu and salt paste, burgers with bacon and cheese ground in and pork loin in a barbecue sauce. I'm going to list the recipes underneath the relevant pictures below. Beneath the recipes are some photos of Neil's excellent barbecue skills and the food itself.

 

Recipe : Tandoori chicken wings

6 - 8 chicken wings

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped finely

1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped finely

1 tsp chili powder

1 tbsp ground coriander

1/2 tbsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

Juice of one lemon

Mix the yogurt and all other ingredients together in a bowl except the chicken. Stir well to combine.

Add the chicken, stir well to coat, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight. 

Grill on medium coals until cooked and slightly charred or broil until golden brown.

Recipe : Argentine spice paste for chicken wings (Adapted from Gourmet magazine June 2009)

4 cloves garlic

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tbsp smoked paprika

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

1/8 tsp allspice

1/2 tbsp sea salt

Juice of one lemon

6 - 8 chicken wings

Blitz all the marinade ingredients together in a small blender or processor and rub all over the chicken. 

Cover and leave to marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Grill the wings over medium coals. It may be best to wipe off some marinade before cooking as it can stick and burn quite easily. If you have a propane grill, keep the heat low.

 

Recipe : 'Bacon and cheese burgers'

To make 4 medium size burgers

1 lb sirloin beef, cut into cubes with some fat

4 rashers of bacon, (preferably back or Canadian), cut into chunks

1 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp steak seasoning

A few drops of Worcestershire sauce or Bovril, if you can get it

1/2 cup grated cheese

Grind the beef and bacon together in a processor and place in a bowl.

Add all the other ingredients and mix together well with your hands until fully combined.

Shape into burgers, cover and refrigerate until needed.

Cook over hot coals until done to your liking. (These can be served pink as long as you trust the meat you have used and ground it yourself).

Recipe : Shrimp with Yuzu Kosho and Youki Shisen Toban Jan

If the above recipe name seems like a foreign language, don't worry, it is. 

I first heard about Yuzu Kosho in Food and Wine magazine. It was described as a spicy, salty and super citrusy paste. It is. When you taste it, it is puckeringly sour and salty and very, very hot. What was I supposed to do with this? I had bought another version called Tobanyjan, red instead of green but similar, which seems equally unpalatable. The ingredients listed are: Red chili pepper, broad beans, salt and sake. I decided to mix them together with a little sugar to try and temper the fiery overtones and spread them on some butterflied prawns.

When cooked until pink and opaque, the taste was surprisingly fruity and citrusy, the salt having mellowed slightly from being cooked, but the exceedingly hot flavour was still present. Only myself, Neil, Marcus and Frank tried one, the two other girls politely refusing after watching our grimaces and tearful eyes. Use with caution.

Recipe : Greek salad in a bag

4 baby tomatoes, halved

1/2 red onion, peeled and cut into chunks

2 different coloured bell peppers, seeded and cut into chunks

A handful mixed olives

 2 tbsp olive oil

Juice of half a lemon

1 tsp salt

Throw the tomatoes, onion, pepper and olives into a bag and shake to mix. Pour in the oil, juice and sprinkle in the salt, seal the bag and squidge together with your hands to dress.

You can also add some cucumber, cut into chunks, to make a more traditional Greek salad.

Recipe : Barbecued pork loin

1 whole pork loin, fat and sinew trimmed off

4 tbsp tomato ketchup

1 tsp hot sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce

A few dashes Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp Tomatillo salsa

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Mix all the sauce ingredients together well. 

Make some shallow slashes in the pork loin, about 1 inch apart and place into a ziploc bag.

Pour the sauce into the bag and use your hands to roll the pork around in the sauce. Squeeze out as much air as possible and seal the bag. Leave to marinade in the fridge for a good few hours.

Cook the pork over the heat of the grill until crispy and brown outside.