It's BBQ time......

The moment the sun appears and the temperature rises above 10C, we crack open the beers, pour a glass of rose and light the bbq – at this time in lockdown the smell of the BBQ brings back wonderful memories of our carefree summers with friends and family – I have all my fingers and toes crossed that we will be able to do that again this summer. In the meantime it's bbq for the 5 of us. My teens love bbqs and it's a time when they come off the screens and really get involved in cooking - everyone has a role - Sam made his caramelised onions, Ben tried out a new recipe grilling cauliflower steaks, Danny was in charge of all the condiments and Zach did a rocket and tomato salad. Spotify is put on and my only request is that they don't play rap!  

On the menu beefburgers served with rosemary parmentier potatoes, griddled courgette , bbq cauliflower and a rocket and tomato salad – it is summer through and through.

The perfect burger

750g good quality beef mince (80% lean and 20% fat)

1 tablespoon good Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Hamburger buns

Toppings of your choice

1. Heat bbq
2. Place mince in a large bowl and add the mustard, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
3. Mix gently with a fork to combine, shape into 5 burgers being careful not to pack the mince which will result in dry burgers.
4. cook the beefburgers for 3 to 5 minutes on each side until done to taste. Remove to a plate and cover with foil.
5. Allow the beefburgers to rest for 5 minutes, while the burgers are resting place the burger buns on the bbq cut-side down; cook just until lightly toasted and golden brown in places, about 1 minute.
6. Dress the cut side of each bottom bun with ketchup and mayonnaise Top with garnish of your choice we had lettuce, gerkins, caramelised onions, tomatoes and grilled cheese. But here you can go wild! 

Notes:
Try and buy the best mince you can get with a  ratio of 80% lean to 20% fat – not exactly diet food but so worth it. If you are going to eat a burger it might as well taste good. 
There are some that like adding lots of ingredients to burgers I find that is more like meatloaf and so tend to keep it plain and simple, the addition of Dijon mustard gives it a bit of depth. 

BBQ cauliflower steaks with a lemon and honey marinade

2 large cauliflowers

1 lemon

A few glugs of extra olive oil

1 tsp honey

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Make sure the coals are glowing white when you’re ready to put the cauliflower steaks on the grill.
2. Pull the leaves off the cauliflowers and slice the bottoms so they stand up flat. Slice each cauliflower into 4-6 thick steaks, around 1½ -2cm thick each. Save the smaller florets at the edge of each cauliflower for salads or dipping in sauces.
3. Zest and juice the lemon. Whisk the lemon zest and juice with a glug of olive oil, the honey and some salt and pepper. Put the sauce to one side. Add the cauliflower steaks. Turn them over a few times to coat them in the oil. 
4. When your coals are glowing white, lay the cauliflower steaks on the grill. Cook for around 10 mins or till the cauliflower steaks are charred underneath – you want the steaks cook as well as char. Brush them with more of the oil and flip them. Cook for another 5-10 mins or so till they are charred on both sides and cooked through but still nice and firm.