cooking with (miniature) fire

in preparation for our roadtrip in wanda, I bought a tiny weber BBQ. I love it. What was going to be for the occasional weekend is now the regular workhorse for evening meals.

The advantages of the baby weber are it is very quick to cook, and hardly uses any fuel. I started using the "emergency" gas supply bottle we have in wanda - it has to be empty when we board the ferry. That lasted well over a month, cooking most evenings!

Here is how I use it - each step is essential:

1. Use marinated or high fat content food
   • marinate idea – fatty chump chops with lemon juice, good olive oil, preserved lemon, parsley and thyme, all finely chopped
2. Light the weber and give it ten minutes to warm up. Do not be tempted to go early.
3. Cook for three minutes on each side, lid closed, turning once. Timing is critical, so time it.
   • timing is experimental on any barbie, and to personal taste. Three minutes is medium rare for me. Don’t overdo it if you are cooking meat – more time means tough meat.
   • three minutes is based on food for two – more food generally means more time.
   • food should be at room temperature – take the food from the fridge and marinade at room temperature
4. Let it rest for at least five minutes in a warm place. Because I am practicing for when we are travelling, I have found an old and thick Pyrex dish which I use to put the meat in (start cold) and place in the turned off barbie when it is finished cooking. Perfect results

Last night I cooked pork sausages from our local italian shop with a summer salad of fresh peas, broad beans and beetroot in quinoa with goat fetta. Here are some tips about the salad:

1. Always use fresh local ingredients – I am lucky because the wonderful Di has a fabulous garden, but everyone will have a good fruit and veg shop nearby, or better still a farmer’s market. Find and use them - much better than a supermarket.
2. Always use the best and freshest local olive oil you can find/afford – olive oil is at its best within twelve months of crushing, and never after two years. Good olive oil is an investment in your health.
3. Make or buy preserved lemons – fantastic condiment
4. Quinoa is a great salad extender, but don’t overcook it. I also find that it is best finished with a drizzle of olive oil and squeeze of lemon before mixing with other ingredients