The Best BBQ Recipes to Impress Your Date

Fancy a relaxed outdoor date in the sunshine? A BBQ is the perfect way to enjoy a great lunch together and there are lots of country parks with BBQ areas, so that you can cook your food without risking damage to the environment.

Below are some wonderful BBQ dishes, courtesy of Muddy Boots burgers and my Cypriot friend who is known as the ‘BBQ queen’.

The easy burger

If you’re a fan of keeping things simple, or really don’t fancy cooking, the key is to use really good ingredients. Make sure that you use fresh, locally sourced burgers with high beef content, to avoid the shrivelled burger look that you get from cheap frozen products.

Next, select some good quality bread rolls, a selection of cheese and relishes and you’re good to go.

Beef, roasted red pepper & lime burger with crème fraîche & lamb’s lettuce

If you’re a fan of Muddy Boots burgers (no relation to Muddy Matches), you’ll love this tangy beef burger recipe from co-owner Miranda Ballard’s new book burgers & sliders.

Ingredients

1⁄2 red pepper, deseeded and chopped.
2 tablespoons olive oil.
200 g lean minced beef.
2 teaspoons paprika.
Freshly grated zest of 1⁄2 a lime.
3 tablespoons fresh breadcrumbs.
1 tablespoon beaten egg.
1 garlic clove, finely chopped.
A pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

To serve

2 seeded wholemeal bread rolls (optional).
A handful of lamb’s lettuce leaves, chopped.
Crème fraîche.
Lime wedges, for squeezing.

Preparation

• Drizzle the pepper pieces with the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put them on a baking sheet and cook under the grill for 8–10 minutes, shaking regularly to brown evenly.
• Remove from the grill and set aside to cool.
• Put the beef in a bowl with the paprika, lime zest, breadcrumbs, egg, garlic and salt and pepper. Add the roasted pepper pieces and work together with your hands until evenly mixed.
• Divide the beef mixture in half and shape into two burger patties. Press each burger down to make them nice and flat.

Cooking and serving

Put the burgers on a baking sheet and grill for 5 minutes on each side until cooked through.

Slice the bread rolls in half and put a few lamb’s lettuce leaves on the bottom half of each bread roll. Add the cooked burgers and top with a large spoonful of crème fraîche. Finish the burgers with the lids of the bread rolls, and serve with lime wedges, for squeezing.

Cypriot souvlaki and tzatziki

Souvlaki is marinated strips of meat cooked on a skewer and served in a pitta. It’s surprisingly easy to make and not at all reminiscent of greasy kebabs. This recipe has been tried and tested, but you can also add fresh mint and red wine vinegar if you’d like to adapt the recipe.

Ingredients for the souvlaki

450 grams of pork or lamb (cut into small pieces).
4 tablespoons of olive oil.
1 whole lemon.
1 tablespoon of oregano (fresh or dried).
2 garlic gloves (crushed or chopped into very small pieces).
A large pinch of salt.
A packet of pitta bread.

Ingredients for the tzatziki

1 small pot of Greek yoghurt (with the excess liquid drained off the top).
1 large cucumber.
1 clove of garlic (crushed).
1 teaspoon of lemon juice.
1 teaspoon of fresh herbs of your choice e.g. dill, parsley, mint or oregano.
A pinch of salt.

Preparation

Kebab

• Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into a sealed plastic container.
• Add the meat, oil, oregano, salt and garlic to the container and shake until it is thoroughly mixed.
• Leave to marinate in the fridge (preferably overnight).

Tzatziki

• Grate the cucumber into a sieve (using the large holes of your grater).
• Sprinkle a pinch of salt on and leave to drain of excess water.
• Mix all of the ingredients together in a tub and place in the fridge.

Cooking

• Thread the meat onto kebab skewers and cook on the BBQ until lightly charred and completely cooked through.
• Cut open a pitta bread and remove the meat from the skewer by squeezing the meat between the pitta and pulling the skewer away.
• Serve with the tzatziki.

Halloumi pittas and kebabs

This doesn’t need a recipe, but you’ll be amazed at how nice pittas filled with slices of halloumi cheese and grilled on the BBQ can be. Halloumi is also tasty on kebabs with vegetables such as peppers, courgette, mushrooms and onions if you would like a vegetarian option.

Remember to cook everything through thoroughly before eating it and to take some wipes for your hands, especially if you’re cooking the kebabs. We’d love to hear your suggestions for great BBQ recipes, so let us know on the Facebook page.