0 BBQs and Brownies

I think the BBQ must bring up nostalgic memories for most people. It does for me anyway. I have early memories for my dad turning Filet Mignons down at the Golden Sheaf in Double Bay when I was a kid. Family gatherings in the backyard by the pool were never without a sacrificial lunch of anything beef, lamb or chicken. And salads, always salads.

As we got older, we inherited the BBQ utensils and started to entertain friends in summer: Australia Day, weekend feast, mid-week dinner… you name it.

These days we do it with our kids. It’s an excuse to gather and celebrate anything, allowing us girls to pass an endless number of emails organizing who will bring what salad and dessert, while letting the boys agree if to bring meat and alcohol to suffice for 300 or 400 people (and yes, we eat it all).
While the girls catch up on all things gossip, the kids run around the grass and the men hoard over the BBQ, increasing the concentration of testosterone in the air while lighting up the coal and cooking up our meat to perfection!
Recently we celebrated my brother-in-law’s birthday. Although it was only 2 weeks since my last BBQ (love summer!) I was happy to contribute my favorite things.
Besides the meat and salads, I think people need to think carefully about the sweets they bring to BBQs, especially if they are held at the beach or the park. It’s very nice to take the time to make a cake or cut up some fruit salad, but unfortunately by the time people have digested the meat and regain the feeling in their legs from the beer and wine, with some help from the heat, the cake looks like it has taken a dive from the 11th floor of a building. To be practical in these situations I try to bring bite-size desserts that don’t need refrigeration. So this time I baked brownies and delicious they did turn out!
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Brownies

Source: My own, based on a million recipes I have seen.

This batch makes about 40 small brownies in a Lamington pan.
300g dark coverture chocolate (preferably 70% cacao solids), coarsely chopped
250g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 tsp ground coffee powder
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/4 cups plain flour
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
5 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup milk chocolate chips
¾ cup roughly chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 180C.
Over a Bain Marie, melt together chocolate, butter, coffee and sugars. Remove just before lumps disappear and mix with a hand whisk until combined. This method speeds up the cooling process. Add the vanilla essence to the mixture

Sift together dry ingredients to remove any lumps. Fold dry mixture into the wet mixture.
Add one egg at a time and mix well.

Finally fold in chocolate chips and nuts.

Pour into a paper lined tin and bake in the centre of the oven for about 30 minutes. Rotate half way through the baking if necessary.

Cool completely, and then cut into squares. Dust with powdered sugar if desired.
To pack in a box, line the bottom of a plastic container with baking paper, place brownies with about 2mm space in between. For multiple layers, separate layers with baking paper.


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Now that dessert is out of the way, I want to write about the main course… Including a bunch of meat loving Argentinians in the crowd ensured some good steaks and sausages and sausages were had. I contributed my regular donation to all BBQs- Cinnamon Scented Lamb Kebabs, a couple of salads and tehina (a.k.a tahini, sesame paste, white sauce, etc etc). I am a lover of tehina. To me a good lunch can consist of a finally chopped salad mixed with quinoa and topped with a dollop of green tehina…mmm. I think the secret is to use a good authentic whole-sesame paste and the rest is a matter of adding a little more of this and that. So, to make the BBQ more colourful, I made my Tehina Trois Couleur (sounds much fancier in French).

Before I part with my kebab recipe, I need to state that the secret in a good kebab lies in 2 things: good fatty meat (sorry girls, but otherwise it sticks to the BBQ), and a good spice blend.
Baharat spice blend has been one of my life-altering discoveries in Israel. It is a blend of spices I believe originated in Iraq (although everyone has a different version to the story). I fell in love with its aroma at the Lewinsky market in South Tel Aviv. It has a rich spicy and cinnamony fragrance, and has accompanied many of my dishes over the past few years. You can make the blend at home and store it in a spice cupboard to use in your meat (especially lamb) dishes.

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Cinnamon Scented Lamb Kebabs

Source: My own, based on my chats with the guy who works in Hinawi in Jaffa and many more.

**This recipe is enough for 40 kebabs so I suggest you stock yourselves with 40 medium thickness sticks of cinnamon soaked in water for 30 minutes.

1kg fatty lamb meat

1 large onion

3 cloves garlic

1 ½ cups parsley

1 ½ cups coriander

2 Tbsp Baharat (see recipe below)

1 cup toasted pine nuts

To make Baharat: Mix 5 tsp allspice with 1 tsp each of cardamom, ground cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg (it is optional to add ½ tsp of ground dried rose petals).

To make the kebabs, mince all ingredients together. If you do not have access to a mincer, use a food processor to blend all ingredients but meat and pine nuts. When blended, mix with meat. 

Wrap portions of meat around each cinnamon stick, leaving 1cm of cinnamon stick poking out. 

Soaking in water will stop the sticks from burning on the BBQ.


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Tehina Trois Couleur 

Source: My own, based on a million recipes I have seen.

To make basic tehina, in a small food processor (or Magic Bullet), mix:

250g sesame paste

½ cup lemon juice
3 garlic cloves
¼ cup water (or more, depends on the thickness of the paste)
½ tsp salt

To make green tehina, add 1 cup of tightly packed green herbs – I use chives, parsley and coriander.
To make red tehina, add 2 peeled roasted peppers and 1 ½ tsp paprika.
To make purple tehina, add 1 medium peeled, oven roasted beetroot.
Blend ingredients well until no lumps are seen. Making tehina is a learnt and practiced science, so don’t be scared to add more or less of anything in the listed ingredients. 

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Cabbage and Toasted Seed Salad 

Source: Nades, thanks for the dressing, it has fans all over the world! 

For toasted seeds:300g sunflower seeds

300g pumpkin seeds
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp olive oil

Mix together, place in a 200C oven (on a paper lined rack) and toast for about 15 minutes. Make sure to turn and mix the seeds every few minutes or they will burn. Chill completely and add (if desired) roughly chopped nuts, toasted slivered almonds or pine nuts.

After mixing and chilling, place in a container and store for use in salads or as a snack.
Dressing:
¼ cup sugar

¼ cup white vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup sunflower oil

Place all ingredients in a jar and shake well until sugar dissolves. You can store the leftover dressing in the fridge as the vinegar will preserve it for a long time.

To assemble salad, finally chop cabbage and spring onions. Just before serving, drizzle with dressing and mix with nut mixture.

Optional: you can also add some good quality fried Chinese noodles just before serving.


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