BBQ’d Spiced Asparagus

This recipe comes from the Asparagus Growers in Victoria, and it is quite a Summer hit. It is the recipe attached to the bunches of Asparagus we buy in the shop. With the BBQ (Grill) heated to roast some eggplant, it seemed perfect to throw the Asparagus on too. The asparagus spears are coated in a yummy dressing with cumin and coriander powder before being quickly grilled on the BBQ hotplate. Straight to the table from there, it is a quick and easy recipe.

AND we put the leftover oil-lemon juice-spice mixture to good use  in the Grilled Eggplant with Tahina (the reason the eggplants were being roasted). A perfectly timed coincidence.

Are you after other Asparagus Recipes? Try Asparagus Risotto, Asparagus Pesto, and Asparagus Soup.

Are you looking for BBQ’d Recipes? Try Stuffed Mushrooms, Spicy Potatoes, and Marinated Eggplant.

Feel free to browse all of our Asparagus recipes and all of our BBQ recipes. Or take some time to explore our Late Summer dishes.

Stuffed Mushrooms on the BBQ

On a sunny and beautiful day in Autumn or Spring it is tempting to fire up the BBQ on the balcony, and get the field mushrooms out of the fridge.

Mushrooms cook well on Aussie BBQs (I guess these are called grills in the US). Drizzled with oil, cooked over a medium heat until softening, topped with some fresh and beautiful ingredients, and served when bubbling and sizzling. Truly a taste worthy of an outdoor meal.

Feel free to browse our Mushroom recipes here and here. Or you might like to browse BBQ recipes here and here. Check out our easy Autumn recipes here and here.

Marinated Eggplant on the BBQ with Tomatoes and Asparagus

It is really nice to come home from work, turn the heater on, and light the BBQ. With a bit of forethought, I had remembered to marinate some eggplant in the morning and left it to sit for the day in the fridge. Eggplant has a wonderful ability to absorb flavours, and the smokiness that cooking it on a hot plate on the BBQ makes a surprisingly divine dish.

While the BBQ is hot, cook some side dishes too – tomatoes, onions, fennel, asparagus, capsicum – there are so many vegetables that are also BBQ-friendly. And the aromas that surround you while they are cooking! Aaah, life is good.

Are you looking for other Eggplant dishes? Try Eggplants in a Creamy Peanut Gravy, Baked Eggplant Stuffed with Cheese and Tomatoes, and Aubergines in Coconut Milk.

Or are you trying to find BBQ recipes? Try BBQ’d Spiced Asparagus, Stuffed Mushrooms on the BBQ, and Pizza on the BBQ.

Feel free to browse all of our Eggplant recipes. Or you might like to browse all of our BBQ recipes. Or explore our Early Autumn recipe collection.

Oven Baked Tomatoes

Tomatoes are very special fruits, very versatile ingredients that match well both with so many cooking methods and with a variety of other ingredients. Can you imagine a world without the humble tomato?

This recipe is very simple, paring it back to the basics. Yet the result, as so often is the case, is outstanding. Bake a double batch and use the left over tomatoes in salads, sauces and soups, using them whole, chopped or pureeing them for their intended use.

The tomatoes can be cooked in the oven or in or on a BBQ. It is a perfect vehicle for home grown organic tomatoes. In autumn, serve with grilled polenta and a salad.

Feel free to browse our Tomato recipes here and here. Our favourite is Tomato Kurma. Or you might like to browse BBQ recipes here and here. Check out our easy Autumn recipes here and here.

Tandoori Aloo | Spicy Marinated Potatoes Roasted, Fried or BBQ’d

Who doesn’t like tandoor-style dishes? Although we can’t normally have a tandoor oven at home, cooking tandoor dishes in the oven or on the stove top, even on the BBQ, is very possible. These Tandoor Potatoes are amazing – don’t expect them to last very long in your kitchen. A perfect snack, or a side dish for your meal.

Are you are looking for Potato recipes? Try Aloo Gobi, Potato Subzi, and Aloo Palak Subzi.

You might like to browse our other Potato recipes, and our Snack recipes. You will find all of our Indian recipes here. And explore our Early Autumn dishes.

Eggplants, Garlic, Lemon and Rosemary | Marinated Eggplants for the BBQ or Indoor Grill

As we launch into Autumn, every sunny day is precious. While the sun shines, marinate some eggplant and toss it on the grill for a smoky lunch with some BBQ’d onions, hot lentils and a salad.

You might also like to try other BBQ dishes, including Fennel on the BBQ, Baked Pears on the BBQ and Bananas on the BBQ. Browse our Eggplant recipes here and here.

Baked Garlicky Eggplant with Feta

I am finding Nigel Slater’s Kitchen Diaries I and II very inspiring for evening supper-type meals. Quick to cook, open to adjustment, not too many steps or ingredients, his (vegetarian) food is my food at the moment. I am often home late-ish, so something quick and healthy is perfect for me.

In the past I had drooled over his baked aubergines with sheep’s cheese and mint in The Kitchen Diaries I for August 2 (look it up if you have the book) and made these recently. Inspired by this dish, I made it my way. This is how I made them.

Are you looking for other Eggplant dishes? Try Cheese and Eggplant Torte, Baked Eggplant Stuffed with Cheese and Tomatoes, and Roasted Eggplants with a Garlic Sauce, Pinenuts and Basil.

Our favourites are Brinjal Fry (Indian Deep Fried Eggplant) and a Persian Saffron and Rosewater Scented Eggplant.

You might like to browse all of our  delicious eggplant recipes . Or find inspiration in our Late Autumn recipes.

Smashed Chickpeas with Broccoli and Dukkah

The cookbook that is featuring at the moment is Community, Salad Recipes from Arthur’s Kitchen. Great food is on every page. The salads do take a bit of pre-planning and time to prepare, but are worth it, and I always make enough to last for lunches and quick dinners.

This salad can be made a lot more simply than appears on the pages of the book IF, like me, you always have some bibs and bobs around that you have precooked, perhaps in the freezer, definitely in the fridge.

Are you looking for broccoli recipes? Try cooking it on the BBQ. There are other Broccoli recipes here and here. And other Chickpea recipes here and here.  Explore our Salads here and here. You will love our Autumn recipes here and here.

How to Char Grilled / Roast Sweetcorn

The secret to pulling a meal together really quickly is to have prepared lots of bibs and bobs beforehand, so that there is always inspiration in the fridge. Toppings for soups, ingredients for salads, pastes and sauces, for stirfries, things to be mixed into batters and doughs, chopped herbs, frozen and dehydrated bits, stocks, juices, jams, pickles and chutneys, …… Endless, endless varieties.

Here is another quicky. Char Grill some sweetcorn while you are cleaning up from the evening’s meal. It will be cooked before you finish. Use the kernels in salads and soups.

Are you looking for Sweetcorn dishes? Try Roasted Sweetcorn Salad with Avocado, Most Heavenly Corn Soup, Grilled Corn on the BBQ, and Roasted Tomato and Sweetcorn Soup.

Browse all of our Sweetcorn recipes. You will love our Late Autumn recipes.

Asparagus in Pastry with Cream and Fresh Pecorino

Another warm day, and cooking on the BBQ seems like a good idea. It is quite easy to cook these asparagus pastries in a covered BBQ. But it does need good quality asparagus – stringy stalks spoil the experience. You can, of course, cook these in the oven as well, at about 200C.

Are you looking for asparagus recipes? Look no further. Or perhaps some BBQ recipes? Browse our Nigel Slater recipes here. Or explore our Summer recipes here and here.

Baked Apricots with Honey and Orange

I remember that back yard apricot tree with fruit full of sweetness and flavour. I remember picking the fruit, and eating them still hot from the sun with juice running down my chin. I remember picking them, twisting the fruit in half and throwing them onto a hot BBQ to cook just enough to melt some icecream over and eat on a stinking hot, 40 degree C day.

Times have changed. Rather than full and ripe, the interior is like cotton wool. These dry’ish, cardboard-y apricots that we get locally are not really worth the investment.  The only saving grace is that one or two shops sell the good ones – but you have to hunt those shops out yourself, because those in the know are not telling!

You can browse our Apricot recipes here. Explore Dessert recipes here and here. Be inspired by our Summer dishes here and here.

Ma Ki Dal | Slow Braised Lentils

Urad dal is a lentil that suits long slow cooking and a smoky flavour. With a little work, a covered BBQ will cope with cooking a dish like Slow Braised Lentils slowly for several hours.

This recipe will work in an oven too, no worries. But the joys of cooking outside are enormous so on sunny days, take your lentils outside.

You might also like to try the other Mah ki Dal recipes and some  Dal Makhani recipes. You might also like to try other Vegetarian BBQ Recipes. You can browse them here. Find inspiration in our Spring recipes here and here.

Warm Tomato Salad

A perfect Spring day here, hot and clear, and smells delicious, as all Spring days should. We cranked up the BBQ and cooked up a feast. You can make this Hot Tomato Salad in the oven or in the BBQ, your choice.

You might also like to try other BBQ dishes, including Fennel on the BBQ, Baked Pears on the BBQ,  Garlicky Eggplant with Feta,  Asparagus in Pastry and Bananas on the BBQ.  You can browse them  all here. Find inspiration in our Spring recipes here and here.

Pizza on the BBQ

Sometimes, only a pizza will do. Sometimes the comfort of carbs and the take-away feel are the things that are required. When such attacks come, make a pizza. For ease, make it in a covered BBQ, such as a Weber Q.

You might also like to try other Vegetarian BBQ Recipes. You can browse them here. They include Hot Tomato Salad, Garlicky Eggplant with Feta, and Asparagus in Pastry. Do browse the complete BBQ Series of recipes, there are so many more recipes including Baked Garlicky Eggplant, Baked Apricots, and Hot Tomato Salad. Find inspiration in our Spring recipes here and here.

Grilled Vegetables on the BBQ | Quick Meals

The easiest thing to do with a BBQ, the thing that does not take any thinking or preparing, is simple grilled vegetables with, say, haloumi.

It’s for those nights when it is far too much to stir, cut, saute, blend, whiz, spice up, make tadkas. When the weather is nice it is perfect for a BBQ.

You might like to browse our other BBQ recipes here. Our favourites are Roasted Carrots with Pomegranate Molasses and Roasted Grapes. If you haven’t see it already, take a look at Part 1 of this BBQ series to see Grilled Fennel with Lemon and Parmesan and Grilled Broccoli with Preserved Lemon and Part 2 of this BBQ Series to see Melty Cheese and Baked Bananas. Do browse the complete BBQ Series of recipes, there are so many more recipes including Baked Garlicky Eggplant, Baked Apricots, and Hot Tomato Salad. Find inspiration in our Winter recipes here and here.