The Kiwi BBQ

The quintessential Kiwi barbeque. Summer is finally here and we are reliving the joys of eating al fresco with hospobaby. Hospobaby had her first BBQ experience in 2011 when she was 8 months old. It is tradition in our house to have a BBQ on Christmas day and have all our friends who have nowhere to go drop in. Christmas 2012 will be an exception as we travel to Singapore and Bali on holiday.

However this hasn’t stopped us from whetting, Hospobaby’s appetite for BBQ. We have had three BBQ’s already.  Needless to say the sausages are a favorite. Zoya loved the Harmony Pork and fennel sausages we bought for a BBQ at home. The Risoni pasta salad with avocado and cucumber brought by one of the mums from our coffee group was a hit with all the kids. Zoya loves fresh summer sweetcorn chucked on the barbie and rubbed with tangy lemon and chilli butter. Asparagus is another winner. Strawberries dipped in chocolate, disappear within minutes.

At the last BBQ we were invited to, there was a distinctly French flair to the offerings. Our hosts were our Aussie restaurant manager Ismo Koski and his girlfriend Leslie, who comes from France and is a chef. We had dainty potatoes cooked in duck fat and duck pieces skewered with chunks of duck foie gras. We were surprised when hospobaby went back for seconds. Not to be outdone by the French, Ismo and Leslie’s flatmate Chef Kaz made a unique beef and sushi rice salad. Dessert was some delicious French cheese from Maison Vauron (Newmarket) and lots of grapes that Zoya kept shoveling into her mouth, till the juice dripped all over her clothes.

I find that BBQ’s are one of the easiest meals to cater for with kids. They are mostly healthy, someone else (usually the blokes) do all the cooking and clean up usually involves a bib and wipes for the little ones. New Zealand has become so multi-cultural that our BBQ ‘s reflect it too.

Hospobaby’s favourite corn with chilli/lime butter.

Sweet corn on the cob

1 stick of unsalted butter at room temperature

2 red chillies (deeseed them for the kids)

juice of ½ a lemon

pinch of salt

Stick all of the above into a food processor and whizz. Spread over grilled corn and let the kids enjoy.