A Birthday BBQ

The BBQ weekend in August.

My daughter was arriving with her partner on Friday it was to be her 35th birthday party, we had decided to do a BBQ and a curry, in which order I had not decided, I thought I would leave that up to the weather gods. They arrived at just after 13:00, so as I had prepared everything in the morning  and the sun was shining it was thought that evening would be the opportune time.

Up early I had been down to get some wild boar collar from my freezer.

Next it was off to my local Turkish butchers and bought, a small leg of lamb (this was for the curry the next day) which the butcher trimmed and diced for me, giving me the bone (cut) for the stock. I got 1.5kg of 50% beef and 50% lamb mince, 8 large lamb chops, various breads and poppadum’s. Coriander, parsley and various Yoghurts and cheeses.

I next popped into Lidl to get some pork schnitzel meat.

I had bought large frozen prawns from the fishmonger (Gosh) in our local Citti Markt on Thursday these had been slowly defrosting in the fridge.

All of the rest of the herbs and spices I had or would come out of the garden.

The scene thus set, I set about making the koftes.

Turkish Koftes

1 kg of mixed mince

I often make Kofte so I make my spices in quite large quantities and always have it in a large jar.This consists of in volume.

1 sweet paprika powder

¼ chilli flakes

1 dried oregano

½ ground coriander

½ dried mint

½ thyme

¼ dried garlic powder

I mix these all together and store in an air tight container and I always have it too hand when I need (BBQs can come on quite unexpectedly).

I added 2 table spoons of this mixture to the mince, mixing well and adding salt and pepper to taste (yes I always taste my raw mixture). If making for the first time it is also worthwhile frying a small ball of the mixture and then tasting to see if you have the seasoning right, but after a few times you know when You have it to your taste and hopefully everyone else’s

To this I added a chopped shallot, a crushed garlic clove, a handful of chopped parsley (including the stalks), a teaspoon of tomato paste and finely a juice of half a lemon, taste and adjust with any seasoning you wish, if you want them a little more spicy add a tsp of chilli flakes.

Last but not least I added 2 desert spoons of Ajvar, this is a readymade (you can make your own)paprika, aubergine paste, it comes in mild, hot and very hot strengths, if you are feeding young children beware, the very hot does what it says.

Mix all well, cover and let it stand in a cool place (fridge) to allow the flavours to develop.

While this is happening, you can get on with the rest of the feast.

Wild boar burgers

500 g of the 50%/50% mince mixture, to this add 250g of minced wild boar collar (mince it through a 3mm plate on your mincer or mince in a kitchen machine), mix together with a desert spoon of game spices (see my recipe),  soften an onion, but only just to take the rawness off it, mix this in with a crushed clove (or two) of garlic and a slug of red wine (port is better) and some fresh chopped herbs (parsley, thyme rosemary, summer savoury) . Mix well, cover and allow to stand.

Next the pork skewers.

Cut the schnitzel into thin long strips, thread these onto thin metal skewers (thin ones make it easier to thread), turn in neutral oil, dust with Souvlaki powder, I bought mine already made, as Lidl had a Greek week on the go and a squeeze of lemon juice.

The Piri-Piri Prawns.

Now this is not what I would call a true Piri-piri as I added yoghurt instead of oil as a true Portuguese Piri-piri marinade, but I think that yoghurt mellows the sauce and it doesn’t burn the palate quite so much.

Make the sauce as per the one I used for the Piri-piri chicken, but add about a 250g pot of full cream Yoghurt to finish along with a good squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste..

Add the drained, dried peeled prawns to the mixture, cover and allow to marinade in the refrigerator.

Lamb Kebabs

500g lamb steak

4 red onions cut into ¼

Some sweet tomatoes (I used the long plum type) cut into ¼

I used 2 large boneless leg chops for this, marinated overnight in mint, rosemary, thyme, oil lemon juice, the chops should have the fat left on the outside (I love crispy lamb skin). Cut these into good sized chunks and thread onto skewers, starting with a piece of meat, then a piece of tomato, then a piece of onion,  continuing until the skewer is full (again a flat skewer is best)ending with a piece of meat this holds everything in place.

Dry Rub Paprika Pork Belly

Soak wooden skewers in water for a good half hour before starting, dust your pork belly all over with a mixture of paprika, curry powder, coriander, mustard powder,salt and pepper, do not use any oil as the pork belly is fat enough. Push one end of the strip of belly down the skewer then turn the meat around  overlapping as it goes up the skewer, forcing the last end over the skewer point (it will stretch and because of the skin will not break).

You can of course buy these from every tom, dick or harry now, but I much prefer to make my own, you can pick the leaner pieces of pork belly and the spicing is of YOUR own making.

Easy peasy bean salad.

1 tin of butter beans

1 tin of pinto beans

1 tin of red beans

1 tin of chick peas

200g of fresh green beans (flat ones)

1 large onion

1 clove of garlic

2 tbs. of white wine vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste.

Dice the onion not too fine and soften in a little oil, add the garlic, but do not allow to brown, add the white wine vinegar and allow to cool.

Top and tail the green beans and chop into 2cm pieces cook in salted water until just cooked (still a bit of a bight).

Open the tins and wash under running water to get rid of the slime, put all in a large bowl along with the green beans, pour over the onion/garlic sauce, adjust seasoning, that’s it!

Just before lighting the BBQ, form your kofte around the flat skewers, flat because I find that if done on round ones, they tend to spin and you can never get them all browning at the same time.

Cover and set aside while you make your burgers. 

I use a form ring, it makes them all the same diameter and thickness. Pack them well down that way they do not break apart.

Thread your prawns on the skewers (don’t do as I did rub your eye with your finger, ouch).

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We also grilled green long sweet peppers

The main accompaniment was Papas Arrugadas (small salty wrinkly potatoes) absolutely perfect for a BBQ, here is how I make them from a previous blog, this also gives the recipe for the Piri-Piri marinade.Papas Arrugadas and Piri-Piri marinade

Now you’re ready to rumble, I have a variety of BBQs but for tonight I used my beast (a barrel type) as it is easy to control the temperature and has a large capacity. I also used my swinging tripod one.

First fired up the beast ,  Beech briquettes into the lighting funnel, place over a couple of fire lighters on the lower ash grid, 5 minutes and they are perfect. 

Pour into the centre of the BBQ, lid down and in a few minutes you have 200°C, you can adjust the temperature by opening and closing the vent on the smoker side box and adjusting the damper on the flue. I have now got the adjustment off to a T and can control the temperature very closely.

The side air vent (we had a few spots of rain, but it didn't damped the evening)

The flue damper and thermometer

I do not BBQ directly over the coals but to the right and left I also BBQ more delicate food stuffs (veg and fish) on the top rack and this I also use to keep food warm.

When the Beast was all aglow, I lit the swinging grill and this was used to do the pork skewers, here the degree of brownness is carried out by adjusting the free

swinging grill by means of a chain, that can be raised or lowered accordingly. The other good think about the flat skewers, is that because of their length, the handles are outside of the BBQ when the lid is down and do not get hot.

So all that was required now was to set the table (the girls done this), get the red wine opened and the cool beer (for Martin) out of the fridge. We ate and drank well into the early hours, discussing this and that, putting most of the world to rights.

Notice the flames, you just cannot trust the youngster to do anything right

The pork skewers

Plating up

Daughter distracting dad

Dad doing it right

A hot Sunday afternoon and a very hot Piri-Piri chicken

It is BBQ weather, we have been BBQing since the middle of last week, well I have been BBqing for many, many years  but I am talking about this summer.  We have 3 BBQs (I did have another but I sent it to join the great open air cooking ground in the sky (it was past its sell by date).

We have the grill type from Dancook, a tripod with a swinging grill and our latest addition is the barrel BBQ cum smoker, that we have been using for over a month now (I have smoked and BBQ’d in it on various occasions, but this was the to be true test of its metal. I was going to do a whole chicken, not any old chicken, but Piri-Piri chicken cooked in the beer can method.

We had our friends Marianne and Martin coming for lunch so I wasn't under any real pressure for it to succeed “gulp”, so without further ado let’s start the show. Marianne had been to Jazz Balticum and Martin had come to pick her up after a long weekend doing correction work  and as it was on their way home had decided to pop in.

I will start off with my take on Portuguese  Piri-Piri chicken (Frango Piri Piri),  For those of you who have a lidded BBQ you can do it whole using the beer can method, you can now buy (for a lot of money) readymade ones from the likes of Webber and Dancook, these are stainless steel. I much prefer the original method using a beer can and a stainless steel (or cast steel) plate, plastic is NOT recommended.

First, make your Piri-Piri marinade, you can make this as hot or as mild as you wish (you can also buy it ready made in a bottle, but half the fun is making your own), but I like mine hot, so plenty on chilli in it.

Piri-Piri Marinade

3 birds eye chillies (more or less according to taste) chopped

1 large red pepper diced

2 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped

2 shallots (or a medium onion) diced

2cm² piece of ginger grated

Juice and zest of 1 Lemon (limes are even better)

50ml of red wine (Portuguese of course)

150ml of olive oil

2 tsp. smoked paprika

S&P to taste

Put all of the above ingredients into a sauce pan, and soften over a low heat. If a bit too thick add a little water, taste and adjust seasoning. Put into a blender (I use my magic wand) and purée, it should be a thick glutinous mass, more paste like than ketchup like. (Mine turned out thinner than I wanted, but it worked just the same).

Buy a nice chicken, by nice I mean free range, with plenty of meat on about. The size of course is dependent on the number it is to serve, but any leftover can be used in a salad or as a sandwich filling. For 4 people I would conservatively suggest a 2kg chuck.

Prick the skin of the chicken all over and rub in the marinade, getting it into all the nooks and crannies (under the arm pits and between the thighs and body), salt and pepper inside. Place in a plastic bag and place in the fridge overnight.

On the day of the happening, heat up you BBQ and when the charcoals (I use pressed beech briquettes) are white and powdery on the outside. Move the coals to right and left extremities not direct under the chuck,

Open a can of beer (whatever you have to hand) drink half and then put the can on a steel plate (I used a skillet) and stuff the chicken onto it (through its bottom) if it waggles bit, tie it with wire to the plate. (if you are using an expensive Weber one do not follow these instructions).

Put the whole contraption in the centre area with no coals and put lid down, keep an eye on it and keep brushing with the marinade. It shouldn't take more than 35-40 minutes but check the thickest part with a thermometer it should be about 75°C. The chicken will have a wonderful crispy skin and be succulent and juicy inside.

Remove from the grill, take the now empty beer can out of the interior of the bird and roughly chop into pieces. The chicken not the beer can.

Serve with a nice fresh salad, a Portuguese Rosé (you know the one ) and plenty of  crusty bread.

Note! For those that do not have a kettle or barrel type BBQ, you can spatch-cock the chicken (Cut out the backbone, turn skin side up on to a chopping board, and push down with the heel of your hand until you hear the cracking of the ribs, rub all over with the marinade and place in a plastic bag in fridge overnight. Do the same with the charcoals as before, putting the bird on an aluminium foil grilling plate. Here you will have to keep your eye on things as because it is spatch-cocked it is more likely to burn on the outside and still be raw on the outside, you will have to keep adjusting the height of the grill.

We started off with Tapas, well actually we started off with a Virgin Mojito (no alcohol).   Some mussels in a green Mojo sauce,  A few green and black Spanish olives and some Spanish Manchego and Serrano cheese and Serrano ham and local wild pig smoked ham and Linda's Aioli (she needed to use up the egg yolks after using the whites for the Pavlova)

Our friend Martin made a wonderful chilled Gazpacho to follow, this is the second time I have had his Gazpacho in the past week and it keeps getting better.

So next was the BBQ, the chicken was suitably rested, the spanferkel (sucking pig) was swinging away merrily over the coals along with some Mojito sausages and some courgettes sliced lengthways.

To accompany the food I had done a pot of Papas Arrugadas (salty Potatoes) and Linda had made a nice fresh mixed salad.

The finishing touch to the afternoon was Linda had made a fresh fruit pavlova, I have heard that it was excellent, even our dear friend Carla got some, alas because of my diabetes I had strawberries and a scoop of mango yoghurt ice cream. 

Priwall Nature Reserve

Priwall Naturschutzgebiet (NSG) – Priwall Nature Reserve

I had to change a fishing reel as it had a missing part (important as it was the screw that attaches the handle to the drum), so as I left I decided to kill two birds with one stone and visit the Nature Reserve on the isthmus of Priwall at the mouth of the Trave (Travemunde).

First a little about the history of the Isthmus during the cold war the Priwall could only be reached by the ferry from Travemunde (the mouth of the river Trave) and belonged to the Gemeinde
(municipal district) Lübeck in Schleswig-Holstein. It was during WWII a testing ground for some of Adolfs dreams, flying boats, U-boats and also a slave labour camp. During the Cold war a small part came under the GDR Regime, the east side, but the rest was still West but could only be reached by a small ferry, this meant that large parts were off limits to much of normal Joe public, therefore it was allowed to return to nature. The one time airfield, returned to a salt mash after a high summer tide and the rest a natural forest full with wild life. They are at the moment building a smashing Nature Centre at the start of the wanderweg (8.5km long), this will not be finished until 2016, but will encompass an information centre, education facilities and a conference hall.

I had my packed lunch, a small baguette filled with sliced frikadelle and Kohl Slaw, a bottle of water my camera and binoculars, so off I jolly well went.

I took the long road way round, because it passes through some wonderful open countryside and small untouched villages of West Mecklenburg, I saw a pair of Black Kites playing in the sky and as I travelled along the shore of the Dessower lake, high in the sky a Fish Adler (white-tailed eagle ) was patrolling its territory, the roads full of darting white wagtails as they picked the flying insects from the verges.

I crossed onto the Ismuth and parked up, it was a work day so only people out looking at nature, at weekends there is a nudist beach in the near so many that would be carrying cameras and bino's are looking at other birds.

The woods were full of song, many I could not recognise ( I must take a recorder next time), but I was only about 100mtr down the track and I heard the alarm call of a blackbird. I turned and saw a stoat scurry across the path,















I carried on along the track, admiring the colour and heady scent of the Hawthorn and Wildroses until the path met the shoreline of the Pötenitzer Wiek  (Wiek comes from the old German and means a bay connected to a larger body of water (in this case the Baltic), by a narrow opening, in this case theTrave)).

A Chirping Great Tit

This is where I had aimed to have my lunch at a rest area with tables but it was taken by a cyclist group (they get everywhere don't they, worse than dog poo on the streets of Berlin).

My lunch table haven been taken, I walked a little further, found a break in the undergrowth and discovered a washed up tree branch that made a smashing seat. I unpacked my lunch and got out my water bottle, when a cheeping, chirping flotilla came into sight, a Red Breasted Merganser with 9 chicks in tow, what a wonderful sight.

Out on the Wiek I watched another pair fishing and swans bobbing in the sunshine.  All of a sudden, with quite a flurry the mother herded the chicks into the reed beds, up above a pair of raptors (I think a pair of Kites, too far away to tell with any certainty) were patrolling the skies.

Alarm over out she came with her brood astern. 

On the other side a Baltic Trader (alas not the sailing vessels of yesteryear) was making ready for sea, I watched with a longing eye, as during the 70s I had done a six month tour on Chemical Tankers plying there trade on the Baltic, this was while having a break (birth of son number two) from the Far East and Pacific Rim.

Lunch finished, the track followed the lakeside and through the reed beds over a wooden walkway much bird song coming from within. I caught sight of a few fluttering movements but nothing that I could get a clear shot at.

I walked along the river and watched a ship setting off on its journey to Helsinki with a cargo of VW cars and passed a flock of swans paddling in the opposite direction, a cormorant decides that it was better to get out of the way and took flight towards the Wiek.

I walked a while along the shore path but got a bit sick of looking across the river towards Travemunder, watched a river pleasure cruiser heading towards the river mouth and that was it.

So turning into the woods at the earliest opportunity and was at once rewarded by a flash of red in the trees and managed to get a couple of good shots and I do believe it was a female Red Start- Phoenicurus phoenicurus (Rotschwanz)

I wandered along the path until it joined Fliegerweg the original road to the now overgrown airfield, now being allowed to return to salt marsh encouraged by the grazing of ponies and horses. This is now a breeding place for all manner of ducks, geese, waders and sea birds.

Grey Heron, lapwing, Sheldduck, Grey lagged geese and many more waders

Along the tracks and trails NABU- Naturschutzbund Deutschland (Nature Protection Association of Germany) have positioned nesting boxes, I stopped at a couple hoping to get a sight of some bird or other, as I was nearing the end of the trail, I saw a movement above nest box number 63, it was a pair of blue tits bearing food in their beaks, I stood and watched, the birds were a bit wary so I moved back a little way and was rewarded by mummy heading to the box with a cranefly in her beak, she then proceeded to feed the young through the hole, while dad looked on with another tasty morsel clamped in his beak, still not certain what to do, he was a bit of a wimp. I decided to leave them to it.

I then walked to the start of the route and back to my car, I had parked right at the start of the walk and there are a limited number of free parking slots on Helling and adjacent to the soon to be new Nature Workshop complex (hopefully to be opened in 2016 and fully functional in 2017). I think that if you try to get parked at weekends during the summer months you had better come early or leave your car in Travemunde and go across as a foot passenger on the ferry; it is just a short walk to the start of the nature trail.

Alexander Vin Humbolt II

I caught the ferry (you never have more than a few minutes to wait) across the Trave which is very narrow at this point and then decided to travel along the coast to Scharbeutz before turning inland to visit my storks in the small village of Böbs.

As I approached along the road from Schwenkenrade, I couldn’t see anything sitting on the nest, but as I stopped my car at the entrance to the property, I saw a shape getting larger as it approached the nest from over the fields, it was daddy Stork returning with afternoon tea. Up popped heads and daddy proceeded to feed mummy and the young.

All in all a very successful day, most enjoyable and I got loads of nice wildlife photos.