St. John's Day is inseparable from a group of friends, fun time in nature and, of course, delicious food. And it is usually prepared over the embers of the campfire or on the grill. Therefore, we share practical tips on how and what to cook while being in nature, so that the evening will be extremely delicious, and both big and small picnickers will be satisfied.
Shish kebabs
The classics of classics - before Midsummer they have a particularly large selection in our stores. And many have their own secret, signature, most special recipe. So, a few tricks when choosing will really make them:
- The tastiest kebabs prepared from the neck. This part of the pork is the softest, and the fat in it melts during cooking, making it even juicier and tastier. Shish kebabs can also be prepared from shoulder or ham, but it should be kept in mind that marinating will take much longer to enjoy soft and delicious meat: due to the dense muscle structure, spices and marinade penetrate more slowly. Keep kebabs made from such meat in a traditional marinade for at least a day, ideally even a few.
- Cut the meat into 4-5 cm pieces. Such pieces will be easier to fry, they will not dry out so quickly.
- Anything with a little acid is good for pickling. These are the well-known onions, kefir, mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, apple, pineapple juice, kiwi, etc.
- When marinating, avoid unnatural marinades such as mayonnaise. Its composition is usually not the healthiest anyway, in addition, compounds harmful to health are formed during frying. Well, an argument for those who say that you only live once and haven't had enough of it yet: meat marinated in mayonnaise must be fried at a low temperature. Pieces marinated in hot mayonnaise burn very quickly
- If you prepare shashlykas with onions (chopped, chopped onions), don't forget to clean them thoroughly from the skewered meat. The pieces of onion are small, and the onion has a little sweetness. And as you know, what is sweet caramelizes very quickly and burns over the coals
- Marinating with vinegar is not recommended - you will lose a lot of the flavor of the meat and spices. Instead, pour it over the pieces of meat before skewering.
- If you need to marinate quickly, you can use kiwi, pomegranate, pineapple juice. However, be very careful - keep it for no more than a few hours. Otherwise, the meat will begin to change its structure - it will easily turn into mush.
- Skewer the pieces of meat without pressing them together. However, spaces should not be left either.
Potatoes
Baked potatoes are a dish that many remember from childhood, and often with laughter or sadness. So how do you cook a potato so that it is fantastically tasty and you don't have to eat the leftovers?
- Choose last year's potatoes for grilling. Wash them thoroughly, but do not peel them. Thicker bark will help prevent burning. Of course, fresh ones are also suitable for baking, but you will have to check more often if they are cooked.
- Very tasty small fresh fries. Wash them thoroughly and wrap them in foil not one by one, but a handful together.
- Cut the potatoes in half and add something fatty in between - it can be a piece of butter, drippings, bacon. If you don't have it, add oil. However, be aware that with oil, the potato will not be fried so deliciously.
- You can cut the potatoes in other ways and prepare them in a Swedish way. Cut the potato crosswise into narrow slices. When cutting, do not cut all the way through so that the slices stick together (see Hasselback potatoe). Add oil to the gaps or add bacon, minced meat, your favorite spices and wrap in foil. At the end of baking, remove the foil from the upper part and add cheese. The potato will be nicely browned and extremely tasty.
- The classic seasonings for potatoes are cumin, garlic, pepper and salt, and the traditional Lithuanian product - koštinis - is a wonderful addition to potato seasoning.
- Wrap the potato in foil, but do not spare the foil. I recommend choosing the foil available in specialized stores, the thickness of which is 12-13 microns. It is much thicker, does not tear as much and uses much less.
Vegetables
Diversify your St. John's menu with grilled vegetables - it will be both very tasty and healthy.
- The most popular and everyone's favorite vegetables for baking are zucchini. Of course, you can also fry peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, carrots, beets, etc. there are a lot of people who don't like peppers, and tomatoes stick to the grill or fall off the skewers when frying.
- When preparing to grill, cut the vegetables as coarse as possible: they shrink a lot during grilling, so they often fall through the gaps of the grill. Also, when grilling, do not use the grill itself, but turn the vegetables themselves. The same advice applies to mushrooms.
- A few more options for conveniently frying vegetables - fry them in a metal container with small holes or skewer them on wooden skewers. In the latter case, do not forget to soak in water for at least 15 minutes - they will not burn so quickly.
- It is convenient to fry vegetables by stringing them on skewers: it is easier to turn, takes up less cooking space, and does not fall directly onto the coals.
- Marinate vegetables and mushrooms (champignons) for half an hour before baking. A simple, go-with-everything recipe: a drizzle of oil, pepper, salt, and, of course, garlic. Do not spare the latter. Well, those looking for a more interesting taste can additionally add their favorite herbs (eg oregano, thyme, rosemary, etc.), soy and honey, etc.
- Fry the vegetables briefly and over a higher heat. They don't have to be fully cooked and soft inside. It is very tasty when they are fried on the outside, but still crispy on the inside. This way you will give additional texture to your dish (after all, kebabs, rice or bread, sauce) are soft.
