Recipe Ideas

A delicious Tuna dish for you to enjoy in your Finnish barbecue lodge. (kota)

Spice Barbecued Tuna

Tuna is an ideal dish to cook over the hot coals in your arctic cabin, it's meaty texture means that it will hold well together during the cooking.

Serves 2

Put the first six ingredients into a shallow dish and mix well together. Add the tuna and spoon the sauce evenly over.

Cover and leave to marinade for about an hour turning the tuna over once.

Transfer the sauce coated tuna steaks to the barbecue and cook over the hot coals for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until very nearly cooked through.

Tip

Tuna becomes rather dry if overcooked. Stop cooking when it is still slightly translucent at the centre

Winter Sticky Ribs

Serves 4 2kg/4lb Chinese style pork ribs For the paste 1 onion, roughly chopped 3-4 garlic cloves 1 red pepper, seeds removed and roughly chopped 1 fresh red chilli 75ml/5 tbsp black treacle 30ml/2 tbls red wine vinegar 45ml/3 tbsp mixed dried herbs salt and ground pepper

These ribs are best started off in the oven.

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5

Arrange the ribs in a large roasting tin and cook for about 45 minutes, or until just tender. Transfer the ribs to a non-metallic dish pouring off any excess fat.

Put the paste ingredients into a blender and whiz until almost smooth. Pour the mixture onto the ribs and brush over to make sure they are evenly coated. Cover the dish and leave to cool, turning and brushing with the paste occasionally, until you are ready to cook them over the barbecue. (Once cooled, they should be chilled if you need to leave them more than an hour before cooking.)

Once you are ready to cook, lift the ribs out of the marinade and cook over the barbecue for about 15 minutes, turning occasionally and basting with the remaining marinade, until brown and crisp.

Barbecued Summer Vegetables

You don't need to be a vegetarian to enjoy these delicious barbecued vegetables cooked to perfection over the grill in your bbq hut.

Ingredients
2 red peppers
2 yellow peppers
1 medium aubergine, topped and tailed
3 small courgettes, topped and tailed
2 red onions, sliced into thick rounds

For the Marinade:
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp chopped flatleaf parsley
250ml/8fl oz olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
1. Mix all the ingredients for the marinade together in a large shallow dish.
2. Cut the peppers into quarters and remove the seeds. Cut the aubergine into 1cm/½in thick rounds and cut the courgettes lengthways into slices.
3. Add the peppers, courgettes and onions to the dish, turn until well coated in the marinade and set aside for 1 hour if you wish.
4. At the last minute, toss the aubergines with the rest of the vegetables so that they don't absorb too much of the oil. Lift them onto the vegetables onto the barbecue and cook over medium-hot coals for about 6-8 minutes, turning now and then and basting with any leftover marinade, until they are soft and richly coloured. Remove to a dish and sprinkle with a little more seasoning if you wish.

Gourmet lamb (Finnish style)

A genuine recipe from Finland for you to cook over the grill in your Finnish kota.

Serves 4-6

1 soaked salt herring or two Matjes herring fillets
8 anchovy fillets
1kg/2lb roast lamb
2 medium onions
1 and a half tbsp butter for cooking
Juice from the roast lamb or consomme
1tbsp tomato sauce or puree
White pepper
2 tbls mustard
100ml single cream

1. Clean and fillet the herring. Mince the fillets, anchovies, roast lamb and onions in a mincer of a food processor.

2. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the meat mixture and bring to the boil. Add a little meat juice or consomme until the mixture becomes porridge-like in consistency. Add tomato sauce or puree and pepper to taste. Add the mustard and cream.

3. Simmer the lamb for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Serve steaming hot with pickled cucumbers, pickled beetroots and soured cream. The traditional drink, Ryyppy is served ice cold as an accompaniment to the meal.

Barbecue Lodge style- tikka chicken skewers with apricot sauce

Ingredients
450g/1lb chicken breasts, skinned and cut into 1cm/½in cubes
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2.5cm/1in piece root ginger, peeled and finely chopped; or
1 tsp powdered ginger
90ml/6 tbsp low fat natural yoghurt,
1 tbsp each of ground turmeric and garam masala; or
2 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
Sauce:
411g/14oz can apricot halves in natural juice, drained
200ml/7fl oz low fat natural yoghurt
Salad:
1 medium onion, finely chopped
½ cucumber, finely chopped
1 medium tomato, finely chopped

Method
1. Place the chicken in a bowl. Mix together the garlic, ginger, yoghurt, curry powder and lemon juice. Pour over the chicken cubes and mix well to coat all over.
2. Pre light the bbq in your arctic cabin. Thread the chicken onto eight small skewers and place on the grill rack. Keep any remaining yoghurt mixture in the bowl.
3. Brush chicken with the yoghurt mixture and grill for 6-7 minutes. Turn the skewers over, brush again and continue to cook for a further 6-7 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
4. Meanwhile, for the sauce, place the apricots and the yoghurt in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Alternatively mash the apricots finely with a fork and mix in the yoghurt.
5. For the salad, mix the ingredients in a bowl.
6. Serve accompanied with the sauce and salad.

Chocolate Barbecue Lodge Bananas

This is a desert the kids will love. But be warned! every time you light the barbeque in your cabin, the kids will want more!!

4 bananas
Large block of chocolate

Cut into skin of the banana with a sharp pointed knife. Mash the banana using a fork by pressing down once all along the banana.

Insert the chocolate (see photograph) and then close the skin and the banana is ready for the barbecue.

The banana should be ready after about 5 minutes cooking on each side or the banana is black, on a medium heat.

Eat with a small spoon.

Barbecued Fruits

A perfect end to a barbecue meal in you bbq house. Why not drizzle over some brandy once cooked for a grown up twist.

Ingredients
4 ripe pears, cored and quartered
4 ripe apples, cored and quartered
3 tbsp sugar
1 lemon, juice only
icing sugar, for dusting
crème fraîche, to serve

Method
1. Place the pears and apples in a large bowl.
2. Sprinkle over the sugar and the lemon juice. Using clean hands or a large spoon, toss the fruit in the sugar and lemon juice.
3. Skewer the fruit alternating the pear and apple pieces. Place on a hot barbecue and turn until the fruit is softened and the sugar has caramelised.
4. Dust liberally with icing sugar and serve with crème fraîche.

Barbecued Leg of Lamb

Ingredients
1 leg of lamb - 1.75kg/4lb - remove the bone by butterfly method - ask the butcher!!
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp perry vinegar (or use cider if perry is not available.)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp dark brown muscovado sugar
salt and black pepper
Garlic
2-3 bulbs green, new seasons garlic
olive oil to sprinkle
sprigs of fresh thyme

Method
1. Flatten the lamb by pressing on it and place in a large dish.
2. Sprinkle over the onion.
3. Mix together the balsamic vinegar, perry vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice and sugar. Season with the salt and pepper and pour over the lamb.
4. Leave to marinate for 1 hour, turning frequently to ensure an even coating.
5. Remove the lamb from the marinade and place on a medium-hot BBQ and cook for 30 - 35 minutes, turning occasionally and basting with the reserved marinade.
6. For the garlic, take a bulb of new season, green garlic and shake over some olive oil. Add a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme and then wrap loosely in some tin foil. Leave over the warm part of the barbecue for 30 minutes or until soft. Remove and enjoy this delicious meal in your lovely barbeque lodge.