Get Grilling with Catherine Fulvio This May Bank Holiday

BBQ fans are invited to come along to a live BBQ cookery demonstration with Wicklow Chef and local, Catherine Fulvio, who will share her expert tips, advice and secrets to creating great BBQ food at the OutdoorLiving.ie store in Glen of the Downs on Monday May 1^st.

Catherine will kick start the BBQ season with BBQ demos taking place between 12noon and 4.00pm at the centre which is set to become a centre of BBQ excellence this May Bank Holiday as it hosts its first Cookery Event with Catherine Fulvio.

Catherine, of Ballyknocken Cookery School, loves to BBQ and “the bank holiday weekend in May marks the start of the summer for me and summer means BBQ season is here.  I love having friends and family around and cooking in the great outdoors – it so easy and so relaxing” says Catherine, who is going to share some of her top BBQ tips at this fun foodie event; think BBQ rubs and marinades and mouth-watering food.

This is a chance to visit one of Ireland’s largest lifestyle centre and get inside the world of BBQing. Explore your options and see them all in action; think gas, charcoal, Kamado or electric grill there will be something for all budgets and choices.  A dedicated BBQ Team at OutdoorLiving.ie will be on hand to help out with the technical information and answer all your BBQ queries.

The centre is conveniently located just off the N11 at Glen of the Downs and resident food truck, Big Boys, will be serving up their award-winning burgers and with jazz music as a backdrop.  The Kellys are turning their OutdoorLiving.ie store into a mini festival for a day and it’s FREE!

Catherine will be demonstrating sweet and savoury dishes for the BBQ – think tacos with BBQ prawns and BBQ fruit for dessert…

To whet your appetite check out Catherine’s delicious Chicken Satay Sticks & Ultimate Homemade Beef Burgers

Serves 4

These chicken satay sticks are a real hit with my children. They can even be made on cocktail sticks and served with a satay dip as canapés. Here, we remove them from the skewers and place them in wraps.

For the Chicken Skewers:

• 4skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 red pepper, cut into 2cm dice
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• sunflower oil

For the marinade:

• 100ml natural yoghurt
• 3 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
• 3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• For the cucumber salad:
• 1 cucumber, halved lengthways, deseeded and thinly sliced
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 lemon, juice only
• 1 tbsp Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves

To serve:

• 4 tbsp mayonnaise
• 4 tbsp mango chutney
• 4 flour tortilla wrap

Method:

• First, soak 8 skewers if you are using wooden ones so they don’t burn on the BBQ.
• Place the natural yoghurt, peanut butter and sweet chilli sauce in a bowl and mix together. Add the cubed chicken and coat well. The chicken can be left in this marinade for 2–3 hours in the fridge or overnight.
• To prepare the cucumber salad, mix together the cucumber, red onion, lemon juice, Thai fish sauce and coriander in a large bowl. Chill until ready to serve.
• Preheat the BBQ to a medium heat.   Shake off any excess marinade from the chicken. Thread the chicken pieces onto the skewers, alternating with the diced red pepper. Season with salt and pepper.
• Brush the BBQ rungs with oil. Place the skewers on the BBQ and cook, turning from time to time, until browned and cooked through.
• Mix the mayonnaise with the mango chutney and spread on each of the wraps. Drain the cucumber and onion mixture and place in the centre of the wrap.
• Using 2 skewers for each wrap, slide off the diced chicken and red peppers and place on top of the cucumber salad. Roll up and serve immediately.

Makes 6 large burgers

For the burgers:

• 1kg good-quality beef minced
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 large gherkin, finely chopped (optional)
• 1 egg, beaten
•  4 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• extra virgin olive oil

To serve:

• 200g good melting cheese (cheddar, blue cheese or Emmental)
• Sliced 6 burger buns
• 8 tbsp mayonnaise
• 4 tsp Dijon mustard
• Avocado
• Tomato and red onion
• Sliced seasonal lettuce leaves of your choice

Method:

• This recipe makes 6 burgers, but they freeze beautifully and are a great standby to have in the freezer.  If you’re planning a BBQ, you can prepare them in advance.  It’s also a great way to get children to eat gherkins!!
• Place all the ingredients for the burgers except the oil in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix well (see Tip below). Cover and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
• To shape the burgers, wash your hands, leaving them wet. Divide the mixture into 6 burgers.
• When ready heat a griddle pan or BBQ to hot. Brush both sides of the burgers with oil and cook for 3–4 minutes on each side, or until well browned and cooked through.
• During the last minute of cooking time, place a slice of cheese on top of each burger to melt. To speed up the melting process, close the lid of the BBQ.
• Toast the burger buns on the griddle pan or BBQ until lightly golden brown.
• Mix the mayonnaise with the mustard and spread over the base of each bun. Add some lettuce, sliced avocado, tomato and red onion slices on the other half of the bun. Place the burger in between the burger buns and serve.

Catherine’s Top Tip

When the burger mix is assembled, break a little off and shape it, then cook and taste. Adjust the main burger mixture if more seasoning is required. These burgers can be frozen between sheets of parchment paper for up to 3 months in a rigid freezer-proof container. If frozen, defrost the burgers completely in the fridge before cooking, which will take 3–4 hours.