The SMS from Sandra and Nikki sounded promising: “Come over to the women’s barbecue. Please don’t bring anything.” Great, I thought. Finally an invitation without the classic six-pack souvenir. In addition, Sandra has a garden – priceless on a day when the sky shines like there are no clouds. I immediately got hungry and started cycling. About three hours later, I cursed myself for ever accepting that invitation. I waited so long in Sandra’s garden for the barbecue to start.
When would I finally bite into a juicy steak? Or at least nibble on a lamb chops? Nothing there, no sign of food. But apart from me, no one seemed bothered by this scandalous fact. 15 women scurried through the garden, drank strawberry punch, played boules or badminton, a few children sped down the slide. My hunger had meanwhile turned into an abysmal feeling of dizziness. A little girl held out a rice cone, which I greedily devoured. “I love these relaxed barbecue days at Sandra’s. We always eat in the evening and everyone helps with the preparation. It’s all about being together, isn’t it?” whistled the mother of the rice cake girl. I was primarily concerned with the food, but I didn’t want to admit that.
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Do women belong at the grill?
Maybe waiting was part of the anticipation – and only I hadn’t understood that. So far I’ve been used to it from men’s barbecues, where sausages and skewers are splattered with beer and then half-burned and loaded onto the plates with great fanfare. At most, add an alibi leaf salad – that’s it. It doesn’t bother me that, according to a study, 80 percent of men still play the role of grill master. After all, women are often enough at the stove. As long as the griller finishes the encrusted grate itselfclean, go ahead. Cultural scientists see the grill as one of the last refuges of masculinity, after women have already taken the reins from them in many other areas of life. That might explain why men attach such great importance to equipment: from high-tech meat thermometers to intelligent aroma bars – and in the end, such an “event grill station” takes on the dimensions of a small car. It may even turn into a barbecue buffet , where a wide variety of meat, fish and side dishes are brought along and wait to be eaten together.
Green asparagus with egg and nut crumbs
- 800 g green asparagus or green beans
- salt
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons mild herbal vinegar
- Pfeffer
- 5 tbsp canola oil
- 2 hard boiled eggs
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 EL Butter
- 3 EL Semmelbrösel
- 2 tbsp chopped hazelnuts
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
Pizza flatbread with goat cheese
- 250 g flour salt
- 1⁄2 cube yeast sugar
- 65 ml olive oil
- 100 g green olives (pitted)
- Pfeffer
- 250 g cherry tomatoes
- 12 anchovies (in oil)
- 200 g goat cheese roll
- 4 EL Kapernäpfel
- 1 tsp chopped thyme
1. Mix the flour and 1 tsp salt in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Crumble the yeast into the well. Pour 70 ml of lukewarm water into the yeast, stir with a little flour from the edges to form a pre-dough. Cover and leave to rise for about 20 minutes.
Grilled salmon with spring onions
FOR 4 PORTIONS
- 800 g Lachsfilet
- 1 bunch of spring onions
- 2 organic limes
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- salt
- Pfeffer
- 5 tablespoons dry white wine
1. Wash the salmon, pat dry, cut into four pieces. Clean the spring onions, wash and cut into thin rings. Wash the limes and pat dry. Thinly slice 1 lime and squeeze the remaining lime. Peel and chop the garlic.
2. Spread out 4 large pieces of aluminum foil, spread 1 tbsp of oil in the middle of each and spread about 1 tsp of spring onions on top. Season the fish all over with salt and pepper and place on the foil. Scatter the garlic, 1 teaspoon spring onion, and lime wedges over the fish.
Grilled pita breads
- 1 bunch of basil
- 1 bunch coriander
- 2 cloves of garlic
- juice of 1 lemon
- 5 ELOlivenöl
- salt
- Pfeffer
- 8 small pita breads
Ratatouille salad with toasted sausage
FOR 4 PEOPLE
- 2 bell peppers (red and yellow)
- 1 Zucchini
- 1 Aubergine
- 1 clove of garlic
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- salt
- Pfeffer
- 200 g cherry tomatoes (red and yellow)
- 1 bed of garden cress
- 5 sprigs of basil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 red onions
- 12 Nürnberger Rostbratwürstchen
1. Clean, halve, deseed and wash the peppers. Cut the flesh into pieces . Clean and wash the zucchini and eggplant. Quarter lengthways and cut into pieces.
Berry pot with french toast
- 4 slices of toast
- 2 Eggs
- 120ml milk
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 800 g mixed berries (fresh or frozen)
- 80 ml cassis liqueur
- 1 Bio-Zitrone
- 1 vanilla bean
- 2 EL Butter
Sommerbowle
FOR 6-8 PEOPLE
- 1 kg mixed summer fruit (e.g. strawberries, peaches, nectarines, plums)
- 500 ml apple juice
- 500 ml dry white wine
- 750 ml ice-cold dry sparkling wine