Starting the fire on Quan - the quick and easy way
It is a common misconception that firing up a wood fuelled barbecue is more difficult than a charcoal grill, where in fact it is just the opposite.
There are 3 key ingredients to mastering the fire:
1. the equipment - Quan Garden Art garden fireplaces are designed with airflow in mind. And good airflow means starting and maintaining the fire is easy and controllable;
2. good quality fuel - like in any other combustion process - from charcoal grill to space rocket - the better fuel you use, the better the result will be. By good quality fuel we mean dry, properly seasoned hardwood. Example: Quan Selected Wood is 100% natural oak, responsibly harvested, with FSC certificate (Forest Stewardship Council), dried mechanically to contain no more than 5% of water, trimmed to 25cm pieces to fit perfectly into your Quan. It is best to find a local supplier of seasoned hardwood and create a sheltered place in your garden to store it. We do not recommend spontaneously buying a bag of 'fireplace wood' in any DIY chain, unless you are willing to be disappointed;
3. proper technique - which we are showing in this video.
Rabbit Saddle & Caprese Bruschetta
The reason why this might be viewed as difficult is because rabbit meat is much less popular than let's say poultry and so are its cooking techniques. The reality is that grilling a rabbit properly is just as difficult as properly grilling a chicken breast (we deliberately said 'as difficult as' and not 'as easy as'). However, we hope that after seeing this video you will feel adventurous enough to take on this challenge.
Here is your shopping list (for 4 servings as a side dish; for main course just double the amounts):
- ca. 1kg (2 pieces 500g each) of a saddle of a rabbit
- smoked bacon - 4 slices 5mm thick, slightly longer than your rabbit pieces
- 12 cherry tomatoes
- 250g of fresh mozarella
- fresh herbs: basil, thyme, rosemary, sage...
- 1 clove of garlic
- salt, pepper and olive oil
- ciabatta or baguette.
Seabass & Grilled Vegetables
Before we get to the ingredients list we want to point that with a fireplate barbecue you don't need to prepare anything in advance. Just get your fresh ingredients and head straight to the grill. The secret lies in the level of control which you have over the cooking process. If something grills too fast - move it further away from the fire. If something grills too slow - bring it closer to flames. When you find that certain ingredient is done enough - just move it to the corner of your fireplate and it will stop cooking, but stay warm. That way you can easily cook and cut or chop in the same time and look like a professional show cook! Cooking in high temperatures, with fresh herbs and with natural wood makes the food juicy, aromatic and flavorfull.
Ingredients list (for 4 servings as a side dish; for main course we recommend using one whole fish per serving):
- 2 fresh seabass fillets (trout will also work perfectly here)
- 1 or 2 lemons
- fresh herbs: thyme, rosemary, sage...
- 1.5kg green asparagus
- 4 pak choi heads
- 250g of shimeji mushrooms (or different kind according to your taste)
- 80g of kale
- 4 tablespoons of Romesco sauce
- ciabatta or baguette
- salt, pepper, olive oil.
for the salsa:
- 3 bell peppers of different colors
- 8 cherry tomatoes
- 2 challots
- juice of half of a lemon
Razor Clams & Broad Beans
The beauty of this recipie lies in its simplicty, yet the end effect is so flavorfull and aromatic. It also shows that with a fireplate grill you can not only grill or roast but also boil things - pretty versatile piece of equipment.
Ingredients list (for 4 servings as a main course; for a side dish use half of the amounts):
- 1 kg of fresh razor clams
- 1 large onion
- 5-6 cloves of garlic
- 250g of fresh broad beans
- 1/2 lime
- parsley
- ciabatta or baguette
- salt, pepper, olive oil.
Classic Steak & Mushrooms
The key to perfect tasting beef steak is getting the highest quality meat possible. The cut should be aged (for leaner meat wet-aged is fine, for fattier meat we recommend dry-aged). Although it is not necessary to marinate your steak as we did, it is very important that the meat is at room temperature at the time of cooking. If you keep it in your fridge take it out an hour before grilling. Choose your preferred beef cut - if you are not sure what you want, google 'beef cuts' and make a decision.
The ingredients list for today (for 4 servings as main course):
- 4 aged beef steaks of your choice
- 2 medium size onions
- 400g of champignons
- 250g of oyster mushrooms
- 1 medium to large size zucchini
- fresh parsley
- 5-6 cloves of garlic
- fresh rosemary
- olive oil, salt & black pepper.
Vege Rolls
As usual we do not only present you with a recipe, but we also want to show you how easy it is to control the speed of grilling - simply by moving your food closer or further away from the fire. This way you don't really need to spend hours preparing your ingredients in advance. You can easily take a platter of fresh vegetables and head straight to your fireplate. And if the amount of cutting and slicing seems too overwhelming for you - why not invite your guests to help you out? Afterall, Quan is not only cooking - it is social cooking.
The ingredients list for today (for 4 servings as a main course):
- 1 aubergine
- 2 green zucchinis
- 1 yellow zucchini
- 1 large red bell pepper
- 1 large green bell pepper
- 8 brown champignons
- 0.5 small cauliflower
- 4 dried tomato slices
- 150g fresh goat cheese or for a full vegan option: cashew cheese or tofu ricotta
- 150g fresh rocket
- fresh rosemary and sage
- juice squeezed from half a lemon
- parmesan, balsamic vinegar
- olive oil, salt & black pepper
Pancakes & Grilled Fruit
The choice of fruit is totally up to you - considering availability in your location as well as the time of year. Different kinds of fruit are available fresh in different periods of summer and fresh fruit are the best! We strongly encourage you to experiment.
What is more making pancakes together can be great fun! Just get yourself a container, which will allow you to pour batter in a controlled way - a dispenser, an empty ketchup bottle or a kettle with fine pouring tip. Now google: 'pancake art' and see what amazing things you can do.
Ingredients list for today (for 4 servings):
1. Pancake batter:
- 1 cup of all-purpose flour
- 1 cup of buttermilk
- 1 egg
- a pinch of salt
- 1 tsp real vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp of maple syrup
2. Fruit:
- 4 nectarines (but feel free to use any kind of fruit that you like or can buy fresh)
- 250g raspberries
- 150g blueberries
3. Other ingredients:
- 2 cups of yoghurt
- maple syrup
- fresh mint leaves
- olive oil