The Joy of a Summer Meal (Covid be #@*%' ed)
Like many of The Gastronomer's friends, I am going a bit stir-crazy. Our town is still under modified Covid-19 lockdown, with a few restaurants now open for outdoor dining, and most of the shops that haven't gone out of business open for something called "curbside pickup". We love our community, and are devastated that so many workers have been furloughed or lost their jobs permanently. But I have not been affected in any serious way, and it would be a ridiculous stretch for me to call any of our lockdown restrictions "burdens". My battle is partly psychological, and a lot spiritual. My goal is to simply be grateful for my many blessings, one day at a time, and to "chill out" about the rest.
One of the blessings that I was able to enjoy tonight is the joy of a summer meal eaten outdoors. Tonight's dinner was planned and prepared by one of our daughters, and delicious it was. My role was just to chop, slice, and wash up, (and of course provide unsolicited advice along the way!). The Gastronomer's readers are sophisticated and can experiment with proportions and substitutions. Try one or more of these dishes this summer (they were each outstanding!).
GRILLED PEACHES
- Halve fresh peaches, grill 1 min. per side on gas grill, then cut into 2-inch chunks
- Put peach chunks atop goat-cheese-smeared baguette slices
- Sprinkle each with three grains of Maldon salt and a few savory flowers
BAY SHRIMP CEVICHE
- Bay shrimps
- Fresh lime juice
- Chopped tomato, avocado, red onion, cilantro, poblano chili
- Black pepper and salt to taste
SUMMER PASTA SALAD
- Farfalle
- Cherry tomatoes, halved
- Mozzarella pearls (whole), or bocconcini (halved)
- Small jar of highest quality Italian tuna in olive oil, plus a tablespoon of the tuna oil
- Basil leaves and chives, cut with scissors to size
- EVOO
- Some fresh arugula leaves (ours were from the garden) torn into chunks
- A few pepperoncini, sliced thin, plus about a teaspoon of the pickling juice
- Black pepper and salt to taste
Best enjoyed when eaten outdoors with those you love most.
As most people now, I've also been cooking at home a lot, and I'm getting bored of always relying on the same old recipes. I have lots of tuna cans at home and not many ideas of how to use them, so I'm really looking forward to trying the pasta recipe you shared - it looks delicious! You're so fortunate to have such a talented and creative daughter to cook with! Thank you for sharing these simple yet sophisticated summer recipes.
ReplyDelete