The great taste of fresh fruit and vegetables makes summer meals a delight.
A Menu from this Evening al Fresco
Here's an example, taken from our dinner this evening --
- A simple tomato salad (cut a tomato in half, scoop out the seed and gelatin; then slice in segments, marinate for a half an hour or longer in a mixture of olive oil and a splash of white wine, season to taste with salt and pepper)
- Cold green beans with a vinigrette (2/3 olive oil to 1/3 vinegar plus a generous amount of grainy mustard)
- Barbeque fish or chicken (finished in a barely hot oven so they are cooked through but not overcooked)
- A simple sauce for the fish or chicken of sauteed mushrooms with a few slices of onion, then deglaced with white wine (meaning keep over heat and use a spoon to scrape up the browned bits on the pan surface) , and a few tablespoons of a tomato sauce, like the bottled type used over pasta.
- Desert as a simple fruit compote (sometimes I partly cook the cut up fruit in the microwave for a minute, then serve warm or room temperature) with sliced pound cake or a shortbread cookie.
- As you can see, I use wine to cook with, its fine to drink too, of course, but lemonade on the tart side is also great in the summer as well.
Invite a friend, neighbors, its easy enough, especially if you eat outside. The secret of entertaining is to enjoy the event yourself: keep it simple, plan ahead, start cooking on time, and relax and enjoy the conversation. I like to combine hot and cold items, the cold ones I prepare ahead of time, so that makes it easy to concentrate on the rest of the menu. Your guests will appreciate your relaxed attitude and smiles, rather than the frantic efforts to prepare something too elaborate.
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