with home-made delicacies
Afew months ago I wrote a column in which I said that I love winter. It was funny to hear people’s responses to that statement. Most of my readers thought I was nuts!
Well, guess what? I love summer, too!
What’s the best thing about summer? For me it’s dining outside with friends and family. I began my love affair with al fresco dining in early childhood, when my aunts and uncles gathered several times each year to visit, catch up and share the treats of summer. A shady spot was selected, and the family arrived with coolers filled to the brim with home-made delicacies. All sorts of salads were created to accompany the ubiquitous hamburgers and hot dogs, corn on the cob, and lots of fresh tomatoes and fruits.
Somebody, or maybe a couple of somebodies, made an awesome dessert.
Most of the people at those childhood picnics are gone and their recipes lost. I’ve spent years trying to replicate my Aunt Mary’s potato salad, and the version below is pretty close.
The variety of foods people cook and eat outdoors has changed so much over the years. We Americans still love our burgers and dogs, but the variety of hot dogs, sausages and brats available today is mind boggling. In the past, the only other meats I ever had grilled were steak or chicken. Today, we enjoy all of the above, along with pork (either chops or tenderloin) and lamb. I marinate these meats in prepared marinades, or make my own with wine or vinegar combined with olive oil and herbs and seasonings, especially garlic and onion powders.
We also cook seafood on the grill. Shrimp kebabs (baste with a mixture of mayonnaise and horseradish) are great, as are fish fillets. I especially like fish grilled in packets with vegetables and herbs.
Speaking of vegetables, try experimenting with cooking your vegetables right on the grill. This year we’ve had corn on the cob and asparagus (both were wrapped in foil and cooked on the top rack). In the past I have grilled a variety of squashes, Vidalia onions, eggplant, tomatoes and Portabella mushrooms. Experiment!
The corn and black bean salad recipe is the result of trying to re-create a taste I tried in a restaurant. The strawberry-cucumber salad, with its unique combination of ingredients, is a knock off of a salad I had at a potluck.
One salad I’ve never been able to replicate was a beet, goat cheese and fennel dish we ate at a tapas bar in Philadelphia. It was delicious, but try as I might, I just can’t get the taste and texture to match the dish of memory. Anyone have the recipe?
Summer food is simple and easy to prepare. If you are going to a potluck, it needs to travel well, but if you are eating in your backyard, a make-and-serve dish, such as Caprese salad, is perfect. The tasty combination of fresh, ripe tomatoes, enhanced with only freshly picked basil and the tang of fresh mozzarella, is even better than the beautiful presentation this dish makes.
I included the summer pasta sauce because it’s light and fresh tasting, just right for hot weather months. Sun-dried tomatoes have a fairly intense flavor, satisfying over a smaller, lighter portion of pasta.
We went to a great 4th of July barbecue with friends and tried three new summer dishes. The Asian cabbage salad and the black-eyed peas and avocado salsa were both recipes that called out for sharing. The Red, White and Blueberry Trifle is by no means a calorie cutter’s recipe, but it is a perfect sweet ending to the perfect barbecue!
McGovern is a freelance writer.
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