Summer Lunch with Friends
Summer is the ideal time for
entertaining. It is a pleasure and
necessity to feed visiting friends and
relatives from ‘away’, but sometime it is just nice to spend a leisurely afternoon
Al Fresco, entertaining local friends
for lunch.
Such an idea sounds most relaxing and
pleasant until you realize that without judicious planning and selection of a
menu, you – the cooks are likely to spend an inordinate amount of non-relaxing
time in preparation. There is the option of ‘take out’ food, but while useful
for filling in gaps for your menu, it defeats the purpose of a home-style get
together.
Recently I had to come up with such a
plan and menu and it seems worth sharing. The recipes will feed 6 to 8 persons,
but any leftovers can be easily saved for another day.
White Gazpacho
This is best prepared the afternoon
before, since it allows the flavors to blend and chill the freshly chopped
vegetables.
Peel 1-2 large cucumbers in strips, leaving some of
the rind intact, halve lengthwise, remove the seeds only if cucumbers are very
mature and cut in large chunks. Cut in
chunks one 8 inch zucchini. In a 3 qt. pot sauté 1 roughly chopped medium onion
and 2 stalks celery in 1 tblsp. olive oil for 5 minutes. Stir in 2 minced
garlic cloves and after 1 minute add 3 cups chicken broth and ½ tsp. ground
thyme. Bring to boil; add 1 peeled diced
potato and the cucumber and zucchini pieces. Continue to cook for 15 minutes,
adding ¼ cup each chopped Italian parsley and celery tops during the last 5
minutes of cooking. Allow to cool and purée the mixture in a blender with 2
tblsp. white vinegar and 2-3 cups plain yoghurt. Remove to a bowl and stir in 1
diced medium red or orange seeded pepper, 1 cup diced tomato, 1 unpeeled small
young cucumber diced, 3 thinly sliced scallions with their green tops, ¼ cup
chopped Italian parsley and ½ cup slivered almonds. Adjust seasonings with salt
and pepper to taste. Serve cold or room temperature garnished with chopped
chives and bread sticks on the side. It will keep refrigerated for a couple of
days.
Fresh
Peach-Pecan Pie
Pie always makes a welcome desert and once baked
requires no last-minute preparation. Peaches are just coming in season and
provide an excellent seasonal treat. Blanch, peel and slice 4-5 cups of peaches
in a large bowl.. Line a 9 inch pie plate with pre-made crust. Sprinkle the
crust with 2 tblsp. dry bread crumbs. In a small bowl combine 1 cup sugar with
2 ½ tblsp. corn starch and sprinkle ¼ of this mixture on top of the bread
crumbs and toss the peaches with the remainder. Toss the peaches again with ½
cup pecan halves cut in half, 1 tsp almond extract, 1 tblsp. lemon juice and grated lemon rind. Turn
peach mixture in the pie dish, dot with 1 tblsp. butter and top with the top crust,
crimping the edges of the crust tightly. Cut vents in top crust. Sprinkle crust
lightly with nutmeg and place in a 450 degree preheated oven for 15 minutes.
Then turn the heat down to 350 degrees and continue baking for about 30 minutes
until the juice bubbles up from the vents. Cool on a rack and serve warm or
cold with or without ice cream.
European style open sandwiches complete this simple
soup and desert menu. They are unusual and decorative enough to grace any
table. Start with cocktail rye and a baguette sliced in angled slices for
basics. For a luncheon like this I spread cream cheese on the cocktail rye and
buttered the baguette. To complete the palette, individual slices were topped
with: 1) slices of smoked salmon topped with a sliver of red onion, capers and
fresh dill; 2) thin hard salami slices with a dill pickle slice; 3) on baguette
a slice of Gouda cheese topped with half a cherry tomato. The variety of these
colorful sandwiches arranged on a plate and tucked in with a few nasturtiums completed
the relaxed visual atmosphere of the luncheon.
Summer luncheons accompanied with a bottle of white
or rosè wine and ice tea are to be treasured at this time of the year.
(I. Winicov
Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and
Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website:
www.winicov-harrington.com)
