COLORFUL SUMMER MEALS

 

Colorful Summer Meals

           Steamy June days are not a welcome surprise to everyone in Maine. However, mental adjustments to such undesirable conditions sometimes can be achieved utilizing past travel experiences. For instance, when we lived in Arizona for several years, each summer evening we had to traverse six blocks of near melting sidewalks from the university center to reach our car in the parking garage. Longing contemplation of every glacier I had ever visited made that arduous trek more bearable.

          For the cook, such surprises pose different challenges. Do we move every meal to a grill and forget anything else? It works for some meals, but often the person standing over the hot grill is not happy. Salads of course are part of the answer, but meals in hot climates are also very colorful, which assuages the faltering appetite. I was reminded of some weeks spent in Sicily and the island of Elba, where one could easily bake in the mid-day sun and yet restaurants abounded with colorful food to pick up our flagging appetites. Here is a reconstruction of one such dish which could grace a dinner table and does not take a lot of time in the kitchen.

                                                  Chicken Siciliano

1)    Cut a large skinless, boneless chicken breast lengthwise in 3 or 4 thin slices and set aside.

2)    On a large plate blend: ½ cup flour, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon Sicilian seasoning (a blend of spices including roasted garlic, carrot, oregano, rosemary etc.). Set nearby some black sesame seeds.

3)    In a large pan sauté: 1 coarsely chopped onion, 1 cored and seeded green pepper cut in strips in 1 tablespoon olive oil for 5 minutes. Stir in: 2 coarsely chopped large Roma tomatoes, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 teaspoon Sicilian seasoning, ¾ cups red wine, ½ cup water, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper. Cook on medium heat until the liquid is reduced to half. Stir in ¼ cup chopped parsley.

4)     Dip the chicken cutlets on both sides in the flour mix, sprinkle with black sesame seeds and fry in 2 tablespoons hot olive oil 2-3 minutes on the side.

5)    Spoon the sauce over the cutlets and heat for 2 minutes more. Swirl in 1 tablespoon butter and serve with small pasta on the side.

June seems the perfect time for all kind of berries, starting with strawberries followed by raspberries and blackberries, with fresh Maine blueberries on the horizon in late July.  A very easy delicious desert can be made with some quickly cooked or instant pudding mix, some colorful berries and a swirl of whipped cream.

                               Quick banana pudding with berries

1)    Prepare 1 package instant banana pudding by beating it with an electric mixer for 2 minutes in 2 cups of cold milk. It will have the consistency of thick cream but will set when refrigerated for a couple of hours.

2)    Spoon the pudding in 4 shallow bowls on top of some blackberries. Top with fresh raspberries and whipped cream or whipped topping. Serve immediately.

July 4^th celebrations are a good time for colorful deserts in addition to some fresh watermelon. Although fresh Maine blueberries are still a month away, I always keep some frozen and they make an excellent frozen blueberry pie. This one is made with a crumb topping to better show off its colorful contents.

                   Frozen blueberry streusel pie

1)    Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl blend together ¾ cups sugar with 3 tablespoons cornstarch.

2)    In a small bowl mix 2/3 cup flour with 1/3 cup packed brown sugar and cut in 1/3 cup cold butter until butter can be pressed with fingers in small crumbs.

3)    Line a 9-inch pie plate with 1 roll pre-made pie crust. Push down to fit corners and finger flute the edges. Spread 1/3 of sugar/cornstarch mix over the crust.

4)    In another bowl toss 4 cups frozen blueberries with the rest of sugar/cornstarch mix and grated zest of 1 lemon. Pour berries in pie crust and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice.

5)    Spread crumb mixture on top. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, then turn down the heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for an additional 30 minutes. The blueberries will be bubbling up around the edges of the topping.

6)    Remove from the oven, cool and serve plain or with ice cream.

Happy Summer and Happy 4^th of July. Think cool and colorful thoughts for your table.

 (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)