SUMMER LUNCH WITH FRIENDS

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)

MIDSUMMER AND STRAWBERRIES

 Midsummer and Strawberries

The apple may represent human search for wisdom, but for pure luscious fruit with romantic appeal, you can’t beat strawberries.. Not only are they the first local fruit in Northern climates after a bleak winter, but they bring back thoughts of old Ingmar Bergman films with magical midsummer’s night scenes fragrant with wild strawberries.

 Years ago I unfortunately found in Bergen Norway that the cultivated Swedish strawberries can actually be a disappointment. The long daylight makes them grow huge, ripe with tempting color, but not much flavor. They were similar to strawberries grown in our Southern states. So, when our Maine strawberry crop is in season, I deeply inhale the aroma from each box of berries before deciding on their best to use for the day.

Strawberries are relatively easy to grow, but I gave it up after losing the fight for several years with a resident raccoon at harvest time. However, the local farm stands have a plentiful supply and the Maine Strawberry Growers website even lists farms by region, where you can pick your own berries. The list includes regions from Portland through Midcoast up to Aroostook county. Picking your own will cut the cost for this wonderful fruit, which incidentally is a dieter’s dream. Strawberries have only 55 calories per cup serving!

If you are a true strawberry aficionado, there is nothing better than fresh sliced strawberries with a light sprinkling of sugar and milk for breakfast. Cold cereal could be almost optional with this presentation. Other versions of strawberries in desert form are unfortunately not as dietetic.

          Strawberry shortcake

The classical strawberry shortcake has truly dimensions of a Rockwell painting and yet is easy to prepare. The cake portion can be baked from any biscuit mix or dough. If you want to make it from scratch: mix together in a bowl 1 ½ cups flour, 2 tsp. baking powder, ½ tsp salt, 2 tblsp. sugar. Cut in 3 tbls. butter with a pastry cutter and stir in 2/3 cup milk in the flour mixture. Turn dough out on a floured board, kneed to make a sticky ball. Flatten to a thickness of ½ inch and cut out rounds with a floured glass. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in a 450 degree oven. To assemble, cut the cooled shortcakes in half and spoon over the bottom half sliced sugared strawberries. Cover with the top half of the shortcake, spoon additional sugared strawberries over the top and finish with a swirl of whipped cream. A whole strawberry with or without a couple of mint leaves on top would finish the picture.

          Strawberries Chantilly

Strawberries Chantilly is even quicker to prepare. Whip 1 cup whipping cream with 3 tablsp. sifted confectioners sugar until stiff. Have ready sliced strawberries tossed with some slivered almonds and ½ tsp grated lemon or orange peel. Fold strawberries into the whipped cream and serve immediately.

          Strawberry Cream Pie

My easy variation on a strawberry cream pie, starts with a graham cracker crust. For a 9-10 inch pie mix together 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs, 4 tblsp. sugar and 6 tblsp. melted butter. Pat mixture into a pie plate, so that the sides are evenly covered to the top. Bake in a 325 degree oven 8 to 10 minutes. Allow the crust to cool before filling. In the meantime prepare a package of quick cook or no cook vanilla pudding and pour when ready in the cooled crust. Layer with a box of cleaned, sliced strawberries. Melt ¾ cup of currant jelly and pour evenly over the strawberry layer. Refrigerate pie for at least 2 hours and serve with a ring of whipped cream on top. If you keep this recipe until the 4^th of July, dot the whipped cream with some frozen blueberries and you will have an appropriate “Red-White-and Blue” desert for the occasion.

          Strawberry Punch

This recipe comes from my sister-in-law, who had it as her wedding punch, but it could easily be served at any summer outdoor function. Halve a quart of strawberries and sprinkle with 2-3 tblsp. sugar and soak refrigerated overnight covered with an orange liqueur (Curaço, Cointreau  or Triple-sec) barely to cover. Before serving: add chilled 1 bottle dry white wine, 1 bottle Rhine wine and one bottle club soda. Serve with a couple of ice cubes and be aware the fruit will be potent.

If reading this column you have surmised that strawberries are my favorite fruit, go to the head of the class. You are absolutely, 100% correct!

(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)

AH....SUMMER!

Ah…Summer!

          The wrens have fledged their young from their tidy house in the crabapple outside our kitchen window. The white blossoms are gone from the tree, but its shade is most welcome on the few warm and muggy June days as we brace for the visitor season in Maine.

Those of us who live here year around tend to grumble at more than five cars at an intersection, but happily forget the inconvenience when friends and relatives ‘from away’ come to visit. It is the season of outdoor festivals and holidays that simply demand we savor this short and glorious season of summer.

We savor not only the light breeze with our view of sparkling blue water and sky, but also the change in meals reflecting the bounty of local fresh produce. The grill takes over for our usual kitchen activities. Even though we cringe at burnt toast, the slightly charred edges of a steak or even a kale leaf affect our visual and taste appeal in a mouth watering way.

Steak and hamburger are the quickest and easiest meats to grill. Hamburger mixed with a couple of tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, formed in patties and chilled for a half an hour, provides an interesting variation on this staple. To dress up steak or a hamburger, blend a ¼ cup softened butter with some crumbled Danish blue cheese or Roquefort and place a dollop on the warm cooked meat before serving.

Grilled lamb is delicious in many variations. Shoulder lamb chops marinated for a half an hour before cooking in light soy sauce make an easy dinner choice. Kebabs take longer to marinate, but their flavor is wonderfully complex with vegetables briefly marinated in the same liquid.

                   Lamb and mushroom kebabs

Meat is most flavorful if marinated overnight or at least 8 hours. Marinade: 1 cup dry red wine, 1 tblsp. Worcestershire sauce, 2 minced cloves garlic, 2 tblsp. vegetable oil, 1 tblsp. catsup. ½ tsp. sugar, 1 ½ tblsp. red wine vinegar, ½ tsp. marjoram, ½ tsp. thyme. Cut 1 lb lamb shoulder in 2 inch cubes and marinate in the wine mixture in the refrigerator overnight. For grilling: clean 12 mushrooms, cut a red onion in quarters and separate out individual leaves, cut a red or green pepper in 2 inch pieces and a thin zucchini in 1 inch slices. Marinate the vegetables in the wine mixture briefly before assembling. It is easier to control cooking of the meat and vegetables on separate skewers, with only the onion leaves separating the meat. Grill on a hot grill until meat is cooked to desired level and the vegetables as browned.

One of the joys of living in Maine is the yearly crop of rhubarb, that has grown with great exuberance this year in our cool spring. We have it at our house as a compote with raisins, rhubarb cake, a rhubarb dried cherry pie and occasionally as rhubarb cream pie. The original recipe for this came from my good friend Elizabeth Lenz many years ago.

                   Rhubarb cream pie

Have pastry ready for a 2 crust 9 inch pie and line the bottom with one crust. Put in 3 cups cut up rhubarb. In a bowl mix together:  1 ½ cups sugar, 3 tblsp. flour, ½ tsp. nutmeg, ½ tsp. grated lemon peel, 1 tblsp. melted butter and 2 slightly beaten eggs. Pour mixture over rhubarb and top with a lattice top crust. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Remove from oven, cool and enjoy.

As Gershwin wrote: “Summertime, when the living is easy…”

(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)