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Transportable Summer Food
June 2006
Food is different in the
summer. It's lighter, fresher, and more abundant. We don't have to
do much to it in order to reap its delicious rewards. Anyone can
marinate some fresh salmon or tuna in a bit of olive oil, a squirt
or two of lemon and a sprinkle of fresh herbs and throw it on the
grill. Anyone can slice up some peppers, eggplant and zucchini and
lay them out beside the fish and in about 10 minutes you have a
scrumptious main course. Add some corn on the cob, a mixed green
salad, and a peach pie topped with vanilla ice cream and you have a
classic summer meal that's hard to top. But what's on the menu when
we need our summer food to be transportable, easy to eat, and still
be delicious?
Last weekend, the official
kick off of summer, I was on a boat on the Long Island Sound, tied
up to three other boats. Since plans for the weekend were sketchy
from the start, and I didn't know what to expect I had to ponder a
bit on what type of food to bring along. As it turned out, the
comings and goings of various members of our party were rather
spontaneous, so communal meals never happened. What a surprise!
Instead we nibbled throughout the day on what could be quickly
assembled or took trips into town to dine at a local restaurant on
the marina. Everyone was too busy having a good time boat hopping
and chatting, that even grilling seemed too much of a chore. Yes,
there are times, even for me, when cooking at all is just too much
to bother with. You want food that can simply be put on a platter,
passed around and enjoyed by all.
So what goodies did I bring?
I opted--for the most part---to bring only food that could be fully
cooked ahead and easily packed. There was the usual picnic fare,
potato salad and coleslaw, which I made interesting by adding a few
special ingredients. The potato salad was made with baby new
potatoes, mixed with a couple of hard boiled eggs and tossed in a
chipotle mustard mayo, a sprinkle of extra virgin olive oil and a
pinch of old bay seasoning. A traditional coleslaw was also tossed
with a sprinkle or two of extra virgin olive oil along with
mayo--this lightens the heaviness of the mayo--and made special by
adding a few tablespoons of crumbled gorgonzola. These two summer
staples went from ordinary to wow. I also brought along a dozen or
so salmon/crab/risotto cakes---a wonderful twist on simply crab
cakes---a deep dish asparagus and roasted pepper frittata, and some
fudge brownies, When hunger struck, I had something delicious I
could easily share with all. That was my treat and my reward. If you
like to cook and feed people, you'll know the feeling. It's great!
For all the many fun outings
I hope you share with friends and family this summer, whether you're
on a boat, beach or blanket, check out my recipes for some of the
above treats. Bring them along, pass them around and enjoy.
Welcome to summer.
Chef Silvia
This month in
recipes, you'll find a tasty frittata and
summer salmon-crab risotto cakes.
Also, if any of you are interested in organizing you own style of cooking
class/dinner party, check out my
cooking classes page for more information.
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