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June/July
Food
Al Fresco A
Morire
I cannot
stand to be in a hot kitchen in the summertime. As much as I
like to cook, summer in Texas can be the ultimate buzzkill.
So – here are some ideas that will keep your cooking time to
a minimum but still give you options for variety and groovy
meals. Have plenty of chilled wine on hand to drink.
MY BIG FAT
ANTIPASTO PLATTER
Any of the
following four recipes can anchor an antipasto platter for a
simple but gorgeous supper. Follow it with a rich, dangerous
dessert. Other suggestions for the platter:
Good olives
Pickled okra (or pepperoncini or squash or whatever)
Caper berries (like big giant pickled capers with stems)
Hearts of palm
Hummus, tabouli or tzatziki
Imported cold cuts like proscuitto cotto, mortadella,
Serrano ham, dried salami, etc.
Pates and good cheeses
Good bakery bread
1. EGYPTIAN
EGGPLANT SALAD
2 large
eggplants
1 medium onion
2 pieces of garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
1 14-ounce can imported Italian tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
Remove half
the peel from the eggplants by peeling away long, straight
strips and leaving some “stripes.” Cut them into 1” cubes
and place them in one or two large colanders. Salt them
generously and set them in the sink to sweat for 30 minutes
or longer.
Meanwhile,
chop the onion and heat the oil in a large skillet. Fry the
onion for 8 minutes or until slightly browned. Add the
eggplant and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for
3 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, lower the heat,
and simmer 30 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature
before serving with pita bread. You can also serve it
chilled.
2. OVEN
ROASTED BABY ZUCCHINI
2 pounds
fresh baby zucchini
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
Heat the
oven to 400 F. Wash and dry the zucchini and coat them with
the oil in a big bowl. Spread them out on a cookie sheet and
sprinkle the salt evenly over all of them. (You can go easy
on the salt if desired, but do not omit it.) Roast uncovered
for 30 minutes or until they start to brown slightly. Cool t
o room temperature before serving.
3. SWEET
PAN-ROASTED PEPPERS
4 large
yellow bell peppers
1/2 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic (optional)
kosher salt
ground black pepper
Rinse the
peppers, halve and seed them, and cut each half in half
again. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large deep
skillet. Smash the garlic clove with the flat of a big knife
and add it to the skillet. Cook for a minute or so, then add
the peppers. Cover the skillet and adjust the heat to medium
low. Cook the peppers for 20-30 minutes, or until they are
soft and have begun to brown. Cool and serve at room
temperature. These are great alone or served tossed with a
pound of linguine. You can also add them to a salad.
4. CALAMARI ALLA
NANNI
From Craig
Claiborne’s New York Times Cookbook. One of my favorite
recipes.
Serves 4.
2 pounds
fresh squid, cleaned and sliced into rounds
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions
1 bay leaf
1/2 ounce flat anchovies
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup dry white wine
dash of oregano
2 large fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon Pernod or other anise-flavored liqueur
Heat the
oil in a large skillet and add the garlic, scallions and bay
leaf. Add the anchovies and sautee briefly until the
anchovies dissolve. Add all remaining ingredients except for
the Pernod. Cover and let simmer slowly for 1 hour. Serve in
a large shallow bowl accompanied by Italian bread for
dipping.
ALL SUMMER
LONG SALAD
Spinach is
good for you and more substantial here than lettuce would
be. And an entire cup of this dressing has around 8 grams of
fat.
1 package
baby spinach leaves
1 cucumber, peeled and very thinly sliced
1 vine ripe tomato or 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 ounce crumbled feta cheese
Greek olives
GREEK DRESSING: Stir 1
envelope of Italian dressing mix into a pint of lowfat or
nonfat yogurt. Stir well and season with ground black
pepper, a generous pinch or two of oregano, and a squeeze of
lemon juice.
FRIED OKRA
SALAD
Serves 4
1 package
baby spinach leaves
2 cups Stillwell frozen breaded okra
oil for frying
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
4 slices bacon
4 eggs
1/2 cup sliced cucumber
4 tablespoons chopped green onion
Salad
dressing of your choice – try bleu cheese vinaigrette,
freshly made ranch, or a warm bacon dressing: Sautee 2
tablespoons chopped shallots in 1 tablespoon bacon fat. Add
2 tablespoons maple syrup, stir and remove from the heat.
Stir in 1/4 cup cider vinegar and a dash of salt and pepper.
Pour while still warm over the salad and mix well.
Place the
eggs to boil in a small pan of water for about 10 minutes,
and cook the bacon until crisp in the microwave or in a
small skillet. While these are cooking you can make the
salad dressing. Next, slice the tomatoes if desired, then
slice the cucumbers and green onions. Set aside. Heat some
oil (about 1 cup) in a skillet large enough to hold the okra
pieces without crowding them. When the oil is very hot but
not smoking, carefully add the okra. Fry until golden brown
and drain on paper towels. Divide the spinach among 4 large
shallow bowls. Heap the okra evenly into the middle of each
bed of spinach. Arrange the other vegetables around the
sides. Quarter the eggs and crumble the bacon and add them
to each salad. Serve with dressing on the side.
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