Now, I know that this post is long over due with a title of Season Summer Lunch. But even though this menu features some seasonal items, you can still get most of them or swap them out for ones that are in season. I felt this post was important to share not just for the food but for the sentiment of friendship, and the enduring bonds built from long ago. One of life’s great gifts is having friends. Even better, is a lifelong friend. So as luck would have it one of mine happened to be passing through Westchester. Dianne and I have known each other since Junior High. We even went to the same college, Binghamton University. Without dating ourselves, trust me when I say that we have been friends for a very long time. Busy lives, crazy work schedules and distances have kept us from seeing one another but lifelong friendships are just that… forever. So, the only logical thing to entice her to not just drive past my house on her way to Connecticut was to offer up a summertime lunch. Some of my picks; Tomatoes (both from our garden & farm stand), yellow squash and other greens would be the feature. Thankfully Dianne is a foodie too and so the enticement worked as well as the timing. With initial menu ideas in the works, I moved on to setting a simple yet pretty table.
Flowers cut from my garden, casual placemats and purple napkins to brighten things up.
Once again I find myself hosting during the week, and with each visit I am loving this idea of “work week’ entertaining. As these last few blog posts have proven, I’ve been ‘week day entertaining’ of late. My schedule affords me the luxury of being flexible and available, so these moments aren’t stressful at all. On the contrary, they are a joy to break up the work week. (Which is an ironic and funny statement since the majority of work week is cooking. What I mean is that the break comes in the form of being social. And THAT is a great thing.) I do understand that even with the work from home scenario your schedule might not allow for this much flexibility. But if it does, here is a menu that might suit your needs. And if not, then serve it as a weekend lunch option, or a light dinner. Also, this meal doesn’t need to be summer only, which is why I don’t feel so badly posting it so late.
Here’s how it went down. Even for a simple lunch, it’s always nice to have a starter to offer when your guest(s) arrive.
Appetizer - The Ubiquitous Cheese/Charcuterie Platter
(There is a reason this platter is so popular. It just works. You don’t have to go crazy with a huge platter. A few nibbles is all that is needed to whet the appetite. I put out a few things that I had on hand: Mortadella, Humboldt Goat Cheese, Cucumber slices, Picos (Spanish Mini Breadsticks), G. F. crackers, olives, sliced fresh apricots)
Choose a platter size that is appropriate for the amount of people. That way you can fill it to fill abundant, even if it’s a small offering.
Main Lunch Meal
I used both baby Arugula & baby Kale for this salad. It’s fresh and crisp and the arugula adds a peppery bite.
Oven Roasted Herb Oil Cod with garden picked grape tomatoes & green olives
Place the cod, grape tomatoes and green olives on a baking sheet.
Season with oil, salt and pepper (you can add chopped parsley & thyme)
Roast at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes depending on the thickness of the cod.
This is easy to prep prior, covered and placed in fridge until ready to roast.
Plate it up and pour all those delicious juices over top.
Basmati Rice with Sautéed Red Onion
Bring 1 cup of rice to 1.5 c water to a boil.
Lower to simmer, cover and let cook for 13 minutes. Remove from heat and let steam with cover on for another 5-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a cast iron pan sauté diced onions in olive oil, salt, pepper until caramelized. Then add the rice to onions and ‘fry’ it up.
This is such a simple way to enhance rice that makes it more than just a carb side dish.
As far as prep, I could have done all this the morning of but I had an early morning meeting away from my home. So, I prepped the Yellow Squash dish the day before. Partly because this was a brand new creation which required a think through process along with time to set up for proper photos. The added benefit was that it proved to me that this new recipe could be made ahead of time and then finished before serving. Another disclosure; I already had the homemade Caesar dressing from a couple of days before from our dinner. But if you don’t have time to make fresh, then find the best, most natural dressing you can. I make most everything from scratch, especially dressings, but that doesn’t mean you have to. If this is an area where you can relieve the workload, then do so. However, if you have the time, there is nothing like fresh, homemade.
We finished by sitting outside enjoying homemade ice cream sandwiches. Dianne and I had the most lovely visit. Juancarlos was able to join us for lunch which was nice. We certainly missed, Lenny, Dianne’s husband, and hoping we can lure him for next time. I feel so grateful to have friends, and ones that have lasted decades. Spending time with people you care about enriches the soul. I believe we all are quite aware of just how true that is after spending almost 3 years in isolation.
If you can’t chisel out a weekday calendar slice, then do try to carve out a weekend moment to share it with old, and new friends alike.
Here we are.
Dianne, always so thoughtful and gracious brought me a hostess gift that was right up my alley. A lovely candle and napkins with beautiful friendship sayings. Besides her presence, these were the most perfect gifts.
