Welcome to the official inaugural weekend of summer. Memorial Day is noted for cabins being opened and dusted, boats setting sail, picnic baskets procured off the shelf in the garage for the first outing of the season, and the grill scrubbed and ready to be fired up.
After you complete the planting of a dozen tomato plants and sprucing up the garden, you know there is a rack of ribs just begging to be rubbed, grilled, basted and served with an extra warmed saucy bowl of barbecue sauce. So let’s get grilling!
Racks of baby back ribs would be my choice for the first of summer weekend gathering hot from the grill entree. Easy to prepare, 4 racks make enough for a gaggle of folks, not too expensive and when dripping with sticky saucy goodness, it’s an All-American feast. Low and slow cooking of the ribs produces tender to the bone racks. No rushing of this process, ever!
For a side dish, roasted baby new potatoes, tossed with freshly sliced leeks, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper are easy to prepare the last hour before dinner. Roasted in a convection oven, the potatoes turn crispy golden brown on the exterior, while the center is stays soft and tender. Leeks and potatoes. A perfect marriage.
A medley of spring vegetables can easily be grilled in a pan made for such a purpose over medium low heat. Asparagus, red peppers, onions, bok choy, parboiled baby carrots, and snow peas are gathered in one very attractive setting, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and then the grill performs its magical roasting and turns those lovely edibles into lightly charred wonders.
For a salad, a deconstructed version of a Caesar is esthetically pleasing and piquant enough to warrant additional dressing. A touch of the classic anchovies gives the salad a bit of sophisticated flair.
Dessert is a one pan raspberry-pistachio-lemon cake, served with a scoop of lemon sorbet or gelato. It’s seasonally delicious. And if you need a transportable cake, this is it. One hour of preparation and baking time is all that is required.
Heat up the grill for the ribs and vegetables. Roast the potatoes in the oven. Bake the cake earlier in the day. Make the dressing and assemble the salad while everything else cooking. Just takes a little organization. Some minor shortcuts. And look forward to many sunny days and cool nights ahead.
Happy Memorial Day Weekend!
|
No comments:
Post a Comment