Drinking Summer

I think this was my very first cookbook.  I'm pretty sure I bought it in Charlottesville, when Ann Jones and I shared an apartment on Stribling Avenue shortly after graduating from UVA.  We moved into the house next door to this cute reporter named Doug Holt. 

The Moosewood Cookbook was all the rage, as I recall.  It's a vegetarian cookbook, which back then was rather exotic, but it was also a hit because of its folky style and handwritten recipes and drawings.  It was the first cookbook I moved with and while I don't reach for it very often, there are a few key recipes I love.  Like gazpacho.  I know gazpacho is not everyone's cup of tea, but to me it's like drinking a cup of summer.  Chock full of veggies and ripe summer tomatoes with a little kick in it.  Yummmmmmm.

Basically you throw together in a pitcher or tureen then chill for several hours:

4 cups chilled tomato juice,

1 finely minced onion, 

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 medium bell pepper, minced

1 medium cucumber, peeled, minced

2 scallions, minced

2 cups diced, fresh ripe tomatoes (seeded)

Add:

1 tsp honey

juice of 1/2 lemon

juice of 1 lime

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried tarragon

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 vcup minced parsley

3 Tbsp olive oil

salt & pepper, to taste

a few solid dashes of hot sauce

YUMMMMM

And now for that other kind of drinking summer -
don't forget the mighty Paloma:

rim a highball glass with kosher salt.

put a jalapeno slice on the bottom

add:

1/2 ounce fresh lime juice

2 ounces silver or blanco tequila

fill the glass with ice

top with grapefruit soda.  (sometimes hard to find but persevere, it's worth it.) 

Last week we got back from our annual trip to Phelps. Amazing, as usual, and we ate incredibly well, as usual.  The master meal plan is posted below, if anyone is interested and needs some summer menu ideas.  

7/2:  Arrivals--pulled pork , rolls, red cabbage cole slaw, dump brownies

7/3:  Brats and Burgers--17 peeps (6 lbs beef, 2 boxes brats) corn salad, watermelon. 

7/4:  Baked Mostaccioli--17 peeps, green salad, garlic bread, pound cake with red and blue berries and whip cream

7/5:  Chicken Chimichurri--17 peeps (18 chicken breasts) roasted potato, fennel, asparagus, green bean (ina), watermelon arugula salad (ina),  peach and raspberry crisp (ina )

7/6: Surf and Turf--17 peeps  grilled salmon and steak, baked potatoes, BLT salad, summer berry brownie torte (below)     
   
7/7:   Ina’s lemon Chicken--19 peeps (20 chicken breasts-or 18 lbs chicken pieces skin on), orzo with roasted vegetabes (Ina)

⅞ :  Ribs--19 peeps (10 slabs)  red cabbage cole slaw, baked beans, corn, blueberry lemon cake 

7/9:  out - alexanders pizza