We are having to be inventive this summer. My condo manager informed me that although I have one of the four (of 81) condos with an open terrace, I may no longer have a barbecue. I'm in the process of trying to sell the condo and move to a house, so this is but a temporary setback, but it did require rethinking our first outdoor meal.
In the past, we've often cooked outside and eaten inside. Now, I think we may be cooking (grilling) inside and eating outside, since the terrace is at its best in the evening, wrapped in flowers and breezes.
For a debut meal, we tried out my new Cuisinart Pannini Grill, which made very good hot dogs and hamburgers (we always go with an all-American theme first). They shared the table with a great Tomato Salad (recipe follows), corn on the cob (not bad for so early in the season), my daughter's superlative Baked Beans, and a big bowl of mixed berries.
Tomato Salad is an all-summer dish at our house and comes in many variations. We sometimes even eat it out of season (if we can get reasonably good tomatoes, such as grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes on the vine). First make vinaigrette. Our house standard is two of extra virgin olive oil to one of balsamic vinegar, seasoned with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Sometimes we use red wine vinegar and occasionally we make a salad which has many more cucumbers (half tomatoes and half cucumbers) with no oil at all and mild Japanese vinegar.
To the dressing we add the best ripe tomatoes we can find. For us that means local farm-grown big tomatoes in season (we're already there) or grape or vine tomatoes otherwise. Later in the season, we'll be able to get baskets of mixed heirloom tomatoes which will go right in. Then you need to decide what else? We always add some onion -- red, sweet white (Vidalila right now), shallot, and perhaps one clove of minced garlic. We often add some cucumber (peeled, quartered lengthwise, seeds removed, and sliced -- as much as you like. At this time of year it's more of a condiment than an ingredient. Then we pick an herb. Basil would be the choice right now, but at other times it might be parsley or dill (especially when the salad is half cucumber and no oil). How much? A few handfuls, chopped or julienned. Everything but the herb can be mixed together and left out at room temperature for a few hours. Mix in the herb just before serving. Expect people to want seconds.
If you have leftover, this makes a good base for Gazpacho. Just add to Tomato Juice or V-8 with some more garlic and whatever else seems not enough and whirl in the blender.
