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| Sliced cukes, steamed corn on the cob and fresh tomatoes make up the perfect summer dinner. |
Tonight I had another perfect meal, the quintessential summertime dinner: corn on the cob, sliced cucumbers and chunks of tomatoes. My neighbor provided the cukes and tomatoes and I bought the corn from a farm stand this afternoon.
The times I eat a vegetarian dinner are few: when I choose to have cereal for dinner, for example, or when I have popcorn for dinner because I'm too lazy to even have cereal. Yes, I am that lazy sometimes.
But the summertime dinner isn't about vegetarian or organic or healthy, it's about summer right on your plate, right on your fork.
I like fresh tomatoes sliced with chopped fresh basil, some garlic and a drizzle of olive oil. And I enjoy cukes dipped in mayonnaise. The corn is delicious with unsalted, melted butter and some chopped dill or fresh chives. But all of those things are just accessories. Summer vegetables fresh out of the garden don't need to be all dressed up.
Summer is waning. I'm going to eat all the corn, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, summer squash and zucchini that I can. When I'm sitting around this winter, I want to dream about summer: swimming, walking on the beach, wearing flip flops every day, riding in my car with the sunroof open and eating fresh, lovely summer dinners.
Absolutely the truth.
ReplyDeleteRe squash: slice a tangerine sized onion, start cooking slowly in a little olive oil with a tiny bit of butter to help the color. While that cooks, slice 2 small banana sized zucchini into 1/2" rounds. Toss onto the now softened onion, salt, mix, turn heat to high, when it sizzles, cover, turn heat to low, cook until barely tender. If the squash throws a lot of water, uncover at end, turn up heat a minute but watch it. Ideally everything is tender, some of the onions are golden, there are goldenbrown spots on some of the squash pieces.
Cool a little bit.
Eat it in a bowl with a glass of cold white wine.
Leftovers - frittata base for breakfast....