Quiet Times Quiet Meals

 July has started with the biggest of blow outs. it was a party weekend  between FIFA , America's 250th anniversary and Taylor 'sand Travis' big day /It was party, party  and party until we collectively almost burst. now it;s quiet time. Time for quiet meals al fresco or a simple barbecue.

This is the time to enjoy a meal outdoors - without all that hoopla and spangles. Why not try a simple pasta con salsa al cruda for a lovely dinner? Pasta cruda is one of the easiest sauces to make. Take ripe -tomatoes and roughly chop them. Marinate in good olive oil for about half an hour as the pasta cooks. I like mine with some garlic powder but you can also add chopped onions, basil and then at the last minutes mozzarella chunks. The pasta will cook the sauce to give to a semi cooked taste and soften the tomatoes. Any kind of pasta is used,Spaghetti is a good choice but chunkier pasta is also tasty too. Another quiet meals ,perfect for an al fresco dinner is spaghetti with lemon sauce. This is a mix of lemon zest , minced garlic and butter cooked while the pasta is  cooking. When t epasta is dine coat it wit this sauce with half a cup of the pasta water. Toss well until the pasta is coated.Add  quarter of a cup of Parnesan cheese. Mix it coat. then ad the another quarter cup and  one to two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice to taste.  Serve with a light white wine.

Te Fourth may be over but you can still barbecue .Do it without the hullabaloo. Simple burgers work  A good homemade recipe is ground chuck mixed with egg yolk to hold it together. Flavorings can be a dash of Worcestershire sauce, diced onion or minced garlic , and of course salt and pepper. You could serve it on buns but it actually tastes better on slices of rye toast. Serve with simple salads like tomato or broccoli , These are nothing fancy..Just good veggies mixed with a simple vinaigrette and flavored with minced garlic. Barbecued chicken is another nice meal that has all that flavor without all the fancy .Rub the chicken wit either melted butter or olive oil , then rub on sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Barbecue for forty-five to sixty minutes if you have the whole chicken (Spatchcock or butterfly it first for all over heat distribution.) Again any plain veggie salad is a great side here along with grilled corn. Forgot all the cheese and fixings on the corn. Just smearing it with butter is the best taste.

All the b ig shebangs are over with it and so are those party foods. Go back to  quiet dinners with simple quiet food. Enjoy them without all the razzle dazzle but with delicious simplicity.