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Menu Plan for Summer II: Week 5, Friday
Links:
Daily Recipes:
Caprese Salad
Barbecued Salmon
Simple Couscous
Barbecued Zucchini (Courgette)
Cooking time: 30 minutes for menu Cooking schedule: see below for instructions
Summer, barbecues and tomatoes. Easy dinner; easy cooking. Nothing more to say.
Tomato with Fresh Mozzarella and Basil, aka: Caprese salad
Total time: 5 minutes
This is one of the simple, classic, Italian Summer Salads, and seen on menus all around the Mediterranean. It's best served with the freshest mozzarella you can find... Which can be difficult if you don't live in Italy. We try!
Ingredients:
- 1 ball mozzarella de Bufala, 4oz (120gr) net weight
- 2 - 3 garden ripe tomatoes
- 1 large handful fresh basil
- Balsamic vinegar
- salad olive oil
Instructions:
- Select 2 lovely, large dinner plates.
- Slice the mozzarella into 6 or 8 slices - this depends on the shape of the mozzarella and the sharpness of your knife.
- Slice tomatoes - you want 4 nice slices per person about 1/4 inch thick, so you will use 2 or 3 tomatoes depending....
- Tear large basil leaves in half, leave small ones whole.
- Arrange tomato and mozzarella artfully on plates, toss basil leaves on top.
- Serve, with oil and vinegar on the side to be added by each person to taste.
Note: if you have nice cruets for the oil and vinegar use them. If not small bowls with small spoons work fine - or, just put the bottles on the table...
Barbecued Salmon
Total time: 20 minutes
You could also use salmon steaks, or another firm-flesh fish: tuna, swordfish, halibut. The sherry and soy sauce make a nice counterpoint to the salmon's richness.
Ingredients:
- 2 salmon fillets, 6oz each (180gr each)
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 tbs soy sauce
- 4 tbs ketchup
- 2 tbs sherry
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Instructions:
- In small bowl mix all ingredients except salmon and paprika.
- Sprinkle paprika over salmon.
- Put salmon in a grill basket if using barbecue grill or on mesh grill pan if you don't have a basket.
- Brush fish with part of the barbecue sauce.
- Cook on barbecue grill for 10 - 14 minutes with cover partially closed, basting with the rest of the barbecue sauce towards the end.
- OR put on baking sheet, spoon sauce over and roast in 400 F oven for 15 - 20 minutes, depending on thickness. In both case salmon will be done when it flakes easily; slightly pink in the center is fine.
- Remove from heat and serve, sliding it off the skin if needed.
Simple Couscous
Total time: 15 minutes
This is couscous at it's simplest: just a bit of herbs and oil, the perfect dish to accompany a sauced fish or meat...
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (3oz, 90gr) couscous
- 3/4 cup (6oz, 180ml) chicken broth
- 2 tbs snipped chives
- 1 tbs snipped basil
- 2 tsp good olive oil
Instructions:
- Heat chicken broth to boiling.
- Put couscous in a medium bowl.
- When broth is boiling pour over couscous, cover and let stand for 10 minutes... Do not stir it.
- Add herbs and oil to couscous, fluff gently with a fork to combine and serve.
Barbecued Zucchini (Courgette)
Total time: 20 minutes
Mon mari says "they are done when they start to sag in the middle and they have brown grill marks on them". You can put them in a basket, but we do them directly on the grill.
Ingredients:
- 1 medium zucchini, about 10 inches (25cm)
- 1 tsp Dijon-style mustard
- 2 tbs ketchup
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbs olive oil
Instructions:
- In small bowl mix all ingredients except zucchini.
- Slice zucchini into 1/2 inch thick rounds. Do not peel first.
- Put rounds onto a plate and spoon a bit of sauce onto each side.
- Place directly onto grill of barbecue. Grill just until soft and starting to brown, 10 - 15 minutes, turning once.
- Remove and serve.
Cooking schedule: 30 minutes |
Arrange tomatoes, mozzarella on plates |
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