Summer Entertaining with Time Saving Techniques
As school winds down and the days get warmer we can hopefully find time on our calendars for the activities (and the people) we love. Wouldn’t it be great if were able to use this time to also try and enjoy meals with family and friends and be able to utilize time saving and healthy techniques? I think there are helpful hints if not solutions to the dilemma of trying to cook more, cook healthy and have more time on your hands.
One of the easiest solutions to the time management dilemma is to prepare more than one meal at a time. This can mean preparing a lean roast for a Sunday dinner and reserving some of the leftovers for gourmet tacos a few nights later. Accompanying the roast some roasted carrots for a cold carrot soup combined with a bit of heavy cream, marjoram, lemon juice and crab would make a beautiful lunch or brunch item by the pool. For the tacos, it’s as simple as adding some garlic, cumin and cayenne to the beef to reheat. Add a little water if needed. Grill some peppers and onions and add manchego cheese and salsa to grilled corn taco shells and you have a lovely dinner. Add some slow cooked beans from your crock pot and these can double as a vegetarian chili to keep in the fridge for quick and easy lunches. The same beans can make a lovely veggie pate in your processor with herbs and left over cooked asparagus. Serve with a hunk of bread and some pickle even.
Your barbeque can also make entertaining easy. Who doesn’t like to ring in the evening with a glass of wine with a few friends and a screaming hot grill? A favorite of mine is small free range chickens cut in half, marinated in herb oil with a little orange juice and grilled under the weight of a foil covered brick. The leftovers offer endless possibilities. The most obvious is cold chicken pieces cut up for a beach lunch with a nice salad. De-boning the chicken is great for chicken salad. A big Caesar salad is a great summer meal. I make a quick dressing 
with mayonnaise, grated parmesan cheese, lemon zest and juice and roasted garlic add the leftover chicken and it’s perfect with the roasted carrot soup as well.
Another chef trick we use at the Planet X Café is keeping a stocked pantry with olives, roasted peppers, various cheeses, crackers, pastas and bases to whip up quick and effective sauces. It’s like always having a cold bottle of champagne in the fridge. You’re ready to celebrate anytime, even something as mundane as a Wednesday night. I love canned pates. Combine with crackers and cornichons and you have a great reason to open your champagne! Frozen organic grapes make perfect ice cubes for a summer Sangria and they are always ready. At home I usually keep some cold cooked pasta in my fridge. It’s great for a pasta salad with leftover Caesar dressing and some raw vegetables. Or add a little hoison from your pantry with radish, cucumber and carrot for a quick Asian salad.
If you work nights like I do, there is always a late night pasta dinner with some of your pantry staples such as roasted red peppers, garlic and olive oil. I love late night pasta. It’s a chef staple. A late night of cooking can render you exhausted, but something about a comfort dish like pasta and a glass of wine feels like a meal. Like something outstanding you would cook for your patrons. And best of all it’s a well deserved, sit down small meal. Add some of your favorite tunes and a hot shower and it’s like a week at a spa….almost.
In any case, a little planning can make a quick, light meal easy. There is something so sweet and satisfying about entertaining at a moments notice. Especially when you don’t have to plan and shop at a moments notice. Life is short, eat well.
