There is something so delightful about cooking in the summer. First of all, it is extremely simple, you can create a fantastic meal quickly with all the fresh local produce. Second, with the longer daylight hours, it means that you can have that dinner outside while watching the sunset, and it just can not get better than that. My family loves a big Saturday night dinner, and this means I have to take it up a few notches. No, not too fancy and certainly easy, but get ready for this, here is my favorite go-to Saturday night dinner.
First, you need to go to one or like me, all of our local produce places. I live in White Stone which means I love to visit The Old Farm Truck where I will always buy items that are not on my list, just because everything, everything in that shop is beautiful, fresh and simply delicious. Plus, when you walk through the door you feel like part of the Farm Truck family. Make sure to pick up peaches, berries, freshly baked bread, and garlic, all local and full of bursting flavor. Or you can travel down the street to the outdoor market on the right corner. Here, I guarantee you will find an absolutely delicious cantaloupe. And if you travel a bit further towards Kilmarnock, you will find Dug in Farms, up around the bend, where you will find the essential sweet corn that screams summer, as well as beautiful flowers for your dinner table.
For many years now my son and I have had a vegetable garden, which is a tribute to my youth and parents. I derive great pleasure from collecting vegetables and herbs that we have taken the time to nurture and grow. For this dinner, I need rosemary and thyme, which smells incredible when freshly picked, and also looks lovely in small vases on your kitchen counter.
Now for the main dish you need to do a little planning, but do not worry, I love summer easy, and this will not disappoint you, promise. You need a leg of lamb. I have a small family of big eaters so I usually buy a 6-pound leg of lamb. You need to begin a little early, that is the planning part – but also the easy part as this dish is called 4-hour lamb, and adapted from The Barefoot Contessa recipe. I begin around 3 p.m. and before I begin I think about what is most essential. The music. It’s a summer Saturday afternoon, which congers up all sorts of memories and emotions, which simply means I need the classics. For me that is Bobby Darin, Bille Holiday, Brook Benton, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobin, just to name a few. Just the first few lines of “Summertime” will put a smile on my face, and I know that in a few hours we will have the ultimate summer feast. Now:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
Rub the lamb all over with olive oil and season all over with salt and pepper.
Heat a very large Dutch oven such as Le Creuset over medium-high heat until its hot. Add the lamb and sear on all sides for about 12 minutes, until it’s browned all over.
Remove the lamb to a plate.
Add a 750ml bottle of dry white wine and 2 cups of water to the pan and cook for a minute or two, scraping up all the brown bits in the bottom.
Add the 2 heads of garlic, 15 large sprigs of rosemary, 10 large sprigs of thyme, and 6 bay leaves and the lamb on top. Place the lid on the pot and bake in the oven for 4 hours, basting occasionally.
(If you don’t have a lid, you can cover it tightly with 2 layers of aluminum foil.)
Now you have a few hours to go play. Yes, play while your lamb is cooking and making your home smell delicious. As Dean Martin likes to sing “ “Bells will ring ting-a-ling-a-ling, ting-a-ling-a-ling
And you’ll sing “Vita bella” Hearts will play tippy-tippy-tay, tippy-tippy-tay”
A few minutes before your lamb is done, take out all that beautiful produce you purchased from all your favorite places and assemble. Boil the corn, chop up the fruit and tomatoes, slice the bread, its just that easy, when the 4-hour timer buzzes, the lamb should be incredibly tender and falling off the bone. Remove the lamb to a plate, cover it tightly with foil and allow it to rest. Strain the sauce into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes to reduce. The lamb will be too tender to slice; serve it warm on a large platter with spoons and the sauce. I like a dish of mint jelly, and can I tell you how delicious the bread tastes when you dip it in the sauce. Bon Appetitoooo, indeed.
Now that you have the feeling, take your bounty to the table, enjoy the summer evening and watch the sun make the incredible colors of pink, blue, red and yellow and it signals the close of the day. However, if you are like me, you just do not want this summer evening to end. No worries, I have one more plan for you, a simple backyard outdoor theater. I mean you have to have dessert, so why not pop some popcorn add the peanut M&M’s, grab a few blankets, and some crisp white sheets to use as a display. Now, set up the technology. Connect the video signal from your DVD player to a projector then connect the audio signal from your DVD player into the speakers. A pair of basic computer speakers is perfectly fine. Voila! You are in business. A movie recommendation? “The Hundred Foot Journey”, of course! A few favorite lines from the movie: Madame Mallory: “Last night, we served this in this restaurant. The cuisine is not an old, tired marriage. It is a passionate affair.” or Madame Mallory: “If your food is anything like your music, I suggest you turn it down.” Papa: “I will turn the music down but I will turn the heat up!”
You are welcome, I hope I have helped make your summer Saturday night memorable.