Western Living

Entertaining outdoors: Summer party food recipes

The song says that in summertime the living is easy, so how come whipping together that casual outdoor feast always seems every ounce as much work as prepping a holiday dinner? Because you’re using the wrong recipes. Beef Wellington cooked on a barbecue is just as much work as beef Wellington cooked in an oven. To get the benefit of outdoor entertaining you need to think in big, broad strokes-a pot of seafood, a shoulder of pork-and then fill in the detail with easy, delicious sides. Just like we’ve done for you on the following pages.
So dig in. And hey...relax.

Photographs by Clinton Hussey | Styling by Murray Bancroft

OUTDOOR BBQ

Hotdogs and hamburgers are swell, but nothing says summer like the scent of a slow-roasted seasoned chunk of meat. Most of us don’t have access to a monster rotisserie and it’s rarely advisable to start a small fire in your backyard. This slow-roast recipe preserves all the flavour and most of the romance of the backyard cookout-while ensuring that a battalion of hungry firefighters don’t become your uninvited guests.

PREP
Buy the best meat. Go to a butcher and pay more. Trust us, it’s worth it.
seek out the unique . Heirloom varieties of pork like Berkshire or Taworth, or even wild boar, turn the basic into the sublime.

Warm Buns. A pork roast can end up on the plate, but we love shredding it up and pairing it with some grainy mustard or salsa verde on some doughy goodness.

Work in advance. Prepare the roast four hours before the party, let cool and finish in the oven for an hour before dinner to get perfect crackling.

Best Wine for Pork
You know who knows how to roast meat? The Greeks. You know whose wine doesn’t stink anymore? You got it. Boutari Moschofilero 2009 ($16) is a light, slightly floral wine that’s great for summer cookouts.

SEAFOOD BOIL PARTY

Summer is for playing tag football on the beach, philandering-and crab boils. At least that’s what the Kennedys taught us. There’s no surer way to bring some rustic Hyannis Port elegance to the party than to roll up your chinos, kick off your top-siders and boil seafood. Madras is optional.

PREP
Citrus up. Lemon wedges are good for quick squirts of flavour, and to act as a quick hand cleaner. Spread them all over the table.

Go big. Invest in a large stockpot. It doesn’t need to be fancy and it can be used for boiling crabs, lobsters, spot prawns and corn.

Recycle. Remember that deep-frying turkey machine you bought four years ago, used once and then parked in the garage? You now have your outdoor seafood boiler.

Best Summer Wine
You want an acidic white that can cut through all the richness of that messy crab meat. Portugal’s vinho verde-try Casal Garcia ($12) -is just about perfect. It’s light and slightly effervescent, and its low alcohol means you can drink it in the summer heat without waking up looking like Ted Kennedy circa 2005. Serve ice cold.

Try This
Eating crabs is a messy business-embrace it. Spread some newspaper on the table, distribute as many cutting boards and mallets as you have and let ’er rip.

SUMMER FIESTA

One of the great joys of summer cooking is taking a dish that’s usually made inside and hauling it out in the glorious sunshine for some al fresco cooking. Paella is perfect: its hodgepodge of ingredients lends itself to that relaxed, familial atmosphere those Spaniards have a lock on. If you really want to make like a local, start cooking it at 9, eat at 11 and then go out dancing.

PREP
Go Moorish. This dish lends itself to a boho set-up of a carpet, a few cushions and some lanterns in the backyard to dine under the stars.

Bucket list. Set one up with bottles of cava in ice. You’ll look like a player, and half a case costs less than a bottle of Veuve Clicquot.

Best Wine for Paella
Rosé champagnes rock. They also rock your wallet. But the Spaniards take a practical approach and price white and rosé cava the same. Bless them, because the Segura Viudas Brut Rosé ($16) gives a red raspberry and nectarine aroma and has some added heft to stand up to a smoky paella.

Try This
Invest in a paella pan. Like an old baseball glove, the bottom of a well-used paella pan will take on a glorious patina. Sizes start at two servings, or supersize it with a pan that will serve 60.

RECIPES
Arugula and Radish Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette Recipe

6 cups arugula
1 bunch radish, quartered
1 cup fresh peas
¼ cup Dijon vinaigrette

Toss ingredients in a salad bowl.

Dijon Vinaigrette Recipe

1¼ cups extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 shallot, finely chopped (optional)
Pinch salt and pepper
3 tbsp water

In the largest metal bowl you have, whisk vinegar, mustard, shallot, salt and pepper together. Continue whisking (in one direction, to avoid splitting the dressing) for about 1 minute while adding olive oil in a thin stream. Whisk again for 45 seconds (dressing should emulsify and stick to the whisk). Taste and season if necessary. Whisk in water to get to a pouring consistency. Pour into a hinged jar and store in fridge for up to 3 weeks.

Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder Recipe

2 kg pork shoulder, bone-in, skin on
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425°F. Place pork shoulder skin side up on roasting pan and score (cut through skin and part of fat, without cutting deeply into meat) every 2 inches across the surface. Rub salt into cuts, wiping off the excess. Flip meat and apply salt and pepper to bottom.

Place meat in oven, skin side up. After 30 minutes, cover with tinfoil, reduce heat to 325°F and let roast for another 4 hours, Remove foil and return again to oven for 1 more hour.
Remove from oven and let rest with some loosely covered foil on top for 10 minutes. Remove crackling and cut it into 1-inch pieces (serve on the side and wait for the stampede of people). Platter roast and serve by pulling the meat away with tongs or a serving fork. Serve with warm buns and grainy mustard and/or salsa verde (click link fora great recipe).

Boiled Dungeness Crab Recipe

6 2-lb Dungeness crabs
Salt

To clean crabs, place shell side down on cutting board, cut in half, remove top shell, then clean and remove gills. Drop cleaned crabs into well-salted boiling water for 13 minutes. Remove from water and serve on a large cutting board with a crab mallet.

Corn on the Cob with Chili Lime Butter Recipe

6–8 ears of corn, husked
½ cup butter
3 limes, cut into wedges
2 tbsp dried chili flakes
Coarse sea salt

Pre-heat barbecue. Add corn to boiling water. Cook 3–4 minutes then remove, pat dry with paper towels and grill on barbecue for 4–5 minutes (moving around with tongs) until there are some nice char marks. Roll corn in butter and sprinkle with chilies and salt. Serve with lime wedges.

Paella Recipe

6 cups chicken stock
1 tsp saffron
½ cup olive oil
1 whole rabbit, trimmed and portioned (or use 2 chicken breasts and 4 thighs)
½ cup chorizo, sliced
½ cup prosciutto, diced
½ tsp smoked paprika
1 medium onion, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups bomba rice (from Spain)
½ cup dry white wine
1 bay leaf, torn in half
8 Dungeness crab claws, cooked (plus some additional cooked/shelled meat if you have it)
16 spot prawns, whole head attached
½ cup peas (fresh shelled or frozen/thawed)
1 small bunch Italian parsley, chopped
8 lemon wedges

Using a charcoal barbecue or fire pit, get wood charcoal started and spread out evenly. Paella pan should stand 1 inch from coals. In a separate pan, heat chicken stock, add saffron and let simmer.

Heat olive oil in a 20-inch paella pan over coals or medium-high heat. Add rabbit and brown for 2–3 minutes on each side. Remove from pan.
Add chorizo and prosciutto and cook for 4–5 minutes. Remove from pan.

Now add the onion, tomato and garlic with the smoked paprika. Stir and let these ingredients start to absorb the flavours of the chorizo, ham and rabbit. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add rice, stir, then add wine. The wine will evaporate and be absorbed into the other ingredients. Add the hot stock and bay leaf. Simmer for about 10–15 minutes.

Lay the cooked crab claws and the whole prawns over the rice and loosely cover with lid or foil. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste rice. It should be fully cooked but still slightly firm to bite.

Take off heat and spread peas and parsley on top of paella. Cover loosely again and let rest 5–10 minutes before serving.
Garnish with lemon wedges and serve at the table.

Summer Gazpacho with Serrano Ham Recipe

2 whole cloves garlic
1 loaf bread, cubed
1 kg ripe tomatoes
1 cucumber, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
4 sprigs fresh basil
6 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
1.5 L water
12 small slices Serrano ham

Preheat oven to 350°F. Roast garlic in tinfoil with a little oil for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, soak bread in enough water to just cover.

In a blender or food processor, blend tomatoes, cucumber, shallot, basil, bread and garlic until smooth. Add vinegar, oil and water. Cover and refrigerate 1–2 hrs. Serve chilled in small glass with slice of ham on top.

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