Summer Eating

Well it looks like the summer has finally reached Ireland!
I'm back in sunny Dublin after a fabulous weekend boating on the Shannon.

How five women survived not only the technicalities of navigating and handling a 6 berth cruiser, but also confinement in close quarters for 3 days is beyond my other half, who is still shaking his head in disbelief.

But we did, and it was fun and relaxing and the weather was amazing and we didn't break anything much and apart from a minor bump with a 6 week old, 300,000 euro shiny cruiser (sharp intake of breath)- no damage to either boat- (and exhale), it all went well. We were blessed with ridiculously sunny weather every day, and ate on deck or at the riverside for every meal.

Outdoor cooking and eating really is something special. Everything seems to taste better. From the fresh watermelon at breakfast to the glorious salads, the barbecued haloumi, corn on the cob, flat mushrooms with pesto and vine tomatoes with tapenade, and lovely chargrilled fresh salmon, it was all delicious. Fresh fruit like pineapple and bananas all went on the barbie and I think it's almost replaced my yearning for the Scandinavian berries and white chocolate dessert at Bang Cafe.

Summer barbecuing really doesn't need to be all about the meat. Lots of vegetables do very well and if you don't want to go to the bother of skewering up some veg and haloumi or even fruit kebabs, you can spread out chunks of the cheese with red pepper and onion on disposable aluminium trays with a drizzle of oil, salt & pepper or marinade and they'll cook away over the cooler part of the grill. Leave good ripe little tomatoes on the vine if you can -simply because it looks lovely- but you can snip them into bunches of 3 or four with a scissors to make it easier for turning and serving.
The big flat mushrooms would make a great veggie alternative to a burger. We had them in freshly baked crusty baps with haloumi and the tomatoes mashed in like a relish. They need some fat to cook well, and although we used a dollop of pesto, a smear of garlic & herb butter would be equally delicious.
Barbecuing is quite a healthy way to cook as it uses very little additional fat or oil. Of course, marinades for vegetables, fish and meat are fantastic- they increase the flavour and decrease the cooking time- but always be sure to drain off any excess before putting food on the grill as drips onto the coals will cause 'flares' and excessive charring.
Use your imagination and be adventurous this summer.
Look here for recipe suggestions and here for food safety guidelines.