Simple Celebrations

Once again we were reminded this week that simple fresh ingredients are the secret to memorable gatherings.  

Can you believe she is 75?!

We’ve been planning for Mom’s 75^th birthday, which was all about getting people together to spend time with Mom.  Grandchildren and children cleared their calendars so that they could come from Montreal, London and Toronto to be with her.  All this month we had been thinking about the special impact Mom had had on all our lives, and we chronicled it in a beautiful bound memory/photo book.  A common memory shared by many of the grandchildren was sitting with Granny over a cup of tea served just the way they liked it (loads of sugar, stirred or not stirred), and having a special moment with her to talk.  

We all gathered at our house for some appetizers before heading to Janet Lynn’s Bistro for dinner.  We served Summer Rolls, which require some significant preparation time, and some grilled farmer’s sausage fresh from the Kitchener Market with mustard for dipping.  The next day as we were rehashing the events, Ted commented that in spite of the fabulous dinner menu, his favourite part was the sausage! 

In light of this wisdom, we are going to share with you two simple recipes for those times when there’s too much going on to even think about the food.

Grilled Farmer’s Sausage dipped in Mustard

 

This is silly to even consider this a recipe!

Go to the Market to buy a coil of Famer’s Sausage and a jar of your favourite mustard.

Preheat barbecue on MEDIUM for 10 minutes, then brush grids and reduce heat to MEDIUM LOW

Place sausage directly on the grill, and cook 6 minutes per side.

Slice and serve with mustard.

Another simple and delicious recipe for week nights or on a buffet at a party:

Pork Tenderloin

3 pork tenderloins

¼ cup soya sauce

¼ cup honey

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Mix marinade ingredients, pour over pork and marinate 2 hours or up to overnight. 

Preheat barbecue on MEDIUM  and brush grids.  Reduce heat to MEDIUM LOW and place the pork directly on the grids on the diagonal.  Follow the directions for perfect grill marks at www.broilkingbbq.com, turning the meat every 4 minutes for a total of 16.  Remove to a cutting board and tent with foil, letting the meat rest for 10 minutes to reabsorb the juices before carving on the diagonal.

If, on the other hand, you can’t resist making a fuss, and want to prepare a beautiful and healthy appetizer, this recipe for Summer Rolls is always a hit:

Summer Rolls with Shrimp and Mango

16 rice paper wrappers

2 heads boston bibb lettuce

1 English cucumber,  julienned

4 spring onions,  julienned

1 red bell pepper, julienned

1 large mango, julienned

16 large shrimp, cooked, shelled and deveined, and halved lengthwise                                                     

1 bunch mint sprigs, washed

1  bunch cilantro sprigs, washed

½ cup hoisin sauce

Fill a wide, shallow dish with hot water. Working with 1 sheet of rice paper at a time, immerse in water and let stand until very pliable, for approximately 45 seconds. Remove from water and carefully arrange on a double layer of paper towels to drain.  Begin to assemble summer rolls by placing 2 halves of shrimp horizontally across the centre of the rice paper roll. Atop that place a leaf of lettuce, trimmed to fit , leaving a 1-inch border on bottom edge and on each side. Top lettuce with 3-4 strips each of green onion, cucumber, red pepper, mango., and ½ teaspoon of hoisin sauce. Finish  with a few sprigs each of coriander and mint.  Roll up filling tightly in sheet, folding in 2 sides of sheet to completely enclose filling, and continue rolling.

Transfer assembled rolls to a tray and cover with dampened paper towels. Repeat procedure with remaining rice paper sheets and filling ingredients. Tightly cover tray with plastic wrap (keeping dampened paper towels directly on spring rolls). Spring rolls may be made 6 hours ahead and chilled.

Just before serving cut spring rolls in half diagonally, with a serrated knife. Arrange spring rolls on a platter and garnish with coriander sprigs. Serve spring rolls with dipping sauce.

Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce

3 tablespoons fish sauce

• 3 tablespoons asian style sweet chilli sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1/2 red red chili pepper, seeded and chopped (remove the seeds unless you like your sauce hot!)

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine.

Refrigerate until needed.

Happy Birthday Gran!!