Fine food, outdoor dining a highlight of summer

Life with a view. That’s what we Pacific Northwesterners possess.

So what have you been doing with that view this summer?

I don’t mean on weekends when we all head out to our favorite scenic playgrounds. But everyday, at the end of the day. When the warm summer air is laced with a hint of jasmine from the backyard fence, and the evening sky has taken on a crimson-indigo glow.

That, my friends, calls for dining on the deck.

OK, so maybe I’m a cheap date. But here in Corvallis, once the weather turns civil, I consider al fresco dining a delicious sort of pastime, an experience that turns even a humble meal – which most of mine are – into an event. I just love it!

Plus, there are no clocks on a deck. So even the most hurried diners have a tendency to readjust their pace and linger awhile longer.

But this passion for deck dining has a motivation much deeper than that. One, I think, that can be traced back to a slower, easier period: the first 19 summers of my life, where there were luxurious lumps of time spent at my cousins’ country home in the Sonoma Valley of California.

My aunt and uncle’s house was perched on the side of a canyon, overlooking a gentle creek. Their deck ran the full length of the house overlooking the view.

Days at Kenwood were filled with simple kid adventures. But by 5:30 in the afternoon, adults and children ended up on that deck. The adults got my aunt’s sangria, made from the local red wine. The kids got juice.

And we’d all munch on cheese, a crusty sourdough, grapes and carrot sticks, and mull over the day’s events as we watched the sun pitch slowly toward the west end of the valley.

Then my uncle Reg would fire up the grill, our signal to ready the picnic table for the simple meal soon to follow.

Aunt Nida was well organized for these dinners on the deck. She had a vast collection of platters on which she would arrange the side dish of rice or pasta alongside whatever came off the grill.

Sometimes, instead of a barbecue, there was a main dish salad, assembled hours earlier during a free period. Again, this meant fewer dishes were carted to and from the deck.

At other times, the meal would consist of thinly sliced cheeses, meats and vegetables that we’d sandwich between great chunks of the locally baked sourdough.

Little did I know then that those meals would hold such a firm grasp on my soul. But I’m grateful that they did, because, as I said, we’ve had some wonderful dinners on our own deck.

Nothing fancy. Simple meals. Holdovers from a simpler, slower, easier time.

* n n

This is the wonderful wine cooler that my Aunt Nida used to serve at her summer house in the Sonoma Valley on balmy summer evenings.

Nida’s simple sangria

112-ounce can frozen pink lemonade

4cans (using the frozen lemonade can) club soda

4cans (using the frozen lemonade can) dry red wine

1can (using the frozen lemonade can) triple sec (or other orange-flavored liqueur)

Juice of 1 lime

Fresh slices of lemons and limes for garnish

Combine all of the ingredients in a beautiful glass pitcher. Stir well. Serve over ice.

Yields 33/4 quarts of sangria.

Note: The recipe can be increased or decreased as desired by keeping the ingredients in correct proportion. Keeps for weeks in the refrigerator.

* n n

It was a salad of blueberries, white peaches and triple sec. And it was sublime in its simplicity.

At least that’s what good friends were telling me the other night on one of summer’s most perfect evenings – when the air on our deck was neither too hot nor too chilled, and the tiny white lights blinking in the surrounding fir and apple trees were upstaged by a glowing moon.

It really is a stunning combo, so give it a try.

Blueberries, white peaches and triple sec

Fresh blueberries

White peaches or nectarines, pitted and cut into chunks

Healthy glugs of Triple Sec (or other orange-flavored liqueur)

Combine the blueberries, peaches and enough Triple Sec to moisten the fruit without drowning it.

Can be prepared a couple of hours ahead and refrigerated until serving.

Wild rice salad with Walla Walla Sweets and smoked turkey

1cup long-grain brown rice

cup wild rice

1teaspoon salt

3cups homemade or canned chicken broth

pound smoked turkey breast, cubed

1large or 2 medium-sized Walla Walla Sweet onions, diced

1cup peeled, seeded, and diced cucumber

cup chopped green onions (white and green portions)

cup each seeded and chopped green and red bell peppers

1/4cup finely chopped fresh parsley

1cup fresh or frozen peas (thawed, but not cooked)

cup coarsely chopped water chestnuts

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

2tablespoons rice vinegar

2teaspoons Dijon mustard

teaspoon dried marjoram

1/4teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a medium saucepan, bring to a boil the brown and wild rice, teaspoon of the salt, and the broth. Reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, 40 to 45 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove from heat, toss lightly with a fork and set aside to cool.

In an attractive salad bowl, combine the smoked turkey, Walla Walla Sweets, cucumbers, green onions, bell peppers, parsley, peas, and water chestnuts. Toss gently with the cooled rice.

In a small, deep bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and the rice vinegar, mustard, marjoram, remaining teaspoon salt, and the black pepper. Adjust seasonings, adding additional vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper to taste. Add the dressing to the salad and stir well, then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

The salad makes a perfectly lovely meal simply served on a fresh lettuce leaf, garnished with a few green onion slices and toasty cheese bread.

Alternatives:

Omit the smoked turkey and serve the salad with grilled chicken breasts; or marinate and grill chicken breasts ahead of time, then cut into chunks and add to the salad.

Add sugar snap peas if available; just throw them in along with everything else.

From “The Onion Book,” by Jan Roberts-Dominguez

* n n

This wonderful marinade from Eastern Oregon shallot grower Jim Robison has become the Dominguez and Roberts family specialty for all feasts.

Jim’s garlic-shallot marinade for pork tenderloin, steak or chicken breasts

3tablespoons soy sauce

3tablespoons sugar

1/3cup bourbon or dark rum

1teaspoon salt

5cloves garlic, smashed or chopped

3tablespoons minced shallots

1tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Pork tenderloins, steaks or boneless, skinless chicken breasts

In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, sugar, bourbon or rum, salt, garlic, shallots and ginger. Place the marinade in a self-closing plastic bag with the meat of your choice and refrigerate overnight for steaks and pork tenderloins, or 5 to 6 hours for chicken breasts.

Remove the marinated meat from the refrigerator and drain for 20 to 30 minutes before cooking. Either discard the marinade or pour it into a saucepan and cook it at a slow boil for 5 to 10 minutes then set aside.

Grill the meat over hot coals until cooked to desired stage of doneness. When ready to serve, drizzle some of the reheated marinade over the meat, or serve it on the side.

Yield: Enough for 2 pork tenderloins, 4 steaks, or 8 chicken breasts.

From “The Onion Book,” by Jan Roberts-Dominguez

Jan Roberts-Dominguez is a Corvallis, Ore., food writer, cookbook author and artist. Readers can contract her by email at janrd@proaxis.com