Once the weather turns civil, Dominguez dinners are centered around our backyard deck. Al fresco dining turns even a humble meal – which most of them are – into an event. I just love it, in part, perhaps, because there are no clocks on a deck or patio. So even the most hurried diners have a tendency to readjust their pace and linger a while longer.
But this passion for deck dining runs much deeper than that. One, I think, that can be traced back to a slower, easier period. For the first 19 summers of my life there were luxurious lumps of time spent at Kenwood, my cousin’s country home in the Sonoma Valley wine country. Their city home was in San Francisco, along with city jobs for Reg and Nida, and city schooling for Ann, Bonnie and Jim. But every weekend, each and every summer, they would shelve their big-city worries to make their home in the country.
On our visits, I sensed how quickly my parents were able to put aside their own set of urban woes. By the time we had snaked along the half-mile of gravel leading from the highway up to Reg and Nida’s property, my mother’s hands would have reached around to the muscles behind her neck, rubbing out the last bit of tension. She’d turn and release the kind of smile that had been building for weeks.
Days at Kenwood were as varied as the transient mosaics of morning light displayed across my bedroom wall when the sun shimmered through the grand old oaks. We spent our time by the pool, the creek and along the back roads where the best blackberry patches grew. There were trips to the local wineries where the children were allowed to wander among the musty oak barrels, each one the size of a one-room cabin, while our parents sipped and chatted with the winemakers.
But by 5:30 in the afternoon, like so many pigeons coming home to roost, we always joined forces again. Nida would throw together a simple little sangria made from some local red wine for the adults, and bring it out onto the deck where we would gather to watch the sun pitch slowly toward the west end of the valley. We’d munch on crackers, grapes and carrot sticks and mull over the day’s events.
Then Reg would fire up the grill, our signal to ready the picnic table for the simple meal soon to follow.
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 fresh pasta alongside whatever came off the grill. By piling as many offerings as possible onto one platter, her trips between deck and kitchen were greatly reduced.
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, which we were encouraged to sandwich between great chunks of locally baked sourdough French bread.
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
1 1/2pounds deli-sliced roast beef
8 cups torn mixed greens (iceberg and romaine)
1 cup chopped green onions
8 ounces of jicama, cut into 1/2-inch strips (or an 8-ounce can of sliced water chestnuts, drained and halved)
1cup shredded carrot, divided
1 1/2cups diced tomatoes
Light vinaigrette (recipe follows)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and sliced
1 (8 ounce) carton low-fat plain yogurt
1/2 cup regular or reduced-calorie mayonnaise
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1teaspoon soy sauce
About 1/4 pound raw or lightly blanched sugarsnap peas, halved
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar or Monterey jack cheese
Cut the thinly sliced roast beef into slender strips measuring about 1/2-inch wide. Begin layering the ingredients into a 3-quart straight-sided glass bowl in the following order: mixed greens, onions, beef, jicama, shredded carrots and tomato. Drizzle on the light vinaigrette, sprinkle with the Parmesan, then layer on the sliced eggs.
Combine the yogurt with the mayonnaise, horseradish and soy sauce and spread that mixture over the salad covering the top completely. Continue layering with the sugarsnap peas and finally, the cheddar cheese. Sprinkle on the remaining green onion for garnish. Refrigerate up to 2 hours before serving. Yields 6 to 8 servings..
Light vinaigrette: Combine 1/4 cup of a commercially prepared oil and vinegar dressing with 2 tablespoons wine vinegar and 1 tablespoon olive oil
This salad is the perfect accompaniment to grilled pork chops and rice.
1/2 pound snow peas, strings removed
2cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 (8-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and thinly sliced
4 green onions, chopped (all of white, about 2/3 of green)
1 tablespoons fresh ginger 1/4 cup safflower oil
1/4cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
Salt to taste
Blanch snow peas in boiling salted water for 1 minute; drain and plunge into cold water to set the color and stop the cooking; drain well and pat dry. Combine the snow peas with the cucumbers, water chestnuts, green onion and ginger in a large serving bowl. Refrigerate (can be prepared up to 4 hours ahead to this point).
When ready to serve, combine safflower oil with the wine vinegar, lime juice, sesame oil, white pepper and salt to taste (about 1/4 teaspoon to start). Drizzle over vegetables and toss to evenly coat. Yields 6 servings.
This meal-on-a-platter features wonderful bay shrimp – a Pacific Northwest specialty. The season runs into October, but now is when supplies are plentiful and quality is high.
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1/2 teaspoon each: salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound fresh bay shrimp
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 medium avocados, halved and seeded
About 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
4 garden-fresh tomatoes, cored and thinly sliced
Combine oil, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, anchovy paste, salt and pepper in a jar or small bowl. Shake or blend with wire whisk. Pour half the dressing over the shrimp, add the Parmesan cheese, toss to coat the shrimp and then marinate up to 1 hour, if desired. # Arrange the avocado halves on a baking sheet. Divide the shrimp mixture evenly among the avocados. Sprinkle with the Monterey jack cheese and broil just until cheese melts. To serve, arrange the avocado halves in the center of a large platter, surrounded with the sliced tomatoes. Drizzle the tomatoes with some of the remaining vinaigrette. Serve. Yields 6 servings.
Jan Roberts-Dominguez is a Corvallis, Ore., food writer, cookbook author and artist. Readers can contract her by e-mail at janrd@proaxis.com.
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