Garden Parties & BBQ's

Beautiful summer weather, along with friends, is all the excuse you need to have a party. Whether it be a garden party which can be a little more formal or a simple impromptu bbq on the deck, all you need are friends and food. 

The Garden party might have you cook roasted quails and caramelized onions on the bbq while the deck party might be as simple as Angus all beef patties and Italian style pasta, bean or potato salad all made with olive oil. 

BBQ’d quails aside from being a little tricky to eat are one of the most flavourful game birds. The trick is to cut them down the back so they can be cooked flat and marinade them first in white wine and good olive oil.  Please ask Chef Tony in the kitchen or myself for the recipe the next time you’re in. The original recipe was given to me some 40 years ago by my sister-in-law from Northern Italy which I adopted for the BBQ.  Very tasty!  For those of you who have never done caramelized onions on the bbq you are missing out on something that is easy to make and can be a delicious condiment to so many types of protein. To prepare: julienne an onion, place in a covered aluminum container and let cook over indirect heat until golden brown.  I served this exact dish to my family and friends seated on the patio a few weeks ago.  Crisp and golden brown quails on the outside and tender, flavourful meat on the inside were served with an amazing 1995 Spanish Grand Reserva Rioja from Muga($89.99).  A classic, traditional Rioja with notes of dried herbs, sweet cherry jam, new saddle leather, tobacco, and spice box are followed by copious plum and cherry flavors. 

As mentioned, parties can be very impromptu and can be arranged in a matter of minutes. Burgers are an easy and fast way to have the neighbors over with the kids.  I’m sure we all have our own recipes for making burgers but the most important thing is to use good quality lean beef from good cuts.  My burger recipe consist of lean ground Angus beef, an egg and Italian style bread crumbs which has great flavours like Romano cheese, parsley flakes and spices.  If this is too time consuming then I suggest the in-store made Angus patties which are just beef and are very lean, which reduces flare ups on the BBQ and burnt burgers.   The pasta, bean and potato salad from the cold table, which I’ve talked about many times before, are all traditional Southern Italian recipes my mother taught me. Potatoes, pasta or beans make up 90 percent of the salad with the dressing to enhance and bring out flavours.  Please ask for a taste at the cold table and judge for yourself. 

Try this combo with a glass of Sol Mayor red or white wine from Spain, you won’t be disappointed.  Both of these wines are of exceptional value.  The white shows aromas and flavours of citrus and peach while the red is fresh with flavours of strawberry and plum.  The wines are lighter in style which is perfect for the summer heat and are excellent to drink with a meal or use them in your favourite sangria recipe.