Or, Covid May Be Curbing Clubbing in Ibiza for the Year, But You Can Still Live the Mediterranean Life (and Dance!) at Home in Hudson
When the sun starts to set a little sooner and the evenings bring a warm breeze, I crave nothing more than eating on our deck and soaking up the last moments of summer before they disappear. Now is the best time to head to the Hudson Farmers’ Market and grab all the tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini you can find. Relish a simple stay-at-home meal with a few friends and maybe even some dancing after dinner.
Perhaps this is less of a recipe and more of a suggestion to easily pull together local fruit and veg into a meal that I have been requested to make time and time again.
- The Protein: I went to the super-convenient meat-vending machines at Applestone and found: Beef and Lamb Sausage with Feta Cheese, Tomato, and Mint. This was a new purchase for me, and I was delighted as it not only had great texture, but also the flavor is reminiscent of a classic lamb gyro. Sold. Would definitely buy again.
- The Veg: Whatever you like and can find! I went with cherry tomatoes from The Farm at Miller’s Crossing.
Cucumbers from Blue Star Farms (Yes, I know these aren’t cucumbers, but my picture didn’t turn out. Sorry.)
Peppers from Samascott Orchards
I also used up a few things from my fridge: broccoli rabe, onions, mushrooms, and a heart of romaine (you can grill it too!).
3. The Carb: Pita please!
4. Dip and sides: Hummus, of course. I like to make my own, but if you have a brand you like–save yourself the hassle! Also a must in our house is a few black olives and some feta cheese. Lemon for dressing and squeezes at the end.
Prep: Takes about 20-30 minutes.
Once you have all your ingredients, you can be creative. Grill what you want, make a salad with something else. Add artichokes, green beans, pine nuts– up to you!
For this meal, I made a tomato, cucumber, onion, and chickpea salad with a simple greek dressing. Cut up the veg into similar size pieces and add some dressing. I just mix fresh or dried oregano, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper…easy.
Par-boil the sausage for about 7 minutes. This precooks the meat so that when you grill it for about 10 minutes on medium heat, you don’t end up up with super charred outside and less cooked inside. You can also throw the sausage in a skillet with a bit of oil and sans grill. Once it’s done, I cut into thick coins.
For the pepper, onion, mushrooms: coat with a bit of oil or even the greek dressing and grill in a basket or about 10 minutes, tossing occasionally. Don’t have a grill basket? You can put these on skewers too!
Wrap your pita in tin-foil and warm on the grip for about 4-5 minutes.
Normally, I would do a buffet so that my guests can choose what they want. But you know, Covid…. so now I create a nice plate for each person with a little bit of everything. No one seems to mind the ability to create a different little pita bite each time.
Pro-Tip: If you’re having guests, ask them each to bring a veg of their choosing and incorporate them all into the meal. Then, put on some deep house and pretend you’re living it up next to some mystical deep blue sea.
For times, location, and more information on the Hudson Farmers’ Market, click here!
