Mid Summer Soiree

During time of emotional distress and financial hardship what does one do? Eat of course. Feeding the stomach can also placate the soul. Precisely why I hosted a dinner party - guest list comprising of my closest colleagues. Here's a rundown of the menu:




Appetizers

Shrimp with horseradish cocktail sauce
Crudite
Chips and Garden Salsa
Samosas and Chutney (compliments of Manali's Mom. Thanks Aunty!)

Vegetable Dishes

Eggplants, yellow & green zucchini and mushrooms marinated in vinaigrette and grilled
Mesclun salad with strawberries, walnuts, crumbled bleu cheese with balsamic dressing (thanks to Manali for that refreshing salad)

Entrees

Skirt steak marinated in an Rekha's Indo-Chimichurri sauce. Scroll below for recipe.
Grilled Turkey and Pork Kiebasi
PEI Mussels steamed over fennel, garlic, white wine and Thai chili sauce. Herbal accoutrements: chopped coriander, mint & basil.

Dessert
Fruit tart (Thanks Sheila for interpreting my request for something fruity & tarty into that fabulous confection)
Watermelon (Thanks Barb and Peter for the mondo melon)
Chocolate Brownie Cheesecake

Beverages
While some of my guests opted for my signature Mojitos, other decided to drink wine throughout the evening. And who could blame them with the luscious Layer Cake Shiraz I served all night? Here's how I would have optimally paired each course.

Appetizers: Citrusy Mojitos (scroll down for recipes) match perfectly with shrimp and make easy sipping with the chips or crudites

Main Course: Because of the heavy herbal ingredients in the Chimichurri and Mussels I would have paired the them with the Chilean Chardonnay. But then the Shiraz proved supple and flexible enough to wrangle with the aromatics with both dishes, especially the steak. Then of course you could have just drunk Mojitos all night like Ping did.

Recipes:

Rekha's Chimichurri marinade

1 cup parsley - roughly chopped
1 head garlic, de-papered and roughly chopped (or as celebrity chef Michael Chiarello puts it - mind numbing amounts of garlic)
1/2 cup white wine vinegar (can substitute plain or champagne vinegar)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 whole skirt steaks

Mix all ingredients in a blender till emulsified. Taste should be tangy and fresh. In a large Ziploc storage bag insert steaks. Pour marinade over steaks and massage meat to incorporate marinade. Refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature for 2 hours prior to grilling. Sear both sides on a mid to hot grill for 7 minutes each. Remove from heat and place on a covered platter for at least 1/2 hour. Slice on a diagonal against the grain. I can not emphasize this enough otherwise the steak will be tough and impossible to chew. Serve immediately, but also great chilled and served the next day.