Star Spangled Table

Happy 4th of July to you all! It was a great weekend, both with the weather and the table. There were a couple of real stars on the table and I was happy with my choices.

Watermelon Margarita
Tuna Two Ways:
Grilled Tuna Steak with Chard Salad
Grilled Tuna Kabob with Watermelon Salsa
Smokin' Grilled Potato Salad

The watermelon margarita was a bit of a disappointment and I was glad I only made one. The watermelon, tequila, sugar and lime juice are blended and poured over ice. The flavor was fine, but it was a bit chewy. Very pretty however.

The Tuna steak was grilled very simply with salt and pepper and a bit of lime juice. The chard salad was the star of this plate. Chard is stemmed and cut into pieces and placed in a glass bowl. In a skillet anchovy fillets are cooked in a bit of EVOO until melted. Garlic is added until softened. Cherry tomatoes are halved and added to the pan with lemon juice, salt and pepper. The warm dressing is then poured over the chard to wilt. Toasted bread cubes are added. This is a very colorful salad and very tasty. The dressing was a bit different, but one I will use again; perhaps with spinach.

The potato salad was another star. Yukon Gold potatoes are cut in half inch slices and tossed with EVOO, smoked paprika and salt and pepper. I heated and oiled a grill pan and the slices are cooked until puffed and golden. They are then cooled and cut in quarters. They are put in a bowl with diced red onion, sliced celery and chopped parsley. The dressing is Greek yogurt, light mayo, yellow mustard and chopped capers. Lemon juice is added before mixing with the potato mixture. The smokiness of the potatoes gave the salad a lovely flavor and again one I will make again.

The second tuna preparation was a kabob. The tuna chunks were put on wood skewers that had been soaked in water. Along with onion pieces, red and yellow peppers and cherry tomatoes they were brushed with EVOO, Tabasco, lemon grass and Paul Newman Asian dressing. They are grilled until the vegetables were softened and the tuna lightly browned. They were served with a watermelon salsa made of watermelon cubes, chopped kalamata olives, chopped English cucumber, diced jalapeno pepper, red onion and white balsamic vinegar. Loved the salsa. It was pretty on the plate and perfect with the kabob. More of the potato salad joined the kabob and salsa.

On the whole I was pleased with the table. I have not worked with chard or anchovies before but will use them again. The preparations were simple and that made for free time to enjoy the nice weather and a visit to the Chicago Botanic Garden for an art festival. I expect fireworks tonight from the country club up the road. Have a great week everyone.