Annabel Langbein
Save the chores until after Waitangi Weekend and enjoy the summery food
It seems almost impossible that school runs, deadlines and daily routines are upon us again. Luckily, we have a long weekend to savour … and savour it we must, as Waitangi Weekend is, in fact, the last long weekend of summer.
This is definitely not the time to be going to the mall, mowing lawns or doing chores. Who celebrates an extra day off by scheduling tasks? Chores rhymes with bores. Chores can wait, especially when there are friends to invite over, drinks to mix and sausages and steak to sizzle.
Cocktails are a great wat to say “let’s celebrate”. Mix up a big jug of your favourite brew and fill an ice bucket with ice cubes — that way you won’t need to make anyone drinks to order. The less ice you put in the glass, the stronger your cocktails will be; conversely more ice equals weaker drinks. I usually put 4-6 ice cubes in the bottom of each glass before pouring over the chilled, blended cocktail mix.
Cosmopolitans, made famous by Carrie in Sex and the City, look pretty and are easy to drink. For a big jug of Cosmopolitans, mix 3 cups chilled cranberry juice with 1½-2 cups vodka, ½ cup orange liqueur, ¼ cup lime juice and a few twists of peeled orange rind. Chill until ready to serve, then pour over ice.
The daiquiri is another fabulous cocktail you can make up ahead of time.
At this time of year I like to make them with white or yellow peaches but strawberry daiquiris are also luscious and both drained canned mangoes and frozen berries make very good daiquiris. You need to make a sugar syrup ahead of time and have it chilled. Heat 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved and it boils. Cool and chill (it will keep in the fridge for months in a sterilised, sealed bottle). When you are ready to make your cocktails, blend the flesh of 4 peaches or a punnet of hulled strawberries (or a drained can of mangoes or 300g frozen berries) with 1 cup lime juice (or a mix of lemon and lime) and 1-1½ cups white rum. Chill until ready to serve. Transfer to a jug and stir or blend in the chilled sugar syrup. You can easily scale up both these recipes. Just don’t add the ice until serving time.
If you don’t want the last-minute fuss of a barbecue, it’s hard to go past a lamb shoulder for a cook-ahead main course to feed a crowd and make them happy. A lamb shoulder is always tender, juicy and sweet and reheats well if needed. Serve with a tangy eggplant caponata (another great dish to make ahead) accompanied by some tasty potatoes roasted with garlic, herbs and a crumbling of feta.
Finish your feast with a bowl of fresh summer fruits and chocolate. What could be simpler? Now you get to relax and spend a few hours taking in all the good things summer has to offer.