Zucchini

Cookbook Club: Cinco de Mayo on the Water

Idealic Table - reservoir

May 6, 2015, posted by Gina – Yesterday, my Cookbook Club met for a Cinco de Mayo lunch.  We are currently working our way through the Barefoot Contessa Cookbooks and you’ll find links for each recipe throughout this post. The hostess set up her boat house so that we could enjoy the day right on the water.  It was quite a beautiful sunny day, not too hot, with a slight, pleasant breeze. Idyllic!

We started the festivities with margaritas and what I can only describe as the BEST GUACAMOLE I have ever had.  For a start, the super fresh avocados and tomatoes had everything to do with setting it apart.  It had a bit of a kick from the 8 dashes of Tabasco sauce and lemon juice, rather than lime juice, brightened it up.  Combine all that with some minced red onions and garlic and you have the perfect guacamole.

The Best Guac I have ever eaten

After enjoying the appetizer, we served GAZPACHO topped with homemade parmesean croutons, ROASTED CHICKEN, ORZO with ROASTED VEGETABLES and ZUCCHINI with PARMESEAN.  My favorite dish was the orzo with roasted vegetables; the dressing, the feta and the pine nuts married so well with the vegetables.

IMG_3008 Gazpacho

Gazpacho

Roasted chicken

Roasted Chicken

For dessert we had FROZEN KEY LIME PIE and CHOCOLATE GANACHE CAKE.  The pie had a great flavor although I think I prefer a regular key lime pie.  The ganache on the cake was delicious and while the cake was good, there are other chocolate cakes I like better.

Chocolate Ganache Cake with Sugared Flowers

The tables were set with brightly colored plates and napkins and pots of zinnias for centerpieces. The setting, the perfect weather, a delicious lunch and great company made this a very enjoyable day. Do you do anything special for Cinco de Mayo? Maybe you prepare an authentic meal or just head to your favorite Mexican restaurant for margaritas? Do you have a favorite spot on a lake or river where you can get away? We’d like to hear from you, so if you’d like to leave a comment, click on the title of this post and a comment form with unfurl for you at the end of the post.

Cinco de Mayo table

Zucchini Pasta

Ingredients:

1 pound pasta, cooked (we used fettuccine), save about 3 cups of the pasta water to mix with final dish
6 thinly sliced zucchini, roast on 450° for 15 minutes (drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper first)
1/2 cup Kalamata olives
1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
Zest of 1/2 lemon (more if you like)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

While zucchini is roasting, saute onions and garlic in the tablespoon of olive oil. Add to cooked pasta along with the Parmesan cheese, olives, and lemon zest. In a small saucepan, melt the two tablespoons of butter. Take off heat and add the bread crumbs and combine. Add to pasta. Once the zucchini is roasted combine with the pasta. Stir all ingredients and serve. Add salt and more Parmesan to taste.