Crinella Family Cookbook
Our Grandparents' Favorites
Anti Pasti
Soups
Salads
Pasta
Vegetables
Fish
Poultry
Meat
Wild Game
Sweets
Brunch or Luncheon Dishes
Odds & Ends
Sour Dough
Other Breads ETC
Entertaining Ideas
Table of Contents
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Summer Lunch
W hen my three children were small, my friends and I would often have women's lunches at each others homes.
It was a pleasant break in the day and we had a lot of fun. The tables were always beautifully laid out and sometimes
treasured plates and antique linens were brought out of storage for the occasion. I remember how delightful it was to have
a short respite in the enervating business of running a household with very young children. Sometimes we would play
bridge after lunch.
Later our getting together became, "How about meeting after work for a drink?" Nowadays a woman's luncheon
is not so usual but I like to do it especially in the summer when the garden is at its peak. (Although this year because our water is scare in Sonoma
we have had to let a lot of the garden, go thirsty. I haul out buckets of bath and washing machine water and all the plants are on short rations.)
Recently I had three friends over and we enjoyed a leisurely meal and a very pleasant afternoon. I set a table of things we had around matching the setting
to the flowers in the garden.
Somehow as we sat eating and sipping wine under the oak tree, the cares of the world seemed to slip far away. My mother always used to
say to me, "Ramona, life goes on." She meant that I should not dwell on the negative bumps in life but to enjoy everything that was also
available to me at that time, the company of dear friends, good food, fine wine, beautiful flowers and a summer afternoon.
For lunch I served red snapper with a fresh Mediterranean style sauce which I made from
Roma tomatoes. I first had this sauce years ago at lunch in the Carlton Hotel in Cannes. It is so delicious and easy to make,
that I use it frequently throughout the summer and fall as long as I can find properly ripened fresh tomatoes.
When selecting fresh tomatoes, markets are filled with rows and rows of beautiful, red tomatoes..................
that will taste like nothing because they have been ripened off the vine. Always take the time to sniff the
tomato. If there is no aroma, put the tomato back.
This snapper is also easy because you can prepare it ahead. Just turn the oven on, relax with your guests and twenty minutes later you
have a truly special mediterranean style fish dish that is low calorie. Also, I hope you are able to find fish that is also right off the boats
and quickly brought to market. You may pay more but it is worth it.
Serve the snapper with a platter of vegetables either roasted or grilled in a vinaigrette sauce
For dessert, I made a simple poached pineapple dessert........................ well, I poached the pineapple in Sauvignon Blanc and it was pretty spectacular.
Here is the pineapple dessert with plum sauce.
In the white jacket is Kathleen Woodcock, Margo Kirkpatrick and Terri Tiret. I am in the pink dress.
Here are three easy red snapper fish dishes which are perfect for a summer lunch.
I hope you will enjoy using these recipes. Let me know how they turn out.
Ramona Crinella
Crinella Winery
CEO/Chairman
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Past Issues of Entertaining Ideas
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