Another pandemic quarantine weekend, another Dress Dinner Challenge from Etiquetteer! As Ruth Draper so memorably said in her monologue The Italian Lesson, “I want a simple little dinner,” and I kept it simple this weekend.
Cocktail Martini à Colonie Spécial
Hors-d'œuvre oubliés
Salade de pois de l'Iowa, à la White Way
Poulet aux Clement Courge jaune sautée
Gelée de vin encore une fois
Truly there is no fresher-tasting, nor more potent, cocktail than a Colony Special martini. That dash of absinthe lends a taste of spring just past to all that gin. The only other thing that comes close to it is Żubrówka vodka from Poland, which is flavored with bison grass. Beyond a few olives, I chose to omit any hors d’oeuvres this evening. Heaven be praised I do not have COVID-19, but three months of cheese and crackers at a daily cocktail hour have finally proved that I’ve gained the COVID 19. As they say in the fashion world, it’s “not a good look.” Cheese turned up in the dinner menu anyway . . . no need to overdo it.
For the salad course, a summertime innovation away from the usual greens: Iowa Pea Salad, White Way Style from my beloved Square Meals cookbook by Jane and Michael Stern. Close friends will laugh, ‘cause I’ve been trotting out this recipe for years. But I just love it, because I love peas, and it is very simple to make. Peas, cheese, pickle relish, celery, et voilà! Instead of the boiled dressing given in the book, I thinned out a bit of mayonnaise with ice water and seasoned with dry mustard and cayenne. Served on a small bed of greens, it’s middle-class cookery at its best.
Everything else was a breeze: a breaded and seasoned bit of chicken, a sautéed yellow squash, and a leftover bit of last Saturday’s wine jelly. Next time I make that, I’ll quarter the recipe and not halve it . . .
It will be interesting to see how much longer the quarantine continues; several states are talking about reopening in the next few weeks, though the wisdom of that is debatable. I wish you Joy and Safety in the coming week.