Supper Partying: What To Cook for a Summer Al Fresco Party

As the least outdoorsy person you’ll ever meet, I’ll only go outside for two reasons: to swim or to host a party. I’ve already discussed the glory of a modern barbeque, but this month I’m looking beyond the Aussie sizzle to unpack what dishes are best for al fresco eating.

The goal? To spend as little time as possible in a hot kitchen (ie, making dishes that need less than 30 minutes in the oven, no deep-frying) and put out food that is punchy and doesn’t wilt against a hot day.

Here are my tips and favourite recipes to get you started.

The 30-minute oven limit

My very old, surprisingly powerful oven raises our kitchen’s temperature by five degrees from the second you turn it on. In summer, I try to avoid cooking with the oven altogether, but that can be limiting. Thus, I came up with the 30-minute rule – enough oven time to cook one thing, but not so much that you melt.

Dishes that qualify for the sacred 30-minute window include:
• This salmon dish by Alison Roman, which is a fantastic centrepiece accompanied by grilled cos or peach salad.
• Naples-based, Aussie cookbook author Emiko Davies’s schiacciata (focaccia’s thinner, crispier sister), which is made better when topped with thinly sliced onions, zucchini flowers or even cherries.
• Molly Baz’s chicken au poivre is a strong contender, but you’ve gotta serve it with porous bread to mop up the juices.
• Roasted leeks are exceptional at every temperature – and I’ve included a recipe below.
• Lamb chops (rather than a rack of lamb). My mother marinates lamb forequarters or cutlets with soy, honey, chopped onion and garlic and the savoury-sweet profile balances out the fatty gaminess so well. I roast my chops for 12-13 minutes at 200 degrees for a medium-rare cook.

Still good at room temp

For optimal outdoor eating, you should serve food that tastes as good hot as it does at room temperature. Prawn cocktail, marinated vegetables, steamed artichoke and garlic butter are excellent either hot or cold. Grilled meats also fare well – just make sure you marinate them so they don’t become bland. Remember, food loses its flavour when it cools down.

Most salads are best served at room temp. My summer vegetable line-up consists of tomatoes dressed in chardonnay vinegar and fried capers; grilled zucchini with goat’s cheese; boiled potatoes with butter and chives; and grilled corn with feta and parsley. Make sure you have a few food covers so the flies don’t have a field day.

Sides-wise, don’t bother with roasted veg or fries – deep-frying is also banned in summer for obvious reasons. Shallow frying I’ll allow, because it’s speedy. A crumbed and fried cutlet of chicken, pork or veal is another ideal centrepiece. Name one thing more visually pleasing than a tall stack of golden, crispy cutlets and lots of lemon wedges and tonnato sauce? (I’ve shared my recipe below.) They stay crisp outside for at least an hour, so you’ve got time to have seconds.

Summer sweets

Ice-cream is a no-brainer for an al fresco dessert, but it is famously annoying to make at home. Granita is an excellent substitute and far less work. A painfully chic, very Italian-summer-post-lunch dessert is granita di caffe con panna, aka coffee granita with cream. You can make both components in advance and assemble right before serving. If you’re keen for something less caffeinated – and more refreshing – consider strawberry granita with whipped cream or grapefruit granita with a white chocolate mousse.

Another refreshing, no-cook dessert I shamelessly endorse is a no-bake cheesecake or tart. The more citrusy the better.

I made ice-cream sandwiches with Arnott’s lemon crisp biscuits for a recent party – and they were a hit. It’s easy enough to recreate with any biscuit or cookie. If your biscuit has a filling, scrape it out and mix it with the ice-cream mixture to keep the flavours linear.

No-shake cocktails

I hate shaking cocktails at home – it’s messy, home-freezer or servo ice is terrible for shaking, and it’s just one more thing to do on the day. Here’s a small list of simple, no-shake, one-serve cocktails I love to make during summer. You can serve all of these in a tumbler or highball glass with lots of ice and as many cocktail umbrellas as your heart desires:
• Floral, sweet, light: 45ml of elderflower liqueur, 150ml of lychee juice, and top with sparkling water.
• Vibrant, sweet, summery: 45ml of Campari, 150ml of Pasito, and a squeeze of lime juice.
• Fruity, funky, well-balanced: 30ml of a neutral or sloe gin, strawberry or raspberry kombucha, and a squeeze of lemon.
• Digestivo, confectionary: 45ml of amaro (Montenegro or Cynar), 100ml of creaming soda, and a squeeze of lime juice.
• Limeade: 30ml of gin, 30ml of lime juice, 60ml of water, 10ml of sugar syrup, and a pinch of salt. (Stir everything vigorously before adding ice).

Pork cutlet with tonnato

Serves 4
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

60g tuna in oil
4 anchovies
1 tsp capers in brine
Juice of half a lemon
½ cup mayonnaise
1 pinch of freshly cracked pepper
4 pork sirloins or cutlets
Salt
½ cup flour
2 eggs
¾ cup panko
Neutral oil for frying
½ lemon

Method

For the tonnato, add tuna, anchovies, capers, lemon juice, mayonnaise and pepper to a food processor, blender or measuring cup (if using a stick blender). Blend until cohesive. Season to taste.

Season pork generously on both sides. Wrap a cutlet in cling wrap or foil and use the bottom side of a pan to pound the cutlet until it’s about 1cm thick. Repeat with all pieces.

Put flour, two eggs and panko in three separate plates, side by side. Whisk the eggs until combined and season all three plates with a pinch of salt. Take a cutlet and coat in flour, then egg, then panko. Gently press the panko into the cutlet so that it is coated well.

Heat 2cm of oil in a large pan over medium heat. Make sure it is hot enough by dropping a crumb of panko in the oil – if it bubbles vigorously straightaway, it is ready. Gently lower two cutlets into the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes on both sides, or until golden brown. Remove from the pan and place onto a paper towel-lined plate. Season both sides with a pinch of salt. Serve hot, with a wedge of lemon and the tonnato.

Roasted leeks with mustard

Serves 4
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

3 leeks, green tops removed (quartered)
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
Salt
Pepper

Method

Rinse and soak leeks in cold water for at least 10 minutes to get rid of dirt.

Sear leeks flat side down in olive oil over medium heat until golden brown. Transfer to a 190-degree oven for 30 minutes.

Remove and shred with a fork so they’re separated into long strands. Transfer to a bowl and add unsalted butter, wholegrain mustard and salt and pepper to taste. Mix until everything is dressed nicely.