Dateline: Sat 11 July. With more time at home and the feeling of a more leisurely pace in the summer, it’s always a good night if the gang can be brought together for happily hanging out and also hushing up our hunger. As I sorted through the fridge knowing I was about to leave town for a few days for work, I thought it could be a reason to deviate from the norm and offer up something unexpected to the bunch.
That’s how we came to have Mediterranean-style chicken kabobs with more tzatziki sauce but also baby back pork ribs.
I’d gotten the ribs prepped the night before with a good spice coating, and the usual approach here for oven-roasting usually results in something more tender. It was a challenge for the group to harvest as much of the meat as might have been desired, but they were good sports about it.
To bridge the gustatory gap between those offerings, I had chopped romaine with a Greek-style balsamic dressing, plus plenty of chopped Roma tomatoes and diced onion...
...and the ribs seems to require something along the lines of my mother’s stylings for coleslaw, which I’m always happy to chow down on.
And when you get to enjoy the company of such a fine cadre of friends, it’s best not to overlook the simple joys of a terrific dessert like a pan of Ina Garten’s lemon bars, well-dusted with powdered sugar and boosted with an extra punch of lemon tang.
"Greek Chicken Souvlaki Recipe with Tzatziki" [Published 11 June 2018 / Updated 16 October 2020] and "Authentic (Easy) Tzatziki Sauce" [Published 03 June 2016 / Updated 27 September 2023] from Suzy Karedsheh of The Mediterranean Dish.
"How to Make Great Ribs in the Oven," by Emma Christensen. From The Kitchn. [Published 01 July 2017]
Based on "Greek Salad Dressing," from Jeanine Donofrio and Phoebe Moore of Love and Lemons. [Updated 13 May 2024]
"Lemon Bars," by Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa. Published in Barefoot Contessa Parties!, Clarkson Potter Publishers, 2001.
