An in season recipe for your next dinner party

Written + Images by Alia Cordeiro

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Let me start this by saying that I’m a big advocate for dinner parties, big or small, your mom’s famous recipe or something new; I love the idea of gathering over a home-cooked meal.

So, when my birthday came around this year, I knew that I wanted to celebrate another year of life with close friends and good food. 

 At first glance, hosting a dinner party can be a stressful, or even exhausting endeavor. So what is it that makes the extra effort so worthwhile?

I’ve learned that there are few things as important as spending time with those closest to you. But unfortunately, like most people, I’ve found that every year it becomes a little harder to match schedules, or even be in the same city as my friends. Getting everyone together on the same evening can be so rare that when it happens, I want us all to experience it in a way that we won’t forget.

To me, the best way to put together a memorable meal is to build a menu that draws on creativity and uniqueness, combined with the perfect touch of familiar, classic ingredients. When you take the extra time and effort to prepare a home-cooked meal, you’re reflecting how important the time is that you’re spending with the people around you. One of my favourite ways to do that is through the inclusion of seasonal ingredients. Locally sourced ingredients are not only fresher, and ultimately better tasting than alternatives that are out of season, but they also help you to be more environmentally conscious with your cooking. Additionally, cooking with seasonal ingredients reflects the present time and creates flavors that are unique because they only come around at certain times of the year.

 So, choose a few items and get creative. Have fun preparing for your friends or family and do it in a more sustainable way that elevates the flavor in your meals. For my birthday dinner, I chose to focus on ingredients coming into fruition for the early summer. I added garlic to everything  and topped my cake with freshly picked strawberries.

Regardless of what’s in season at the time, some of the most memorable times with my close friends have come through the care and preparation of a home cooked meal. 

In season produce (July and August)

• Potatoes 

• Tomatoes

• Garlic

• Cucumber 

Cucumber & Radish Salad

Recipe

• Half of a cucumber, washed and cut roughly into 1-2cm chunks

• 6-8 radishes, washed and halved or quartered

• A few thin slices of red onion

• 2bsp Greek yogurt

• 1 clove of garlic

• Pinch of dried parsley, dried mint & toasted chili flakes 

• A few fresh mint leaves 

• 1tbsp of olive oil

• 1tsp of white wine vinegar

• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix the yogurt, garlic, dried mint, dried thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Spoon onto the bottom of a plate or bowl 

2. Mix the cucumber, red onion, and radishes with the olive oil, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper

3. Spoon the cucumber mix over the yogurt, including the excess olive oil and vinegar 

4. Sprinkle over the chili flakes & fresh mint

Another perfect little side dish

Recipe

• Baby potatoes

• Lots of olive oil

• Half of a lemon juiced 

• A handful of chopped Kale 

• 2 cloves of garlic

• Tsp of capers

• Parsley chopped 

1. Boil the potatoes in salted water

2. Once potatoes are tender, drain the water and leave the pot on warm

3. Muddle them around with olive oil, lemon, kale, garlic, capers, and parsley 

4. Serve warm