The heat wave crossing the country didn’t stop my sister and her friend who has been up north visiting from Florida from coming for a visit to us this weekend. Actually we’ve all been friends since elementary school days, so it was really great getting to spend some time together.
With the weather so unbearable this was not going to be a dinner on the patio as much as I love alfresco dining. In fact , the only time spent on the patio this last week has been to water my plants early in the day when it’s been a mere 90 degrees at 7:30 a.m. before it’s percolated to 100 degrees and more which has to be a record for our days in Maryland. Oh well, this too shall pass, and the sooner the better.
We love having guests and were excited to enjoy these wonderful Watermelon Mojitos before a great dinner in the air- conditioned comfort of our home. Especially since in this extreme heat, drinking alcohol is frowned upon because it adds to dehydration. So, no problem… bring on the Mojitos, and crank up the AC!
Thankfully, the heat had not deterred my husband’s willingness to man the grill, so I prepared Greek chicken which he grilled to perfection!
After having split two chickens in half and removed the backbone, I marinated them overnight in a mixture of fresh lemon juice, olive oil, smashed fresh garlic cloves, dried oregano, fresh Greek oregano, and a generous amount of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. My husband placed them on the hot grill, carefully basted them with the marinade, turning them until done and golden as in the photo above. ( For a 4 pound chicken it took about 45-50 minutes.)
Before removing the chicken I brushed the lemon halves with the marinade and placed them on the grill as well. Squeeze the grilled lemons over the chicken and serve.
Ina Garten’s Greek Panzanella Salad was the perfect accompaniment to this chicken. I have served this three times this summer for guests and everyone loves it! The bread is divine, and that’s the first thing everyone comments on…how delicious that bread is! I’ve been using a wonderful sour dough to make the large croutons instead of the french bread. The texture is amazing even after it’s soaked up all that wonderful vinaigrette.
Now to get back to the featured item of this blog…the Watermelon Mojitos! This refreshing cocktail was a big hit. It, too, comes from the Barefoot Contessa , Ina Garten, and I’ve been looking for an excuse to make them all summer. So, if not on one of the hottest days of the summer, with good food and good friends, when?
We sipped on these Mojitos while nibbling on an appetizer of mini toasts with a smoked trout spread, (a future post) and some fresh sugar snaps and middle eastern flatbread served with some tzatziki for dipping.
With plenty of summer days remaining I suggest you try this delicious cocktail before too long. In air conditioned comfort, if need be.
Watermelon Mojitos (Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That? by Ina Garten)
Makes 6 drinks
Most cocktail recipes are written to make one drink at a time, but who has time for that when you’re having a party? In the summer, when the watermelon is sweet, this recipe makes a big pitcher of mojitos-it’s a refreshing drink with crushed mint and freshly squeezed lime juice.
30 large fresh mint leaves, coarsely torn by hand
12 ounces light rum, such as Bacardi
½ cup simple syrup
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (3 limes)
Sprigs of mint and spears of watermelon, for serving
Use a mortar and pestle to mash the mint leaves. Remove and discard the rind and seeds of the watermelon. Put the fruit into a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree. Put the mashed mint into a large pitcher with 2 cups of pureed watermelon, the rum, simple syrup, and lime juice and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into a pitcher for serving.
Place ice cubes in 6 glasses and pour the mojito mixture into the glasses. Garnish with sprigs of fresh mint and spears of watermelon. Serve ice cold.
To make simple syrup, put 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a small pan and simmer until the sugar dissolves. Chill.