We were tired of going to random places for our fix of good booze and food, so S told me the other day that he just wanted to chill and needed something to make him feel good. I agreed – the heat of the summer is way too much to handle, especially in this part of the world, and I needed to be somewhere I could just sit down and relax, and have a good time with friends.
So, we started by keeping a cold counter – I boiled some eggs potatoes, cooled them down, peeled chopped them up, and tossed them with some salt, freshly cracked pepper, homemade mayonnaise and a handful of chopped parsley leaves (since I had no dill leaves lying about). I chilled this in a bowl in the fridge to start off.
Next, I made insane amounts of ice in trays, and once frozen, put them in a ziplock bag, and froze more. I chopped up some cucumbers, thinly julienned ginger, sliced onions and kept them together. Right before serving, I would drain them off any residual moisture, and then throw them together with a handful of cooked shrimps, tossing them lightly with some lemon juice and chaat masala. A vegetarian version would have me do away with the shrimps and crumble some Feta cheese on top or even some paneer, when Feta isn’t available.
When my friends would be sitting with their glass of Black Dog Triple Gold Reserve, pouring generous measures of ice, water, soda, or other mixers in, or just drinking it straight off, I would smile, pass little trays of these lovely, cold appetizers, which are perfect for the summer heat – not overwhelmingly spicy or heavy – just perfect with a glass of a great triple distilled scotch that tastes just like liquid sunshine on my tongue.
Disclaimer: This post has been written in association with Black Dog Triple Gold Reserve. The content is suitable for age 25+.
