Summer evenings. As the heat eases and the day becomes less swollen we sit down to eat. Outside, if we’re lucky enough. Tonight’s menu features a simple and delicious oven roasted pork shoulder with herbs and garlic. This is a relaxed cook; it takes a few hours to make, but very little attention is needed during that time. I encourage you to try the suggested accompaniments, as they will be the gems of the evening. Bright fruit, pickle, a crisp and vibrant salad. And an irresistible summer sip.
Our Guest of Honor
In deciding who to invite for my very first grown-up imaginary dinner party, I felt the need for a little hope. I don't need to tell you about our trying times or our need for a refueling of our spirits. Nothing sanctimonious--just pure hearted reminders of our collective humanity. For this first invitation, I want to have dinner with someone rooted firmly in truth, but who is surrounded with light. And it was Dr. Angelou who stepped forward.
Oh what a dream it would be to host Dr. Angelou at the table. Try as I might, I can’t imagine many things more magical than such an evening. Ms. Angelou was a noted chef and published several cookbooks as part of her illustrious career. She referred to her “Welcome Table,” a phrase that I kept in the back of my head as I was deciding what I might feed her had I the joy of doing so.
What would I feed Ms. Angelou if given the chance? Dinner would be out-of-doors on a summer evening. A Sunday. Fortitude for the week ahead. A small gathering, selfishly. When I think of Maya Angelou I think of steadfastness, vision, richness, timelessness.
I think of empathy. I think of the sure, cradling tenderness of a roast meat. I think of pork. With a zip of fruit or pickle. Maybe both. I think of sitting down and sharing my plenty with a woman who shared with the world her own.
Fittingly, her love of meat was well known - something she wrote about in The Health-Food Diner and who am I to deny a carnivore her delight. So, after much thinking, I arrived at the menu below.
What's for Dinner
Oven Roasted Pork Shoulder with Herbs and Garlic
Cucumber Salad with Mustard Dressing
Gin Fizz
The mere thought of Maya Angelou’s voice chokes me up. I’m a crier, so saying this may not mean much to those who know me well, but my eyes welled with tears at the first sound of Maya Angelou's reading of A Brave and Startling Truth (from her performance at the UN in 1995). Resonating at least as loudly as it did when first performed, it rocked be back on my heels to hear it. I needed this today and thought you might as well.
Take a few minutes to listen if you like. And then join me for supper. The unsteady table needs dusting off and then let’s lay out the parade of plates, napkins, silverware. Let’s enjoy a fizz and then share a meal in the breeze.
Read the Comments +