Cool menu

Flavors of the the Middle East give a spicy tang to an adaptable menu suited for summer parties.

By LEE SVITAK DEAN, Star Tribune

Last update: June 24, 2009 - 5:36 PM

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SUMMER MENU FOR 6 MINT TEA • TABBOULEH • LAMB KEBABS WITH HARISSA • RAITA• LEMON GRANITA

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As I discovered on a trip to Istanbul, Turkey, the flavors of the region are made for summer. Hot and hungry, I wandered through the city's Grand Bazaar, where vendors vied for attention with promises of good deals on their carpets, silver and spices. In an out-of-the-way corner, a little cafe promised relief in the form of lamb kebabs and pita bread. I took the bait and, once refreshed, returned to the crowded bazaar.

For centuries, Turkey was the crossroads of the world as traders brought culinary traditions, as well as spices and other goods, from one country to the next. The result was an amalgam of memorable flavors. Like those early traders, I've incorporated traditional recipes from the expansive region -- Middle East, North Africa, Mediterranean -- for a summer menu that pays homage to those crossroads and their summer heat.

In your own back yard -- or kitchen grill -- you can prepare a refreshing meal with lamb kebabs seasoned with a spice blend popular in North Africa. Add the traditional cooling agent, raita (the Greek variation of the region's yogurt sauce), a salad of bulgur wheat and parsley from the Middle East, Moroccan mint tea and icy granita from Italy -- and you have a made-in-the-shade summer meal.

And the best news, wherever the cook may call home? This menu is quick and easy to prepare, and easily adapted for any size crowd or taste. Prefer chicken or beef to lamb? Then make the kebabs your way. The spice blend works with any meat.

As for the cook? With a menu this easy, any cook will have time -- and energy -- for guests.

Recipes from "Come One, Come All/ Easy Entertaining With Seasonal Menus," by Lee Svitak Dean (Minnesota Historical Society Press).