Let’s welcome the summer with these rustic preparations, but by replacing the most common ingredients with more refined ones, like fresh sausages instead of hot dogs, crusty buns instead of soft rolls and roasted vegetable spreads/caviar instead of ketchup and relish !
The summer season has been lazy in arriving, so it’ll be necessary to create a culinary ritual to convince and/or conjure the season to settle in, like an homage to those summer gods and spirits that seem to be ignoring us.
What have I changed from the typical hotdog in a soft bun with ketchup, relish and mayonnaise ? Just read ahead.
I use Toulouse sausages but fresh Italian or other types of thicker sausages will do too, that you can barbecue or simply oven-bake.
The condiments, of which I’ve prepared many in the past, using either tomatoes, green peppers or mushrooms (which reminds me that I also need to try an onion version) can be homemade (see recipes here) or purchased in shops, already jarred and ready to go.
The potato salad (see recipe here) that I often make is my favorite because it’s very tangy and mayonnaise-less and requires strained yogurt and preserved lemons and capers and green onions and many fresh herbs.
Corn on the cob is hard to find here, but luckily I have an outdoor market that has some occasionally.
And of course, the bread buns, as you can see, are crusty on the outside and covered with seeds, which I will always prefer to softer milk & egg buns.
And don’t forget, “the more the merrier”, because this recipe is for eight guests ! … :)
