Perfect Summer Days, Perfect BBQs

By Erin

Last week my friend Hill called and said that she bought a beef tenderloin at the store, and asked if she could invite herself over to cook it on our grill. Um, obviously! Who turns down a friend who wants to come over with a beef tenderloin?! So, we had ourselves a fancy little BBQ this weekend.

We cooked the tenderloin whole, on the grill.

We served it with homemade pesto and beet salad.  I just love, love, love making homemade pesto in the summertime.  It’s what basil was made for! I ALSO made some Suddenly Salad on the side (you know, that delicious box mix pasta salad), just in case Hill’s boyfriend didn’t like the pesto. And, because it’s the sweet hubby’s favorite summer side dish.

The beet salad was DELICIOUS.  I’ve never made it before, but it was so easy, minus the time it takes to roast the beets.  Here’s how I made it:

Roasted Beet and Feta Salad

1. Roast beets on 400, still in skin, until tender. I used 6 LARGE beets from my farmer’s market. It took about 1.5 hours.
2. Let beets cool for a little while (15 – 20 mins) and peel.  Chop into bite size pieces (not too small), and throw in a bowl.
3. Wash Arugula, and add however much you like.  Most grocery stores should sell arugula where they sell bag salads, which makes it one step easier.
4. Add feta – again, amount depending on your own tastes.
5. Drizzle a little bit of good olive oil on the salad and squeeze half a lemon into the bowl. Mix together and serve!

And, for the pesto.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted in olive oil
• 2 cups packed basil leaves
• 1/2 lemon
• 4 large garlic cloves
• Olive Oil
• Parmesan cheese (amount to taste)
• Sea Salt

1. Toast pine nuts VERY lightly in oil.
2. Add pine nuts, garlic cloves, basil, a dash of sea salt and juice of 1/2 lemon to food processor. Blend.
3. Begin to slowly add olive oil.  I guess how much to add, because it really depends on how oily you like your pesto. Between 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup, is normally good. I start with 1/4 cup, mix, and then add more slowly, watching the texture.  Stop when it gets to a texture you like with the oil.
4. For the parm, two options: 1. you can add it to the food processor JUST before you serve the pesto, mixing it in.  Start with a little less than 1/4 of a cup and taste.  OR, boil the pasta, drain it and throw it in a bowl.  Add the pesto, and then add some grated parm or shredded parm right on top of the hot pasta and pesto.  Mix it all together.  The hot pasta will melt the cheese.