Dinner and a Movie After 17 Years of Marriage

Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly.

-M.F.K. Fisher

Seventeen years! Geez. We did not go out for dinner or even a drink to celebrate. We didn't exchange gifts. I cooked and we ate together at the table where we have shared meals most nights for going on seven years in this house, longer in others. Those meals have ranged from hurried 10 minute yelling-at-bickering-kids affairs to the more leisurely sharing-at-the-end-of-the-day meal that the experts constantly refer to. Either way, nearly every night we eat together around my grandmother Baba's dining room table.

I had picked up a container of Lebanese lebneh at Metropolitan (yogurt cheese balls rolled in herbs, marinated with olive oil and dressed with minced red onion and tomato), some pita bread, a pound and a half of shrimp and the last of the soft shells for the season. I had been thinking about Mark's shrimp all week but once I was there I realised that somehow the entire summer had passed without my eating a single soft shell crab. That needed to be remedied. I also grabbed some store-made Chermoula to marinate the shrimp and dill sauce to serve with the crab. I was excited to see the Chermoula as it is one of my favorite sauces/marinades and I haven't made it or eaten it in a while.

Dinner was a fairly quick production with everything grilled over hardwood except for the salad. Since I starting using hardwood a few years back I really only turn to charcoal as a last resort and though I enjoy the convenience of using the gas grill in Bridgehampton, I haven't been able to sever my close ties to the Weber at home.

The Menu

• Marinated Lebneh with lightly-grilled Pita Bread brushed with olive oil
• Hierloom Tomato, Tomatillo and Cilantro Salad from Stone's Throw Garden
• Variety of Grilled Baby Eggplant from Stone's Throw tossed with olive oil, salt, fresh cilantro and pepper
• Grilled Skewered Shrimp marinated in Chermoula
• Grilled Soft Shell Crabs brushed with olive oil and served with Creamy Dill Sauce and lemon wedges

That's it. Good, simple, and prepared and shared with love.

My Moroccan Chermoula Recipe

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp. tomato paste

1/4 tsp. harissa or other hot pepper paste

1 Tbs. paprika

2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a bowl and whisk lightly or pulse a couple of times in a food processor. This keeps quite a while in the fridge.