I love this salad in the summertime when tomatoes are in season. I am a firm believer in food seasonality and in winter I want a tomato salad so bad but know that it will taste awful because the tomatoes in the grocery stores are tasteless and mushy. So In summer I eat as many tomatoes as I can and I am always looking for new ways to enjoy them. You can add any type of lettuce to this salad and make a full meal of it with some good bread or serve it as a side as it is. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!
italian
Pancetta and Corn Risotto
Risotto is one of the easiest things to make – all you need is a few ingredients and a bit of patience – but it can also be one of the most delectable. When prepared properly it’s delicate, creamy texture can be both luxurious and comforting. It’s also a versatile dish that can be made year-round using seasonal ingredients. One of my favorite summer risotto uses pancetta (or bacon in a pinch) and fresh sweet corn.
Grilled Halibut in Lemon Garlic Herb Sauce
Grilled fish is one of the great pleasures of having warmer weather. This is a simple and fast dish that is packed full of amazing flavor. The sauce is inspired by a Salmoriglio sauce – which is a tangy, herby, lemony sauce of which there are countless variations. But this variation is incredibly simple, and the marinade doubles as the sauce. You cant get much more simple than this – and the simplicity allows the delicate flavor of the fish to shine.
Pesto Pizza with Tomato and Mozzarella
This is another and easy and delicious weeknight meal! This can be made faster and more easily by purchasing pizza dough from the grocery store. I prefer to make my own, but store bought dough is actually pretty good and easy to find. You can also make your own pesto if you are so inclined – we will add a recipe for that soon. When buying pesto, make sure to get it from the refrigerated section – the jarred pesto has a bunch of preservatives that affect the flavor.
You will get a better crust if you use a pizza stone, but it’s not necessary if you don’t have one. If you enjoy making pizzas, a stone is an invaluable tool that will take your pies to the next level. You can get a reasonably good one fairly cheap, and if you take care of it, it should last a very long time.
Polenta with White Beans and Kale
This is one of our favorite recipes! We got the original recipe from Lidia Bastianich and modified it to make it easier and faster to prepare on a weeknight. Lidia uses dried beans and cooks them for nearly an hour, but we found that using canned beans is just as good and doesn’t require as much time or effort. This meal can be made in roughly 30 minutes – and it’s healthy and delicious!