Grilled Peppers & Zucchini
Serve these classic grilled vegetables from Domenica Marchetti’s The Glorious Vegetables of Italy atop warm bread.
Ingredients:
3-4 frying peppers
2 zucchini, sliced into ¼-inch pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 garlic clove, sliced thin
Sea salt
Method:
1. Preheat gas or charcoal grill to medium-high, then place whole peppers on grate and grill until skins are blistered and blackened. Add zucchini slices and also grill until just soft with grill marks.
2. Transfer grilled peppers to a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let stand about 10 minutes. Remove peppers and lay on cutting board. Cut each in half, seeding and stemming, then scrape off charred skin with a knife. Cut into thin strips.
3. Drizzle olive oil over peppers and zucchini, season with salt and sprinkle with parsley. Toss to coat, then add slices of garlic. Allow to sit for 30 minutes to meld flavors before serving.
Variation: Try rubbing both the zucchini and peppers with our signature F&L dry rub before grilling—delicious!
Tomato Salad with Corn, Summer Squash & Roasted Onions
Roasted sweet onion adds a wonderful depth of flavor to this refreshing salad.
Ingredients:
2 sweet onions, peeled and sliced into ½-inch-thick rings
2 heirloom tomatoes, chopped
2 small ears of corn, shucked, blanched and kernels removed
1 summer squash, diced
1 scallion, diced
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
10 basil leaves, thinly sliced
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Arrange the sliced onion rings on a baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle generously with sea salt, tossing to coat onions on both sides. Roast for 40 minutes, flipping halfway through until onions are brown and soft. Remove from onion, allow to cool, then roughly chop.
2. In a large bowl, add the chopped tomatoes, corn kernels, summer squash and scallion. Add roasted onions and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together honey with sherry vinegar, then add remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and salt and pepper then whisk well to combine. Drizzle dressing over the salad to taste and top with basil.Â
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Sage & Brown Butter Pasta with Summer Squash
This light, summery pasta is deeply flavorful with a sage-butter sauce and crisp squash.
Ingredients:
1 pound pasta of your choice
2-3 assorted summer squash, washed and peeled
4 tablespoons butter
8 sage leaves
½ lemon, juiced
¼ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano or other Grana-style cheese, grated
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Place a large pot of generously salted water on the stove over medium-high heat, bring to a boil. Drop in pasta and cook until al dente, about 7-8 minutes. Drain, reserving about ½ cup of the cooking liquid.
2. Meanwhile, slice the summer squash very thinly using a sharp knife or mandoline and season with salt and pepper.
3. Melt butter in a 12 to 14-inch sauté pan and continue cooking until golden brown in color. Add sage leaves and sauté until leaves are crisp. Add lemon juice, then gently pour drained pasta into saute pan and heat. Add the cheese and squash, toss to coat and serve immediately.
Sunflower Shoot Salad with Radishes & Hazelnuts
This stellar salad from Food & Wine is beautifully balanced with peppery greens and radishes and sweet pea shoots.
Ingredients:
½ cup hazelnuts
1½ tablespoons Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon honey
¼ teaspoon minced shallot
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups peppery greens, such as arugula or shiso
2 cups sunflower shoots
2-3 Pink radishes, trimmed and very thinly sliced on a mandoline
1 fennel bulb, halved lengthwise, cored and very thinly sliced on a mandoline
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Spread the hazelnuts in a pie plate and toast until they are fragrant and the skins blister, about 14 minutes. Transfer the toasted hazelnuts to a kitchen towel and let cool slightly, then vigorously rub the nuts together to remove the skins. Coarsely chop the nuts.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the Champagne vinegar with the Dijon mustard, honey and minced shallot. Add the extra-virgin olive oil and whisk until blended. Season the vinaigrette with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the arugula, sunflower shoots, radishes, fennel and chopped hazelnuts and toss well. Season with salt and pepper and serve right away.
Fennel & Lemon Relish
This crisp slaw from Alice Waters’ The Art of Simple Food II is excellent tossed with roasted vegetables, or even served as part of a charcuterie board.
Ingredients:
2 lemons
2-3 fennel bulbs
1 shallot
2-3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Using a box grater or rasp, zest both lemons, then reserve the zest and fruit.
2. Peel and finely dice the shallot. Place shallot in a small bowl with the lemon zest, juice of 1 lemon, Champagne vinegar, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well and let sit for a few minutes to macerate. Whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil. Taste for salt and acid and adjust as needed.
3. Trim the fronds and dark green stalks from the fennel bulb. Cut the bulb in half lengthwise and then into a fine dice. Toss with salt to taste and stir into the lemon-shallot mixture. Remove all the remaining peel from the unjuiced lemon and cut the segments from their membranes. Cut segments into a medium dice and gently stir them into the relish. Let relish sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Parmesan Cheese-Roasted Broccolini
Tossed with garlic breadcrumbs and nutty Grana cheese, this tender broccolini is fantastic tossed with pasta or served atop grilled bread.
Ingredients:
1-2 bunches of broccolini
2 cloves garlic
2 slices of rustic bread, such as Italian Rustica
Pinch red pepper flakes
½ cup Grana cheese, grated
Olive oil
Sea salt
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 425°. In a food processor, pulse the bread slices and garlic until the bread forms coarse crumbs and the garlic is chopped.
2. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the broccolini and red pepper flakes with about 2 tablespoons oil and then season generously with salt. Add the grated Grana and bread crumb mixture and toss to combine. Spread in an even layer and roast until the broccolini is tender and beginning to brown, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Zucchini Blossom Frittata
A rustic garden dish that celebrates the fleeting charm of summer blossoms.
Ingredients:
8 large eggs
¼ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 baby zucchini, thinly sliced into rounds
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
½ cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan
8–10 fresh zucchini blossoms, stems removed and gently opened
Optional garnish: fresh basil, chive blossoms, or microgreens
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl with the cream, salt, and pepper until light and frothy. Stir in the grated cheese and set aside.
2. In a 10-inch oven-safe skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the zucchini rounds and cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly golden. Pour the egg mixture over the sautéed vegetables, gently swirling the pan so everything distributes evenly. Let cook undisturbed for 1 to 2 minutes, until the edges just begin to set. Carefully arrange the zucchini blossoms on top, pressing them slightly into the eggs. Continue to cook on the stove for another 2 minutes, or until the frittata is set around the edges but still jiggly in the center.
3. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 8–10 minutes, or until the frittata is fully set and lightly puffed. If using the broiler, broil for 2–3 minutes, watching carefully, until the top is just golden and cooked through. Let the frittata rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Garnish with fresh herbs or edible flowers, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Summer Stone Fruit & Heirloom Tomato Salad with Raspberry-Honey Vinaigrette
This bright and lively salad is perfect for a hot summer’s day.
Ingredients:
2 heirloom tomatoes, cored and cut into wedges
1 cup Sungold cherry tomatoes
2 ripe but firm nectarines, cut into wedges
2 ripe but firm peaches, cut into wedges
1/4 red onion, thinly diced
â…“ cup feta, crumbled
Fresh basil and mint leaves
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
For the vinaigrette:
¾ cup olive oil
¼ cup raspberry wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1-2 teaspoons honey
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Arrange the tomatoes, peaches, nectarines and red onions on a large platter.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle the salad ingredients with the vinaigrette and lightly toss to coat. Top with feta, basil and mint, and then season generously with salt and pepper.
Bok Choy with Garlic & Ginger
Fresh ginger and fragrant garlic lend big flavor to sautéed bok choy greens.
Ingredients:
1 bunch bok choy
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
â…› cup dry white wine
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Start by trimming the stem off, just the end, to ensure that the bok choy cooks evenly. Separate out the leaves, keep the tender center intact and clean under running water. Drain.
2. Finely mince garlic. Heat olive oil in wok or frying pan. Add garlic and ginger to heated pan.
3. Turn the heat to medium-high. Let the ginger and garlic gently sizzle in the oil. When the aromatics become fragrant and light golden brown, add the bok choy leaves.
4. Toss very well to coat each leaf with the flavored oil for approximately 15 seconds. Pour in broth, water or wine. Immediately cover and let cook for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Endive Frisée Salad with Plums & Hazelnuts
Later in the fall, this salad is equally amazing with slices of crisp apple or juicy pear.
Ingredients:
1 medium head radicchio, torn into bite-size pieces
1 medium head frisée, torn into bite-size pieces
2 plums, pitted and cut into thin slices
¼ cup hazelnut oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
½ cup roasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. In a large bowl, whisk the hazelnut oil with the red wine vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
2. Add the radicchio and frisée and toss until coated. Add the apricots slices, goat cheese and hazelnuts, season the salad with salt and pepper, toss gently and serve.