Grilled Sweet Potatoes

As long as you’re grilling why not throw on some sweet potatoes.  Slice them anywhere from an eighth to a quarter inch thick then toss with a little bit of olive oil, and your spices of choice.  If you don’t want to think too hard use the Lawry’s, yes, it’s as great as you remember.  Otherwise salt and just about anything works, granulated garlic, cumin, or paprika are all good.  Because the sweet potatoes take up so much room on the grill it’s best to get them on before your main course then when they are nicely browned on both sides you can stack them to the side or on a rack above and the indirect heat will finish them off.  Great the next day in a salad too.

Mussels Marinara

One of my favorite summer dishes, Mussels Marinara doesn’t take much more to prepare than steaming the mussels.  Start by sautéing a chopped shallot and a couple cloves of garlic in a little bit of olive oil.  Add a small bottle of clam juice, clam stock, or white wine to the pot and bring to a boil.  Add the mussels and cover until they open, then cook for an additional two minutes.  If you’re going to serve over pasta add a full jar of your favorite marinara sauce, half a jar if not, then toss a bit, turn the heat down to medium, and replace the cover.  You should be ready to go in less than five minutes.  Sprinkle some chopped parsley, scallion greens, or chives over the top when serving.  And make sure you load up those bowls with lots of sauce whether for the noodles or a fresh baguette. 

Fresh Corn Saute

I think this is it, corn on the cob at the market, summer is definitely close.  And it doesn’t take much effort to enjoy it.  While getting your olive oil hot in a saute pan shuck the corn making sure that when you break off the stalk you leave yourself a flat end.  Individually stand each cob up in a salad bowl stalk side down and while holding the tip slice off the kernals with a chef’s knife rotating as you go.  Once you’ve removed all the corn from the cobs pour them into your hot pan and saute for a few minutes.  Add some kosher salt, pepper, and two cloves of chopped garlic and sauté for another couple of minutes…you can’t undercook it.  You could stir in some chopped basil, cilantro, or chives, in fact this time around I added some chive pesto I happen to have around but it’s delicious simply with the garlic.  Eat it while you can, we’ve waited six months for this.

Don't Forget to Eat Your Carrots

I don't know why we don't eat more carrots? There's always a bag hanging out in the back of the veggie drawer and they're so good and easy to make. Here's a couple of quick ways to make your carrots feel more important, sauteed with garlic, and herb roasted. For the sautee, wash and slice your carrots at an angle, sautee in a hot pan with some extra virgin olive oil for five minutes stirring often, add some sliced garlic, sautee for another couple of minutes, and salt to taste.   Alternatively for the roast carrots, preheat your oven to 400, wash and cut the carrots into three inch lengths then quarter each length. Toss them together in a large bowl with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil, your favorite dried herb, and some kosher salt and pepper to taste. Spread them on a piece of parchment or directly onto your cookie sheet and bake. Give them a little toss around after about 25 minutes then bake for another 25 minutes. Not bad...right?