Wilted Scallop and Spinach Salad

I’m on a wilted salad kick these days, they’re summery, easy, and I love the mix of warm and cold. Cut some red potatoes into half inch chunks and simmer in a pot of salted water until just tender. Drain and set aside.

Slice up some bacon and cook over medium heat in a large skillet with a little bit of olive oil. Next, add a minced shallot along with some sweet red pepper. When the bacon starts to brown stir in some bay scallops and minced garlic then cook until the scallops are cooked through. It doesn’t take long.

Immediately transfer the hot mixture, along with the potatoes, into a large bowl of raw spinach and toss with olive oil, lemon, and salt and pepper to taste.

Grilled Plums

Ice cream is a guaranteed crowd pleaser when it comes to dessert on a hot summer night, but if you’re looking to take it up a notch, serve it over some grilled plums. Slice into a firm plum with a chef’s knife until you feel the side of the pit, then continue around the entire diameter so you end up back where you started. With two hands, twist the plum apart at the cut and dig out the pit with a small paring knife.

Lightly oil the plum halves and dust them with a few pinches of cinnamon or cayenne pepper. Place them on a hot grill cut side up for a couple minutes, then flip and continue for another five. You want them caramelized on the outside and soft all the way through without being mushy. Serve immediately with ice cream.

Sweet Onion and Grapefruit Salsa

This salsa will make it feel more like summer than it already does.

Finely mince half of a large sweet onion, juice two limes, then stir the two together and let sit for at least twenty minutes. In the meantime, peel, seed, and cut a grapefruit into one inch chunks doing your best to preserve the juice, and chop a large handful each of mint and cilantro.

At least fifteen minutes before serving stir it all together, salt and pepper to taste, and pour it over some grilled fish or chicken.

Spinach Bacon Bean Dip

Bacon makes everything better, especially in July. Start by coarsely chopping a couple slices of thick cut smoked bacon and cook in a frying pan until crisp, remove and set on a paper bag to drain.

Using the same pan with the bacon fat, sauté a chopped shallot and four cloves of garlic. After a few minutes, stir in two cans of drained cannellini beans and cook for another five minutes over medium heat. Transfer the hot bean mixture to a large bowl and toss together with a bag of baby spinach.

Once it’s cooled down scrape the mixture into a food processor with half the bacon bits, a large pinch of red pepper flakes, or, a couple of shakes of your favorite hot sauce. While processing, stream in approximately a third of a cup of extra virgin olive oil until smooth. Then, salt and pepper to taste, garnish with the remaining bacon bits, and serve with crackers, a sliced baguette, or some toasted pita chips.