Zesty Zucchini and Pasta

Wondering what to do with all those zucchinis? Here’s a zesty way to use four of them. Finely chop a red onion and sauté over medium heat with some extra virgin olive oil. While that’s cooking mince five cloves of garlic then on the coarse side of a box grater shred four cucumber sized zucchinis.

Add the garlic to the pot with the onion along with a can of anchovies and a tablespoon of capers. Once the anchovies have dissolved stir in your shredded zucchini along with some black pepper.

What’s going to make this sauce great is to let the zucchini cook down and sporadically scrape the bottom of the pot with a spatula to work the caramelized bits into the sauce. Let it go for about fifteen minutes but make sure the heat isn’t so high that you burn it. Before serving over pasta add an eighth of a cup of your best olive oil and salt to taste…alongside a tomato salad. It is August after all.

Quinoa Tabouli

There’s no better time of year to make tabouli and while it’s traditionally made with barley, quinoa is both quicker and lighter for a summer meal. Start by cooking a cup of quinoa in 1 ¼ cups of water with a bit of salt in a covered saucepan, after ten minutes remove from the heat and leave covered.

While your quinoa rests mince a garlic clove and combine with the juice of half a lemon in a small bowl. After that, fluff up your quinoa with a fork and place it in a large bowl to cool. Now it’s all about chopping. Into a separate large bowl chop up a couple medium tomatoes, a large cucumber, a full bunch of parsley, a handful of mint, and half a red onion. I had some green beans around so I chopped those up and threw them in as well.

When you’re ready to serve combine all of your chopped veggies and herbs with the cooled quinoa then toss with the lemon juice, half a cup of extra virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. This is the bounty of summer at its best.

Steak with Shallots and Garlic

Next time you throw a steak on the barbecue take a few minutes extra to make it into a restaurant worthy meal with some shallots, garlic, and butter. Fifteen minutes before you start grilling your steak peel, halve, and cut six shallots into 1/8 inch slices and sauté with some extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Give them a stir every few minutes until they’re translucent and just starting to brown.

At this point turn the heat to low and add a couple of minced garlic cloves and a ¼ inch piece of butter…or two.  It will be ready to go once the butter has melted but if you're not going to serve it immediately turn the heat down to simmer so you don’t brown it. Onions of any kind would substitute nicely but shallots really stand up to the meat.

Scallop Carpaccio with Lemon Chive Oil

This refreshing summer appetizer is a special treat and brings the taste of the ocean to your table. The key is starting with the freshest and largest sea scallops you can find and a sharp knife, and as long as they’re fairly large you only need to buy one per person.

Before you begin put your plates in the fridge to chill, one for each person. Next, gently heat some extra virgin olive oil in a small pot and add a couple tablespoons of lemon zest and some minced chives. Immediately remove from the heat and let sit for at least an hour or even overnight.

To serve, slice each scallop as thinly as possible and lay the slices out on your chilled plates making sure they barely overlap. Then simply spoon enough of your infused oil mixture over the top to coat each slice and top with a generous sprinkle of coarse salt.

Use any leftover oil for steamed veggies or a salad dressing.

Green Beans with Feta and Olives

The green beans are here, the green beans are here, and this combination with feta and Kalamata olives is great served warm or at room temperature. Start by coarsely chopping a half a cup of pitted Kalamata olives while your steamer or water for blanching is heating up.

Next, snap the stems off of your beans and steam for five minutes or blanch for one and immediately drain and combine with the chopped olives, some crumbled feta, and a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and coarse salt. That’s it, when the local vegetables are this good less is best.

Red Wine Vinaigrette

Mason jars aren’t only for canning and Bloody Mary’s, they also make the perfect gadget for making and storing salad dressings. And this one like most vinaigrettes will keep for weeks in the fridge, even with a bit of red wine.

To your mason jar add a quarter cup of extra virgin olive oil, a couple tablespoons of both red wine vinegar and Dijon mustard, two teaspoons of red wine, a pinch of sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Screw on the lid and shake vigorously for about ten seconds or until the dressing looks opaque. It will pretty much taste great on any salad including this endive, corn, cucumber, and scallion combination.

Macerated Strawberries

If you think strawberries are incredible as is you should try macerating them…wow! Sounds technical but it couldn’t be easier, although you do have to plan ahead as they should sit for at least an hour. 

In a large bowl quarter and toss a quart of strawberries with a teaspoon of sugar and a quarter cup of Limoncello, Rum, Vodka, or tequila. If kids are involved you may want to opt for a white Balsamic vinegar. That’s it...just them sit at room temperature until you’re ready to serve.

But don’t stop there, top them with a scoop of lemon sorbet and crumbled Lazzaroni Amaretti cookies. The combinations of sweet and sour, warm and cold, soft and crunchy will definitely make this one of your go to summer desserts.

Pimento Cheese Dip

July 4th brings out the best and worst in me food-wise, but no matter how you see it this classic dip from the South is undeniably satisfying….especially on a Ritz. In a large bowl stir together an 8 ounce bag each of shredded sharp white and sharp orange cheddar, half a cup of mayonnaise, 2 cups of finely chopped roasted peppers(jarred is fine), half a teaspoon of celery seeds, a splash of Tabasco sauce, and salt to taste. If there’s any left on July 5th it makes for an awesome grilled cheese and bacon sandwich. Happy 4th!

Thai Beef Salad

This is a great summer salad whether you’re grilling or using last night’s leftovers. For the dressing stir together the juice of two limes, a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil, a teaspoon each of soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, Sriracha, and half a teaspoon of sugar. Grill and thinly slice a half pound of flank steak and let rest in your salad bowl with half of your dressing. 

To serve add some chopped romaine, minced red onion or scallion, half a peeled and seeded cucumber, and a half cup of chopped mint, then simply toss with the remainder of the dressing. A sprinkle of sesame seeds are nice too if you happen to have them in the cupboard.

Parmesan Tater Tots

This is a great one now that the kids are out of school and you’ll enjoy them as much as they will. Start by piercing and roasting 1 1/2 pounds of red potatoes for approximately 45 minutes at 400, throw in a few unpeeled garlic cloves ten minutes before they’re done. Once fork tender transfer the potatoes immediately to an ice bath to cool rapidly while you peel and mash the softened garlic. Next, grate the unpeeled potatoes coarsely with a box grater and combine with the mashed garlic, a teaspoon of kosher salt, and half a cup of grated Parmesan.

With about a teaspoon of the potato mixture form into cylinders about an inch long and place on a generously olive oiled baking sheet until all the tots are made then bake for 40 minutes turning once halfway through. I highly recommend doubling up on this one, they disappeared way too quickly.

Octopus and White Beans with an Arugula Puree

Octopus is one of those things that until you try it you won’t believe how good it can be. Having only ever had it in restaurants I wasn't sure exactly how to attack it but as our local fish market had already cleaned and poached it all it really took was ten minutes on the grill.

While you’re warming up the grill puree two cloves of garlic, a quarter cup of extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, and two heaping handfuls of arugula in a Cuisinart or blender until it’s a smooth runny consistency. Drain and rinse a can of white beans and combine with the puree.

For grilling halve your octopus making sure to remove the small mouth area, sprinkle with salt, pepper, or smoked paprika, and grill for about five minutes per side or until firm. Then simply cut into small pieces and toss with your bean mixture and serve. If you prefer to sauté I would cut it into pieces first, and if arugula isn't your thing then extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, and lemon juice would do just fine.

Grilled Vegetables

Grilling season has arrived, time to clean off the barbeque and stock up on charcoal or propane. And whether its steaks, fish, or chicken you might as well throw on some veggies if you’re going to be grilling anyway. Onions, zucchinis, and red peppers are a great combination and all it takes is tossing them with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper before placing them over the heat.

I find that slicing them on the thicker side helps to keep them from falling apart and a pair of long tongs makes for easy flipping. It’s also best to grill them before your meat and set them to the side so you don’t have to worry about managing different temps and the centers can continue to cook away from the direct heat. A drizzle of your best olive oil before serving isn’t such a bad idea either.