Summer Season’s finest recipes using wonderful local ingredients and classic techniques… with a few twists! Enjoy all of my 15 Essential Summer Recipes including starters, heirloom tomatoes (and how to use them), fish, sides and fruity desserts.
Summer is my favorite season.
Gone are the heavy jackets, swirls of snow and freezing temperatures.
Long sunny days and warm nights provide endless opportunities for outside adventures – and – we reap the benefits of this weather, as finally an amazing abundance of produce and fruits are at their freshest and most flavorful. (I live in Connecticut, by the way!)
This is my second year of planting an edible garden
And it has proven much more plentiful this season, even with the blazing temperatures and unreasonable amount of rain. Yet, I still visit as many farmers’ markets and farm stands as I can, close by and far away (omg just scored the most delicious sugar plums on Cape Ann MA!) to behold what farmers have just harvested – and it is fun to try different type of corn to find my favorite variety of the season.
Hyper-local produce (growing food right in your community, or even your own neighborhood)
Are picked at their nutritional and flavor peak, rather than being ripened artificially in transit. They retain more nutrients – so your body gets more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, helping you feel more energized and healthy.
And, all just tastes delicious. Think about the time you ate something “just picked.”
My best example – a half pint of Sungold Tomatoes (a hybrid cherry tomato, bright-orange in color.) Well, they did not make it home – all eaten in the car!
Locally grown produce often requires fewer pesticides than mass-produced food, I like to support my local farmers too. A good idea too to opt for organic.
These recipes have been chosen carefully, I have over 650 recipes on this site!
They have been selected to show off the many wonderful fruits & vegetables of summer ~ and with varying techniques.
Here are my 15 ESSENTIAL SUMMER RECIPES
To Start:
A Velvety Cool Corn Soup is light and refreshing! Minimum ingredients so you have lots of Pure-Corn-Flavor. Roasted Pepper with Jalapeño and EVOO adds just the right punch of interest and texture. THE Summer soup to make right now!
Ah Summer Tomato Gazpacho! A blender base is topped with extra Summer Heirloom Tomatoes… Simply Divine!
Refreshing and bursting with fresh-from-the-garden flavors. Easy-Peasy.
Kolokithokeftedes are Greek Vegetarian Fritters that are perfect pick-up appetizer when entertainining. Generously dotted with feta cheese and five herbs. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. These 5 Herb Kolokithokeftedes Greek Fritters are addictive! Makes a wonderful light lunch… add a salad.
Heirloom Tomatoes:
Heirloom Tomatoes are at their peak right now – take advantage of their superior taste and beautiful hues. I praise the superior flavors of heirlooms – “older” varieties that come in an assortment of shapes, sizes and colors.
The tastiest Heirloom Tomatoes, with all their colors marinate in a Zesty Vinaigrette (adds a burst of bright flavors) – then tossed with Spaghetti (while it’s still warm to “grab” the flavor of the dressing.) Garlic Breadcrumbs top the dish and add a nice crunchy topping – lends ton of flavor too.
For Tomato Lovers! A simple and delicious sauce – serve over pasta with plenty of basil leaves.
Puréed Tomatoes team with sliced cherry & oblong Heirloom Tomatoes with Cooked Garlic Cloves in Olive Oil – a light and flavorful “No-Cook” Sauce! Italian Bronze Die Cut Girelle Pasta (bought at Wegmans Supermarket) – loving this spiral pasta… has some grooves that can grab the sauce.
Ripe Heirloom Tomatoes team with Garlicky Toasted Bread and Plenty of Basil Leaves. Top with my Zesty “Shaken” Italian Dressing and scatter some thinly sliced Red Onions and cubes of Cucumber.
ALSO SEE: Gluten Free Summertime Panzanella Tomato Salad
Create a Quick Sauce with Local Cherry Heirloom Tomatoes to Toss With Pasta and Shrimp. Tomatoes “burst” – fall slightly apart with all of their natural sweet juices. Its base: shallots and garlic – cherry tomatoes are added until they “burst.” Finish with plenty of parsley and basil leaves.
Seasonal Heirloom Tomatoes baked together with a Pesto Topping and Parmesan Cheese. A super-quick recipe! Delicious pesto topped Hake! It’s a great white, meaty fish, easy to cook, looks good on the plate… Use Cod as well!
A Restaurant Quality dish. Make delicious Pesto Compound Butter in minutes! Slice and add to just-off-the-grilled local swordfish ~ melts into a dreamy sauce. Slow Roasted Vegetables soften and are intensely sweet, adds a pop of color.
MY FAVORITE SUMMER FISH:
Hibiscus Tea offers a deep pink color with sweet and tart flavors – the perfect base for poaching Salmon. Glaze the finished fish with Thai Chili Sauce then spoon over a Creamy Tzatziki. Hibiscus Tea Poached Salmon is infused with dynamic flavor – and has a a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Simply delicious – adding no heat to your kitchen in the summer!
SIDES:
A must side-dish that is healthy, light & delicious! Gets creamy from the grated corn – with whole corn kernels too. I’m obsessed with this recipe! Easy to prepare with minimal ingredients – so the corn flavor shines bright. Cheddar cheese tops the corn pudding and spicy chipotle seasoning is mixed in for a shot of heat… just a little. I like the pop of color it lends and bolt of flavor.
Easy Blackened Grilled Beans right off the BBQ are drizzled with a Zesty Blender Dressing. Toppings include Sliced Purple Scallions, Toasted Sesame Seeds and Caramelized Cashews. You’ll love these miso bbq green beans!
A Simple Recipe using Ingredients from a local Farmers’ Market. It’s easy to steam beets! Add to an assertive and zesty vinaigrette with Green Garlic Scapes; the curly shoot of the garlic bulb… they’re like scallions with a garlic kick!
The Best Way to Grill Corn + Two Slathering Butters to Choose From: Herbal Jalapeño-Lime-Cheddar AND Mango-Parsley-Hot Honey. See my Pro Tips on How to Grill Corn on the BBQ.
FRUITY DESSERTS:
White and Yellow Nectarines team with Blueberries for a must-make Summer Dessert with an Oat & Almond Streusel Crisp Topping. Yellow nectarines actually have a higher sugar content, but white nectarines taste sweeter due to its lack of acid. – Let the natural sweetness of the fruit shine through. Add just enough sugar, not too much!
Fresh Fruit Gently Sweetened in Individual Ramekins are Begging You to Dig Into! Apricots and Cherries are in season right now – add a quick Cobbler- Cinnamon Biscuit topping for an incredible dessert.
Here’s to a wonderful summer!
Enjoy my 15 Essential Summer Recipes – they represent the best flavors and techniques of the season.
Karen
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Karen’s Quick Blender Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho
Equipment
- 1 blender I use Vitamix
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds heirloom tomatoes, (or cherry tomatoes on the vine) divided
- 1/2 cup bell peppers, yellow and or orange; coarsely chopped
- 1/3 cup Persian cucumber, coarsely chopped
- 1/3 cup celery with celery leaves, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup sweet onion & red onion, peeled, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon serrano pepper or fresno chili pepper* , seeded and minced, 1/4 t. for less spicy
- 2 teaspoons garlic, peeled, coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoons Good Sherry Vinegar*, PLUS 1 teaspoon
- 1 small slice bread (sourdough or gluten free), crusts removed (about 1/3 cup)
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, add I T. for drizzling on top
Garnish:
- 1 1/2 tablespoons parsley , chopped
Instructions
- Stem, wash and dry the tomatoes – cut into 2" pieces (will have roughly 4 cups.) Will use THREE cups in the blender. ONE cup cut into a small 1/3 inch dice. Wash, dry and cut vegetables.
- To a blender add next TEN Gazpacho Ingredients (bell peppers through 1 T. olive oil.)Turn on lowest speed to get it going, slowly raise heat to medium speed until broken down but still chunky.
- Add three cups of cut tomatoes. Turn blender on at low speed and blend until incorporated – somewhat smooth, but with some nice texture.Pour into a large bowl. Taste the soup for heat and seasonings and adjust to your taste. At this point you can add more minced serrano or garlic and sea salt to taste.Add the hand-chopped diced tomatoes and stir in.
- Pour into individual soup bowls – drizzle with evoo and sprinkle with parsley. Add summer herbs you like: basil, chives or marjoram.
Notes
*Sherry Vinegar: Avrum Spanish Reserved Sherry Vinegar, aged in oak (my favorite.) This recipe may not be reproduced without the consent of its author, Karen Sheer.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
