summer food

A Sicilian Cook’s Perfect Tomato Salad

The most perfect tomato salad I’ve ever had was made by wine writer Anthony Giglio following the formula of Lucia Lo Presti, his Sicilian mama-on-law. Here’s her formula.

Essence of Summer Tomato Candy

When we have a surplus of smallish tomatoes like plum or cherry, we often make them into addictive “tomato candy” — a chewy, intensely tomato dried fruit —by drying them the same way we dry herbs for tea or kale chips: drying them on racks in the heat of our pilot lit oven…

Pasta al Limone (Lemon Pasta) after Sandro Fioriti

When I am feeling low, I sometimes go to Sandro’s in NYC to eat Spaghetti al Limone. It is a quietly comforting experience: spaghetti perfectly cooked al dente slicked with a suave, subtly lemon, perfectly-balanced sauce. I’ve seen and tried many versions of this classic pasta —many predominantly Parmigiano laced with lemon—but have settled on this approximation of…

Fragrant Olive Oil Cake with Fresh Thyme

The idea of an olive oil cake always sounded better than any I ever tasted in restaurants. But that IDEA was so enticing, I decided to try my hand at creating one. The result was a lovely easy-to-make cake without an overtly olive oil flavor; rather, the oil makes for a delicate texture and underpins the…

Eating Peas with M.F.K. Fisher

Once every June “the day with stars on it” arrives, as M.F.K. Fisher once wrote: It is the day I have “the first mess of peas”. With advice about shelling them happily, a reading from the sublime M.F.K., and an alternative for lazy dogs who just want to EAT their peas… unshelled.

Easy: Blueberries, Feta and Herbs

For summer and blueberry season: Mindy Fox’s riff on the classic, ever-surprising, utterly-refreshing combo of watermelon and feta cheese: Blueberries, Feta and Mint from Mindy Fox’s Salads: Beyond the Bowl. Sometimes we replace the mint with basil, a hint of thyme leaves, fresh oregano, rose geranium, or even black pepper…to taste.

Dandelion and Herb Salad with Burrata

When I saw the dandelion greens, sorrel and herbs from my CSA next to a burrata — mozzarella filled with creamy curds — in the fridge, I had an inspiration:

Crumbles: Cherry or Strawberry-Rhubarb

Years ago, I created a crumble recipe that works for just about any fruit. With its crunchy topping of almonds and brown sugar over warm fruit, it’s a fine stand-in for a tart. In summer, I return year after year to the essential strawberry-rhubarb recipe I first published in A New Way to Cook, swapping in fresh pitted cherries…