Summer Gazpacho
Here is a post from my Gazpacho loving husband Eric!
Gazpacho, that wonderfully refreshing chilled Andalusian vegetable soup, is perfect for these late days of summer when temperatures soar and vine-ripened tomatoes are plentiful. It can be chunky or smooth but the classic way—made in a blender—always reminds me of Pedro Almodóvar’s movie Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. While I love garlic, I do not like to eat it raw so I roasted the garlic in the oven before blending it in the soup but the choice is yours. Good sherry vinegar is the most important ingredient and while you can use red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar is really the best.
By - Prep: 25 mins
- Yields: 4 Servings
Tagliatelle with Corn, Tomatoes, Onion & Basil
This Tagliatelle with Corn, Tomatoes, Onion & Basil is the perfect end of summer meal. It's the perfect use for the tail-end of your homegrown tomatoes and fresh corn. The red onion slightly caramelizes in the butter and transforms the dish.
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 20 mins
- Yields: 4 Servings
Pasta with Broccoli Sauce
My daughter Grace makes incredible homemade pasta. I had a bunch of broccoli on hand and she made this Pasta with Broccoli Sauce. You don't necessarily have to make homemade, but if you have the time, it's worth the effort. The Broccoli sauce is sublime.
- Prep: 10 mins
- Cook: 10 mins
- Yields: 6 Servings
Coconut Miso Salmon Curry
This Coconut Miso Salmon Curry is a recipe from The York Times. It actually has no curry powder in it. It's very quick to prepare and is full of flavor. I served it on a bed of Jasmine rice.
- Yields: 4 Servings
Potatoes au Gratin from Todd Coleman
The thing about Potatoes au Gratin is that it takes forever to make and you have to do it at the last minute. This recipe is totally make ahead-friendly. You can even prepare it the night before, which I will find very helpful for the upcoming holidays.
- Prep: 5 mins
- Cook: 45 mins
- Yields: 6 Servings
Sicilian Meat Roll
My mother gave me a handwritten recipe book in 1981 with family favorites. I opened it the other day and saw this recipe for Sicilian Meat Roll. It's basically Italian meatloaf. Personally, I am not a fan of meatloaf, but I made it for my father. It turned out really delicious. It definitely needs to be served with some marinara sauce. It's ground beef rolled up with ham, though I used prosciutto, and mozzarella.
- Prep: 20 mins
- Cook: 1 hr 15 mins
- Yields: 8 Servings
Zucchini Bread Muffins
I happen to have way too many zucchini, so I decided to make these Zucchini Bread Muffins. Instead of making a loaf of bread, I like to make muffins so I can freeze them. Zucchini muffins freeze perfectly, if you wrap them individually in plastic wrap, then place them in a ziplock bag. They will last about 8 weeks in the freezer! To thaw, microwave on HIGH about 30 seconds for each muffin.
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 25 mins
- Yields: Makes 12 muffins
Caprese Pesto Pasta Bake
Caprese salad is a simple Italian salad, made of sliced fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. Like pizza Margherita, it features the colours of the Italian flag: green, white, and red. This Caprese Pesto Pasta Bake is taking all those ingredients with some pesto and mixing it with pasta. You can make it ahead and bake it later in the day.
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 30 mins
- Yields: 6 Servings
Buttermilk Pie
Buttermilk Pie is a staple of Southern Cooking and is known as a “desperation pie” (i.e. when you only have staple ingredients like butter, sugar, eggs and flour on hand). That said, these few simple ingredients are greater than the sum of its parts and make for a seriously rich and satisfying dessert. Our friend Kathy who runs a large cattle ranch/horse farm in Texas recently whipped up one of these and was kind enough to share the recipe.
- Prep: 5 mins
- Cook: 40 mins
- Yields: 8 Servings
Margherita Pizza Beans
I love this recipe for Margherita Pizza Beans. If you have lots of tomatoes from your garden, this is a great way to use them. It's basically an Italian "beans on toast". Serve it with a fresh green salad and you have a meal your family will be asking you to make again.
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 25 mins
- Yields: 4 Servings
