Simple summer dishes to make this week
Simple summer dishes to make this week
Put as many colors as you can on a plate and serve it. Go!
All year I feel like I give the following advice, both written and spoken: When you’re hosting a dinner party, rely on your greatest hits. In the summer, that advice goes out the window because everything is so tasty and fresh and the world is so full of inspiration that I can’t wait to try something out. I eat in restaurants more; I want to try out a new dish. I spot seasonal items at the store. I get weekly emails from the Times telling me about the drink of the summer, or that cold soup is in, or that I should be eating more corn. It might sound like pressure when I put it this way, but the pressure is welcome — in the summer I feel pushed to be spontaneous and I love it.
I’ve been having people over for Shabbat dinner in a way that lately has felt easy — not backbreaking, not overly sweaty. Maybe because when work is stressful or otherwise unenjoyable I turn to the kitchen, to friends. Maybe it’s because I’ve been drinking less and have had more energy.
I’ve had some hits this summer in my kitchen and I want to tell you about them. Here’s a rapid fire list: salad with peaches, cherry tomatoes, and some impossibly fresh burrata; curly Malfada noodles with kale pesto (the kind from Trader Joe’s, of course); “The Salad” which is a massive bowl of arugula, peaches, seared halloumi, homemade pickled red onions, cherry tomatoes, charred corn, and crunchy almonds, dressed with lime and olive oil; this apricot-glazed salmon which I adore and always forget exists; crostini with Italian tuna topped with pepperoncini. Lots of citrus and bright acidic flavors to balance sweet peak-season produce and fish.
Try these ideas! And let me know what you think. Most of these don’t need a recipe; if you need guidance, drop a comment.
I also have been in LA visiting my friend Dana for a couple days and have been just blown away with how fresh and lovely and simple things are — confit tomatoes and boquerones on toast and an unbelievable cucumber and dill salad from Gjusta, unbelievable ceviche on blue corn tostadas from All Time which might be my new favorite restaurant, soy-glazed chicken alongside a fresh, herby salad from Cobi’s.
What’s on the menu this week? A whole dorade, because you know how much I love a whole fish, broiled with herbs and lemon, alongside whatever vegetables are freshest, and maybe some farro. Shakshuka, because I’m craving it, and lots of big crunchy salads, because I’ve eaten in a lot of restaurants this week. Now that I’m working exclusively from home these days, I haven’t had Sweetgreen in forever, and I’m thinking of looking up a copycat version of their spicy cashew dressing so I can put it on everything at home. Also, Zach and I are going upstate next weekend for our first wedding anniversary (!!!???!!!!) so we’ll do some cabin cooking and natural wine drinking and stargazing while we’re up there. What a very special first year of marriage it’s been.
Okay! That’s it for me. I promise I’ll start being better about these and publishing them as promised on Sunday nights. Summer weekends are just hectic, but this practice is very important to me. Thanks for reading as always. See you next week!