Feasts for All Seasons

Aren’t summer evenings beautiful? I was clicking through the archives looking for a good recipe to re-post and I came across this one. Not only is it delicious, but the picture grabbed my attention. I love, love, love the long shadows and warmth of the light on a summer evening. This is a fresh, easy salad and goes particularly well with grilled chicken. The concord grapes give it some sweet tang and the sundried tomatoes add textural interest. A sprinkling of pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) or toasted almonds would not be unwelcome either.

Summer Time Salad

makes enough for 4-6 people

2 medium zucchini (courgettes), juliened

2 C fresh corn kernels

1 C concord grapes 

2 C cherry tomatoes, halved

6 sundried/ovendried tomatoes, rehydrated in some warm water and juliened

a large handful of mixed fresh basil and parsley, torn or chopped.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss with a drizzle of olive oil and the juice of half a lemon. Add coarse salt and pepper to taste.

highlights of this summer:

beach days, trips to the Trabin, swimming at Ruby Lake, long evenings, barbecues, sandal tans, new sunglasses, fresh seafood right off the dock, sangria,  gin and tonics with cucumber <a revelation>, floppy sun hats, bare feet, so many salads when it was too hot to cook, sleeping with just a sheet, picnics, lemonade, stone fruits, making the perfect road trip play list, packing coolers, watermelon, blackberries, reading, writing, quilting in the cool of the studio at the back of the house, bright beach umbrellas, the fact that almost everything “in” was coral coloured, cold rosé wine, photo taking, ocean sunsets, dragon flies, wiener roasts, the garden, tomatoes on the vine and warm from the sun, and this delicious dish.

Finally it’s cool enough to use the oven a bit. That’s one thing I miss through out the summer as a cook – the oven. Sure, sometimes I grit my teeth and bare the heat or get up really stinking early to bake something, but primarily, the oven stays off throughout most of June, July and August. All the more reason to look forward to fall. But before we give our final salute to summer, lets remember how much its given us with its long warm days, oodles of sunlight and some of the most delicious and beautiful produce imaginable. Lets make the most of it before its all over.

 roasted tomatoes and zucchini

combine sliced zucchini and tomatoes (some halved, some sliced, some whole) in an oven proof dish. Add torn basil, a head of garlic with the top sliced off and a generous drizzle of olive oil, being sure to saturate the whole head of garlic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake at 375°, covered for 40 mins, finish, uncovered for 10 mins more.

Serve with bread or toss with cooked pasta.