We’re on a high with cooking at my house. Pretty much everything we’re eating is from one farmers’ market or another, because glorious summer produce is upon us. It’s heavenly. The fresh, fully formed flavor of ripe, in-season fruits and vegetables makes cooking exciting — and easier.
Take, for example, hothouse tomatoes. In winter, they require a fair amount of intervention to taste like much, whereas ripe summer tomatoes need little more than a sprinkle of salt and a splash of extra-virgin olive oil.
It needn’t be as simple as that, but the summer first course here isn’t much more complicated. It takes a cue from bruschetta and panzanella, both Italian favorites that feature tomatoes, bread, garlic, basil and oil.
In this variation on the theme, a multicolored mix of well-marinated cherry tomatoes are served spooned over toasted sourdough bread to catch all the delicious juices. The key is, after dressing them, to let the halved cherry tomatoes sit for half an hour or so, to meld with the olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and garlic. Of course, these marinated tomatoes could also be tossed with greens for an easy salad or spooned over grilled fish.
For a main course, I wanted something akin to clam chowder.
Inspired by New England-style white chowders, made with milk and potatoes, it’s more of a dinner stew than a soup. Fairly easy to put together, it all cooks in one pot, with various ingredients added along the way. Start with sautéed onions and celery, building a savory white sauce thickened with a touch of flour. Sliced potatoes go in next, followed by sweet corn and a few clams.
When the clams have opened, seasoned chunks of cod are added to finish the stew. It’s nice if some of the fish stays firm and some breaks up a bit. Checking the seasoning, I pronounced my chowder delicious but a touch bland. So, to add spark, I finished it with grated lemon zest, slivers of serrano chile and lots of chopped dill and chives, which supply a necessary zing to the mild, creamy base. You can prepare the chowder up to two hours in advance and reheat it gently just before serving, to avoid any last-minute rushing.
I always say fruit — whether a bowl of sweet berries or a wedge of watermelon — makes the best dessert. But stone fruits are a real treat, especially nectarines, and a little lime syrup makes them into something truly special, adding sweetness and a pronounced lime flavor. (A squeeze of fresh lime juice, though, is necessary to provide the acidity you want.) Serve the fruit well chilled, for an inordinately refreshing finish to a meal on a hot summer day.
