7 summer recipes you’ll want to make right now
C’est l’été! It’s officially summer and I’m really embracing a French Riviera state of mind. Of course here in Ohio we certainly know how to welcome summer, with temps in the 90’s all week long 🌶️. The beginning of summer brings with it a beautiful bounty of fresh produce. The first tomatoes appear, berries, watermelons, spicy peppers, and all the greens, including so many fresh herbs. And we’ll have sunny citrus to give zest to any recipe. These summer recipes are full of all these fresh, Mediterranean flavors. A few of my own favorite recipes are here, (what can I say, they’re that good) including a new Niçoise style pizza recipe. I’ve also included some special recipes from others I can’t wait to try. So let’s savor every bite of summer 2024. Let’s be transported to the sunny Mediterranean with 7 summer recipes you’ll want to make right now.
Magical Watermelon Tomato Gazpacho
This magical gazpacho is the first recipe I most look forward to making in the summer. The magical ingredient? Almond flour! Perfect for lunch on its own, maybe with crispy grissini breadsticks or garlic bread. It also makes a great first course or fun appetizer, perhaps served in a small juice glass or pretty shot glass? Cheers to summertime!
All Day Cassis
All summer long. If you don’t have sparkling rosé try using regular rosé and replace the lemon juice and tonic with La Croix Limoncello sparkling water, which is so good. I think I will alternate this cocktail with Citron Pressé this summer. Rebekah Peppler has the perfect recipe for it in her new book Le Sud, which I will also be cooking from all summer. And speaking of cocktails, I’m curious to try Spicy Rosé, perhaps the “hottest” drink of summer.
Spicy Summertime Ratatouille
I’m almost as excited to make this recipe as I am the gazpacho, my mouth is watering as I think about it. While I love Clotilde’s ratatouille recipe from her cookbook Tasting Paris, I think the spiciness of hot pepper and cooling mint in this simple recipe would make it fun and delicious. A perfect south of France addition to this list of 7 summer recipes.
Summer Fruit Salad with Fried Goat Cheese
This recipe comes from Marissa Millen at Food52. It has ripe summer fruits combined with tangy goat cheese “croutons” with crisp cucumber and fresh herbs, so tasty, so refreshing. And even though there is fried cheese involved, dare I say feel the healthy? Definitely feeling a sunny south of France vibe with this salad!
Thai Turkey Burger Salad
How about adding a taste of Thai to our Mediterranean summer? Burgers and summer go hand and hand, and so do the fresh flavors of Thai cuisine. Packed with protein and glowy vitamins & minerals, this is a simple, healthy salad I plan on making all summer.
Positano Carrot and Orange Cake
From Le Sirenuse in Positano (what a beautiful dream would it be to go there?) This is an Italian Riviera version of carrot cake, it combines the citrusy zest of orange with the sweetness of carrots, and SUNflower oil. It would be a perfect ending to a Mediterranean meal, or actually any time of day. It was difficult to chose between this and the Lemon Bars with Olive Oil and Salt from Melissa Clark at NYT Cooking, because lemon and olive oil – what’s more Mediterranean than that?
Grilled Eggplant and Ricotta Pizza
Last but not least, as promised, a brand new pizza recipe to round out my list of 7 summer recipes. If you don’t already know, pizza is the dish for me, the food I would pick if I could only have one dish the rest of my life. Especially since I have perfected my sourdough version. Parisian, healthy, movie night… TGIPF! This pizza recipe was inspired by Le Galet, from my beautiful dream itinerary Summer Friday in Nice. This is a Riviera style pizza, you might even call it Niçoise. I can’t wait to make it for the first full day of summer 2024, which happily is Friday!
Grilled Eggplant and Ricotta Pizza
Equipment
- pizza stone
- Pizza Peel
Ingredients
- 1 recipe pizza dough sourdough or regular *see links below
- 15 oz can San Marzano whole tomatoes drained
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 3 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 medium eggplant cut into ¾ inch rounds
- half of 8 oz mozzarella ball torn into small pieces
- 3 oz ricotta
- fresh basil leaves
- salt, pepper
- red chili flakes
Instructions
- Place pizza stones in oven and preheat oven to 500 F for 1 hour (if you don’t have pizza stones, use upside down sheet pans but don’t preheat them). While oven is preheating, take pizza dough out of refrigerator and let come to room temperature. Cut into two balls, place on floured surface and form each into a 10 inch round.
- For the pizza sauce: Put the drained can of tomatoes in a bowl and use an immersion blender to blend, leave some chunks (or blitz in a food processor, or finely chop and mush a little with flat edge of knife). Drain tomatoes of extra water. Add oregano and salt and pepper to taste.
- For the eggplant: Brush eggplant slices with some of the olive oil and season with salt. Cook on grill pan, in 2 batches, on med-high heat about 5-7 minutes a side or until charred. Set aside.
- Place first pizza dough round on semolina or cornmeal dusted pizza peel. Brush olive oil on edges of dough. Spread dough lightly with pizza sauce (you will have extra sauce). Sprinkle on half of mozzarella. Place 5 slices of eggplant in a circle around pizza. Add 3 T. ricotta around the center. Slide pizza onto pizza stone (or sheet pan). Bake approx. 7 minutes, turn on convection and bake about 3 minutes more or until brown and bubbling. Using peel, transfer pizza to cutting board. Repeat above with second pizza dough round.
- Top each pizza with salt, pepper, fresh basil and chili flakes, slice and enjoy!
Notes
So many summer recipes to try, so little time. So what are you waiting for? Get started on these 7 summer recipes right now! Joyeux été! 🌞