Lemon Granita with Whipped Cream
Shaved lemon ice is a light, refreshing way to wrap up a summer meal.
- 2 1/4 cups sugar
- 4 1/2 cups water
- 3 cups lemon juice
- Zest of 3 lemons
- Pinch of kosher salt
- Make a simple syrup by combining the sugar and 2 1/4 cups water in a small saucepan over low heat. Gently warm until sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and cool the syrup.
- Once cool, transfer the syrup to a large mixing bowl along with the remaining 2 1/4 cups water and other remaining ingredients. Stir to combine and transfer the mixture to a shallow baking dish. Place it in the freezer.
- After 30 minutes, check the mixture. If it has begun to freeze, remove from the freezer and scrape it with a fork to grate it up. Place it back in freezer and repeat until the whole mix is frozen and grated.
- Serve with whipped cream (above) or vanilla ice cream. Serves 4.
Grilled Clams with Herb Garlic Bread
Starting with a very hot grill is key to not overcooking the clams.
For the herb butter:
- 1 cup parsley leaves
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped chives
- 1 pound butter, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- Kosher salt
- Fill a pot with about 4 quarts of heavily salted water and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, blanch the herbs for 15 to 20 seconds in the water. Transfer the blanched herbs to an ice bath to stop the cooking.
- Once cold, remove the herbs, squeeze them to get rid of excess water, and place them in a blender, pureeing until smooth. You may have to add a touch of water to get the puree moving.
- Transfer the herb puree to a large mixing bowl along with the room-temperature butter and garlic and mix well. Season with salt, to taste. The butter should be bright green. Set aside until you are ready to use. Makes more than needed for clam recipe.
For the clams:
- 4 dozen littleneck clams
- 3/4 pound butter or Ghee
- 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
- Juice of 2 lemons
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1/2 loaf country-style bread, cut into 1-inch-thick slices
- Place the clams in a large mixing bowl or pot under cold running water until there is no trace of sand.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat and add the garlic. Gently cook the garlic until just aromatic with no color, 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice and zest to the pan and remove from the heat. Set aside as you cook the clams.
- Place the clams on a very hot preheated grill and close the lid. Check the clams every minute or so and as they start to open, remove them one by one and transfer them to a large bowl on the side. Pour half of the melted lemon-garlic butter over them and toss. Reserve the rest of the butter for extra dipping.
- As the clams cook, place the bread on the grill and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the slices are nicely toasted but not too charred. When you’re ready to serve, generously spread the herb butter on the bread and serve alongside the clams. Serves 4 to 6.
Slow-Roasted Tomatoes with Coriander and Fennel Seeds
Juicy late-summer tomatoes taste even sweeter after a long, slow roasting; an herbal red wine from Tuscany will accentuate their seasoning.
Success with the grilled clams recipe requires attention to timing and a very hot preheated grill, which ensures the clams open quickly, and by extension, don’t overcook. The herb butter in this recipe yields extra, ready to be wrapped and kept in the fridge for a few days to use with other dishes.
As far as wine pairings, “Anything in the summer, rosé is fair game. A Mediterranean white with the clams, such as an Italian Vermentino, has a saline quality that does wonders alongside shellfish.
On the other hand, the slow-roasted tomatoes, which pop with the flavors of coriander and fennel seeds, pair beautifully with an herbal red like the Poggerino Chianti Classico 2015, a 100 percent Sangiovese bottling. The savory but elegant wine plays up the herbs, as well as the sweetness of the tomatoes. For roasting the tomatoes, I prefer a convection oven for its even heat. It’s not a process that should be rushed; cook the tomatoes for at least two hours and check them periodically to make sure they don’t dry out completely.
- 12 medium heirloom-variety tomatoes, halved
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, cracked
- Preheat the oven to 275º F.
- Lay the halved tomatoes cut-side up in one layer on a sheet pan or baking dish.
- Season the tomatoes with salt, olive oil and the spices.
- Place the tomatoes in the oven and roast for 2 hours. They should shrink slightly, with crinkled edges, but retain some of their juices—not completely dried out, just concentrated. Serves 4 to 6
Asian Chicken Salad
Prep time: 10 minutes
Active cooking time: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
- One 3-ounce package ramen noodles
- 2 dashes olive oil
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds
- 1/2 head Napa cabbage, washed and sliced
- One 8.5-ounce package coleslaw mix
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 4 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 1/2 cup red wine vinaigrette
- One 11-ounce can mandarin oranges
- Preheat oven to 350° F. In a bowl, break apart the ramen noodles by hand, sprinkle with a dash of olive oil and stir to distribute evenly. Spread the noodles evenly on a parchment paper–lined baking pan and toast for 15 minutes, checking on them often after the first 10 minutes. The noodles should be turning gold in color; take them out before they turn brown. Place the noodles back in the bowl and add the slivered almonds to the baking pan. Sprinkle with another dash of olive oil and bake for 5 minutes, checking to be sure that the nuts don’t turn brown.
- Chop the greens while the noodles and almonds are toasting. Mix the Napa cabbage and coleslaw in a large bowl, adding the onions, cilantro and shredded chicken. Toss gently.
- Add the toasted noodles, almonds and red wine vinaigrette, tossing gently to integrate all the ingredients. (Do this step on the individual serving plates if you are saving some salad for leftovers; this keeps everything crisp and fresh for the next day.) Garnish each plate with 5 to 7 small mandarin orange slices. Serves 4 to 6.
To Your Health
Spark your summer with this tasty produce list
Fresh fruits and vegetables are the main things missing in most unhealthy diets. But if eating these items becomes a treat… you’re more likely to stick to it.
And when you do, they will start replacing calorie-dense foods in your diet, making it easier to slim down. Listed are the freshest, most in-season produce on the market right now. Enjoy! 🙂
Apricots: Delicious raw when ripe, but if you have trouble finding perfectly soft apricots, try grilling slightly under-ripe fruit to bring out the sweetness. Serve with a little plain yogurt and bittersweet chocolate for a great dessert.
Fennel: This earthy plant tastes faintly like licorice, and it’s delicious with seafood. Try tossing it in olive oil and roasting with orange zest and onions for a great side dish.
Jicama: This vegetable tastes a bit like a rm, less-sweet pear… and looks a little like a potato. It’s sturdy, so it’s great for dips like hummus, guacamole, and caramelized onion dip.
Blueberries: Delicious as a quick snack, blueberries Consider tossing them into a salad or even a stir-fry for an addictive punch of sweetness.
Garlic: Available all year round but especially fresh and pungent in the late spring. Look for tight heads of garlic with no soft spots, and the paper outside still intact. And if you see garlic with purple streaks, that’s a good thing! Try roasting your garlic in the oven until golden brown and soft to mellow out the pungent flavor.
Jicama: This vegetable tastes a bit like a rm, less-sweet pear… and looks a little like a potato. It’s sturdy, so it’s great for dips like hummus, guacamole, and caramelized onion dip.
Mushrooms: If you see fresh mushrooms, pick them up immediately – when they’re in season, the flavor is incredibly earthy and rich. And any mushroom works beautifully sautéed in a hot pan with olive oil, sea salt, and a little thyme – just make sure the pan is hot and don’t over ll it.
Parsley: More than just garnish on your plate. Parsley (especially ultra- flavorful Italian parsley deserves to be treated like a vegetable in its own right. Finely dice parsley and toss with beans, brown rice, and tomatoes for a flavorful treat, use it to make pesto, or chop it into a salad.
Strawberries: They’re so good on their own that you really don’t need to do a thing to strawberries, but if you end up with an under-ripe batch, here’s a tip: slice them thin and sprinkle with the juice of an orange and a TINY bit of almond extract to highlight the natural sweetness.
Turnips: This root, gets mistaken for a radish, are earthy and delicious when simply roasted. They’re also a delicious stand-in for potatoes. Just steam them and mash with a little butter.
Mustard Greens: Kale’s peppery cousin, mustard greens are delicious sautéed with garlic, olive oil, and raisins. They also work as wraps, cooked into soups, and thinly sliced into stir-fries.
Rhubarb: This sour stem is unusual, in that it’s mostly used in sweet dishes, and it’s a classic with strawberries. Dessert aside, its delicious pickled, roasted with onions and carrots, and shaved thin over a salad with a little goat cheese.
To your health!