Seasonal Cooking - Summer Recipes
From Kevin D. Weeks., former About.com Guide
Soups, Salads and Sandwiches
We eat soups, salads and sandwiches year round, but the chilled soups of summer are uniquely refreshing, salads made with fresh local vegetables especially satisfying and sandwiches (or burgers) a great way to stay out of a hot kitchen.
- Potato Salad: An Old Family Recipe
- Beet Salad with Feta
- Stuffed Tomatoes: A Perfect Summer Meal
- Vichyssoise: Cool and Refreshing
- Cold Cucumber Soup: Tart, Tangy, Tingly
- Gazpacho: Light, Lucious, Lusty
- Bahn Mi: Cold Fusion Works
- Pork Burgers: Something Different for the Grill
- Curried Chicken Salad: Sweet, Spicy, Savory, Wonderful
- Greek Caprese Salad: Variation on a Classic
Main Dishes
Come summer we're looking for ways to avoid standing in a hot kitchen. In the US the most popular option is grilling in the backyard or on the patio and during the summer months we gorge on burgers, kabobs, steaks and chops - we even throw a few shrimp on the Barbie.
- Mititei: Marvelous Romanian Sausages
- Veal with Artichoke Hearts: Italian Love
- Grilled Shrimp: Time for the Barbie
- Smoked Salmon Pimiento: Tangy, Smoky, Savory
- Kofta: Middle-eastern Street Food
- Lamb Steak with Gremolata
- Florentine Pork Chops: A New Twist on an Italian Classic
- Grilled Moorish Pork Kabobs (Pinchos Morunos)
- Tequila Chicken: Grilled Marinated Chicken
- Grilled Lemon Chicken: Tart and Sassy
Succulent Sides
Woody Allen wrote, "Man does not live by bread alone, frequently there must be beverage," Nor do we live by grilled burgers and steaks alone. These side dishes highlight the bounty of summer featuring all it's juicy goodness as well as a few things that also go well with grilled food.
- Fried Green Tomato: Southern Goodness
- Chipotle Grilled Peaches: Spicy, Surprising, Really, really, really good
- Mexican Rice: Side of the Border
- Honey-mustard Roasted Beets: Sweet, Earthy and Bright
- Broccoli with Blue Cheese: So Simple, So Good
- Tabouleh: A Middle-eastern Favorite
- Fried Okra: Morsels of Summer Goodness
- Couscous and Dried Fruit: Perfect with Roast Poultry
- Mexican Corn Saute (Calabacitas)
- Parmesan Tomatoes: Unbelievably Easy
Delicious Desserts
Summer desserts are often cool (if ice cream has a season, this is it) but it would make for poor eating if we skipped over peach cobbler or blueberry crisp just because they're served hot - although, come to think of it, they're pretty good at room temperature too.