10 recipes for a delicious summer
Summah summah summah tiiiiiime
Hi, friends. A few of my favorite thing to do in the summer, in no particular order:
Eat every meal possible al fresco
Buy an abundance of stone fruit so that, whoopsie, I just “need” to make a crisp
Complain about how hot it is
Tell people it’s my favorite season to cook
Lament living in Los Angeles where it is hot all. the. time.
Remark how we’re lucky to live somewhere with access to really fresh, top-quality produce all year round
Enjoy an evening drink and snack in the garden, where it’s shady by 5 pm and feels infinitely cooler than the rest of the house/yard
Ice cream. All the time.
I could definitely do without the 90+ degree days, but honestly? Summer is just the best. There’s a feeling of ease to the season — later bedtimes, less activities, and therefore more time for activities — that extends itself to the food, too. Ice cream before lunch? Sure, why not. It’s hot and that sounds good to me, too. A smattering of snacks for dinner instead of an actual meal? Absolutely.
And when it is time for an actual meal, what a meal it is. Filled with the best and the freshest of the season, cooked simply and accompanied with a few delicious additions that make it really pop.
So, in honor of the best time of year for cooking, today I’m bringing you 10 really good things to make this summer. A new recipe for fried eggplant with a spicy tahini dipping sauce that’s just perfect for an appetizer or as part of a snacky dinner (very much worth standing over some hot oil on a hot summer day), plus a collection of tried-and-true recipes you simply must add to the dinner rotation asap. I hope you love them and make them all. Enjoy!
Fried Eggplant Chips With Spicy Tahini Dipping Sauce
Something about a fried veggie, a good dip, and a crispy cold glass of wine to wash it all down really does it for me. We’re using soda water in our batter here to make it light as air and so crispy it will shock you. Pro tip: do not skip the salting step. It draws the moisture out of the eggplant so that your chips can really crunch.
Serves: 2-6, depending on how many each person eats
Ready in: About an hour, though a good chunk of that is inactive time
Ingredients:
1 large eggplant
Salt
1/2 cup tahini
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp calabrian chilis
1 clove garlic
ice water
1 1/3 cups flour, divided
1 1/2 cups soda water
Neutral oil for frying
To begin, thinly slice your eggplant. You can use a mandoline for this, or a really sharp knife. You want the slices to be thick enough that they don’t flop over when you pick them up.
Line a baking sheet with some paper towels, and arrange your eggplant on top. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt, and let sit for about 30 minutes.
While the eggplant rests, make your sauce. Using a high speed blender or immersion blender, combine the tahini, lemon juice and zest, calabrian chilis, garlic, about 1/4 cup ice water, and lots of salt. Blend, then add more water as needed to thin out the sauce to your desired consistency. Set aside until ready to serve.
At this time, you’ll see little droplets of water on top of the eggplant. Grab another paper towel and thoroughly dry every slice.
Now, time to make your batter. Grab one shallow bowl and one larger bowl. In the first add 1/3 cup flour and a pinch of salt and stir to combine. In the second add the remaining 1 cup of flour and the 1 1/2 cups of soda water. Season with salt and whisk together. You want the consistency to be similar to paint, and might need to add a splash more soda water or a sprinkle more flour to get there.
And now the most satisfying part, bringing it all together. Grab a large, deep skillet or a Dutch oven (something wide enough for a few of the eggplant slices to cohabitate at a time), and add in a good amount of oil — you want 2-3 inches. Heat it over medium-high heat. You want it hot enough that when you drop in a test droplet of the batter, it immediately starts bubbling up. If it takes a second or two for it to get there, it’s not hot enough yet.
To batter your eggplant, first dip each slice in the dry flour mixture, then dip it into the wet mixture. Make sure it’s fully coated in both.
Once your oil is hot, carefully and gently place your slices in the oil. My skillet could accommodate about four at a time.
Fry for a few minutes per side, until golden brown all over. Remove to a wire rack placed over a baking sheet to cool, and salt immediately.
When they’re all fried up, serve with your tahini sauce. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.
One-Pan Creamy Tomato and Eggplant Pearl Couscous
You’ve heard of risotto, but have you heard of… couscous-otto? You can use pearl couscous to get a similarly lush, starchy consistency as risotto, minus all the stirring and adding in broth and stirring some more. This is more set it and forget it, and results in a delightfully toothsome dish that is perfect with tender tomatoes and eggplant. Get the recipe here.
Steak Over Cauliflower and White Bean Purée With a Fresh Tomato Salad
A summery date night or dinner party meal if I’ve ever seen one. Impressive, delicious, and not too complicated. The cauliflower and white bean purée is a slightly lighter — though no less flavorful — alternative to mashed potatoes, and the tomato salad really just brightens everything up. If you prefer to grill your steak, you can do the first part of reverse searing in the oven, then finish it off on the grill instead of in a skillet. Get the recipe here.
Lemon Pepper Chicken Cutlets With Greek Salad
Summer on a plate! Fresh and full of flavor. This is one of my most viral recipes ever on Instagram, and everyone who made it (of which there were so many — thank you!!) has absolutely raved. Get the recipe here.
Tomato and Summer Squash Spaghetti
This one couldn’t be simpler, easier, or more more-ish. Every time I make it I find myself standing over the pot, twirling just a few more strands onto my fork for one last bite. And then, just one more last bite. Only 11 ingredients and just truly divine! Get the recipe here.
*I actually made this the night I wrote this newsletter because I couldn’t get it out of my head, and can confirm almost a year after first developing it that it is absolutely worth Postmating the ingredients at 5:00 p.m. for dinner.
Crispy Salmon and Warm Summer Corn Salad
Crisp on the outside, moist on the inside salmon fillets topped with a warm salad that’s inspired by esquites. The salad is creamy, fresh, and deeply flavorful, with savory additions like cilantro, jalapeño, green onions, and parmesan cheese and a light Greek yogurt-based dressing. It’s good on the salmon, of course, but also with some tortilla chips for scooping, as a side dish, mixed in with some pasta — a real corn of all trades. Get the recipe here.
Creamy Eggplant and Sausage Bucatini
A lush, bright, creamy-dreamy pasta for summer! Unlike most eggplant pasta recipes, this one calls for roasting your eggplant whole, blending up the insides, and transforming that into a sauce with some labneh, white wine, lemon, and butter. Weird, I know, but you’ll have to trust me on this one. Another fan favorite! Get the recipe here.
Honey Za’atar Grilled Chicken Drumsticks and a Shirazi-Inspired Panzanella
I spent a lot of time developing the honey za’atar marinade for these drumsticks, and it’s one I turn to again and again for grilling and baking chicken. A little sweet, a little savory — and just perfect with the shirazi-inspired panzanella that is chock full of chunky summer veg. Get the recipe here.
Chicken Piccata With Tomatoes and Olives
This is one that I don’t think ever go the love it deserves! So approachable and speedy, and protein-forward while still being elegant. Definitely nothing like the chicken piccata you’ve had at Olive Garden — and, in my opinion, that’s a good thing. Get the recipe here.
Lebanese Green Beans and Tomatoes
This is my dad’s version of a classic Lebanese dish. I’m sure there are about as many versions of this as there are cooks who make it, but I love the addition of finely chopped red bell peppers here, both for the texture and the taste. This is just as good hot as it is at room temp, so it’s perfect to make ahead.
Scroll to about midway through this newsletter for the recipe (bonus: lots more summery meals in that one!)
Nothing makes my heart happier than a well organized compendium of recipes