Summer will be exceptionally blissful this year as we ease into normalcy after the restrictions of the last 14 months. I don’t know about you, but much as I welcome some warmth from the sun and more hours of daylight, I do not particularly want to be shvitzing over a hot stove in the 90+ degree heat we’ve had these last few years.
Enter the summer salad. Rife with superstar produce like juicy tomatoes, sweet corn, crunchy green beans and crisp greens, it can be breakfast, lunch or dinner. It can be a first course, a side dish or an entree. Its components can be prepped ahead so assembly at mealtime can be quick and easy. It is a happy recipient of grilled proteins and vegetables leftover from your last barbeque. And even composed salads can require minimal if any cooking.
Bread salad, a watermelon salad with feta and mint, an heirloom tomato salad and a grappa-marinated peach and basil salad all promise no added heat in your kitchen. Some slicing, some dicing, a sprinkle of this, a drizzle of that and you’ve got a bowl full of bright colors and flavors.
What does minimal cooking mean? Boiling a pot of water or heating a skillet; not heating the oven and being done with the stovetop heat in 30 minutes or less. Making pasta for a salad with Israeli couscous or orzo. Hard-boiling eggs and sautéeing bacon for a spinach salad. Blanching beets, wax beans and haricots vert for a summer vegetable salad. Charring the components of a sausage, okra and corn salad in a skillet on the stove. Toasting pepitas for a kale salad with peaches (hint: Buy them already toasted and you won’t have to “cook” for this recipe either.)
We’ve all heard the expression “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” These salads allow you to do just that — and with some pretty delicious food in tow.
Israeli couscous adds heft to this Mediterranean salad, a chunkier take on tabbouleh.
Time
20 minutes
Yields
Serves 6.
Watermelon is so explosively juicy and sweet that you can add all kinds of big tastes — salty feta, jalapenos, toasted cumin, lime, fresh mint — without overwhelming it.
Time
20 minutes
Yields
Serves 4 to 6
Blanched baby Chioggia beets, turnips, green and yellow beans, carrots and pearl onions are tossed with yellow and red cherry tomatoes and lightly dressed with olive oil and lemon.
Time
45 minutes
Yields
Serves 8
Crisp, spicy sausage acts as second fiddle to a grab bag of peak-summer vegetables, including okra, corn and Jimmy Nardello peppers.
Time
40 minutes
Yields
Serves 2 to 4
Bacon, chopped hard-boiled egg, crumbled feta and avocado add some body to this spinach salad.
Time
25 minutes
Yields
Serves 6
The bread may get top billing in this classic dish, but tomatoes are the real stars. Use the freshest tomatoes you can find.
Time
20 minutes
Yields
Serves 6
Juicy peaches, sweet dates and salty roasted pepitas make this lemony kale salad ideal for summer.
Time
25 minutes
Yields
Serves 6 to 8
Orzo is tossed quickly with vinegar and lemon juice, which combine with the juice from tomatoes to serve as the dressing for an easy summer salad or side dish.
Time
30 minutes
Yields
Serves 8
Heirloom tomatoes need little to shine. Toss thick chunks of them with a vinaigrette and fresh arugula, and add a sprinkling of fleur de sel and cracked black pepper.
Time
15 minutes
Yields
Serves 6
Peaches are marinated in grappa, with a high note of basil for a refreshing summer treat.
Time
15 minutes
Yields
Serves 6
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