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Skillet Cornbread Topped with Tomatoes and Rosemary
Skillet cornbread may be the best kind to serve, as it cooks up with a toasty bottom and tender middle. I love to top mine with garden tomatoes and chopped rosemary to hold onto every last bit of summer. Since corn is available through September, fold some into the batter for added texture and flavor using the recipe below. Recently I recommended this as the ultimate side to my summer Cobb salad, and with Labor Day weekend here, this is a crowd-pleasing addition to the menu. By the start of September, our vegetable gardens have become looser, more natural and sprawling, and our dishes follow suit. The actual amounts of…
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Tomato Season: Gardening Tips and Summer Farro Salad Recipe
Lately the salad that keeps making its way to my table has a base of toasty farro topped with ripe heirloom tomatoes, juicy plums, and grilled corn plus handfuls of fresh herbs. The dish encapsulates everything I love about summer – sweetness, char, and that unmistakable flavor of the season’s tomatoes. Of the vegetables I grow, tomatoes are the ones I cherish most and check on throughout the day. Whether you enjoy the ritual of growing and tending to tomatoes or love picking them from the market, this advice will help you make the most of tomato season in full swing. The tips are designed for cooks and gardeners alike, intermingled in…
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Potato Salad with Crispy Shallots and Red Wine Vinaigrette
Topped with crispy shallots and dressed with red wine vinaigrette, this potato salad is destined for picnics and patio tables though it also lends that summery feel to a weeknight dinner. Scatter the shallots so each scoop includes them or serve on the side and allow everyone to top their own portion. The method for making the crispy shallots is simple and reliable, requiring mainly a watchful eye so they are removed when sweet and golden. A combination of petite yellow and red potatoes mix with roasted bell pepper and plenty of herbs to keep the flavor bright. For the best homemade potato salad, I pick small baby potatoes, peewee…
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Fluffy Ricotta Pancakes
A stack of fluffy pancakes with custard-like flavor needs nothing more than butter and pure maple syrup, though I have speckled these with sweet blueberries on occasion. With just the right amount of ricotta, they cook up tender and soft on the inside. Vanilla rather than more traditional lemon in this ricotta pancake recipe keeps them on the custardy side. For the most round, perfectly golden pancakes, I prefer to cook these one at a time in a skillet, though a griddle can be used for making multiple. Once you get a good feel for scooping the batter, flipping, and making these golden pancakes, repeat using the same rhythm until…
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Apple Cider Vinaigrette
With concentrated apple flavor, this dressing is one of my household staples. Whether I serve greens with a crunchy nut and seed topping or a grain salad with roasted vegetables, it enhances the ingredients while offering a delicious flavor all its own. Unlike an apple cider vinaigrette recipe made with mainly oil and vinegar, this version includes a cider reduction for the most satisfying apple goodness. Homemade dressings make any salad tastier and come together so quickly they are worth the extra step. In the farro version pictured below, apple cider is a natural pairing as it enhances the sweetness of pear and butternut squash while balancing the bitterness of…
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