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Grilled Nectarine and Arugula Salad with Feta, Pistachios and Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette
“Talking of Pleasure, this moment I was writing with one hand, and with the other holding to my Mouth a Nectarine — good God how fine.” – John Keats Smoother than a peach, nectarines are an ideal stone fruit for grilling – no peeling required. Juicy and sweet-tart, they become even more flavorful after a brief turn on the grill pan, with char marks signaling where the natural sugars have caramelized. For a summer salad, I top baby arugula with the grilled wedges. Feta adds lightly salted creaminess, and pistachios lend the right amount of crunch. When nectarines are in season, tomatoes are too, right in a summer garden or…
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Gold Summer Salad with Grilled Squash, Corn, Roasted Peppers, and Tomatoes
This may be the most cheerful salad my table has seen all summer. With golden shades of the season’s vegetables, it features roasted peppers, tiny sweet tomatoes, and grilled squash and corn. Dressed with vinaigrette and served with herbed ricotta, it’s bright in flavor and beautiful to serve. While the vegetables are monochromatic, their textures and flavors are anything but similar. Even the squash and corn, both cooked on a grill or in a grill pan, respond differently to the same application of heat. Where the squash softens, the corn becomes crisp-tender. The yellow peppers are roasted until their skins char and are removed before being sliced into ribbony pieces.…
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Tomato Salad with Fresh Apricot Vinaigrette
Ripe heirloom tomatoes are at their finest when dressed simply, in this case with a fresh apricot vinaigrette. Paired with ricotta salata and basil, you have a light side dish that’s packed with flavor or a delicious lunch that makes use of the season’s best picks. Often people ask how I decide what to make for meals in any given week, knowing that the dishes I share with them on Thirsty Radish are what I’m enjoying at the moment. As I walk around the market, I’m guided by whatever looks freshest. In this case, brilliant yellow heirloom tomatoes caught my attention followed by other brightly colored varieties stacked in the…
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Smoked Salmon Salad with Meyer Lemon Dressing
Full of the season’s finest, this beautiful salad tastes just as vibrant as it looks. A bed of buttery oak leaf lettuce speckled with peppery watercress provides the perfect backdrop. Next comes the richness of smoked salmon and the delicateness of very thin, crunchy slices of raw asparagus and watermelon radish. I top it off with a Meyer lemon dressing that provides a sweeter, less acidic lemon note so that all the flavors shine. Ingredients Meyer Lemon Dressing 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 3 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard Salt and cracked black pepper to taste Salad ½ pound thin asparagus 1 watermelon radish 4 ounces red…
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Roasted Cherry Tomato and Corn Salad
Over the weekend I found some ripe cherry tomatoes, and my first thought was to pop them in the oven to intensify all that flavor. Even in the heart of summer, I don’t shy away from the oven. Some people prefer the slow tending of meat over a grill, but I prefer keeping a watchful eye over a sheet full of slowly collapsing tomatoes. As I popped each one off the vine, I thought of how my father would stop by just to search my overgrown plants for the tomatoes that were ready to be picked, and which I might have missed. Most of the time I didn’t even know…
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