Food Blog: Vacation Cooking

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

Vacation Cooking

SURPRISE ME! • RECIPES • BOOKS • VIDEO • MORE

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

Good morning!

Last week, I promised you a fun surprise this week and, oof, I loathe doing this, but by "this week" I actually now mean "next week!" It's taking few days longer than we anticipated to get it just right, but I think it will be worth the wait, and hope you agree -- next week.

But that doesn't mean I don't have a newsletter for you this week -- on the contrary, I absolutely love this theme and everything it represents. We've been very lucky in the US to be gearing up for a semi-normal summer, and with that, I know some of us are looking for things to cook when we get to go away for the week or weekend, without it feeling like this. Below, several very approachable summer favorites; recipes that don't require perfect measuring, tightly adhered-to timetables, or fussy ingredients to feel special. Many are the kinds of dishes that keep well in the fridge for when everyone gets snacky at 4pm, or pack up well if you want to take a hike, no, I mean, an actual hike. I hope you get to enjoy them somewhere wonderful. I can't wait to see you back here next week with something fun.

Cheers,
Deb

Fresh and New

chickpea pan bagnat

New: A hearty, well-seasoned and picnic basket-/beach cooler-ready sandwich for wherever your summer afternoons take you. Inspired by the pan bagnat, which is the sandwich version of a salade niçoise, I swap the tuna here with a smashed chickpea salad, add layers of crunch, richness, and seasoning and might never look back. I hope you get to enjoy this outside with your favorite people as soon as possible.

Vacation Cooking

chile-lime melon salad

This is my kind of fruit salad -- a little salty, a little sweet, a little spicy -- inspired by the cups of seasoned fruit you can buy on the street in Mexico. The moment I have a bite, I can no longer remember why I'd ever eat anything else on a hot day.

beach bean salad

I found my platonic ideal of a summer bean salad --one that keeps well, getting better as it marinates, and travels fantastically to anyplace your summer might lets you escape to -- in a new Southern cookbook that celebrates the stories behind the recipes it shares.

grilled zucchini ribbons with pesto and white beans

Ribbons of grilled lemony zucchini wind around white beans that have been rolled in a pesto vinaigrette, then finished with a blanket of grated parmesan is basically all I want to eat right now.

pasta salad with roasted tomatoes

Stop swearing off pasta salad -- just the gloopy ones. This one is all texture and zip: al dente noodles, slow-roasted tomatoes, crunchy nuts, salty cheese and a garlic-oregano vinaigrette. I wish I always had some in the fridge.

focaccia sandwiches for a crowd

A ridiculously easy, no-knead, no-fuss, quick-rise focaccia you can use to make sheet pans of sandwiches (I have lots of suggestions, including directions for the two vegan ones shown) you can take anywhere you want to go.

burst tomato galette with corn and zucchini

Everything great about mid-summer produce -- burst cherry tomatoes, quick sautéed zucchini, sweet crunchy corn, freshly dug scallions -- folded into one immensely flaky rustic parmesan-flecked crust. This dish is a forever Smitten Kitchen favorite.

greek salad with lemon and oregano

A mostly authentic Greek salad that will provide all of the salty tartness and refreshing crunch we need until until someone can transport us all to a breezy Greek island.

exceptional grilled chicken

Some unpopular opinions about grilled chicken but also a failproof way to make it absolutely perfect at home. More than perfect -- exceptional. Your summer deserves nothing less.

Treats

strawberry graham icebox cake

A graham-cracker cookie cake filled with a lightly cheesecake-d filling and paper thin layers of fresh strawberries, which soften quickly (no overnight nap needed, hooray) into the happiest summer thing.