I can’t think of any other way to celebrate the last week of summer than by making these salad dishes to enjoy every bite of the intense sun ripened ingredients. Today’s post is meant to help compile ideas for what you can do with these amazing summer fruits and vegetables to create simple dishes to enhance your garden party table or even a small kitchen table for two.
Heirloom Tomato & Bocconcini Salad
Serves 4
6 large heirloom tomatoes, quartered
1 clove garlic
4 bocconcini cheeses, sliced into ¼ inch pieces
A bunch of basil
Good quality extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Place the tomatoes and garlic clove into a large bowl. Using a pestle, smash the garlic clove and then roughly crush the tomatoes in order to let the garlic permeate.
Discard the garlic or save for another use. Transfer the tomatoes and their juices to a large platter. Scatter the cheese and basil leaves, drizzle with the generous amount of oil and adjust with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately with a piece of crusty bread.
Cantaloupe, Prosciutto & Bocconcini Salad
Serves 5 to 6
1 large cantaloupe
20 pieces prosciutto
4 bocconcini cheeses, sliced into ¼ inch pieces
A few leaves of Italian parsley, chopped
Good quality extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Prepare the cantaloupe. My favourite way to cut a cantaloupe is to remove both ends first and place it on a cutting board sliced side down. Then I peel the skin using a fruit knife, slicing downward from the top (the other cut side) all around the fruit till finished. Next, quarter and discard the seeds trying to save as much juice as possible. Slice the quartered wedges into ½ inch slices.
Place the cantaloupe and its juice, prosciutto and bocconcini on a large platter. Scatter with the parsley, drizzle with the generous amount of oil and adjust with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately.
French Pole Bean Salad
The secret to making fabulous French pole bean salad is to only use the very youngest, tenderest beans!
Serves 4
2 ears of corn, cooked and kernels stripped
2 lb young French pole beans, ends trimmed off
6 slices bacon, fried and sliced into ½ inch pieces
½ red onion, chopped finely
½ cup olives, sliced
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Cook the beans in a pot of boiling salted water until soft but firm for about 3 to 5 minutes. Don’t over cook them. Using a colander, discard the hot water, and then plunge the beans in a bowl of cold running water to stop further discolouring. When cool, drain well and pat dry.
Place the onion, olives, vinegars and oil in a large bowl and whisk well to combine. Adjust with salt and pepper.
Toss the beans, corns and bacon in the vinegar mixture and marinate for about 10 minutes.
Transfer to a large platter and serve immediately.
It’s just so hard for me to let go summer! Thankfully, in CA it still feels summer in full swing 🙂
Although we had the last weekend of summer, we have a plenty of summer vegetables to remember the taste of the season by! I love the transition in between summer and fall:) Thank you, Kankana.
Goodness, all of those salads look absolutely gorgeous. I am sad to see summer go, but really anxious to get cooking fall foods, too!
Hi Carrie. Thank you for your feedback! I feel the same way… sad but excited about the new season and of course, its foods! As a matter of fact, I’m so grateful that we have four seasons. Each season makes me cherish the rest! Have a great fall:)
Emi, holy summer lusciousness. Great salad ideas and your photos are beautiful as always.
xo
E
Thank you, Erin! I love this time of year and tend to cling to the summer memories by cooking fresh tomato dishes or buying more cantaloupes until no more sunny days:)
Lovely farewell to summer.
Thank you, Wendy. There will be more farewells to come with ripening peppers and such:) Stay tuned!