Watermelon and mint are a classic summer pairing. I love it in a sorbet or a sweet tea drink. But basil is a great match with melon as well, so I worked up this sweet pesto, with the herby, grassiness of basil and a little undernote of mint. It really is a fresh taste of the summer garden. Serve the watermelon however you like – in thin wedges, big chunks or pretty … [Read more...] about Watermelon with Sweet Pesto
basil
Panzanella Bake
Panzanella a genius example of creative leftover usage. It’s a classic Tuscan salad of stale bread and over-ripe tomatoes, tossed with basil and moistened with olive oil and vinegar. But the beautiful colors and bright fresh flavors make it elegantly simple, the kind of food you imagine yourself throwing together if you lived in a stone house in the Italian hills. This is … [Read more...] about Panzanella Bake
Tomato, Brie and Herb Pasta
I’ve been making this dish for years, decades if I'm honest. I really thought it was my own unique creation, and I patted myself on the back for its genius every time I made it. It’s been my date night dinner, my decadent solo treat and my impressive meal for friends. I made it in my first apartment kitchen and shared it with my first house roommate. It dates, for me, to a … [Read more...] about Tomato, Brie and Herb Pasta
Pasta Butter Balls
One lazy evening, on a desperate-for-dinner freezer scrounge, I came across a half used log of frozen herbed butter – a beurre composée if you will. I like to make these with the summer glut of herbs and roll them into waxed paper wrapped logs. This butter has myriad uses, but I mostly use it for grilling. When you have a really good piece of meat, simply grilled, it doesn’t … [Read more...] about Pasta Butter Balls
Peaches Poached with Basil
Peaches are to me the great herald that summer has well and truly begun. Just when you start to feel the weather change from warm to downright hot and the air from breezy to thick with humidity, peaches make their appearance at markets and roadside stands. At summer camp, you could always get your hands on a peach, and biting into that juicy, fuzzy flesh, the juice dripping … [Read more...] about Peaches Poached with Basil
