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Summer is such a time of bountiful treasures when it comes to food. It is the time of farmers’ markets, road-side produce stands, and community-supported agriculture food-shares. I chose these recipes to really exhibit the fresh tastes of summer. They are flexible enough that you can adapt them based on what looks perfect at the market on a given day.

The centerpiece of this entree is the heirloom tomato. This colorful and misshapen fruit hails from a time before the miracle of crossbreeding brought us the perfectly uniform, round, red tomato. It only takes one taste of this delicacy to realize what we sacrificed for that uniform red color. The funny looking tomatoes are bursting with so much flavor that they turned me into a tomato lover. Everyone has their favorite variety. Mine, for example, are the big mottled orange and yellow ones. If you don’t already have a favorite, I suggest a blend of various varieties: green, yellow, orange, red and purple.

Likewise, I am not going to specify a type of pasta for the main dish. I like light pasta such as linguini or capellini, but a stuffed pasta like a tortellini or ravioli can also make for a stunning dish. Actually, this recipe is all about choices. You can easily include a choice of summer produce in this dish and have a variety of different delicious dinners all summer. Try it with asparagus and artichoke sometime!

Heirloom Tomato, Super-Primavera Pasta
1 lb pasta
2 lb heirloom tomatoes
1 medium onion
1 oz fresh basil
1 medium thinly sliced zucchini or summer squash
1 cup finely sliced sugar-snap peas
1 thinly sliced bell pepper
1 bunch spinach (or you can use Swiss chard)
4 green onions
4 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/8-1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
Fresh grated parmesan for topping

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. You want it to be ready before or right as the sauce comes ready. To achieve this, most pasta should be placed in the boiling water a few minutes before the vegetables go into the sauce pan.

Chop the onions into very small cubes and sauté them in the olive oil over medium-low heat. When the onions turn clear, add the minced garlic and the red and black pepper, and sauté for another two minutes. In the meantime, wash and prepare the vegetables. Cut them as directed and place them all in a bowl while you wait for the onions to finish cooking. Slice the tomatoes into small, half-inch cubes and cut the snap-peas at a diagonal. Peppers should be sliced into thin sticks around one to two inches long. Zucchini and summer squash should be quartered and thinly sliced. Finely chop the spinach, green onions and the fresh basil.

When the onions and garlic are ready, turn the heat up to medium and add the Italian seasoning and the vegetables. Bring this mixture to a boil quickly and then cook for just 5 minutes. This leaves the veggies and tomatoes still slightly crisp and bursting with fresh flavor. If you prefer your veggies more cooked, you can continue cooking for as much as 10 more minutes. Pour this sauce over the pasta, top with grated parmesan, and serve immediately.

Wild-Green, Cherry-Nectarine Bursting Summer Salad
The glories of summer are exemplified by the roadside fruit stand. I love stopping at these stands and buying fruit fresh from the orchard. Fresh sweet fruit in a green salad adds a fantastic, sweet quality to the crisp and healthy mix.

1 lb mixed salad greens
2 peaches or nectarines, finely sliced
1 cup pitted and quartered fresh cherries
½ cup finely sliced sugar-snap peas
½ cup sliced bell peppers or cucumbers
3 oz fresh mozzarella or blue cheese
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Black pepper to taste

Shred the salad greens by hand. Cover them with the finely sliced vegetables and fruit. Sprinkle the cheese on top and grind the black pepper on top of that. I prefer to serve this with a three-to-two mixture of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, but you can use your favorite salad dressing.