10-Minute Summer Meals

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A list of quick summer recipe ideas gathered from a comments board at NY Times

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Ingredients

  • Summer Things

Preparation

Step 1

10-Minute Summer Meals

Ground beef Curry

White rice, made with 1/2 water and 1/2 coconut milk (delicious combo if you’ve never tried).
Ground beef, sauteed with onions and some curry spices
Steamed broccoli (with a little oil and lemon juice)

My favorite is to put it all in a pan at the end, and get the coconut, curry, beef flavors over everything. It’s fast, filling and healthy!


Tortellini in Cheese Sauce

-Boil enough frozen tortellini for everyone involved (I like Trader Joe’s)
-while tortellini are boiling, mix together ricotta (1/2 cup), olive oil (2 tsp.), and garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper to taste in a bowl- can increase amounts but maintain proportions
-3 min before tortellini are done, add frozen green beans (Again, Trader Joe’s french-style green beans are great) to water and cook with pasta
-When tortellini and green beans are done, remove from boiling water and add to ricotta mixture. Heat will turn ricotta mixture into a creamy sauce.
-Serve with grated parmigiano reggiano
(if I have them on hand, I like to add cut-up fresh tomatoes and/or scallions to the mix.)


Spaghetti and fresh heirloom tomato sauce

3 fresh heirloom tomatoes, largish, diced into 1/4 cubes
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
a few basil leaves, chopped
1 large dried red chili
Whole wheat spaghetti
Fresh cracked pepper, kosher salt
Cook spaghetti in boiling water until al dente.
Simultaneously, in a heavy pan, heat olive oil until quite hot. Drop in chili, saute for 3 minutes. Drop in basil leaves, saute until leaves turn darker green. drop in the diced tomatoes, and turn off heat. In the oil, swiftly saute the tomatoes for barely two minutes - tomatoes should retain shape.
Drain pasta, making sure its hot, drop in the tomato sauce, and then sprinkle with chopped mozzarella, mixing the cheese into the pasta. add freshly cracked pepper and kosher salt. you could add some basil leaves as garnish.
With a chilled glass of white wine, this makes a surprisingly delicious and sophisticated summer supper.



Steak with Shallots & Mustard Marmalade

Rib eye or New York cut into strips
1 tbls olive oil
1 tsp unsalted butter
1 large shallot diced
l large mushroom sliced thin
1 tbsp orange marmalade(low sugar)
1 tsp your favorite mustard
1/2 cup chicken stock

Add olive oil to pan
Add steak to very hot pan
saute for 2 minutes (med rare)
remove steak from pan
Add 1 tsp unsalted butter to pan
Add mushroom, shallots(stir 1 minute)
Add marmalade, mustard and chicken stock
saute high (1 minute)
return steak to pan (20 seconds)
salt and pepper or grinder to taste

Serve over your favorite pasta, sourdough bread cubes, leftover rice or polenta.


White bean-tomato sauce
Saute onions, garlic, and zucchini in some olive oil. Add a can of white beans and a can of diced tomatoes (I like Eden organic brand). Season with chopped fresh basil, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Serve over couscous.


Greek Salad
- Mix pasta -boiled (bowtie or ‘curlies’), cucumber, tomato, red onion, olives, feta cheese, olive oil, oregano

Turkey Burgers
Ground turkey mixed with 1 egg, diced pieces of feta cheese, fresh parsley, salt and pepper.
Whole-wheat buns sliced tomatoes, greens.

Crisped Prosciutto
Crisp Proscuitto in frying pan or on baking sheet in 400 degree oven and crumble over pasta or salad with parmesan cheese instead of bacon


Salmon steaks covered in teriyaki sauce
Grill until cooked about 4 minutes each side. Grill slices of pineapple to serve with the salmon.
Simple, easy, tasty and keeps the heat out of the kitchen when grilled outdoors.
Fast Summer Tomato Sauce
5-6 ripe summer tomatoes, coarsely cut
fresh basil leaves
5-6 cloves of garlic
salt/pepper
generous olive oil
Throw it all in a blender/food processor. Serve over warm penne.
Great cool summer sauce - like an Italian “salsa”


Stewart’s Quick and Amazing Spaghetti Sauce
One of the reasons I married my husband, Stewart, was his quick spaghetti sauce!
(Okay, that and a bunch of other reasons! )
1 large can whole San Marzano pomodoro tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
Chopped fresh basil, parsley, and/or oregano (if fresh herbs not avail, use dried oregano & basil)
x-virgin olive oyl, about 1/4 cup
dash of salt & pepper
dash of sugar
dash of crushed red pepper
In a deep saute pan, BARELY saute garlic in the olive - about 20 seconds.
Add other ingredients. Smush whole tomatoes with a potato masher, but don’t overdo!
You want the tomato pieces in there.
Cook on low for about 5-10 minutes.
Serve over pasta with fresh grated parmesan reggiano cheese, and a nice hunk of bread.
Look into the eyes of whoever made this for you, and tell them you’ll love them forever!!!! Best thing I ever did.


Tuna Habanero Crumble [Great Bachelor Food]
Cheap, 3 of 4 ingredients are non-perishable, and only two dishes to clean.
-2 cans of Albacore tuna
-tin of seasoned bread crumbs
-olive oil
-finely diced habanero pepper
Mix ingredients in a bowl; knead until bread crumbs cover tuna chunks. Cook in skillet; idea is to jumble the chunks around with a spatula until the tuna is crumbly and brown. When that happens, pour it back into the mixing bowl and enjoy. Works well when poured over a salad with a little vinegar. Not really “bachelor food” unless the salad comes directly from a bag.


Chickpea salad
Rinse a can of chickpeas. Add 1c chopped onion, 2 sm. chopped cucumbers (seeded), 1c chopped tomaoes, 4oz-feta cheese. Toss w/ 1/2c ranch dressing, S&P

Quick Summer Pasta
Cook box of DeCecci pasta, your choice, and drain
While the pasta boils, put about 1/2 cup good virgin olive oil in large pan, on low heat.
Toss in some halved cloves of garlic and some basil and/or rosemary
Swirl pan. Do not brown these things, just flavor the oil and get the garlic soft.
When garlic is soft, toss container of FF cottage cheese, or low-fat Ricotta into pan.
Do not cook, just warm and melt a bit. Toss over pasta in a large bowl.
Serve with fresh salad.


Goat Cheese Pasta
Boil Dececco Penne Rigate (maybe extra for tomorrow’s lunch) until al dente. Drain.
While still hot, put pasta in a bowl and add a big gob of Trader Joe’s Goat cheese.
Mix until melted.
Add Trader Joe’s toasted pine nuts. A little basil if you have it. Salt if you want.
Add steamed broccoli if you want to be healthy.


Black Bean and Goat Cheese Tacos
1. Good quality corn/flour tortillas
2. Two cans black beans, drain and mash up
3. 1-2 cups good quality goat cheese
4. Kosher salt, ground black pepper to taste
Heat tortillas, beans, and cheese and make tacos. Can also make tacos and fry for 2 min. in good olive oil for a crispy outcome.


Basil, Tomato and Mozzarella salad
Bunch of fresh basil
Fresh mozzarella balls
Tastiest tomatoes you can get your hands on
Chop ‘em all up and sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper.


Pasta w/tomatoes and feta
while pasta cooks mix 3 lg tomatoes cut into bite size pieces, w/3 cloves minced garlic, 1/2c chopped basil, 8 oz crumbled feta cheese, 3T olive oil and a little pasta water, S&P. Pour over cooked pasta. Mix well



Lemon Shrimp Skewers
Grate lemon peel from 2 lemons into softened butter, mix w/a bit of course salt- set aside. Cut same lemons into quarters. Alternate quartered lemon cuts w/medium-sized shrimp on skewers. Coat w/lemon butter and broil; grill for 2 minutes on each side or until shrimp is opaque.
Asparagus (or tomato or spinach) gratin
Heat oven to 450 degrees,
Meanwhile, butter a small pie plate or au gratin dish
Put in any of the following:
-Asparagus (cooked 3-5 minutes in boiling water, or frozen and thawed)
-Fresh Spinach
-Sliced tomatoes
Top with 1 or 2 eggs
Add a dab of butter or sprinkle of olive oil
Add some bread crumbs if you have them
Top with parmesan cheese
Bake 450 degree oven until eggs are cooked (about 8 minutes)
Serve in the same dish


SIMPLE SUMMER PASTA
Cut some tomatoes over a big bowl. Cut them any ole way, making sure juices go into the bowl.
Add some torn-up fresh basil, some good olive oil (is there any other kind?),
grated Parmesan, salt and pepper.
Let this sit around while you go outside and drink some wine on the deck.
(If you don’t have a deck, drink some wine anyway)
When you’re ready to eat, cook some pasta: chunky types work best, like penne.
Add the cooked pasta to the bowl with the other stuff. Toss it around.
Pour more wine. Sprinkle more cheese on top. Eat.


Med Plate
Arrange on a plate:
– a dollop of store-bought hummus (experiment with different flavors)
– some sliced feta cheese (bulk feta cheese, sold in delis, is the best)
– sliced seedless cucumber
– sliced red or orange pepper
– sliced tomato
– some good quality olives, if you like them
– fresh pita bread
– salt, to taste


Summer Berry Salad
Lay a bed of spinach and romaine (I like to mix the two for different textures).
Add pre-cooked shrimp or chicken strips (Trader Joe’s has several varieties).
Toss in walnuts, Gorgonzola cheese, sliced Red Delicious apples, and all kinds of berries (strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries).
Toss with a simple dressing of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Grilled Salmon
1-LB wild salmon
olive oil 1/4-cup
cumin 1 and 1/2-tsp.
garlic minced 2 clove
Worcestershire sauce 4 tsp.
grated lime rind 1-tsp.
lime juice 1/4 cup
salt 1/4 tsp.
pepper 1/4 tsp.
Marinate salmon at least 1/2 hour - AND GRILL yes GRILL


Pepper Chicken Wings
Pre heat oven to 425. Place package of wings in glass casserole dish
Cover liberally with fresh black pepper and white pepper (can also use
cayenne pepper and hot paprika.)
Sprinkle with coarse kosher salt. Bake for 75 minutes.
(Wings come out very crispy and peppery and are ready to serve.)


Tuna- White Bean Salad
1 can water-packed light solid tuna (or olive oil packed if it’s really good quality Italian)–drained
Handful of chopped scallions
1 can white navy beans or other small white bean–drained
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
Salt/pepper
Mix and eat—it’s heaven alone or as part of an antipasto.

Brie Pasta
Tear Brie into pieces in a large bowl. Add chopped fresh tomatoes and torn basil leaves. Add 1/4 cup of good olive oil. Go away and have fun in the sun for 1-2 hours. Then boil fresh angel hair, drain and add to bowl while piping hot. Toss well, add salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Yum


Tomato Pie…Best with Summer Tomatoes…
Bake ready made pie crust for 5 min
Then: Layer Swiss Cheese
Thick slices of your favorite fresh tomato
Salt and Pepper
Back into oven until crust is fully cooked
Drizzle with Olive Oil…Delish!
Summer Pasta
1 can garbanzo beans
Rotini pasta
2 medium heirloom tomatoes
olive oil
fresh Parmesan
1 small bunch chopped, fresh basil
Coarsely chop tomatoes. Cook pasta until al dente, then drain. Grate a cup and a pinch of fresh Parmesan. Drain garbanzo beans. Rinse and chop one small bunch fresh basil. Toss all ingredients together with a generous amount
of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.


Sage Ravioli
Cook tortellini or ravioli (preferably fresh). Meanwhile, melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter in a skillet, chop up a handful of sage leaves, and stir the sage into the butter when it’s just melted; cook just a minute or two (don’t let the sage burn) remove from heat and toss with the pasta.


Walnut-Anchovy Pasta
Another over-pasta choice: for a half-pound of pasta, heat 2-3 tablespoons olive oil. Chop 1 clove of garlic and saute in the olive oil, then chop up one or two anchovy filets (according to your taste) and cook in oil until the filets “dissolve;” remove from heat. Then, toast about a handful of chopped walnuts, either in a pan in the oven at 350 or by toasting in the microwave for about a minute. When the walnuts are done, toss pasta, oil, and walnuts together.
I also have a “salad” on hand by getting a tub of mini marinated mozzarella balls and mixing them with a container of cherry tomatoes; I also keep a jar of tapenade on hand. So some nights dinner is just a dish of the tomato-mozzarella salad and the tapenade on bread.


Sauteed Apple Salad
Grill peanut butter sandwiches made with good sourdough bread and chunky natural peanut butter in butter. Peel, core, and slice a tart apple, such as Granny Smith; sauté apple slices in a little olive oil, brown sugar and curry powder until slightly caramelized but still crisp, about 3-4 minutes. Serve the sautéed apple slices over a bed of greens dressed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil; toss on some chopped walnuts and currants, and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve with the grilled peanut butter sandwiches, cut in wedges.


Slovakian Haluski
Fry bacon (3 to 12 pieces)
Break into small pieces and leave a tablespoon of bacon grease in pan.
Chop one head of cabbage, big or small, stir-fry with bacon until tender. Add salt and pepper.



Pasta Aglio Olio
1 pound pasta (spaghetti, linguine, etc)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 2-ounce container of anchovy fillets
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
6-8 large cloves garlic
1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
Cook pasta according to package directions, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat, and go once around the pan with the olive oil. Add anchovies, garlic, and pepper flakes, if you’re using them. Break up anchovies with a wooden spoon until they melt into the oil and garlic mixture.
Add reserved pasta water to the skillet, then the spaghetti, parsley, lots of pepper and a little salt to taste. Toss together and cook for 1 more minute so that the pasta has a chance to soak up some of the sauce. Yields 4 servings


Prosciutto with Frizzled Spinach
- 1/2 pound imported prosciutto, chopped (Domestic tends to be very salty)
- 1 bag pre-washed baby spinach leaves
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- teaspoon of olive oil
- pasta
Boil water & cook pasta
As pasta is cooking, add oil to pan, saute the red pepper flakes & chopped prosciutto together over low heat. (Don’t cook too high so prosciutto doesn’t dry out.) Two minutes before pasta is finished, add spinach to the prosciutto pan and stir in until frizzled. Serve over pasta.
Garnish with Parmesan cheese if desired. (May also add in garlic along with red pepper flakes for additional spice.)


Sushi Rice Bowl
my kids, hubby, and I eat this at least once a week
Microwave enough edamame (frozen, shelled)
cook rice and season with sushi seasoning (premade is fine: rice vinegar, salt, sugar)
open package of surimi (fake crab)*
slice avocado
chop cucumber
Serve rice in bowl and offer above toppings as well as toasted sesame seeds, lemon wedges, soy sauce, wasabi
if desired serve green salad with matchstick carrots and ginger dressing on side with even instant miso soup. Enjoy!
*Smoked salmon works, too as does any leftover mildly seasoned fish




the best italian ever:
1 loaf of crusty French bread cut into thirds;
1/4 lb. of prosciutto, razor thin;
fresh roma tomatoes, sliced;
fresh basil;
fresh “buffalo” mozzarella, sliced;
extra virgin olive oil;
balsamic vinegar.
Combine equal parts of vinegar and oil in an old ketchup squirt-bottle (the old red kind you might find on a diner’s table). Drizzling works too - drizzle the oil first or the vinegar will just soak into the bread.
squirt or drizzle the oil and vinegar onto the bread;
add about 1/8 lb. of prosciutto per sandwich;
layer on the mozzarella, basil and tomatoes;
give another shot of the oil & vinegar. eat.


Two Onions, Three Peppers and Sausage
Slice two white or yellow onions into medium thin slices. Cut three red, yellow or orange (or mix thereof) peppers into medium thin strips. Add both to a hot, fairly deep frying pan (2T-oil maybe) and cook until onions are starting to wilt. Add your choice of sausage (we prefer chicken/apple or chicken/spicy). Cook until sausage is hot.


Bruschette
Turn on oven first - about 350 degrees. Make some toast
Thinly slice (not thicker than 1/8″, ideally - as thinness enables quick cooking) as many tomatoes as you need to more or less cover your toast one layer thick, with a little overlap.
Two tomatoes are enough for ten pieces of toast.
Whack a clove of garlic with the base of your palm and peel it. Lightly scratch surface of each piece of toast with the garlic - zip-zap-zip.
Chop or rip up any nice fresh herbs you have - esp. basil, but also oregano, thyme, tarragon…
Lay out toasts on cookie sheet with a rim… because then you give each one a good dose of olive oil - about a tablespoon each. More oil is better than less.
Quickly place the tomato slices on the toasts. Sprinkle a little salt over the tomatoes.
Put a few of the herbs on the tomatoes. Pour a little extra olive oil on top.
Put tray on a shelf in the middle of the already hot oven for 5ish minutes.

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