Recipe Links: Wisconsin Week 17, Chicago Week 15

The weather has offered us the first glimpses of fall in the last couple weeks, but the summer bounty carries on. Although the dreary clouds last week had me preparing for fall roasting and stewing, warmer temperatures and sunnier skies have returned. I'm looking forward to a few more days of dining al fresco on fresh tomatoes, melons and squash before the season changes for good!

Melon

Cantaloupe, lime, and chili soup I don't think this recipe could be simpler or offer a more refreshing palate. For the slightly adventurous, melon soup might be a nice departure from fruit salad!

Summer squash: White Lebanese, zucchini, zephyr squash, patty pan squash, lemon squash 

Summer bounty frittata This fresh frittata uses cherry tomatoes and zucchini as well as some corn. Frozen would work just fine, especially if you happened to put up any Scotch Hill corn this season!

Simply baked squash For quick, easy meals this past week, I sliced a couple squash into rounds about 1/4 inch thick. Brushed them with olive oil, sprinkled them with salt and the tiniest bit of nutmeg, and spread them out on a wire rack atop a cookie sheet. Into the oven at 300 degrees or so for about 10-15 minutes and they were ready to eat. I topped them with a sprinkle of garlic powder and breadcrumbs and some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Greens mix

Tortilla soup with shredded chard A richly spiced tortilla soup sounds wonderful on these cooler day. Don't fear the chilies, if you can find them; the author of the recipe's head note is right. Pasillas have a rich, complex fruitiness to them without excessive heat. Plus, a little tingle's good on those cooler nights! Any greens from this week or stragglers from past weeks would be great in this soup.

Cucumbers

Tropical cucumber salad Still clinging to the last rays of summer? Try this summery salad. 

White gazpacho It's still warm enough for summer soups like gazpacho. Give your tomatoes a rest and try this white gazpacho recipe with your cucumbers instead!

Tomatoes (heirlooms and boxed)

CSA minestrone Big pots of this savory vegetable soup bubble away on rainy days in my kitchen, especially when I have a surplus of a few kinds of veggies. First, I create a flavor base by sauteing garlic, onion, celery (if I have some that needs using) and crushed red pepper in olive oil. Then I add some chopped tomatoes, water, some herbs (thyme/oregano/bay leaf) and a Parmesan rind. I add some cooked beans and then mix-ins vary from here. Carrots are great, green beans sweet and fresh, squash fantastic, potatoes comforting, greens nourishing. For a heartier soup, I brown and set aside some Italian sausage, scrape up the fond it creates and proceed with the soup; the sausage goes back in at the end. 

Curried chickpea sandwich So, this may not be a tomato recipe, exactly, but heirloom tomatoes would be a delicious addition to this quick vegan lunch.

Fire-roasted tomatoes This recipe is a clever spin on a canning classic. Roasting the tomatoes first gives them a deeper sweetness. The lemon juice makes sure your tomatoes are in fact high enough in acid for canning, so don't leave that out. Also, if canning seems too great an undertaking, eat the tomatoes within a few days or freeze them until winter.

Greens and ripe tomato salad with ricotta salata and balsamic vinaigrette Toss those boxed tomatoes into a salad like this one. I'd use the chard or kale in this, too, for a little more heft.

Beets

Fennel, beet, and orange salad with cumin vinaigrette I love beets and oranges together and I love fennel and oranges together. Why not combine all three? I love the idea of grounding the flavors here with a little earthy cumin. 

The recipe for pureed beets with yogurt and caraway listed on the same page also looks delicious. Decisions, decisions...

Broccoli

Roasted broccoli with smoked paprika vinaigrette and marcona almonds An easy roasted broccoli recipe gussied up a bit by some fancy almonds and paprika. If you don't have gourmet almonds or spices in your cabinet, I'm sure it'll work with whatever's in there!