The warm summer months call for lighter dishes, and provide a whole new palette of seasonal cooking ingredients. In that vein, Recipes from an Italian Summer – the latest offering from the authors of the best-selling Italian cooking bible, The Silver Spoon – features 380 recipes for summertime entertaining. Each dish celebrates simple, seasonal ingredients – like fresh herbs, veggies and fruits – perfect for impromptu picnics and barbecues or more sophisticated dinner parties. With summer drinks, salads, light supper dishes and desserts, this is a fantastic resource for those who want to enjoy la dolce vita. The recipes are easy to follow, and presented beside stunning photographs of Italy by world renowned photographer Joel Meyerowitz and food photography by award-winning, London-based photographer Andy Sewell.
Not totally convinced? Then try it for yourself! To get your tastebuds excited, we’ve got two great recipes below – for watermelon smoothies and cold octopus and eggplant salad – courtesy of publisher Phaidon.
*above: Milanese Minestrone
*above: Chilled Wine with Strawberries
*above: Summer Stuffed Peppers
RECIPES…
Watermelon Smoothies:
(Frullato di cocomero)
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Serves: 1
Ingredients: 1 slice watermelon, peeled, seeded and cut into pieces; juice of 1/2 orange, strained; juice of 1/2 lemon, strained; scant 1/2 cup dry sparkling white wine, chilled; 1 tablespoon superfine sugar; 1 small, unpeeled watermelon triangle, to decorate
Instructions:
Put the watermelon, orange jice and lemon juice into a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a pitcher, pour in the wine, stir in the sugar until dissolved, and serve in a tall glass decorated with a small triangle of watermelon.
Cold Octopus & Eggplant Salad:
(insalata di polpo freddo e melanzane)
Preparation time: 3 hours, including marinating and cooling
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients: 2 eggplants, thinly sliced lengthwise; 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling; 1 clove garlic, crushed; 1 fresh red chile, seeded & chopped; 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley; 3/4 cup white-wine vinegar; 2 & 1/4 pounds octopus, 2 tablespoons capers preserved in salt, rinsed, drained and chopped; 12 black olives, pitted and sliced; 4 tomatoes, cut into wedges; 4-5 basil leaves
Instructions:
Heat a nonstick skillet, sear the eggplant slices for a few minutes, turning once, then remove from the heat and put them into a salad bowl. In a separate skillet, heat the olive oil with the garlic and chile. Add teh parslety and vinegar, bring to a boil, and pour the mixture over the eggplants, then let marinate for two hours.
Meanwhile, if it has not already been cleaned, prepare the octopus. Turn the body inside out, and pull away innards and stiff strips that stick to the sides. Cut off the stomach sac. Rinse the octopus thoroughly under cold running water and turn the body right side out. Press out the beak and its soft surrounding tissue from the center of the tentacles and cut it out. Finally, beat it well with a meat mallet. Put the octopus into a large pan of lightly salted, boiling water. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until tender.
Remove the pan from the heat and let the octopus cool in the cooking water. When the octopus is cool, skin it and cut into very thin slices. Add the slices to the eggplants, then add the capers and olives, and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil, and garnish with the tomatoes and basil leaves.
Recipes from an Italian Summer
Published by Phaidon Press, 2010
432 pp, 130 color illustrations
Hardback
$39.95 US
Available now through Phaidon or Amazon.
*Images and recipes courtesy of Phaidon, www.phaidon.com. All food photography © Andy Sewell / All other photographs © Joel Meyerowitz,
