This menu boasts as many textures and colors as a summer garden in full bloom. It is a very good example of how to effortlessly work plenty of fruits and vegetables into a daily diet.
Using a whole mushroom is very dramatic. Top it off with a large square of the best-quality Parmigiano-Reggiano. Use a vegetable peeler to shave the cheese into the thinnest slices possible.
This menu typifies the simplicity of summer eating. The smooth and buttery texture, mild flavor, fine flaky flesh, and low fat content of butterfish make them an excellent choice for a healthy main course. Briny quick-pickled vegetables accompany the succulent char-grilled fish.
Grilled fish with an inventive salad is among the best springtime meals. Couscous tossed with fresh asparagus and tender arugula becomes a simple side dish in no time.
Sardines are best prepared simply: tossed in a little olive oil, grilled, and drenched in fresh lemon juice. The warm, grilled fish wilts and softens the arugula that is placed under it.
Fresh from the farm stand to the front porch, where eating supper in the waning summer sun is the rule, these recipes are inspired by a hurried trip to a farm stand and a house full of hungry summer guests.