Spoon & Shutter

Simple summer supper on the deck - produce-packed pasta and a crisp Chilean sauvignon blanc

From Susan: Dear reader, we apologize for the recent lack of posts – our first week back from a month away in Maine has been chock-full of professional and personal obligations. In an effort to make it up to you, I offer an entire day of light, luscious meals, all of which take great advantage of the marvelous produce available right now (in Northern New Jersey, and I hope where you live too).

(Fans of Ted’s beautiful photography take note: due to his busy schedule, these photos were all taken by me with my Canon PowerShot SD600. Never fear, he’ll be back on the blog soon!)

Breakfast: To start my day, I folded gently sauteed asparagus, a nubbin of herb goat cheese – the last of a dill-covered roulade I purchased from the vegetable boat in Maine – and chunks of Jersey beefsteak tomato into a two-egg omelet.

Omelet with asparagus, goat cheese and tomato - with the jar of iced tea I always keep in the fridge.

Lunch: After a morning spent trying to nurse my heat-plagued perennial garden back to life, I plunked down on the deck to enjoy my favorite summer lunch: more of the same tomato, cubes of fresh mozzarella (both procured at the Montclair Farmers Market) and a generous sprinkling of fresh basil from the pot outside our kitchen door. A drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, plus a piece of whole grain bread (from The Bread Co. stand also at the farmers market) made perfection on the plate.

Favorite farmers market lunch

Dinner: Tonight I got a little more involved, finally trying a dish I admired in the June 2008 issue of Bon Appetit. (Here’s where you actually get a recipe!) It’s pasta, but loaded with good-for-you greens, herbs and corn – and it’s served at room temperature, making it an ideal option for a warm evening. The only heat that’s created is in the beginning, where you roast the corn and a whole head of garlic (any excuse to do that is always fine with me!)

My new favorite summer pasta

Capellini with Fresh Ricotta, Roasted Garlic, Corn and Herbs

1 large head of garlic, 1/2 inch cut off

6 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided

4 ears of fresh corn, in the husks (I did snip off the excess silk protruding from the top)

6 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

grated zest of 1/2 lemon

8 oz. capellini, broken in half (I used thin spaghetti, but I wouldn’t try anything more substantial in the way of pasta)

2 cups (loosely packed) mixed greens

2 cups torn radicchio leaves

1 cup fresh ricotta (I used regular supermarket ricotta, which was fine, but a bit thicker than the fresh variety – next time I’d try to find the fresh stuff)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus shaved Parmesan for garnish

1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley

1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup each chopped fresh dill and chives

Preheat oven to 400. Place head of garlic on sheet of foil. Drizzle with 2 tbsp. olive oil, wrap foil around garlic and pinch to seal tightly. Place on baking sheet with corn. Roast until corn is tender and garlic soft – 25 mins for corn and 40 for garlic. Cool slightly.

I just had to show you how gorgeous the garlic and corn look when they're done roasting.

Squeeze garlic out of skins into large bowl. (This is so much fun and the garlic is now gloriously caramelized). Add any leftover oil from the foil. Add lemon juice, zest, and 3 tbsp. olive oil, mash garlic and whisk together. Shuck corn kernels from cobs and add to bowl with garlic.

Meanwhile, cook capellini in large pot of salted water until al dente. Drain and add to bowl along with 1 tbsp. olive oil. Add greens, radicchio, ricotta, grated Parmesan and herbs, mix well (I got frustrated trying to use a wooden spoon and tongs, so resorted to mixing with my hands). Season with salt and pepper to taste and served topped with shredded Parmesan.