Rare is the night where I’m dining alone, making it home before the sun to usher in the night with a feast. However, due to scheduling and conscious effort, I had a moment and meal to myself. I wanted to celebrate the last gasps of summer with all of the fresh salad ingredients and the beautiful ripe juicy tomatoes that come to us in plenty during the summer.
Fresh basil, black Corinth table grapes (aka currants or champagne grapes), peas from their pods, plums, slivered almonds, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, string beans, dates, I pulled no punches. These are not just ingredients thrown together in a bowl. Each ingredient adds a new, complex layer. Oil, vinegar and a touch of spice add unfathomable dimension to the salad and depth to the dishes. Simple, yet elegant. Knowing that these gifts from nature are available to me, possessing the awareness to appreciate them and feeling the acute desire (and enough leftovers) to share it with the people I love humbled me with the recognition of the incredible fortuitousness of their existence…and mine…and that of the people I love. This is the power of a moment and a meal alone.
Ingredients:
Salad
- 1/2 lb baby arugula
- 2 cups fresh peas
- a few handfuls of Corinth table grapes (but any grapes will do, halved)
- a few handfuls slivered almonds
- 3 dates, chopped
- 1 plum chopped
- a drizzle of olive oil
- a drizzle of balsamic vinegar
Directions:
Toss together all of the ingredients and enjoy.
Ingredients:
Caprese
- 2 large ripe tomatoes, thickly sliced
- 1 handful fresh basil
- 8oz ball fresh mozzerella, thickly sliced
- balsamic vinegar (black)
- olive oil
- pinch of salt
Directions:
Arrange one slice of basil, over one slice of cheese over one slice of tomato. Drizzle with oil and balsamic vinegar and a pinch of salt.
Ingredients:
Herb Crusted Mustard Salmon (I learned this recipe from my days as a fish monger and have taught it to my mom, my uncle and anyone who will listen. I’ve written about versions of it a few times here)
- 1 lb salmon
- 4 tablespoons dijon mustard
- bunch of dill
- bunch of cilantro
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Generously apply mustard to salmon. Spread dill and cilantro evenly over the salmon, enough so that it’s pretty much covered and so that you don’t see much pink.
Bake in oven for 35 minutes.
Baked String Beans with Ras el hanout and Slivered Almonds
Ingredients:
- 8 oz string beans
- 2 tablespoons ras el hanout spice
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F. Arrange string beans in a single layer on a baking sheet. Top with ras el hanout, drizzle with sliced almonds and olive oil. Bake for 20-30 minutes until tender.
Every dish is beautiful, simple ,healthy and slimming. Who could ask for more?
Thanks, Aunt Susan. Nothing beats fresh produce!
Gorgeous summer feast! I love the grape salad, it sounds so delicious! And beans with almonds? Yes please!!! Lovely post, how wonderful that you managed to treat yourself to such a meal before the end of the summer!
Thanks, Darya. Normally when I’m alone, I’ll just have eggs or something to hold me over, but this time, I went all out, with plenty of leftovers. Those grapes were so good!
That all looks absolutely beautiful – I bet it tasted good 😉
Thanks mad Dog. I didn’t even want to share. I normally think the best things in life are worth sharing. This salad… all mine!
perfection!
Thanks!
Beautiful photos but there is nothing better than your first one: fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil and olive oil on a warm day!
Thanks, Jovina! I love that one too. It also has olive oil and balsamic vinegar (which, incidentally I dropped all over the floor, breaking the bottle. I had no paper towels so I left the broken bottle and brown vinegar all over the kitchen tiles while I ran across the street to the grocery store to get paper towels and a new bottle). The smell was just…overwhelming.
That’s a damn fine looking spread right there
Thanks! Happy Birthday!
Indeed a Feast for one! Your photos are amazingly real! One refreshing dish after another. Four recipe post! 😀
Thanks, fae! I really appreciate your comments. The food you put out is so incredible. It’s a joy to look at.
A beautiful celebration of summer’s bounty! Stunning shots and funnily enough I used my Ras el Hanout las tnight in a soup and found myself thinking – I should use this more….now I’m going to use it with my beans!
Nice. The tomatoes were inspired by you and your neighbor! It was 100% your post that inspired the caprese.
🙂 I love that we all inspire each other!