Salads

Summertime means bountiful gardens, but sometimes we have trouble keeping up with the bounty. Zucchini is the classic culprit. We’re here to help. We toss zucchini with mint and chives, top it with a dollop of ricotta and lemon zest, and finish with toasted pistachios and sesame seeds. 

This pretty salad is the perfect summer side dish for barbecues or a vegan main course. Dragon beans are unique and fun to work with. Please note that when steamed, though you'll still see bits of color, the purple will fade significantly. 

The combination of crisp broccoli, dried fruit, nuts, and creamy dressing is a picnic-salad staple, but the sweetened mayonnaise dressing tends to overwhelm the dynamic flavors and textures of the other components. We made a lush but light dressing by replacing the mayonnaise with avocado and olive oil, buzzing them in a food processor with garlic and lemon so that the flavor was clean, bright, and savory. We also added shallot and tarragon to the salad to balance out the sweet tang and rich toasty flavors of the dried fruit and nuts, respectively.

Consider this a macaroni salad for the 21st century: Like the original, it’s a welcome accompaniment to picnic fare and pairs with virtually anything off the grill. But this version also happens to be bright, acidic and herbaceous. The traditional elements have been preserved — elbow macaroni, mayonnaise and a pinch of sugar are mandatory — but they’ve been bolstered by bright flavors: lemon zest, tangy capers and pickles, crunchy celery and tons of fresh herbs. It goes lighter on mayonnaise than the original, swapping in tangy buttermilk for a dressing that is more glossy than gloopy.

We set out to develop a recipe for a vibrantly spiced pearl barley salad with the right balance of sweetness, tang, and nuttiness. Before we could focus on building these exciting flavors, we had to find a consistent cooking method for our barley. We wanted the grains to remain distinct, rather than cohesive as in a pilaf. We turned to what we call the “pasta method,” in which we simply boil the grains until tender. With our perfectly cooked barley set aside, we turned our attention back to flavor.

We prefer whole farro, in which the grain’s germ and bran have been retained. It has a nutty flavor and delicately chewy texture, and it cooks in only 20 minutes, making it one of the fastest-cooking whole grains. We found that the simplest cooking method was best: Just boil in salted water for about 20 minutes until tender and drain well. The cooked grain may be cooled briefly and combined with vegetables, a bright vinaigrette, and a sprinkling of cheese for a hearty salad. Cooked farro can be refrigerated for up to five days, which makes it a convenient make-ahead option.

Protein-rich chickpeas make this a hearty vegetairan option. This make-ahead salad is a real crowd pleaser.

You’ve heard of one-pot dinners? These are one-sheet-pan dinners, which means easier cleanup with the added bonus of concentrated, roasted flavors. Here I use a traditional salade Nicoise as the starting point for a pan of roasted potatoes, green beans, and fish. Ham, squash, and apples are gratifying flavors of a New England autumn, and roasted chicken with fennel, bell peppers, and herbes de Provence gives you a little detour toward the south of France (if you shut your eyes tight and stand by the warm oven!).

 Adding smoky char to a Caesar salad sounded like a good idea, as long as we could avoid limp lettuce. Using just the firm, compact romaine hearts is a step in the right direction, and grilling them over a hot fire lets them pick up char faster before wilting. We make a simple dressing with mayonnaise instead of raw eggs and brush some of it on the cut side of the lettuce before cooking to aid browning. Baguette slices brushed with oil crisp up in a few minutes, and we finish the whole thing with more dressing and plenty of Parmesan cheese.

One thing I love about being in America are the amazing sandwiches you can get just about anywhere. On our California honeymoon I ate my fair share, and although Kauai seems rather far away from the mainland, there are health food stores selling amazing things between two slices of bread all over this island. Hoorah!