Let Peak Produce do the heavy lifting

Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of summer, kicks off the official season of laid-back banquets. Whether it’s a simple weeknight dinner or a weekend party with friends, summer dining calls for easy recipes, or at least recipes that don’t require hours in the kitchen when it’s sunny. Thankfully, the season’s abundance of bold, lively produce makes even lightly prepared meals seem like an extra treat.

An example are those of Ali Slagle roasted red peppers with beans and vegetables. She roasts the peppers whole, so she doesn’t even have to slice them and deal with removing seeds. But the real magic happens in the oven, where instead of evaporating, the juices caramelize and condense inside the whole peppers, making them especially sweet. The velvety pulp of the pepper mixed with beans and garlicky greens makes for an impressive meal you won’t have to sweat for.

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Roasted Red Peppers with Vegetables and Beans

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You could serve the peppers with Jesse Szewczyk’s green salad with sour cream and onion dressing. It’s a bright, filling salad with onion dip vibes, and Jesse makes the whole thing even more fun with an optional topping of crispy fries. He thinks of croutons, but he camps.

Another low-pain, high-gain dish that flaunts A-list seasonal produce is Christian Reynoso’s green. ricotta asparagus pasta, garnished with a lemon almond crumble. When combined with pasta water, the ricotta dissolves into a creamy sauce that coats the pasta and crisp-tender asparagus, and the walnuts add even more texture. a pinch or two of hot sauce right at the end add just the right zipper.

But a dish with perhaps the biggest wow factor is that of Abi Balingit. milk pills (Filipino milk sweets, and I swear it’s not just my sweet tooth doing the talking.) In her recipe adapted by Ligaya Mishan, Abi offers a truly brilliant shortcut: Instead of spending hours on the stove reducing milk and sugar to a syrup, she uses a mixture of powdered milk and sweetened condensed milk that mixes up in minutes. You can leave the candies daisy white or tint them green with matcha powder. Either way, they make an incredibly special and hassle-free treat at the end of any meal.

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That is all for now. See you on Wednesday!