It’s been a busy start to July as our daughter and her family were here for the week, followed by playing catch up after they left. The weather this summer has been unbearably humid and hot; so, who feels like cooking. My husband likes a “cold supper” in the summer, which means I have to cook it earlier in the day so that we can enjoy it chilled for supper. However, I had in my possession from last May a recipe by Steven Raichlen for Shrimp a La Plancha. For this simple, tasty recipe you’ll need shrimp, extra-virgin olive oil (preferably Spanish), minced flat leaf parsley, fresh garlic, pimentón (optional), coarse sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, either brandy or sherry and lemon wedges.
 
Pimentón is a type of paprika used in Spanish cooking and comes in several varieties such as sweet, spicy, smoked and combination. I substituted smoked paprika.

​In week 2, kohlrabi was part of our CSA box. Kohlrabi, though sometimes known as German turnip, actually belongs to the mustard family and is related to cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower. It’s texture and taste is similar to broccoli stems, but I find the taste to be rather bland, not like broccoli.
 
I also had some radishes from a prior box and decided to combine the two veggies into a Kohlrabi-Radish Slaw a recipe listed in our CSA newsletter. The recipe is from the website “Fix Me a Little Lunch.” Besides the two vegetables, you’ll also need juice from 1/2 a lime, white wine vinegar, olive oil, pinch of sugar, pinch of salt, celery seeds and fresh chopped parsley. 

Yes, twice this week my poor husband had to suffer through eating a new pasta dish and pizza that didn’t include red sauce. Fear not, he eats well, in fact, he really enjoyed the Creamy One-Pot Mushroom and Leek Pasta and Flatbread Pizza with Ricotta, Marinated Artichokes and Herbs.
 
The pasta recipe is from Hetty Lui McKinnon of The New York Times and the ingredients aside from the ones mentioned in the title are olive oil, fresh garlic, mixed mushrooms (cremini, shiitake or oyster), a lemon, short pasta (orecchiette , cavatappi, gemelli or penne), vegetable stock, unsalted butter, fresh parsley, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, whole-milk ricotta and red pepper flakes. I purchased pre-packaged assorted mushrooms that included white, shiitake and baby Bella mushrooms and for the pasta, cavatappi.

​Sunday’s, I spend planning my meals for the week based on what I have on hand and what needs to be purchased.  Lately, I have been purchasing family packs of pork tenderloin, boneless, skinless chicken breast and bone-in split chicken breasts then breaking them down into smaller packages.
 
I have approximately a dozen cook books, and lots of recipes either clipped from magazines, newspapers or found on the internet from other food bloggers or cooking shows. Last week’s recipes came from three different cookbooks. The first recipe, Sautéed Spice Beef Cutlets,  was from “Lidia’s Italy,” by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali. For the recipe you’ll need a 2-1/2-pound slab of top round or other lean boneless beef, coarse sea salt or kosher salt, softened butter, fresh Italian parsley, all-purpose flour, eggs, fresh garlic, freshly ground black pepper, cinnamon, ground cloves and extra-virgin olive oil.

Today lunch was a delightful platter of roasted vegetables. I had a Spanish onion, cubanelle pepper, eggplant, grape heirloom tomatoes and a small beefsteak tomato that were cooked outside on the grill.  I placed the cooked vegetables on a platter, seasoned with sea salt and drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil. I added a ball of burrata for my husband and I. We enjoyed it on our porch where there was a light breeze and peaks of sun from behind the clouds. 

​I’m still hunting down recipes that can be cooked outside on the grill. Recently, I found on The New York Times webpage, Cooking, a recipe by Ali Slagle for Grilled Chicken with Tomatoes and Corn. This quick and easy recipe needed boneless, skinless chicken thighs, extra virgin olive oil, chili powder, kosher salt, large ripe tomatoes, a fresh ear of corn, small red onion and fresh oregano.
 
A trip to a local produce stand, Matt’s Farm Market in Belmar, yielded beautiful sweet corn and tomatoes for this meal. Instead of chicken thighs, I used boneless, skinless breasts that I butterflied open. The recipe also called for fresh oregano, which is one of the many herbs from my garden.
 
The preparation begins by coating the chicken with olive oil, chili powder and salt. I did this early in the day, but you can do it up to a day ahead. The veggies are all served in the raw state. I thinly sliced the tomatoes for a base, topped with corn kernels, red onion and oregano. The vegetables are seasoned with salt and extra virgin olive oil