From a fresh salad to a nice piece of fish or meat on the barbecue: summer has arrived and with it the warm weather. But what do you make for a dish on a summer day? Two experts give tips and inspiration.
For Simone van den Berg, founder of food blog Simone’s Kitchen, summer dishes should be nice and fresh. “In general, you associate the summer with lighter dishes. Lots of salads and easy recipes that don’t require you to spend too long in the kitchen. The last thing you want is to spend hours in the kitchen when it’s hot outside.”
Pien Wekking, owner of food blog ‘Pien shows her food’, also associates summer with light and easy dishes. “It has to be ready quickly and also easy to transport, because in the summer it’s nice if you can take it with you to a barbecue or picnic, or at least just outside.”
Add fruit to your dishes
“In the winter I really like stews or pastas with many ingredients, but in the summer I think of light (pasta) salads or, for example, fish with vegetables,” says Wekking. ,,I have really different eating behavior in the summer than in the winter, I think many people recognize themselves in that. In the summer I also like to include fruits such as peach, melon and mango in my dishes. Then you have that freshness that reminds me of summer. And those colors also make it nice and summery.” At the bottom of this article, Wekking shares a summery plate pizza with peach, Parma ham and burrata.
Meat, fish and vegetables on the barbecue
If you do want to cook, it’s better to do it outdoors at the barbecue instead of indoors with hot pans, says Wekking. ,,I really like barbecues in the summer. As soon as the weather is nice, I get the barbecue out. I like to grill vegetables, fish or meat on it and then put a good salad and other fresh side dishes on the table. A fruit salad is always nice with the barbecue.”
Summer is the perfect time to make a dorade on the barbecue, for example, or a good steak,” says Van den Berg. ,,But I also like to roast potatoes on hot coals, just wrap them in aluminum foil and then place them between the coals. I serve them with crème frache, chives and some crisps. Delicious! And also think of roasting vegetables such as peppers, eggplant or zucchini. You even have special containers for preparing smaller vegetables on the barbecue.”
A good coleslaw should not be missing as a summer dish, says Van den Berg. “I make different versions of it. My standard recipe is super simple and the great thing is that a coleslaw becomes even tastier after a day. Ideal to prepare in advance. I sometimes add red cabbage for variation, but that is of course not a must.”
Complete it with summer drinks
“I complete the barbecue with a large jug of strawberry drink,” says Van den Berg, who has a recipe for this on her site. You can add alcohol to it, but of course it can also be alcohol-free. “As far as I’m concerned, strawberries are definitely part of the summer. You can get them all year round these days, but really tasty strawberries can only be found in the summer. I also like to make a strawberry tiramisu or simple strawberry tarts,” says Van den Berg.
“I always like water with fruit, mint or lemon in the summer”, adds Wekking. ,,In the summer I work a lot with lemon anyway, which is nice and refreshing. I also like a homemade sangria with lots of fruit, which is cozy on the table in a nice carafe. I also mainly drink a lot of water, and I like to make iced coffee with crushed ice.”
PLATE PIZZA WITH PEACH, PARMAHAM AND BURRATA
Ingredients for 1 pizza (2-3 persons):
1 cup (homemade) pesto (about 150 gr)
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 roll of fresh pizza dough
4 wild peaches
50 gr Parma or Serrano ham
20 gr pine nuts
1 burrata
Handful of fresh basil
Optional: balsamic cream
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
2. Roll out the pizza dough on a baking tray. Mix the pesto with the lemon juice. Spread the pesto evenly over the dough, leaving an edge. Slice the peaches. Divide the peach slices and ham over the pizza. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the bottom is golden brown and crispy.
3. Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a dry pan.
4. When the pizza is ready, take it out of the oven. Break the burrata with your hands and divide over the pizza. Top with the pine nuts, some basil leaves and optional extra pesto or balsamic cream.
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