Easy Summertime Recipes From Local Chefs

The glorious days of summer are here, and the last thing most of us want to do is spend hours in the kitchen. In service to putting something delicious, nutritious and easy on the table, we asked a handful of area chefs to supply us with recipes that can be made using five ingredients or fewer (not counting salt, pepper and olive oil). The results speak for themselves whether you make the tomato and peach gazpacho or tuna pate from chef Kara Brooks at Eastford's Still River Cafe, the clams with chorizo from Barcelona Wine Bar & Restaurant in West Hartford, the tomato bread pudding from chef Paul Finney at Manchester's October Kitchen, or Avon cookbook author Terry Walters' carrot cashew miso spread. Enjoy the taste of summer without sacrificing the time you need to enjoy everything it offers.

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When we asked Kara Brooks, chef and co-owner of the Still River Cafe in Eastford, for a delicious recipe made using only a handful of ingredients, she sent us three winners. We couldn't choose, so here are all of them. The first recipe, for a tomato and peach gazpacho, is a snap to make. "I don't peel the tomatoes or peaches — you lose too much nutrition," Brooks says. "That is also the reason I omit the bread,"  an ingredient found in many gazpacho recipes.

Kara Brooks' Tomato and Peach Gazpacho

2 pounds tomatoes, chopped

1 pound peaches, pitted and chopped

2 tablespoons chopped shallot

1 1/2 tablespoons champagne vinegar

1 tablespoon chopped basil

Salt and pepper to taste

Purée tomatoes and peaches, shallot, 2 tablespoon vinegar, 4 teaspoons tarragon, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a blender until very smooth, about 1 minute. Stir in water to thin as needed.

For a healthy, protein-laden summer appetizer or snack, it is hard to beat this Mediterranean-inspired tuna pate. Brooks suggests serving it with whole wheat pita or lavash chips.

Kara Brooks' Tuna Pate

¾ pound poached tuna

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons capers

Salt and pepper to taste

Puree tuna in food processor with a little poaching liquid until smooth.  With machine running, slowly add olive oil., lemon juice, mustard and salt and pepper and fully process until smooth and creamy.  Add capers and process. Season as needed. Chill.

What is cooler on a hot day than a bowl of chilled cucumber soup? "This is a nice, light soup for a warm evening," Brooks says. The soup is made using nonfat Greek yogurt instead of the cream typical of a French vichyssoise. Brooks uses English cucumbers.

Kara Brooks' Cold Cucumber Soup

3 large English cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and chopped

2 cups plain nonfat Greek yogurt

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard, or to taste

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves

1/8 cup red wine vinegar to taste 

Salt and pepper to taste

In a blender, puree (it will need to be pureed in batches to get it nice and smooth) chopped cucumbers, yogurt, mustard, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a bowl. Chill soup at least 6 hours or overnight.
Makes about 4 cups.

Still River Cafe is at 134 Union Road, Eastford. For more information, visit www.stillrivercafe.com or call 860-974-9988.

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Chef Paul Finney, chef and owner of Manchester's October Kitchen, a home delivery personal chef service, ran this bread pudding last week on the menu to  rave reviews. "Our version would be lower fat and use partial egg substitute." he says. He recommends serving the tomato bread pudding with a big salad. 

October Kitchen's Summer Tomato Bread Pudding

3 1/2 pounds red, ripe tomatoes

1 1/4 pounds bread, preferably multi-grain whole grain type, stale or toasted (about 1 standard-size loaf)

1 1/4 cups grated Gruyere and/or Parmesan cheese

6 eggs

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Grease a deep 9-by-9-inch baking dish and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

To peel the tomatoes: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While water is heating, prepare an ice bath. With a paring knife, core the tops of the tomatoes, and score the bottoms with an X. Working in small batches, blanch the tomatoes for 30 seconds in the boiling water, remove, and shock to cool in the ice bath. Peel the tomatoes. Cut them in half and gently squeeze to remove most of the seeds, then chop tomatoes into large chunks. Season well with a dash of salt and sugar. Let drain in a colander for 1 hour, reserving the drippings in a bowl.

Cut most of the crust off the bread, and cut into 1-inch cubes. (If bread is not stale, toast briefly until cubes are lightly golden.) Soak bread cubes in bowl of reserved tomato water for several minutes. Gently squeeze out excess liquid. Add all remaining ingredients to bowl, reserving one quarter of the cheese. Toss gently to combine, and season with salt and pepper. Transfer tomato-bread mixture to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle top with reserved cheese. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes until top is golden brown.

Serves 6.

October Kitchen is at 309 Green Road, Manchester. For more information, visit www.octoberkitchen.com or call 860-533-0588.

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West Hartford's Barcelona restaurant is part of a chain founded by owners and cookbook authors Sasa Mahr-batuz and Andy Pforzheimer. Among the delicious recipes on the pages of The Barcelona Cookbook is this winner for clams with chorizo sausage. The Spanish sausage, which varies in heat depending on the type and quantity of paprika used in making it, is available at specialty grocers.

"Clams are very Spanish, and in the United States, we have only a small fraction of the choices they have in Iberia," write Mahr-Batuz and Pforzheimer. "Use littlenecks or Manila clams – not mahogany clams or cockles. Try to remove the clams from the pan as they open, so the first ones don't overcook. Don't despair if this takes longer than expected. The fresher the clams, the less quickly they will open."

Barcelona's Almejas con Chorizo

(Clams with Chorizo Sausage)

24 littleneck or Manila clams

2 4-inch-long links smoked Spanish chorizo sausage

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, sliced very thin (preferably with a mandolin)

2 cups dry white wine

Leaves from 5 sprigs fresh thyme, coarsely chopped

Scrub clams under cold running water. Drain and dry them.

Slice sausage links lengthwise into 3 pieces, and then slice across into strips that are 1/2-inch wide. heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat and, when hot, add olive oil. Add chorizo slices and sear for about 3 minutes or until nicely browned. Add garlic, and cook about 2 minutes, or until brown. Add clams, wine, and thyme leaves, and shake the pan carefully. Cover pan with a lid, aluminum foil, or a plate and cook 7 to 8 minutes, or until all clams have opened. (Discard any that do not open.)

Using tongs or a slotted spoon, remove clams from pan and divide evenly among 4 shallow serving bowls, or put in one large bowl.

Turn up the heat to high, and cook sauce 4 to 5 minutes, or until slightly reduced and thickened. Pour sauce and sausage slices over clams and serve.

Serves 4. 

Barcelona Wine Bar & Restaurant is at 971 Farmington Ave., West Hartford. For more information, visit www.barcelonawinebar.com or call 860-218-2100.

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Runner, mom, Avon resident and cookbook author Terry Walters specializes in "clean food," nutritious, low-fat recipes designed to promote a healthy lifestyle. Her recipe for carrot cashew miso spread is a case in point. The recipe appears in her 2010 cookbook Clean Start: Inspiring You to Eat Clean and Live Well.  Walters created the recipe to go along with sourdough breads sold at a local farm. The breads "are impossible to resist," Walters writes. "As it turns out, I like this spread every bit as much on crackers, on a piece of toasted rice bread, or in a tofu and sprout sandwich."

Terry Walters' Carrot Cashew Miso Spread

2 large carrots

3⁄4 cup raw cashews

1 cup vegetable stock

2 tablespoons light miso

Toasted ivory and/or black sesame seeds

Peel carrots and discard dry ends. Chop into 1⁄2-inch pieces and place in pot with cashews and stock. Turn heat to high and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until carrots are cooked through (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and, using slotted spoon, scoop carrots and cashews into food processor. In separate bowl, measure out 1⁄4 cup of cooking liquid and dissolve miso in it. Add to bowl with carrots and process until smooth. Serve topped with sesame seeds, or refrigerate in airtight container for up to 4 days.

Makes approximately 1 1/2 cups.

For more information about cookbook author Terry Walters, visit www.terrywalters.net.