Allô! 👋
Welcome (back) to good food at home, the monthly-ish newsletter featuring simple, seasonal, and sustainable meals, tips, and ideas. For more recipes, cooking Q&As + access to the full archive, consider joining the community of readers who support the newsletter by also subscribing to seasonal sundays, the paid supplement featuring fresh produce at its peak!
The mountain cranberries (AKA lingonberries) are ripe, the neighbourhood apples grow redder by the day, and local forest floors are increasingly filled with golden girolles.
Late summer is here.
The sunsets are extra golden, the evenings have a novel chill to them, and, everywhere you go, people will tell you that summer is over. But it’s not! We’ve only just entered its third act.
Now, I will admit that we haven’t really had proper summer weather this year in Eastern Norway (most days have been very grey, windy, rather cold, and aggressively rainy) and, already, things are starting to feel rather autumnal. In fact, as a type, I am currently looking out the window onto a fully orange-tinged tree.
Still, the gloomy weather hasn’t stopped me from slowly savouring late summer produce to the best of my abilities.
In the summer months I become a grazer: from sunrise to sundown, I like to snack on as much fresh, juicy fruit and vegetables as I please.
Cucumbers, carrots, bell peppers, berries and stone fruit are enjoyed every day on rotation, with some occasional variation depending on what looks best at the moment (these days, that’s plums and grapes, little tomatoes, and green beans, happily crunched blanched or raw).
Then, when dinnertime rolls around — and, along with it, the desire to whip up something satisfying and speedy to share over a nicely set table — I tend to turn to pasta, tossed simply through whatever vegetables happen to be most appealing that day. It’s a wonderful time of year for carefree, abundant dining.
I know that eventually, as the days get shorter and colder, I’ll transition to eating increasingly rich and hearty foods, spread across fewer but larger and more satisfying meals. I’ll sleep more and move differently, too — after all, it’s not just what we eat that fluctuates with the seasons: how we eat, sleep, move, and socialise come with their own seasonal rhythms, too.
We’re not there yet, though. Right now, we still get to slowly savour summer for a little while longer.
So, although the smell of burning firewood increasingly puffs up from neighbouring chimneys at dusk and the local Canada geese have already flocked south, I also can’t help but notice that the leaves aren’t yet falling, the asters are still blossoming, and the twinkle of a star is still difficult to spot.
In other words: the sun hasn’t set on summer just yet.
In addition to a list of things that I have lately been eating on repeat, you'll find in this August issue a quick overview of what’s in season at the moment, plus some recent and popular late summer inspiration from the newsletter and site, as well as a few parting links as food for thought. As always, I hope you’ll enjoy.
Wishing you a happy return to work and school, as well as a wonderful September ahead,
👋simone
it’s late summer: what’s in season?
☀️
The better question might in fact be, what's not in season? If you're lucky enough to have access to a farmers' market, farm shop, or farm stand, you'll know first-hand just how much there is to choose from at the moment.
When it comes to fruits and vegetables, just a single type can encompass a whole rainbow of varieties, all in different shapes, sizes, and flavours. Here are some ideas for cooking some of the most popular end-of-summer produce:
tomatoes 🍅 excellent in sandwiches and salads, you'll want to salt these generously to bring out maximum flavour. have extra time on your hands? roast them slow or chop them up raw and make them the star of your next risotto. pair well with: corn, basil, peaches, fresh cheeses, whole grains.
corn 🌽 raw corn is fantastic in salads, but also in soups. boil it on the cob and rub it in butter, or grill it until charred and grace it with a squeeze of lime. for something special, why not try your hand at making corn fritters? pairs well with: chili peppers, beans, cilantro, lime, seafood.
grapes, blackberries, and plums 🍇🍑 perfect for topping your morning yogurt/muesli/porridge — and an obvious snack for a countryside drive or saturday picnic. these bake beautifully into crumbles or cakes, and are a natural accompaniment to charcuterie boards and cheese platters. pair well with: almonds, woody herbs, cured meats, strong cheeses.
melons 🍈 a great snack, a great addition to salads, and an excellent way to stay refreshed and hydrated. feeling patient? melons of all kinds make for excellent granitas and sorbets. pair well with: mint, salty cheeses, cucumber, balsamic vinegar.
peppers 🌶️ although peppers are delightfully light and crunchy when enjoyed raw, their potential seems to be truly unlocked when processed in some way: pickled, dried, infused into oil, cooked down slowly or charred quickly until soft and sweet — the possibilities are as numerous as they are delicious. pair well with: corn, olives, onions, creamy cheeses, roasted meats.
summer squash 🥒 while dark green zucchini is what usually comes to mind (and is most easy to find) when it comes to summer squash, one mustn't forget others like pattypan squash, yellow squash, and round varieties. wonderfully delicate when thinly sliced and raw, these are also fantastic grilled, stuffed, “confited”, marinated or baked into a cake. don't forget the edible flowers! pair well with: garlic, pine nuts, corn, tomatoes, peppers, chocolate.
eggplant 🍆 a fantastically low-maintenance ingredient in the kitchen, eggplant packs a punch no matter how you prepare it: creamy and soft as a dip, hearty and flavoursome when breaded and fried schnitzel-style, and deeply savoury when stewed into a caponata, ratatouille or cheesy gratin. pairs well with: tomato sauce, peppers, soy sauce, chickpeas, pasta.
late summer recipes 🏕️
In case you missed them, below are some of the latest and most seasonally-suited meals from the newsletter and website. There’s something for everyone!
a seriously summery sandwich 🥪☀️🌈
Before the sizzling sun and scorching temperatures call it a year, this one’s a must-try for making the most of the season’s abundance.
corn, celery & potato soup 🌽🥔🥣
Fresh corn’s in season, fresh celery’s in season, new (late season) potatoes are in season… this soup is in season!
ajoblanco with melon, cucumber & grapes 🍈🥒🍇
If you’re tired of gazpacho but are still craving something chilled, Spanish, and savoury, this simple, sophisticated, and oh-so-satisfying recipe is for you.
summer verdure e lasagne al forno 🔥
When you can’t decide between a handful of late summer classics (think lasagna, ratatouille, and eggplant parmesan), it turns out your best bet might just be to roll them all up into one.
...and more (from the archives):
toasted almond plum cake
summer squash carbonara 👋+
gratin d’aubergines 👋+
spicy, herby corn fritters
chard (and beet green) pasta
slow-roasted tomato galette 👋+
creamy green bean + grape salad
what I've been eating lately
🐿️
In no particular order, here are some things I've happily been eating over and over again as of late.
Hot fruit and cold cream
Any time I have some fruit that’s gone a little overripe or looks like it was picked too soon and won’t ripen before rotting, I cook it: slow-roasted or grilled, occasionally with a splash of booze to help it along, and served hot — with cold, sometimes whipped, vanilla cream. Simplicity meets perfection.
Heirloom tomatoes with mayo and lots of black pepper
Open-faced mayo tomato sandwiches are nice, but sometimes I also take it to the next level by making open-faced CLTEs: crisped Coppa, Lettuce, Tomato, and fried Egg sandwiches. A really lovely way to start the day, if you ask me. Just don’t skimp on the black pepper.
Fruity focacce
Yes, focaccia with fruit on top (pictured above is a grape, fennel seed, caraway, and lavender number). Try it with cherries, plums, or figs and mix in something savoury — like olives, woody herbs, or nuts — you’ll be surprised at just how tasty the result can be! This is the base recipe I like to play with.
Iced hibiscus tea
A longtime favourite I return to every summer. It’s just so refreshing.
Fresh fruit
Speaking of refreshing! I am the type of person who will halve a small melon, then sit down to eat it with a spoon. Fruit is my favourite snack. Considering that we don’t really get any fresh fruit for half of the year here, I’ll be making the most of it as long as I can. I should note that I write this while munching on a Hardanger Mallard plum.
Crispy chickpea salads
Sauerkraut and other ferments
Remember the sauerkraut I made in July? I’ve nearly finished it. (I’ve also nearly finished some beets I pickled in a vinegar, sugar, and salt solution.) Now is peak-preserving season too, so it’s a great time to make some more, as well as ferment other fruit, flowers, herbs, and veg (or freeze, can, and/or dehydrate them). From jams to pickles, and shelf-stable sauces to spice mixes and herbal tea blends — the preserving world’s your oyster!
last, but not least:
the public health corner 🔗
In case you didn’t know, public health is my jam (more on that here, here, and here) — it informs everything I do! And, as always, I like to leave you with a few parting links relating to the topic, as food for thought:
🎧 ONE PODCAST EPISODE
How to eat 30 plants this week | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Prof. Tim Spector, ZOE Science & Nutrition
📘 ONE BOOK
Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America’s Food Industry, by Austin Frerick Island Press)
📺 ONE DOCUMENTARY
Seeds of Profit (Premières Lignes / France 2)
🗒️ ONE ARTICLE
A more varied diet would help the world’s economy as well as its health (The Conversation)
p.s. I always have a hard time just picking one of each so, in case you're interested, there's plenty more where that came from
That's all from me this month! See you again next season 💛
Lovely read, like always ❤️
Fantastic post, recipes, pictures, what a treat!