MANY OF THE recipes I find come on a 3x5 card, the idea is there but often the amounts of ingredients are left to the reader. The author/friend leaves it up to us, and sometimes takes for granted that we know certain procedures. Not only that, but if the recipe is a personal adaptation, it reflects the choices of the cook that passes it on. (Note the amount of garlic in the following)…the concept is cool, delicious, and something made the day before. Summer soups and salads that utilize our gardens, super!

Summer Gazpacho

The third variation included in the column

Mixed handful of fresh herbs, chopped (dell, parsley, chives)

3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped*

2 large cloves of garlic, minced fine

Juice of 2 lemons (or more to taste)

4 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup good olive oil

Salt pepper (Spanish paprika optional)

1 green pepper, very thinly sliced in rings

1 mild onion, very finely sliced in rings

1 cup diced peeled cucumber

Mix chopped herbs and garlic in large bowl, add oil slowly, stirring, then lemon juice and seasonings, pour in broth. Add onion, tomatoes and green pepper. Chill overnight. Serve garnished with chilled, chopped, cucumber.

*to peel tomatoes easily, remove stem area in a cone shape with a sharp knife. Pierce tomato with a long-handled fork, and immerse it in boiling water till skin begins to crack. Take immediately from water, and let cool. Peel.

Kona Inn Banana Bread

From “Private Collection,” an award winning cookbook from California. (Now, this one is specific!) It’s great to have with summer salads.

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup softened butter

6 ripe bananas, mashed (about 3 cups)

4 eggs, well-beaten 2-1/2 cups cake flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350degrees

With electric beater, cream together sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add bananas and eggs, beating until wellmixed

Sift together dry ingredients three times. Blend with banana mixture but do not overmix.

Pour into 2 lightly-greased loaf pans. Bake for 45 minutes to one hour, until firm in the centers and the edges begin to separate from pans.

Cool on a rack for 10 minutes before removing from pans. These freeze beautifully.

Scallops with Linguine,

Shitake mushrooms and

Grape Tomatoes

The complete dish should not take more that 10-12 minutes. It is something like a “Chinese Fire Drill” because you cook everything at once…so have fun and don’t be hesitant!

Assemble the ingredients first, because this is cooked in different pans, then combined at the last, resulting in the crispness and delicious flavors of each ingredient holding its own when served.

1 cup fresh or defrosted small scallops

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper Italian Panko crumbs

Paprika

1 package sliced shitake mushroom, or 1 cup fresh, sliced

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

2/3 cup grape tomatoes, halved

6 oz linguine, broken in 3rds

1 medium head broccoli, separated in floweret’s, then sliced in half

Juice of fresh lemon, divided

Sliced fresh basil

Parmesan, and more olive oil to moisten.

The scallops will be cooked in the oven, the mushrooms with the tomatoes in a fry pan, and the broccoli with the linquine in salted water.

Have a large warmed bowl ready: the three separate sources and ingredients are all cooked at the same time…

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Fill large pot with water, add about 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil. Add linquine and put timer on for 10 minutes. Add prepared broccoli for last 4-5 minutes to linquine pot.

Have strainer ready for mixture in sink.

At the same time: Put unsalted butter and garlic in a glass pie plate, place in oven till garlic begins to cook, but not brown (about 3 minutes). Take plate out of oven, add drained patted dry scallops, turn so that garlic butter coats them. Sprinkle with Panko crumbs, lemon pepper, and paprika. Return to oven, for about 4-5 minutes, putting under broiler for last 30 seconds to brown Panko if necessary. Do not overcook. Sprinkle with fresh lemon juice.

At the same time, heat a cast iron or regular fry pan, add olive oil, and when hot, add sliced Shitake mushrooms, salt and pepper and stir on high heat, till they begin to brown, do not crowd. When they look a bit limp and are tender, add the tomato halves, and stir for about 1 minute. Add salt and pepper, and take off heat.

Drain linguine and broccoli, place in heated serving bowl, add shitake and mushroom mixture, add scallop and garlic butter mixture, sprinkle more lemon juice on scallops, top with freshly grated parmesan, and mix gently together.. Serve on heated plates, dribble with a bit more olive oil if it looks dry, and have extra parmesan on the side.