Late summer: six seasonal fruits and vegetables (and how to enjoy them)

In addition to being at a good price, it is at the end of the summer that the paprikas are bigger, meatier and tastier. Nothing to do with what you see the rest of the year in fairs and supermarkets, which are expensive, rather pale and small. Thus, it is worth consuming them on this date and taking advantage of their conservation for the winter. How can we keep them? with the following recipe.

olive oil roasted peppers

—1 red pepper

—1 green pepper

-1 peeled garlic clove

-Olive oil

Light a cooking stove and there, using metal tongs, roast the two whole peppers over high heat, until they are completely black. Let them cool and, once they can be picked up with your hands, run them under cold water and remove any burnt skin.

Next, discard the seeds and inner ribs and cut the remaining meat from the peppers into long, thick strips. Then put them in a previously boiled glass jar, add the garlic clove and cover with olive oil. Close the jar tightly, leave it upside down for a few hours, then simply store it in a cool, dry place where it can last for several months. Once the bottle is opened, store in a cool place.

Although we are already well into March, fortunately we still have fresh corn, American type, which comes from the central-southern zone of the country. More than saving them for the winter (that’s what frozen foods are for), what’s worth eating these days is eating them tender, in order to appreciate all of their sweet flavor. As in the following salad.

warm corn salad

—4 freshly cooked corn

—100 grams of butter

—Finely chopped chives

-Salt and pepper

Using a knife, shell the ears of corn (they should still be warm) and put them in a bowl. Add chopped chives to taste, a pinch of salt and plenty of pepper, plus the butter cut into small pieces. Stir well until the butter melts and serve immediately.

It’s true: we’re going to have good sweet potato squash all fall and winter, but the first of the season is already looming on the horizon at markets and fairs. The truth is that they are well priced, very fresh and very orange. Ideal for making the first pumpkin cream of the year.

Pumpkin cream (for four people)

—300 grams of chopped pumpkin

-2 cloves garlic

—1 large onion, peeled and halved

—½ cup plain yogurt

—Salt, pepper, coriander and olive oil.

Preheat the oven to 200º. On a baking sheet, place the pumpkin, garlic cloves and onion. Season with salt, pepper and a little olive oil, wrap in foil and bake for half an hour or until softened. Remove and let cool.

When it can be handled, remove the foil and put the chopped whole in a blender, with a little warm water. Blend until you get a creamy mixture. Adjust the salt if necessary and serve. Garnish each plate with a touch of yogurt and a few whole coriander leaves.

We know that grapes take time to ripen. For the same reason, you have to wait until the end of summer to find it in its fullness, sweet and juicy. In addition, at a much better price than in previous months. A secret? Select a few beans and leave them in the freezer overnight. Since the grape fails to freeze completely, it is soft and creamy, like candy.

As with various fruits and vegetables, which can now be found throughout the year at fairs and supermarkets, with tuna we also forget that it is precisely at the end of summer that they are traditionally harvested and consumed. This is when they have the best color, aroma and flavor. Always very cold, they can be an excellent dessert or, if you prefer, an excellent juice.

tuna juice

—6 very ripe tuna

-Ice

Peel the tuna, cut them and put them in the bowl of a blender. Add plenty of ice and a little cold water, just to make the blender work easier. Mix until the mixture is very liquid and that’s it.

Here, we are not going to talk about the cucumber salad, but about the fruit: the so-called sweet cucumber. In fact, it’s not so much, but that’s what it differs from the other. It is a fruit related to melon, with a mild taste, slightly sweet and with just a hint of bitterness. It is ideal for making low-sugar fruit salads. If you’re in the mood to experiment with new flavors, it can also be used in salads, like the one in this recipe.

Lettuce, sweet cucumber and avocado salad

—1 small lettuce, washed and leafless

—1 sweet cucumber

—1 avocado

—1 lemon

—Salt, pepper and olive oil

In a bowl put the lettuce cut into small pieces. Add the cucumber, peeled and cut into small cubes. Peel the avocado, cut it into small cubes and add it to the bowl. Season with salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice. Stir well and serve immediately.

*Prices for products in this item are updated as of March 21, 2023. Values ​​and availability may change.