No condiment says summer quite like pesto. Homemade or store-bought, the herby, garlicky sauce adds a sunny sparkle to pasta dishes, tomato salads, pizzas, grilled chicken and fish — pretty much anything that could use pungency and color. It’s such a crowd pleaser that even small children who balk at strong flavors or absolutely anything green will happily scarf something down if it’s covered in pesto.
So let’s get the pesto party started with my recipe for one-pan zucchini-pesto orzo. Topped with cherry tomatoes and served warm or at room temperature, this vibrant dish is giving big-pasta-salad energy, making it ideal for a potluck or picnic. Plus, it’s a snap to throw together: Brown the zucchini in a skillet with red-pepper flakes, then stir the orzo and broth into the same pan so everything finishes cooking together. Add marinated tomatoes and mozzarella at the end along with the pesto and plenty of basil’s cooler cousin, fresh mint. Presto! Make it for dinner tonight, then keep it on repeat all summer long.
Featured Recipe
One-Pan Zucchini-Pesto Orzo
More food for thought
Crunchy tortilla fried-chicken cutlets: Rick Martínez’s take on chicken Milanese features corn masa flour and crushed tortilla chips for an irresistible salty-crisp crust. He serves the cutlets with an easy homemade tomato salsa seasoned with dried chiles de árbol, but store-bought salsa will work just as well.
Soy butter fish and peas: Use any white, flaky fish (like hake, cod or halibut) to make Andy Baraghani’s light, summery dish. Lay the fillets in a skillet over a savory mix of soy sauce, butter and rice vinegar, top with crisp snow peas or snap peas, then gently steam. It’s a fresh and speedy one-pan wonder.
Citrusy couscous salad with broccoli and feta: Pasta salad meets spoon salad in Yasmin Fahr’s colorful dish, in which a jumble of orange pieces, bits of green chile and a honey-lime dressing infuse the chewy couscous pearls and broccoli florets with a slightly sweet and spicy flavor. A touch of cumin adds a warm, earthy touch.
Grilled tofu tacos: Kay Chun applies the spicy, tangy flavors of classic fish tacos to slices of firm tofu in this easy weeknight winner. She coats the slices in a quick, garlicky sauce made with minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce to create as much flavor as possible, then grills them until their edges are singed. A shredded cabbage topping adds crunch, while a green-speckled cilantro cream tames the heat. Since grilling outside isn’t always an option, Kay has a great skillet version, too.
Lemon olive-oil ice cream: A dessert equally cooling, bright and sassy, Yossy Arefi’s homemade, custard-based ice cream is silky, tart-sweet and very sophisticated, thanks in part to a drizzle of good oil and flaky sea salt on top. Or top it with hot fudge and whipped cream for a sundae with a citrus bite.
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That’s all for now. I’ll see you on Wednesday.
Melissa Clark has been writing her column, A Good Appetite, for The Times’s Food section since 2007. She creates recipes for New York Times Cooking, makes videos and reports on food trends. She is the author of 45 cookbooks, and counting.
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