2,298 summer recipes

Homemade Kahlua: a rich coffee liqueur from a slow-simmered coffee syrup, vanilla and vodka. Cheaper than store-bought, make-ahead, and a great gift for cocktails or pouring over ice cream.

Fresh cherry sauce simmered with white wine and lemon juice, pureed smooth, then studded with whole cherries. Nutmeg and cayenne add quiet warmth. A make-ahead sauce for pork, duck, or game.

Oil-free Cajun red beans and rice in the McDougall style, with the holy trinity of onion, pepper, and scallion simmered in a spiced tomato broth and spooned over brown rice. A fast, low-fat, plant-based dinner.

Cajun black bean soup simmers dried beans with smoky ham hock, paprika, cayenne, chili powder, and cumin into a thick, half-puréed pot. Serve with Monterey Jack, sour cream, chives, or chopped egg.

Old-fashioned beef and barley vegetable soup built from meaty soup bones simmered low and slow with pearl barley, carrots, celery, tomatoes, and sweet green peas. The kind of soup that warms you from the inside out.

Crispy chickpea flour fritters simmered in a spiced potato curry with tomatoes, ginger, cumin, and turmeric. A vegetarian Indian side dish that cooks in 15 minutes once the prep is done. Warm, fragrant, and deeply satisfying.

Vegetable gumbo is a lighter, meatless take on the Cajun classic: the holy trinity simmered with okra, corn, tomatoes and paprika, thickened naturally by the okra. No roux, no meat, just hearty vegetable comfort.

Turkey wings simmered until fall-off-the-bone tender with celery, onions, and green pepper in a rich, homemade gravy thickened with flour. Old-school comfort food that fills the house with the most incredible aroma.

Chopped cooked turkey simmered in a thick tomato-chili sauce with dry mustard and onion, spooned over hamburger buns. This low-calorie, 6-ingredient turkey barbecue is ready in 20 minutes and stretches leftovers into a new meal.

Crispy chickpea flour shapes fried golden then simmered in a fiery berbere and cayenne sauce. Yeshimbra asa is Ethiopian fasting food that proves plant-based eating can pack serious heat and flavor.

Classic white veal stock simmered for 4 hours with veal bones, leeks, carrots, and peppercorns. A foundational French kitchen staple that sets into a rich, gelatinous stock for sauces, soups, and braises.

A light, golden soup with sweet corn, ribbon noodles, and celery simmered in vegetable stock with a warm hit of turmeric. Just 20 minutes from pot to bowl. Vegetarian and low calorie.

Old-fashioned oxtail soup with rice, carrots, celery, and tomatoes simmered for hours until the meat falls off the bone. A make-ahead family recipe that develops deeper flavor on day two.

Aunt Elsie's family hot dog BBQ sauce with ketchup, sweet relish, sauteed onion, and vinegar. Score the hot dogs so the sweet tangy sauce soaks in as they simmer plump and hot.

Chilled cucumber soup, a creamy cold starter of cucumbers simmered with leek, celery, and sherry, thickened and enriched with light cream, then brightened with a splash of orange juice. Cool and elegant.

Classic French onion soup slow-caramelizes pounds of sliced onions in butter, then simmers them with beef stock, Cognac, and dry vermouth. Top with toasted bread and Swiss for the gratiné finish.