1,490 summer recipes

Easy garlic bean soup: white beans simmered with a whole head of roasted garlic and a sweet roasted red pepper. Five ingredients, naturally vegan, deep slow-cooked flavor.

Old-school Italian tomato sauce simmered with onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and basil, then strained smooth through a food mill. The Sunday-gravy base every cook should know.

Spicy fish pickle: crisp fried fish simmered in a tangy, chili-spiked vinegar masala, then stored to mellow into a fiery South Indian condiment for rice and roti.

Pickled pumpkin balls scoop fresh pumpkin flesh into pretty spheres and simmer them in spiced cider vinegar syrup with cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and lemon peel. A retro relish for fall meats.

A bright Italian-style vegetable sauce with three sweet bell peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, and garlic, simmered in stock and tossed with pasta. Vegetarian, low-fat, ready in about 30 minutes.

Easy fish bisque built on canned cream of cheddar and tomato bisque soups, then simmered with milk, dry sherry, dill and flaky whitefish. A creamy seafood soup ready in under 10 minutes.

Homemade vanilla custard ice cream topped with a deep morello cherry sauce simmered with lemon, vanilla bean, and the cracked cherry stones for almond-scented depth. Old-world Italian dessert work.

Irish-style spaghetti sauce with ground beef, red wine, tomato puree, chicken broth, and a warm hint of nutmeg. Simmered for an hour into a rich, velvety meat sauce.

English cucumber and ginger conserve macerates sliced cucumber in sugar, then simmers the syrup with bruised ginger root for a translucent, spiced preserve. An old British country jam for cheese boards and tea.

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.

Mock cherry pie made from halved cranberries and raisins simmered with sugar, vanilla, and butter. The Depression-era trick gives you a tart-sweet ruby filling that fools nearly anyone hunting for the real thing.

Lobster in tomato sauce with saffron rice: Mediterranean-style shelled lobster simmered in tomato, white wine, orange juice, fennel, and saffron, thickened with lobster coral and liver. A rustic European coastal seafood feast.

Skillet pork blade steaks simmered in peach nectar with basil and vinegar, then served over rice with a glossy fruit gravy. A sweet-savory one-pan dinner with Southern charm.

Italian pasta and bean soup (pasta e fagioli) simmers Great Northern beans with onion, carrot, celery, zucchini, and tomato paste, then finishes with al dente pasta. A rustic, hearty peasant-style bowl.

Dry-roasted almonds and pistachios get ground into a silky cream sauce perfumed with saffron threads, coriander, and warm spices for draping over grilled meats or simmering with meatballs.

Tart Granny Smith apples simmered in apple juice with cinnamon and nutmeg, topped with buttery oat crumble and tart dried cranberries. Warm autumn dessert ready in under an hour.