It’s always hard to say goodbye to summer. I hold on tight, eking out a swim on even a slightly warmish day. And, this time of year, I try to cook almost entirely out of my garden and farmers markets, devouring all the produce of the season before it disappears at the first frost. I can’t get enough of tomatoes, corn, eggplant, zucchini and peppers.
These three new recipes celebrate these vegetables and honor this season of change. A Thai-inspired soup for the first chilly nights, using end-of-the-summer corn with coconut milk, lemongrass, lime juice, chili peppers and curry paste. A tomato galette (a rustic pie) that makes an easy dinner with a salad of mixed greens. And finally, a take on eggplant parmesan with a layer of fresh tomatoes and basil-infused ricotta. All these dishes can be made (or assembled) ahead of time, making putting together dinner simple and efficient.
Thai corn soup
This corn soup is reminiscent of a chowder, but uses coconut milk, chili peppers, Thai curry paste, cilantro and potatoes. It’s a light soup with a slightly spicy bite and the sweetness of fresh summer corn. Serves 4.
INGREDIENTS
- 3 ears corn, shucked
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or coconut oil
- 2 leeks, white and pale green section, or 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 to 2 tablespoons Thai or red chili pepper, with or without seeds, depending on how spicy you like it, diced
- 2-inch piece lemongrass, bruised with flat part of a large knife, or 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 medium potato, peeled and cubed
- About 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- One 13.6-ounce can unsweetened full-fat or low-fat coconut milk
- 2 ½ cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped with stems
- 1 ½ tablespoons lime juice
Garnishes:
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves (or parsley, for cilantro haters)
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place one ear of the shucked corn cob into a medium bowl. Using a large, sharp knife, cut the kernels off the cob working your way down the cob. Really scrape all juices (milk) and corn kernels.
- Do not throw away the cobs. Repeat with remaining ears of corn.
- In a large pot, heat the oil over low heat. Add the leek or onions, salt and pepper and cook, stirring, for 8 minutes. Stir in the chili pepper, and cook for 1 minute. Add the lemongrass and potato and stir well; cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the red curry paste until it coats everything.
- Add the shucked corn and stir to mix all the ingredients. Add the corn cobs (they will add additional corn flavor to the soup). Add the coconut milk and raise the heat to medium; cook until simmering.
- Add the stock and bring to a low simmer. Add the cilantro and cover the pot; cook for about 10 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through and soft. Taste for seasoning. Remove the corn cobs, scraping off any vegetables clinging to them, and discard. Remove the lemongrass. Stir in the lime juice and salt and taste.
- Serve hot with a lime wedge and cilantro (or parsley) sprinkled on top.
Tomato galette
A galette is like a rustic tart, far simpler than a pie. You roll out pastry (homemade or store-bought) into a circle, place your filling in the center leaving a 1-inch border around the edges with no filling and then pull up the edges of the circle to create a “rim” or enclosure for the filling.
The whole galette can be made hours ahead of time and popped into the oven just before serving, or you can bake it and serve it hours later at room temperature. A mixed green salad or tomato salad (who can get enough at this time of year?) and dinner is done. You can also add some shucked fresh corn kernels to the galette on top of the tomatoes for extra color, crunch and sweetness. Serves 4 to 6.
INGREDIENTS
The herb pastry:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried and crumbled
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or basil, or 1 teaspoon dried and crumbled
- 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
- About ½ cup ice cold water
The tomato filling:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 leek, white and pale green sections, cut lengthwise, washed, and thinly sliced, or 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3 medium-ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced, the more varieties the better
- 8 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 cup fresh corn kernels cut off the cob, optional
- 2 to 3 fresh basil leaves, whole, for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
- Make the pastry: In a food processor, pulse the flour, salt and herbs. Add the butter and pulse about 15 times until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add only enough water until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl and almost comes together.
- Alternatively, make the pastry by hand: In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt and herbs. Add butter and, using your fingers or a pastry cutter, work the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Add enough water so the dough comes together when stirred with a wooden spoon.
- Place the dough on a sheet of parchment paper or plastic wrap, form into a round disk, and chill for at least one hour or overnight.
- Remove pastry from refrigerator and lightly flour a work surface. Roll the dough out to a 12-inch circle. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill while you make the filling.
- In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over low heat. Add the leeks or onion, salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon of the basil and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- In a small bowl mix the ricotta, 1 tablespoon of parmesan, salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon of the basil.
- Spread the ricotta mixture on the bottom of the pastry, leaving a 1-inch border untouched around the outside of the pastry circle.
- Top with the sauteed leeks or onion. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the basil. Arrange the tomato slices around the circle on top of the leeks, layering them in a circle. Arrange the cherry tomatoes, cut side down, in the middle. Sprinkle with the corn, if using, and the remaining parmesan and basil and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle on the 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Fold the edges of the dough in towards the center, leaving the center of vegetables exposed, pleating the dough as you work around the galette. Refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Place on the middle shelf. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the oven to 375 degrees and bake another 20 to 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown, the cheese is melted, and the tomatoes look softened. Remove and cool 5 minutes before cutting into wedges.
Eggplant and tomato parmesan
This is a play on the classic eggplant parmesan that simplifies the method by avoiding frying the eggplant in heavy amounts of oil. It uses the best of late-August summer produce to produce a hearty dinner that only needs a salad as accompaniment. Serves 6.
INGREDIENTS
- 3 to 4 medium-sized eggplants, about 3 pounds
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 2 tablespoons, plus ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons fresh basil, thinly sliced
- 1 pound mozzarella, thinly sliced
- 1 pound ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, or light a charcoal or gas grill until hot, about 450 degrees. Roast the eggplant on a baking sheet in the oven or directly on the grill rack on the barbecue until very soft but not fully deflated, about 12 to 20 minutes, depending on the freshness of the eggplant. When you pierce the eggplant skin, the flesh should feel soft, but don’t let it go too far so that the eggplant is fully deflated and blackened. Remove from the oven or grill and let cool. Cut into ½-inch-thick slices.
- Spread 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch ovenproof casserole dish. Spoon the tomato sauce on top, spreading it evenly. Arrange half the eggplant slices on top of the sauce.
- In a small bowl, mix the ricotta, 2 tablespoons of the parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper and half the basil. Carefully spread the ricotta on top of the eggplant slices, using a soft spatula to get all the slices evenly coated.
- Arrange half the mozzarella on top and sprinkle with ¼ cup of the remaining parmesan. Arrange the remaining eggplant slices on top and repeat with the remaining mozzarella. Arrange the tomato slices on top, sprinkle with salt and pepper and the remaining basil and parmesan.
- Drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. (The casserole can be made several hours ahead of time up to this point. Cover and Refrigerate.)
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Bake on the middle shelf for 20 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 400 degrees, and bake another 30 to 40 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and everything is tender. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into wedges.
Other tomato and corn recipes
The ‘crown jewel of summer’: 3 tomato recipes to send off the season
- End of summer fresh salsa
- Cold tomato and cucumber soup with sauteed corn and basil topping
- Ratatouille
Cobble together 3 great corn recipes from chef Kathy Gunst
- Mexican-style corn soup
- Double corn, scallion and herb muffins
- Corn, chicken and ginger stir fry
Celebrate summer tomatoes with new recipes and old favorites
- Watermelon and tomato salad
- Roasted bluefish with tomatoes, onions and basil with a lemon-panko topping
- White beans with tomatoes, peppers and summer herbs
Put that abundance of summer zucchini to use with these 3 recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Cold zucchini and yogurt soup with mint
- Summer zucchini and tomato tart
- Zucchini, cheddar and herb muffins
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2026 WBUR
