Last days of summer

(This post is weeks old and I'm just wrapping it up).

With the end of summer on the very short horizon, I made a meal to remember many of my favorite seasonal flavors. On the menu:

* White Bean salad with Prosciutto and cherry tomatoes

* Summer squash 'pasta' salad

* Roasted red onion with honey and thyme

As a start, we also had bread and brie. The other day when I was in Placerville, I made a stop with a friend at Dedrick's Cheese Shop. They let us sample a few of their cheeses and turned me onto the most heavenly brie (Chauceuer-pronounced Shower). Having set on the counter on a warm day, it was nearly runny and perfectly creamy. With no price tag, I thought for sure it was a cheese I could not afford. But, it ran about the price you'd expect for a large bit of brie.

Overall, a lovely meal. It embodied the flavors of summer I wanted, was packed with vegetables, had the sustenance needed after a day of heavy shopping, and was simple enough to break out in under an hour on a hot evening.

White bean and prosciutto salad

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup of pancetta (chopped)

1/2 a cup of onion (diced)

2 tsp of fresh rosemary

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

1/4 cup of fresh tomatoes

1 pinch of black pepper

1 tbsp of fresh basil (chopped)

3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

38 oz navy beans (white) or cannellini beans

Lightly cook pancetta until crisp. In the same pan, add onions and saute. Add rosemary and cook for a minute before removing from heat. Mix together red wine vinegar, tomatoes, salt, pepper, basil and parmesan in a bowl. Combine beans, onions, herbs and pancetta and serve at room temperature.

Summer Squash "Pasta" Salad

2 zucchini

1 yellow crookneck squash

the juice of half a lemon

handful of fresh chopped basil

tbsp of olive oil

Using a mandolin, create ribbons of 'pasta' from the squash. Saute squash, and basil for just a minute or two in a hot pan with the olive oil. Serve with cheese, chili flakes, lemon juice, preserved lemons, and/or parmesan cheese.

Roasted Red Onions with Butter, Honey and Balsamic Vinegar

6 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup honey

• 1/2 bunch of fresh thyme
• salt and fresh ground black pepper
• 4 red onions, halved

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine butter, vinegar, honey, thyme, salt, and pepper in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute to reduce slightly. Place the onions, cut sides up, in a single layer on a baking pan. Drizzle the butter-vinegar mixture over and roast until soft and slightly caramelized, about 45 minutes.

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