When you hear tomato sauce, most people think of cooked tomato sauce. But you can also make a fresh tomato sauce that’s incredibly refreshing and perfect with penne or fusilli. Summer tomatoes (at least the ones I’ve been buying at the farmers market) are really at their tastiest now, with a nice balance of earthiness and sweetness. Mix it up, taste it, and see what it needs.

Pasta With Fresh Tomato Sauce

• 1 pound fresh tomatoes, preferably heirloom (at room temp—never refrigerated fresh tomatoes), cored and chopped
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup basil, sliced thinly
• 1 pound pasta of your choice
• Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

In a medium bowl, combine the chopped tomatoes with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and basil. Set aside at room temperature and allow the flavors to blend.

Cook pasta according to package directions and drain. Toss the hot pasta with the tomato sauce, sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve.

Rice Salad
Another low to no-cook idea is a rice salad packed with lots of goodies. You can start with either the ultra-easy frozen brown rice (like the one from Rice Expressions or Whole Foods store brand), or the 10-minute stove-top kind. Once you have the cooked, cooled rice, just start free styling with stuff that’s in your fridge.

Directions: Simply stir ingredients together in a large bowl. Either serve at room temperature, or cover and chill for 2 hours before serving.

Tex Mex Rice Salad

• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup black beans
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground red pepper
• A squeeze of a fresh lime
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• Optional protein: 1 cup rotisserie chicken, chopped

Mediterranean Rice Salad

• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cucumber, peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta
• A squeeze of fresh lemon
• 1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley, chopped
• Optional protein: 1 can Italian tuna, packed in oil and drained

Indian Rice Salad

• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup golden raisins, plumped in hot water
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder (more if you love curry)
• 1/4 cup cashews
• 1 cup red grapes, halved
• 1 cup canned garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• A drizzle of honey, optional

Big Fat Sandwich
My favorite sandwich of all time is the “sandwich under a brick” that I learned from Martha Stewart about 10 years ago. It was perfect for my kitchen situation at the time—a one-room apartment with one of those “efficiency” kitchens. Basically, I couldn’t really cook in my apartment, but I could make this sandwich. And you don’t need a brick. A heavy art book or dictionary works perfectly well. This recipe is ideal for an end of summer picnic. I’ll be making it for Labor Day.

Here’s what you’ll need (this is my favorite combo, but go nuts—anything goes):

• A large, crusty bread round, such as peasant bread, or a long rectangular bread like ciabatta
• Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling on bread
• An 8-ounce log of goat cheese, at room temperature
• A jar or tub of black olive tapenade
• A 7-ounce jar of roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
• A 6-ounce jar of marinated artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
• 8 ounces of thinly sliced prosciutto
• 2 cups arugula leaves

Slice the bread in half, lengthwise. Tear out a little bit of the soft, doughy center to make room for the other ingredients. Set the top part of the bread aside. Place a large sheet of wax or parchment paper under the bottom of the bread.

Drizzle a little olive oil on the bottom half of the bread. Then use a silicone spatula to spread the goat cheese across the bread in an even layer. Next, spread a thin layer of the tapenade (most are pretty strong) over the cheese. Then scatter the roasted red peppers over the surface of the bread, followed by the artichoke hearts. Finally, layer the sliced prosciutto evenly over the surface, and follow with the arugula leaves.

Now you’re ready to place the top of the bread back on the giant sandwich. Wrap the sandwich tightly in the wax or parchment paper. Tie with some string if you have any. Then, place the sandwich in your fridge (might need to clear some space first) and top with a really heavy book, like that dictionary you never use anymore.

Let the sandwich sit and compress for 2-3 hours. Remove from the fridge, cut into quarters, and either wrap and take to your picnic, or eat immediately.

By Frances Largeman-Roth

(PHOTO: 123RF)

Watermelon is probably the all-around favorite. But after a few sweet slices, you probably find yourself with an overabundance of leftover melon taking up space in your fridge. Here are some cool and fun ways to use it up—they’re perfect for the sultry summer days we’re all trudging through right now.

Watermelon granita: Mash up a bunch of the watermelon in a bowl, and drain off the juice into a separate container. Make sure you have at least 3 cups of juice. Squeeze in the juice of one lime. Chill the juice mixture for about 20 minutes, then pour into a 9×13 baking dish and place in the freezer. After 30 minutes, scrape down the ice crystals forming in the corners and sides. Wait another 30 and repeat. Continue repeating until all the juice has turned into a slush—this will take about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Serve.

Melon ice pops: Make the same juice blend as above, but add a cup of diced watermelon, or another melon to the mix. Freeze in ice pop molds overnight.

Watermelon liquado: Working off of the same watermelon juice mix, pour 1/2 cup into a tall glass. Fill the rest of the glass with sparkling water and a few cubes off ice. Add a bendy straw and spend a few minutes in your hammock.

Watermelon, feta, and mint salad: Mix 2 cups cubed watermelon with 1/2 cup crumbled feta and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint. Add 1/4 teaspoon each of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. You can serve this over other greens if you like, but I prefer it on its own.

How to pick and store
Choose melons that are mostly blemish-free. There will be a white spot on the underbelly, where the melon was resting on the ground. Pick up the melon—does it feel heavy for its size? If so, it’s a good one, full of juice.

You can store a watermelon at room temperature for up to a week. But remember, room temp isn’t the high 80–90° weather we’ve been having. It’s more like 64–75º. After a week, you’ll need to pop that sucker in the fridge, and once you cut into it, tightly wrap the remaining watermelon in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

One more tip: Wash the outside of the rind with running water before you slice into any type of melon. If there are any bacteria hanging out on the surface, they can be easily transferred to the fruit’s flesh when you cut into it. And let’s face it, getting a foodborne illness will definitely put the kibosh on all your summer fun.

By Frances Largeman-Roth

(PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO)

When I first laid eyes on our new abode, I tried to be optimistic about downsizing. Less space meant we had to bring less stuff with us, and that felt nice and streamlined to me. But when it got down to the serious business of actually parting with items like my waffle maker (used twice) or my Moroccan tagine (never been used), I became pack-rattish and defensive. Every time Jon eyed the multiple boxes marked “Kitchen” and gave me his look that meant “not another one,” I smiled and said, “I’ll find a space for it—promise.”

I’ve lived up to that promise, but fitting everything into our new kitchen, which is smack dab between our living room and dining room, has meant being very selective with the items that actually get to take up prime real estate in said kitchen. The rest have been relegated to the basement, where we’re lucky enough to have shelving.

Aside from the mudroom in the old house, what I miss the most is our pantry. It’s one of those butler’s pantries that you see in Pottery Barn catalogs. It had beautiful glass cabinets on top—ideal for displaying mom’s old china-deep drawers—and another set of bottom cabinets that were big enough for several small children to hide in. For someone who lives and breathes all things food and culinary, it was a dream come true. And yes, I was completely spoiled.

So what did I decide was absolutely essential on a day-to-day basis? Here’s my list of must-haves that every cook should possess:

• 3-in-1 pot with steamer: For making pasta and steaming veggies at the same time. Also great for soup.
• A colander: Essential for draining pasta, and washing fresh fruits and vegetables.
• 2 frying pans: As an alternative, sauté pans.
• A 4-quart pot.
• Knives, of course: At minimum you need a quality 6-inch chef’s knife and a paring knife.
• Kitchen shears: From cutting the tips off scallions, to chopping herbs without bruising them, these are the best. Also handy for trimming the fat off chicken or cutting a whole bird into pieces.
• Several cutting boards: OK, at least two so you can avoid cross-contamination between meat and raw veggies. Go for plastic or ceramic—they can be run through the dishwasher (if you have one) and are easier to clean (and therefore safer) than wood.
• A hand or stand mixer: For cookies, quick bread, cakes, and dough of any kind.
• A blender: Gazpacho, smoothies, and margaritas.
• A food processor: If you don’t have room for a full-size one, invest in a mini prep for small batches of things. It’s ideal for making sauces (gremolata, pesto) and dips, or for getting more creative and making your own pasta or fillings for desserts.

Another part of my ‘Bama kitchen that I regretfully said good-bye to was the lazy Susan. I’m sent a ton of food products, and that space was amazing for holding all of the goodies I brought home. Now the cereal shares shelf space with the dog treats.

I used to make a trip to Whole Foods each weekend to load up the car with enough fresh produce, meat, fish, grains, wine, and other essentials to last the week. We still have a car, but we barely use it due to parking constraints. And with no Whole Foods in the vicinity, it was time to get creative. I quickly sniffed out the local gourmet store, Union Market (I spotted Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard there on my second visit), but the place is just too pricey to do all your shopping. There’s also a C-Town nearby, which I had never heard of before. C-Town is not glamorous. There are no food samples or perky shop boys to lend a hand around every corner, and the lighting is quite appalling. What they do have are affordable prices and a decent selection of healthy options.

I figured out that I can go to C-Town for anything packaged, frozen, ethnic, or basic. Union Market is reserved for cheese, meat (they sell natural and organic), produce, or prepared deli items. I still try to plan for meals, but I end up making about two trips to each store per week. And since we haven’t fully given in to urban living, we haven’t broken down and gotten one of those collapsible metal grocery carts that my grandmother Selma used to push around in Queens. So that means I have to carefully calculate how much I can safely carry home (in a recyclable fabric tote of course) without getting a hernia.

I’m still adjusting to our new space and our new methods of doing things. I miss the pantry and the extra space, but the trade-offs are worth it. I certainly couldn’t get a real New York bagel in Birmingham, not even at Whole Foods.

By Frances Largeman-Roth

(PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES)