Summertime is barbecue time: Pasta, go-withs make it easy

Today we pay homage to the summer barbecue by offering some fresh and delectable veggie go-withs for whatever you’re featuring hot off the grill.

The actual hero of the day is pasta. With the exception of our great pea salad and frosty dessert, every dish offered today can be served in tandem with a big bowl of simple cooked pasta — spaghetti, rigatoni, capellini, rotini, linguini or our pictured fettucini. Cook up a big pot of your favorite, drain and toss with olive oil and your favorite herbs and voila! Dinner is served!

The beauty of simple pasta is that you can not only serve your barbecue item with it, you can pretty much serve it under, over, or mixed into the pasta of choice.

Witness the tomato gratin/Caprese dishes featured, or a bevy of delicious grilled veggies and mushrooms as pictured above.

Select some big beautiful beefsteak-style tomatoes — red, purple, yellow — as you wish, and make this superb summer side dish which complements everything from barbecued steaks, fish, or chicken.

Tomato Gratin

(Serves 4)

2 large tomatoes, sliced ½-inch thick

2 tablespoons finely chopped basil

1 garlic clove, finely minced

2 tablespoons fine olive oil

1 ½ cups coarse fresh breadcrumbs from a baguette

1/3 cup grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Arrange tomato slices slightly overlapping, in an oiled 9-inch glass gratin or pie dish or shallow casserole; season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with basil.

Cook garlic in oil in a small skillet over moderate heat, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Remove from heat and stir in breadcrumbs and grated cheese. Sprinkle over tomatoes and bake in middle of oven until crumbs are golden and tomatoes are warmed — about 15 minutes.

If you prefer your tomatoes “naked,” opt for this fabulous Greek-style salad.

Caprese Salad

1 8-ounce package whole Feta, sliced ½-inch thick, then cubed

1½ cups assorted pitted Greek/Italian olives (green, black, brown, etc.)

3 cups red, yellow and gold cherry tomatoes, cut into halves if necessary (use saw-tooth blade for clean cutting)*

1 English cucumber, cut into ½-inch thick slices, then quartered

1 medium red onion, peeled, sliced, separated into rings (cut larger ones into 2-inch pieces)

1 9.9 oz. jar whole small artichoke hearts (NOT marinated) drained, rinsed, patted dry

½ teaspoon fleur de sel or black Hawaiian sea salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Olive oil for drizzling

White wine/champagne vinegar for drizzling

1 baguette, cut into half-inch slices

Arrange baguette slices around edge of platter, then artfully display all ingredients on platter. Toss them if you wish, or arrange in sections:

Season with the sea salt and pepper, drizzle with desired (equal) amounts of olive oil and vinegar. Lay a pierced serving spoon and fork on side of platter. Serve at room temperature garnished with basil leaves and a few pepperoncini peppers if desired.

Encourage guests to dip their baguette slices in the juices before removing from the platter.

* You may also opt to cut up large colorful heirloom tomatoes into ½-in dice.

I guess I’ve touted the old Longhorn barbecued great pea salad nearly every summer. I’ll make it easy for you with a bare-bones recipe — but do yourself a favor and make this delectable treat as soon as the first peas are shelled!

Great Pea Salad

2 cups fresh shelled sweet green peas

1-2 tablespoons minced red onion

1 cup fine-diced Cheddar cheese

3 (or more) tablespoons mayonnaise

Salt and pepper to taste

Toss shelled peas into boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes, drain, rinse with cold water, drain again and allow to cool.

Place in a large bowl, add minced onion, cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste.

Additions like chives, parsley, even chopped hard-cooked egg, are up to you. Toss and enjoy. A true old-timey recipe that should be a summer stand-by.

Tip: Salad or medium-sized shrimp, sautéed and chilled, make a main dish out of this classic.

Dessert? What’s lighter yet more satisfying than minted piineapple? Here’s how!

Pineapple-Mint Cups

½ ripe pineapple (about 1 ½ pounds)

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons minced fresh mint leaves

Garnish: Fresh mint sprigs

Peel and core pineapple. Cut into bite-size pieces over a bowl to save the juices. Gently toss with the sugar, lemon juice and chopped mint leaves.

Chill covered.

Serve in small bowls garnished with mint sprigs as a go-with to BBQ salmon or beef or as an after-dinner refresher in lieu of dessert.

Valle Novak writes the Country Chef and Weekend Gardener columns for the Daily Bee. She can be reached at bcdailybee@bonnercountydailybee.com or by phone at 208-265-4688.