Melon and prosciutto is a classic Italian appetizer. Pasta salad, on the other hand, is an American creation.

This recipe, from Pasta Fits, combines the two. We served it this weekend, and it was a hit.

Pasta Fits, a website of the National Pasta Organization, promotes the enjoyment of pasta in healthy recipes.

“When these simple flavors are tossed with pasta and spinach, they make a delicious, quick and portable lunch or side dish. Double the recipe for a tasty party appetizer that will feed a crowd.”
 
RECIPE: MELON & PROSCIUTTO PASTA SALAD

This recipe uses gemelli, a delicate cut that looks great in the salad (of course, you can substitute shapes of choice). Total prep time for the recipe is 20 minutes.

Gemelli (juh-MELL-lee), meaning “twins,” are simply two short strands of round pasta that are twisted together. In addition to their charming appearance, they hold the sauce while retaining an al dente texture.

For entrées, side dishes, baked dishes and pasta salads, they pair well with light to moderately-thick tomato sauces and cream sauces.

Check out the different types of pasta in our Pasta Glossary.
 
Ingredients For 6 Servings

 
Preparation

1. COOK the gemelli according to package directions. Drain and let cool completely. Meanwhile…

2. WHISK together the olive oil, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Set aside.

3. SCOOP out 12 small balls of each melon, using melon baller. Add the melon balls, bocconcini and prosciutto to the cooled pasta. Add the dressing and toss well to combine. Stir in the spinach and basil. Chill or serve at room temperature.

Tip: For a simple variation, substitute crumbled feta cheese for bocconcini and mint for basil.
 
THE HISTORY OF MELON & PROSCIUTTO

According to La Cucina Italiana, the pairing of cured ham and melon can be traced back to the second century C.E., to a physician named named Galeno (anglicized as Galen and better known as Galen of Pergamon).

[1] A popular appetizer (melon and prosciutto) fuses with a popular summer main course (pasta salad) (photo courtesy Pasta Fits).

[2] Bocconcini are bite-size mozzarella balls. Another favorite use is on appetizer skewers. Here are the different sizes of mozzarella (photo courtesy Bel Gioioso).

[3] You can find gemelli at supermarkets and specialty stores. If you can’t find it, substitute cavatelli or fusilli (photo courtesy Barilla).

Galeno’s theory was that every human was made up of four qualities: warm, cold, dry and juicy. These human attributes correspond to the four elements of the universe: fire, air, earth and water.

To avoid illness—at the least, indigestion, plus more serious ailments—Galeno proclaimed that people’s diets needed to be perfectly balanced among the four elements. Thus, if you ate something juicy (melon), you had to eat something dry to balance it (cured meats, like prosciutto [which is cured ham]).

Melon was cold, and the the salty cured meat was considered “hot.”

A perfect balance, the combination of cured ham and melon has been popular ever since.

Here’s the history of pasta.
  

In Denmark, smørrebrød (pronounced SMUHR-broht) is a slice of buttered dark rye bread covered with any manner of toppings: smoked salmon, prawns and other fish, cold cuts, cheese or spreads.

Smørre is the word for butter; brod is bread. With toppings, it becomes an open-face sandwich. We like making them to serve with tea breaks.

How about potato smørrebrød?

This recipe is from Chef Claus Meyer at Open Rye, a stand in the Great Northern Food Hall in New York City.

The recipe, made with fingerling potatoes, dill mayonnaise and a garnish of pickled pearl onions, is a Nordic favorite. Thanks to the Idaho Potato Commission for sending it to us.
 
RECIPE: POTATO SMØRREBRØD

3. WHISK the mayonnaise with the chopped dill, mustard and vinegar in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt.

4. CUT 4 of the pickled onions in half and separate the layers (reserve the remaining onions for another use). Spread butter on the rye bread and arrange the potato slices on top. Dollop the dill mayonnaise on the potatoes and season with salt and pepper.

5. GARNISH with the pickled onion petals, sliced shallot, dill sprigs and potato chips; serve immediately. For a simpler garnish, you can use small clusters of dill leaves.
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*There is also Danish-style butter, less often found in the U.S. It is unsalted, cultured butter. A culture is added to the cream and allowed to stand overnight for the acid flavor to develop before churning. Here are the different types of butter.

Mint iced tea, sure; but mint iced coffee?

That was something new for us; but as we searched online, we found a lot of it.

We love mint, so we tried it.

Cinnamon, hazelnut, vanilla: You now have some competition in the iced coffee cup.

One of the recipes we tried, from How Sweet Eats, starts with homemade simple syrup flavored with fresh mint and vanilla bean.

Here’s the recipe.

But if you don’t have the time to make simple syrup (it’s pretty easy: equal parts water and sugar, stirred over heat until dissolved), here are some hacks:
 
With Sugar

 
Non-Sugar Sweeteners

If you prefer a non-caloric sweetener, a different sweetener (agave, honey) or no sweetener at all:

 
A garnish of un-crushed fresh mint makes a good presentation, but you don’t need to cram stalks into the glass.

No one eats them, so they’ll be tossed away (unless you have a rabbit or a guinea pig).

[2] Fresh mint. To keep herbs fresher in the fridge, we put them in a glass of water and cover the tops with a plastic bag (photo courtesy Suvir Saran from his book, Indian Home Cooking).

The first day of summer, June 21st, is National Smoothie Day (also National Peaches & Cream Day)!

Up to 184 million Americans enjoy smoothies each year. Let’s start with some…
 
SMOOTHIE HISTORY

Smoothies first emerged in the U.S. during the hippie movement of the 1960s, when vegetarianism and natural eating rose in popularity. The trend is believed to have originated in California, where a group of locals began making fruit smoothies after trying them in Brazil.

The original smoothies consisted simply of fruit, extra fruit juice and ice. By the late 1960s, some frozen vendors vendors jumped on the bandwagon and added their product.

Smoothie King opened its doors in 1973. By the late 1970s, health food stores nationwide had caught on to the trend and began adding milk to the mix, calling the drink a fruit shake.

The milk was traded for yogurt, which provided more protein; and in the 1980s, smoothies became part of fitness and health food trends. Supplements, from oats to ginseng to bee pollen, were added to the mix. This led to the birth of specialty smoothie bars, which remain popular today.

And then…ready-to-drink smoothies began to pop up in food stores. Far beyond the original refreshing icy fruit drink, today’s smoothies are healthy snack alternatives and even meal replacements.

With the rise of veganism, lactose intolerance and other dairy-free diets, plant-based milk alternatives and sustainability have grown in popularity, and the trend shows no signs of slowing.
 
 
RECIPE: STRAWBERRY AVOCADO SMOOTHIE

This delicious and summery Strawberry Avocado Smoothie recipe (photo #3) was created by The Foodie Physician for Bolthouse Farms.
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. BLEND together the avocado, 1/2 of the frozen banana, and 1/3 cup Plant Protein Milk. Add 1 teaspoon of honey and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract to the blender, blend again and pour the mixture into a glass.

2. CLEAN out the blender.

3. BLEND together the strawberries, 1/2 frozen banana, and 1/2 cup Plant Protein Milk. Pour the strawberry layer over the avocado layer and serve.

[2] Smoothie Shooters from Fancy Girl Table.

[3] Strawberry-avocado smoothie from Bolthouse (recipe below).

Made with pea protein, the newest high-quality non-dairy protein, this plant protein milk:

 
Pea protein is a “complete protein” and, unlike some plant-based protein powders, pea protein is easily digested.

It also helps you feel satiated, and is a boost for recovering from workouts.

So give peas a chance! Find Bolthouse in the refrigerated dairy section of your local supermarket.

ANOTHER WAY TO ADD PROTEIN TO SMOOTHIES

Try these recipes that add egg whites for extra protein.

[1] First grill the peaches.

[2] Slice the peaches before assembling the shortcake (both photos courtesy Completely Delicious).

[3] One of summer’s delights (photo courtesy Frog Hollow Farm).

We’re always happy to have peach ice cream, peaches and whipped cream on waffles, or the centuries-old classic, sliced peaches with fresh cream: a pour-over or lightly whipped by hand.

Today, we add something new to the list: peaches and cream shortcake.

This recipe was developed by Annalise or Completely Delicious for Go Bold With Butter.

If you prefer, substitute hand-beaten (by which we mean, electric mixer-beaten) whipped cream for the vanilla ice cream.

Prep time is 15 minutes, cook time is 25 minutes.

 
RECIPE: GRILLED PEACH & ICE CREAM SHORTCAKES

Ingredients For 6 Servings

 
For The Biscuits

 
For The Shortcakes

5. PREHEAT the grill to medium low heat. Halve the peaches and remove the pits. Brush with melted butter and place them cut side-down on the grill. Grill 3-4 minutes until the peaches have grill marks and have softened somewhat.

6. TRANSFER the peaches to a plate and slice each half into thirds. Drizzle with maple syrup.

7. SERVE: Slice the shortcake biscuits in half. Top with ice cream and grilled peaches.

If you want grilled peaches only, here’s the recipe from Bobby Flay | Food Network.
 
 
MORE PEACHY RECIPES