Melina Hammer – FoodWatcher

Braise & Roast Your Way Through Fall With These Cozy Recipes

As we exhale and enter fall, we become reacquainted with cooking again. Sturdy fruit and veg return on the scene, asking us to ply them with high-heat roasting and low-and-slow braising, showered with every aromatic to entice us back to our kitchens. Here is a collection of fall favorites for when you’re on the lookout for a quick lunch, dreaming up your holiday menu, and everything in-between, all guaranteed to elicit wows and bring comfort for colder days.

1. Honeynut Squash Frittata With Red Onion & Sage

This frittata is amazing. Make it as written with creamy honeynut squash for creamy, fluffy, golden bliss, or swap for other favorite fall-inspired ingredients (mushrooms, smoked fish, dark leafy greens—all tested by community members and work great). This one-pan wonder is equally terrific for your next brunch, or as the perfect breakfast-for-dinner.

The Best Way To Preserve Summer Produce

Late summer means preserving all the things, whether you grow your own food like I do at Catbird Cottage, or you’re one to fall into reverie, dazzled by the innumerable tables of colorful fruit and veg at the farmers’ market. Right now, my daily goals include preserving this bounty as much as possible. I make quick, vinegar, and fermented pickles, bottle up summer sauce and jams, infuse salt, sugar, oils, and vinegars with tender aromatics, and generally work on overdrive so when days are cold and short, I have the bursting bright flavors from warmer days to keep me company. Here are a few tried-and-true methods to capture the seasons, so when cold winter days hit again, you can reap the benefits and enjoy bottled sunshine.

Pickles

Pickling less-than-ripe peaches is a fun way to carry the season forward. Pair them with rich cheeses or meats, and keep a puckery token of summer close at hand.

Sweet Or Savory? Why Not Both, Says Melina Hammer

I am a huge fan of pairing contrasting flavor notes to taste things more deeply. It might sound strange, but have you ever noticed how a little scatter of flaky salt on chocolate mousse elicits more of its chocolatey-ness? Or a drizzle of honey added t…

Without getting too sciency, there’s a real thing at work behind this—salt literally stimulates the saliva impulse, connecting us to taste more richly, more deeply. Savory umami, the fifth flavor on our palate, brings exclamation-worthy bursts of flavor.

How to Top Literally Any Dish This Summer

Summertime is the prime season for eating outdoors, cooking with minimal effort (thanks to beautiful, seasonal produce), and all-around vibrant fare. Because summer gives and gives—both in abundance as well as the range of fresh produce—let the foods work their easy magic and focus on toppings to make a memorable dish. Choose from a spectrum of dynamic topping ideas below to make every dish delectable and fun.

Crunchy & salty

Everything's better with a little extra salty zing and a crispy element to sink your teeth into.

Melina Hammer’s Go-To Recipe Ideas for the Freshest, Punchiest Summer Seafood

When the warm weather hits, seafood brings verve and ease to everyday eating. Not only does seafood feel impressive, it also doesn’t ask much in the way of cooking (which means more time for you to enjoy with friends and the great outdoors). Bonus: Oft…

When the warm weather hits, seafood brings verve and ease to everyday eating. Not only does seafood feel impressive, it also doesn't ask much in the way of cooking (which means more time for you to enjoy with friends and the great outdoors). Bonus: Oftentimes, another fish can easily be swapped for what’s noted in a particular recipe, bringing a greater variety of delicious options your way.

From Our Shop

José Gourmet Canned Portuguese Seafood $24–$39.99

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Serax Fish & Fish Green Transparent Glasses by Paola Navone $52–$80

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I like to ask the fishmonger at my local grocery or specialty market’s fish department for what’s freshest, but generally, choose whatever looks best: firm, shiny flesh is a good bet. Unless you’re preparing a whole fish, there usually isn’t too much prep to be done, plus you can always ask your fishmonger to give you a hand with deboning or filleting. And while it’s true fresh fish and seafood can come with a hefty price tag, there’s nearly always a choice that is budget friendlier, like cod, mussels, or trout.

Melina Hammer’s Simple Secret to a Better Breakfast

This might sound odd coming from someone best known for cooking with ultra-seasonal fresh produce, but I truly love my pantry and freezer stashes. A well-stocked pantry and freezer means I can be spontaneous, while also being intentional about making a nourishing meal at a moment's notice—especially around breakfast time. I think of various "departments" and stock a few variations on ingredient themes that I can pull from any day of the week. This allows me to batch up recipes easily (so I have something ready to grab for days when I’m on the go) and play around with different flavor combos (so I avoid getting bored with the same breakfast over and over).

Here are some of my freezer and pantry essentials for making a fabulous breakfast, whether you’re in a hurry or leaning into a slow weekend:

11 Melina Hammer Recipes With 5-Star Ratings From Our Community

If you’re familiar with my recipes—if not, welcome!—you probably know that I tend to focus on seasonal fare, with an emphasis on plant-based, locally grown ingredients (sometimes even from my own garden). With such an emphasis on produce, many of my recipes are perfect for the arrival of spring. Think: Asparagus and Fava Beans With Tonnato or Pickled Peaches With Burrata Toasts, a dish that’s ideal for firmer, earlier-in-the-season fruit.

With spring officially in swing, here are 11 of my favorite recipes for warmer-weather eating—each one of ‘em with a five-star rating from the Food52 community—complete with an invitation to add them to your own repertoire.