The Vegetarian Dinner Menu You Have to Make Before Summer Ends

David Tanis’s recipes are just that good.

It’s a true joy to cook straight from the farmers’ market, and this is the perfect time to do so. During this period, the sweet spot between the end of summer and the beginning of fall, there is bounty at every stall.

Want corn, melon, zucchini, green beans or tomatoes? Help yourself. Fresh herbs? In spades. Stone fruit? Peaches, nectarines and plums are piled high.

But, I’ll admit, it’s the sweet peppers that really excite me. This includes the standard bell peppers (red, yellow or orange), an interesting fleshy variety called corno di toro, or bull’s horn, (red or yellow) and the cultish Jimmy Nardello, a slender, thin-skinned Italian “frying” pepper. The rest of the year, sweet peppers are apt to be hothouse or hydroponically raised. Field-grown peppers are usually more flavorful. This is their moment.

A quick tour of the market decides the menu for me. Rather than feature everything available in one dish, I divvy up my favorites for a three-course meal. This means a tender green salad from the herb sellers, paired with fresh mozzarella; a hearty risotto of roasted peppers; and a simple dessert of roasted plums.

Recipe: Fresh Herb and Mozzarella Salad

For the mozzarella herb salad — a delicate, delicious pairing — freshness is everything.

Look for super-fresh, soft domestic mozzarella (also called fior di latte, made from cows’ milk), and serve it at cool room temperature, not straight from the fridge. You can cut slices from a half-pound piece or opt for smaller ovolini (egg-size), ciliegini (cherry-size) or bocconcini (bite-size). Or choose more expensive imported Italian mozzarella di bufala, with its distinctive tanginess.

For an herb salad, I prefer a varied assortment, which can contain parsley, dill, watercress, chervil, basil, mint, tarragon, shiso, sunflower sprouts, small red sorrel and purslane. But I add some slightly larger leaves, like baby arugula, to bolster the mixture and make it easier to dress. The most important thing is to wait until the very last minute to dress the tender herbs — just barely — so they maintain their shape. You can drizzle more vinaigrette over the mozzarella.

Recipe: Risotto With Roasted Peppers and Pecorino

I love to make risotto, and the technique I recommend is fairly foolproof. With practice, any cook can confidently achieve success.

Most cooks go wrong with how much liquid they add, drowning the rice instead of allowing it to gradually absorb the hot broth. Keeping a brisk heat below the pot is also crucial. You want to let the rice go nearly dry. Look for little sinkholes on the surface before adding more broth. Yes, you do need to stir throughout the process, but not every second. It should take 20 to 25 minutes, start to finish.

This risotto is quite flavorful, full of smoky roasted and peeled sweet peppers. With a touch of saffron and a dash of cayenne, it feels a little bit Spanish. I’d serve it as a main course for lunch, perhaps accompanied by grilled zucchini or sautéed cherry tomatoes, or alongside grilled fish or roasted chicken for a more substantial meal.

Recipe: Roasted Plums With Coconut-Cardamom Cream

Fruit for dessert is my go-to whenever possible. Lately, I’ve been quite enamored of roasting fruit — especially stone fruit — and letting it caramelize. Here, nearly any variety of plum will do. Choose slightly underripe fruit, then cut it into fat wedges and toss them with a bit of sugar. A quick stint in a hot oven transforms them. To serve, they are placed in a shallow pool of a sauce that’s similar to crème anglaise but is made with cardamom-infused coconut milk instead of dairy cream. It’s not fancy, but it is heavenly.

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