Italian Inspired Summer Grilling Menu

When summer heat is in full swing around here, I’m looking for easy recipes featuring the best of summer fresh produce and don’t make me stand in front of a hot stove in the evening! Summer is time for starting up the grill and I have for you today a great summer grilling menu with a tasty Italian theme.

When I was thinking about what to write for my next menu, the answer was simple! I haven’t been in the mood to turn on my oven for the past few evenings and I know I’m not the only one.

Instead I’ve been firing up the grill and putting together all sorts of great summer dinners. Grilled bruschetta, fruit, meats, and all sorts of veggies. With the grates for larger items and a grill pan or basket for smaller/more delicate ones, there are very few foods which can’t go on the grill.

I personally like to grill a few parts of dinner and combine those recipes with simple salads, fruity drinks, and cold desserts. That way you get plenty of use out of your grill, but you have a variety of flavors and textures to enjoy. Like this summer menu for the grill! Here you are going to grill an appetizer and the main course, while rounding out the menu with other flavors.

Peaches and a Daiquiri to Start the Meal

Balsamic grilled peaches wrapped with prosciutto make for a great sweet and salty start of the menu! Add in creamy burrata and a balsamic glaze and this appetizer will be gone before you know it. If you’re not sure about burrata, it’s a wonderfully soft and creamy cheese. Worth searching out!

For a drink to to pair with the peaches, I chose my super fruity frozen strawberry daiquiri. This daiquiri uses frozen strawberries so it’s all fruit with only a little bit of ice on top mixed with the lime. I’m thinking that with all those strawberries this cocktail counts as healthy! Right? 🙂 Healthy or not, it is summer in a glass, and perfectly chilly cocktail to sip on a warm evening.

Lamb for the Main Course

These grilled lamb chops continue the theme of using fresh, seasonal produce since they are paired with a fig sauce. Juicy, fresh figs and balsamic vinegar make for a sweet and sour sauce which I love with lamb, and counterbalances the smokey, grilled flavor of the meat.

With the main course squared way, we need some sides! I chose my no-knead rosemary bread and my fava bean salad as the sides in this summer menu. You will need to turn on the oven to bake the bread, but you can time that to do it in the morning while the weather is cooler. You will be amazed at how easy and tasty this bread is with its beautiful crust and the flavor of olive oil permeating every bite.

As for the fava bean salad, you totally need to find some fava beans (also called broad beans) at least once this summer. And what better time to find them then when you are making a great dinner! You can do all the peeling and prepping the day before and then it’s a matter of minutes to put the salad together.

Other great sides for this dinner would be a homemade Caesar salad or an heirloom tomato caprese salad. Both great Italian themed recipes!

And to drink? I would go for a big, red wine. One with a fair amount of fruit. Keeping with the Italian theme, a Nero d’Avola, Primitivo, or Nebbiolo would all be great wines for this dinner.

End on a Sweet Note

With no churn ice cream, you don’t need an ice cream maker, though you do need a hand mixer. You’ll whip all sorts of air into your ricotta cannoli ice cream and then set it in the freezer to chill. Five minutes of work!

Add some chopped chocolate and pistachios for toppings and you have a cold cannoli in a bowl. And I think the perfect way to end a summer’s grilling dinner.

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