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What to cook in June: Market-to-table recipes that nail 'the Martha Stewart aesthetic'

This summer’s big trend calls for fresh produce hauls and colourful dishes — without breaking the bank.

This summer’s big trend calls for fresh produce hauls and colourful dishes — without breaking the bank

Jamey Ordolis · CBC Life ·
Left: a platter of creamy, vegetable kurma. Middle: A dessert in a glass dish topped with berries. A platter with grilled radicchio lettuce.
(Dhivya Subramanian, Steve Giralt)

Searches for the "Martha Stewart aesthetic" are up 2,899% on Pinterest, alongside rising interest in "garden to table" and "fresh summer" recipes. If you're dreaming of a Martha Girl Summer, this list is your guide to easy, beautiful market-to-table meals.

Whether you're bringing home bundles of asparagus or pints of strawberries, we've got plenty of ideas for turning your haul into something delicious — including cost-saving recipes that blend pantry staples with what's in season now. And if you end up with extra, homemade preserves are an easy, budget-friendly way to make your produce last — and a great weekend activity to do with friends.

If you're hosting during this fruit-forward month, focusing on seasonal ingredients instantly gets you that Martha aura. Consider our rhubarb shrub martini, which is light, tangy and a little unexpected. For dessert, leave lots of room! A trendy cake grazing board might be ideal when there are this many gorgeous strawberry and rhubarb treats to choose from. Or keep it very simple and crowd-pleasing with Lidia Bastianich's no-bake berry tiramisu — it never misses.

Vegan kurma is packed with spring vegetables

Top down shot of a bowl of creamy vegetable kurma next to two plates with the kurma and rotis on them.
(Photography by Dhivya Subramanian)

Asparagus, prosciutto and parmesan turnovers

A plate with an asparagus turnover
(Photography by Marcella DiLonardo)

Asparagus, leek and chickpea salad

Overhead shot of a platter with a salad of asparagus, leeks and chickpeas on a pink surface. Hands serve some of the salad onto one of the 2 small plates of salad sitting next to the platter.
(Photography by Dhivya Subramanian)

Cheesy zucchini-wrapped koftas

Top down shot of a zucchini-wrapped koftas in tomato sauce, topped with cheese. They're in a white skillet on a white surface.
(Photography by Amina Al-Saigh)

Asparagus gratin 

overhead shot of a baking dish filled with asparagus gratin
(Photography by Marcella DiLonardo)

Mango, corn and peanut salad 

Above shot of a large plate of Mango, corn and peanut salad being tossed.
(Photography by Dhivya Subramanian)

Grilled radicchio salad with tahini and chive dressing

Overhead shot of a platter of grilled radicchio topped with red onion, radish slices and tahini sauce.
(CBC Life)

Loubia bil zeit

Overhead shot of a blue platter of green beans braised in tomato sauce and topped with pine nuts and cilantro. It's sitting on a pink tiled surface.
(Photography by Amina Al-Saigh)

Chopped salad with tofu and sesame dressing 

Chopped salad filled with tofu. red peppers, grated carrots, diced green onion, raw peanut halves and apple slices, topped with sesame dressing
(Photography by Dhivya Subramanian)

Mango lassi chia pots

A hand grabbing a small glass pot of mango lassi chia pudding from a wooden cutting board.
(Photography by Yakuta Yamani)

Berry tiramisu

overhead shot of a clear, rectangular baking dish filled with a tiramisu topped with sliced strawberries and blueberries. 2 bowls with slices of the tiramisu are sitting next to it. all of the dishes are sitting on a pale purple tablecloth.
(Photography by Steve Giralt)

Chevron rhubarb almond cake

overhead shot of a rhubarb cake on a white plate, sitting on a marble surface. pink stalks of rhubarb are arranged in a chevron pattern on the top of the cake.
(Photography by Marcella DiLonardo)

Strawberry cardamom yogurt cake

A bird'seye view of a cake with strawberries on it with a large slice taken out of it. There are smaller individual plates with slices of cake on them.
(Photography by Dhivya Subramanian)

Strawberry rhubarb custard tart

overhead shot of a large custard tart with strawberries in it. it's on a silver platter on a table for a spring brunch with vintage plates, a bowl of strawberries, pink flowers, and stalks of rhubarb around it.
(The Goods)

Rhubarb shrub

2 glasses on marble coasters on a marble countertop. they have a pink drink in them and a rhubarb stalk in each. a pitcher of bright pink drink sits behind them, with cut rhubarb stalking laying next to it.
(Photo: David Bagosy, Styling: Melissa Direnzo)

Strawberry shortcake drop scones 

Sliced strawberries and whipped cream in between a scone sliced in half, and topped with more whipped cream. The strawberry shortcake is sitting on a shallow pink bowl on a table with more scones and berries in the background.
(CBC Life)

Mango vanilla mousse 

Coupe glasses filled with mango mousse on a countertop.
(Credit: Nassima Rothacker)

Cardamom strawberry country slab pie

Overhead shot of a rectangular pie on a red cooling rack. The pie crust design is latticed, and the filling is strawberry.
(Photography by Michael Gozum)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jamey Ordolis

Jamey Ordolis is the senior producer of CBC Life.

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