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Summer is in full swing. Every morning I take Phoebe and Wren out to the garden to check on the progress of our swelling pumpkins and compare Phoebe’s height to that of the tomato plants (they are now quite a bit taller than her, as she likes to point out). Phoebe likes to count the fuzzy green orbs with pokes of her chunky pointer finger while I battle Wren as he tries to grasp and pull as much of our bushy thyme plant as he can get his pudgy little hands on. The volunteer pumpkin plants in the front yard are getting massive, vines branching off in a multitude of directions like the tentacles of a giant octopus, jack-o-lantern pumpkins growing exponentially each day.

It’s been hot out lately, so I’ve been setting up a lot of cold-centric activities in the backyard. Phoebe has rescued many dinosaurs from the cold clutches of ice blocks in the last week and watered many plants from her new self-serve water pump. Plus, we’ve put in a ton of pool time (and of course some river and beach appearances, though that’s a lot more effort these days). I’m mostly land-bound with Wren but any chance to take a dip in water is welcome.

I’ve only made it to a handful of Farmer’s Markets since Wren was born, especially since they tend towards being super hot and I don’t greatly enjoy the sweat-fest that is having a baby strapped to my chest while I tow a toddler and groceries in a cart. When I’ve screwed my courage to the sticking place and done it, I have been rewarded with summer’s bounty; fat, fuzzy peaches, hefty green cucumbers, the shiniest, reddest strawberries, and succulent little gem lettuces. It’s certainly made my meal planning more exciting; this dish was born out of that market-induced inspiration. It feels like summer eating at its best, featuring peak, fresh produce without much done to it at all. Perfect, crunchy little gem lettuces are sliced in half, then drizzled with an easy, creamy homemade caesar dressing and sprinkled with garlicky panko and parmesan. It’s a side. It’s a salad. It’s maybe even a meal (lunch, though, let’s be real; I would starve if I only ate lettuce for dinner).

I love these little gems just the way they are, but if you want to get a meal on the table even faster, you have a few options. First, skip the panko; it’s a lovely textural addition but not wholly necessary because you already have quite a bit of crunch from the lettuce. The second option is to use the easiest salad dressing in the world (which I use for my Everyday Greens Salad—find the dressing recipe at the link) instead of the caesar—the dish won’t have as much heft, flavor-wise, but it will still be very tasty. The bottom line is this is a very flexible recipe that can be made more or less complex depending on your needs. If you can make it once as is, though, please do—it really is quite delicious!

Caesar Little Gems with Panko & Parmesan

Serves 3-4 | dressing recipe adapted from Cook This Book by Molly Baz

for the panko:*
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large garlic clove, smashed and peeled
1 anchovy in oil
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
salt and pepper

*This makes much more panko than you need for this recipe, but it’s very usable on pretty much any vegetable dish. Make sure to store leftovers in a container or jar with a tight-fitting lid and use within a few days.

for the dressing:
1 egg yolk
2 anchovies in oil, drained
1 small garlic clove
¾ tsp kosher salt, divided
zest and juice of half a small lemon
½ tsp dijon mustard
¼ cup olive oil
freshly cracked black pepper
dash of Worcestershire sauce

4 little gem lettuces
parmesan cheese, for grating
flaky salt
freshly ground black pepper

First, make the panko. Heat a medium cast iron pan over medium heat for a couple of minutes. Pour in 2 tbsp olive oil and, once it’s hot, add the garlic clove and 1 anchovy. Cook, stirring and breaking up the anchovy, until it’s merely speckling the oil. Stir in ½ cup Panko. Stirring often, cook until the breadcrumbs are a nice, toasty brown (it won’t be totally uniform). Scrape into a bowl and set aside to cool completely.

Next, make the dressing. In a large mortar and pestle, bash 1 clove of garlic and 2 anchovies with ½ tsp kosher salt until you have a paste. Mash in the egg yolk. If you only have a small mortar and pestle, transfer the mixture to a medium bowl for the next steps, but if you have a large one you can continue making the dressing in it. Whichever vessel you choose, whisk the zest and juice of half a lemon and ½ tsp dijon mustard into the egg yolk mixture. Whisking constantly and quickly with one hand, use the other to pour ¼ cup olive oil into the bowl or mortar in a slow, steady stream until it’s all been incorporated and the dressing is fully emulsified and light yellow. Whisk in some freshly cracked black pepper, a nice dash of Worcestershire sauce, and then taste. Add ¼ tsp kosher salt if it needs it—the dressing should be perfectly salty and creamy. If it looks too thick (more like a dip), whisk in a little more lemon juice or olive oil until it can be poured (though it will still be a thick dressing).

Tear off any bruised or battered outer leaves of the little gems. Slice the very tip of the root end off to remove any brown spots, then slice each little gem in half, lengthwise. Rinse them well under cold water, then dry on a kitchen towel, or gently wash them in a salad spinner.

Lay the sliced little gems, cut side up, on a platter. Drizzle each half with plenty of dressing, then grate parmesan across each one until they’re all pretty well coated. Top with a healthy sprinkling of panko, a good few cracks of black pepper, and flaky sea salt.

You can eat these with a knife and fork, but my favorite way to enjoy them is to pick one up and eat it in about three bites. Enjoy whichever way you’d like! Note that this dish is best eaten very shortly after the dressing goes on.