The local broccoli and spinach season has just about finished, although cauliflowers and cabbages are still good. But I’ve had my fill of them over the winter months, so what’s left?

Well, there’s plenty – year-round vegetables like zucchini, aubergines, green beans, peppers, sweet potatoes, a variety of home-grown lettuce, lovely new-season juicy plum tomatoes, all of which, together with lentils and other pulses and grains, make good summer salads and side dishes.

So, we’ll start with some peppers. Halved and stuffed with peeled tomatoes, sprinkled with chopped chilli and garlic, then drizzled with oil and roasted, they are colourful and tasty. With some crusty bread to mop up the juices, they make an attractive starter, too.

Lentils are nice in salads when mixed with other ingredients. I favour the tiny green Puy lentils, as they tend not to disintegrate when cooked. Give them a Mediterranean flavour by tossing them in a vinaigrette dressing with some tomatoes, onions, olives and basil, or some diced and browned aubergines or zucchini. Or mix them with strips of Parma ham, capers, cherry tomatoes and parsley.

Boston baked beans are a real treat. They were particularly favoured by early Puritan settlers in the US whose religion forbade any work on the Sabbath, which ran from sundown on Saturday to sundown on Sunday. So a large pot of beans was prepared in advance and left to simmer on the hearth, or taken to the local baker to be cooked in his oven.

They do take ages to cook, but most of the time is spent in the oven while they quietly do their own thing. Apart from the occasional stir, there is very little actual work involved, but I can almost guarantee that having tasted the real McCoy, tinned beans will never taste quite the same again.

They may seem a bit hot and hearty for a summer dish, but they go perfectly with a barbecue – in fact, it’s worth making lots, as they keep in the fridge for a few days and they also freeze beautifully.

Or you can mash the leftovers, mix them with a few other ingredients and make them into tasty bean patties.

And, of course, we mustn’t forget the ubiquitous pasta salad. Yes, I know, very boring, but tell me someone who doesn’t love it, and with fresh tomatoes, mini mozzarella cheeses and basil, it’s really quite special.

Boston baked beans

500g dried haricot beans, soaked overnight
6tbsp black treacle
4tbsp tomato ketchup
2tbsp soft light brown sugar
1tbsp dry mustard powder
1tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
4 whole cloves
1 small whole onion
1 medium onion, chopped
2 thick slices salt pork or streaky bacon, about 200g

Drain the soaked beans and put them in a large pan, add two litres of freshwater and bring to the boil. Boil rapidly for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for about an hour or until the beans are really soft. Drain them, reserving the cooking liquid, and put them into a large, deep casserole.

Preheat the oven to 150˚C. Mix together the treacle, ketchup, sugar, mustard and salt and pepper. Stick the cloves into the whole onion. Add the treacle mixture, the chopped onion and whole onion to the beans. Cut the salt pork slices in half and tuck them in, then pour in just enough of the reserved cooking liquid to barely cover the beans.

Cover the casserole with a double thickness of foil and a lid and cook in the oven for at least four hours, stirring from time to time and adding more liquid if the beans start to look too dry. Remove and discard the whole onion.

Fish out the salt pork and either cut it into pieces and stir it back into the beans or hide it away for a cook’s nibble later. If the sauce looks a bit runny, thicken it with a little cornflour and water. (Serves about 8)

For baked bean patties, using a cup with a capacity of about 250ml, mash a cup of cold, cooked beans and mix with half a cup of dried breadcrumbs, half a cup of grated carrots and half a cup of finely chopped onion. Season well, moisten with a little cream if necessary, then shape the mixture into six patties. Roll them in dried breadcrumbs and fry in butter for about five minutes on each side until golden brown.

Lentil salad with Parma ham and cherry tomatoes

200g Puy green lentils
3tbsp olive oil
1tbsp balsamic vinegar
1tbsp honey
1tsp Dijon mustard
salt and pepper
2tbsp capers, drained
6 slices Parma or Serrano ham
12 cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
A few small lettuce leaves, chopped parsley to garnish

Put the lentils into a pan, add a litre of water, bring it to the boil and simmer until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape.

While the lentils are cooking, put the oil, vinegar, honey and mustard into a jar and season with salt and pepper.

Put the lid on and give it a good shake. Drain the lentils, rinse them under cold running water, drain again, then put them into a bowl and stir in the capers and dressing.

Tear the Parma ham into pieces, add them to the lentils, together with the tomatoes, and gently stir them through. Cover and chill.

When ready to serve, divide the salad between four plates, add a few small lettuce leaves and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Roasted stuffed peppers

2 red, 2 orange and 2 yellow peppers
6 ripe plum tomatoes, peeled
extra virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 small red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
salt and black pepper
dried oregano
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 large fresh basil leaves, shredded
A sprig of basil to decorate

Preheat the oven to 200˚C. Halve the peppers through the stalk. Remove the seeds and cores but leave the stalks intact as this helps to retain their shape. Cut each tomato into six wedges.

Generously brush the insides of the peppers with olive oil, then put them on a shallow baking tray that will hold them in one layer. Divide the onion and chillies between the peppers and season with salt, pepper and a pinch of dried oregano.

Tuck three tomato wedges into each pepper, scatter over the garlic and a little more salt and pepper, then drizzle a teaspoon of olive oil over each one.

Bake for about 45 minutes, when the peppers should be tender, wrinkly and slightly charred around the edges.

Transfer to a serving plate, spoon over any juices left in the bottom of the baking tray, then sprinkle with the shredded basil leaves and add a sprig of basil to decorate.

Serve either warm or at room temperature. (Serves 6)

Pasta and fresh tomato salad

300g orecchiette or shell-shaped pasta
olive oil
1tbsp white wine vinegar
1tsp sugar
1 crushed garlic clove
salt and pepper
6 medium-sized ripe tomatoes
2 packets fresh mini mozzarella cheeses, drained
2tbsp chopped spring onions (white and light green parts only)
1tbsp shredded basil, plus extra leaves to garnish

Cook the pasta, then drain and rinse it under cold running water. Drain again, tip it into a large bowl and toss it with two tablespoons of olive oil.

Put three tablespoons of olive oil into a jar, together with the vinegar, sugar and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, put the lid on and give it a good shake.

Peel, deseed and dice the tomatoes. Cut the mozzarella cheeses in half and add them to the pasta, together with the tomatoes, spring onions and basil leaves.

Pour over the dressing and toss it all together, then transfer the salad to a serving bowl.

Sprinkle with the extra basil leaves, cover with cling film and chill until ready to serve. (Serves 4)