In my family, Mother’s Days and Father’s Days rival the celebrations of Thanksgiving.  And as Thomas Jefferson sings in the musical Hamilton, “I arranged the menu, the venue, the seating.”  This Father’s Day was no different.

As always, my biggest culinary inspiration is Ottolenghi.  Ever on a mission to expand my family’s palates, Ottolenghi’s recipes seem to hit an undeniable vibration with its tasters.  These were the dishes I whipped up:

DISH #1: AVOCADO PEA MASH (GF + V)

While the original recipe calls for edamame, I make this mash with peas and it’s one of my favorite dips.  By the end of the feast, there was none left.

Imagine guacamole, reinvented.  It’s refreshing, scoopable, and shareable.  Moreover, it has whole, healthy ingredients: avocado, peas, lemon, olive oil, scallions.  I love to save this for the next day and top it onto toasted bread or some seedy crackers.

Recipe: Ottolenghi’s avocado broad bean mash

DISH #2: PINE NUT SHALLOT SUMAC TOMATO SALAD (GF + V)

What’s a meal without umami?  This salad embraces one of the summer’s best vegetables (or fruits, technically). The shallots get slightly pickled with white wine vinegar, and get a tang from the sumac. 

Sumac is one of the most underrated spices in my opinion. It’s able to capture essences of lemon, pepper, and slight oregano all in one. It’s a perfect match for tomatoes of all varieties – just make sure they are juicy, fresh, and flavorful. Toasted pine nuts are the finishing touch you didn’t know you needed.

Recipe: Ottolenghi’s pine nut shallot sumac tomato salad

DISH #3: GREEN BEAN EDAMAME SALAD (GF + V)

The beauty of Ottolenghi dishes is that they can be made beforehand, making them perfect for hosting.

This green bean salad was not only delicious the day of, but also the day after. I brought it for my lunch, pairing it with some quinoa for extra protein. This salad is slightly spicy thanks to the serrano peppers and cilantro, which are blitzed to make a unique herby dressing. I imagine this dressing would even complement other vegetables, like asparagus, grilled zucchini, and even some Lima beans. 

Recipe: Ottolenghi’s green bean edamame salad

DESSERT: LEMON OLIVE OIL SEMOLINA CAKE (GF + DF)

As for desserts, once again, Ottolenghi scores. This Christmas, my grandmother went through 30 cups of semolina flour for her sciacce. Miraculously, there was still semolina flour left and I decided it was time to use it up.

This cake has innate sweetness through the almond flour, and a subtle fruitiness from the olive oil. Make sure not to use a bold olive oil as that may overpower the delicate flavors of the cake; instead, opt for a mild olive oil, or perhaps consider doing 50:50 of bold olive oil and a neutral oil (like grape seed or sunflower). The cake tastes the best the day of, and if you’re pressed for time, just mix up the dry ingredients ahead of time. For anyone who has Italians in the house, this also works as a breakfast cake! 

Final note: this cake is beautiful as is. Presentation wise, place some lavender or lightly powdered sugar for an elegant wow factor. 

Recipe: Lemon Olive Oil Semolina Cake

• Notes: I used more lemon zest and juice. Fresh out of the oven, I lightly put some lemon juice on top for extra lemony flavor.

I hope you enjoyed this tour of my Father’s Day Feast! Wishing all dads out there (on earth and in the sky) a joyful and loving day.