Best recipe for summer in winter?

[itryalot]

Now that a trip to my local farmer's market has me preparing seasonal veggies for dinner, I am wishing I lived in a warmer climate and want to preserve that summer flavour all year. I will be making freezer jam according to Certo's package next weekend.
I am trying to plan my summer jarring and pickling.
Any home recipes for your favourite summer products that will give you that summer feeling as you eat them watching a snowstorm out your window?

For me, freezer jam. (strawberry, peach)
I also puree then freeze white peaches to make bellinis during my winter parties.
Freeze whole ripe tomatoes and toss them into homemade chicken broth.

[chloe103]

Great idea for a thread! (Says the Canadian girl who cannot deal with February, ever.)

In addition to making jam, I'd also consider freezing whole berries. I do up heaps of these as each type of berry comes into season (double bagged to avoid freezer burn) - way cheaper and tastier than commercial frozen fruit. Wild blueberries and yogurt, drizzled with a bit of maple syrup, is the best antidote to the winter blahs that I know of.

Green pea soup - if you make it with good quality (ideally organic) and properly frozen peas, it will actually turn out WAY better than you would ever imagine, and feel like springtime in a bowl. Sauté one small onion or leek in a bit of melted butter or olive oil until soft; add 1 pkg peas and enough stock to just barely cover and simmer 5 minutes; toss in a handful of chopped mint, salt and pepper; whiz in blender until smooth; return to pot, stir in a dollop of yogurt or a glug of cream, heat through. (Alternately, you could make the soup now with the fresh peas that almost at the end of their season, and freeze it for later consumption. And if you were going to go that route, you might also make other seasonal veggie soups and freeze them - I usually do up some batches of asparagus at this time of year as well.)

Ceviche. There are hundreds of recipes out there, but the basic idea is: shrimp, scallops, bass, halibut, or almost any firm white-fleshed fish; lime juice; chili pepper; onion; cilantro; a teeny bit of oil; s+p. Toss and let sit one-two hours. Throw in whatever else strikes you (avocado, roasted corn, mango - lots of choices here). Imagine you are in Mexico.

[Emme]

Gazpacho
Panzanella
Vinegar based pasta salads esp rigatoni, chopped tomatoes, julienned sundrieds, fresh basil chiffonades, oregano, olive oil, seasoned rice wine vinegar, salt, white pepper, and grated parmesan
Egg salad
Seared ahi w/ a soy citrus reduction alongside a Mai Tai
Grilled veggies (eggplant, mushrooms, onions, zucchini, tomatoes, broccoli) w/ garlic salt

[piccola]

Pesto for me. Not just basil, but with all sorts of herbs. You can stir a spoonful in soups, salad dressings, marinades, etc, and it immediately brightens up the flavour.

[diva360]

Ditto on the pesto. The following tip is sort of well-known, but you may not know it. Freeze your pesto in ice cube trays before wrapping and bagging for long-term storage. That way, you will have conveniently-sized portions for a variety of uses.

If you want to do some fruit preserves, consider adding some spicy minced peppers. In the winter, I like sweet and spicy fruit glazes for chicken breasts and fish. Such dishes just seem tropical and "warm" to me. These preserves also work with soft white cheeses (think neufchatel or goat) on crackers or bread. I'll even eat sweet-hot jam on toast, but ymmv.

You can also freeze some pureed mango to make summery mango margaritas in the winter.