From backyard barbecues to picnics at the park, food is at the heart of so many of our favorite summer traditions. This month, some of Northern Colorado’s top eateries are sharing secret recipes they serve on the hottest days of the season. Each dish is more than just a way to cool off—it’s a story of passion, family and the joy of sharing a good meal.
Sweet Ricotta Dip
Courtesy of Get Plattered
Serves 8+
Ingredients
3 cups fresh ricotta
½ cup of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Combine fresh ricotta, powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Beat all ingredients together until smooth. Fold in any desired additions, such as fresh fruit or chocolate chips.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. The dip is best served after sitting in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
Get Plattered’s ricotta dip was born out of Mike Miller’s wife’s love of cannoli.
“I wanted to come up with a healthier, easier rendition of her favorite dessert that we could enjoy all summer long,” says Miller, owner of the Fort Collins-based grazing platter and charcuterie board catering business.
To support other local businesses, Miller sources his ricotta from local creameries whenever possible. He also adds a handful of fresh fruit when he can find it grown locally and in season.
“My favorite twist on the recipe is adding Palisade peaches,” he says. “It tastes like a fun take on peaches and cream.”
Other favorite add-ins include a drizzle of honey with pistachios, a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg with pita chips, a touch of balsamic with figs and a scoop of chocolate chips with graham crackers.
Miller’s favorite time to serve it is while listening to a summer playlist on the back patio.
Grand’s Potato Salad
Courtesy of The Smoke Post Southern BBQ
Serves 10-12
Ingredients
5 pound bag Yukon gold potatoes (peeling optional)
5 stalks minced celery
5 stalks minced green onion
6 boiled eggs, diced
3 tablespoons dill relish
2 cups Duke’s Mayo
½ cup stone ground or brown mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish with green
onion and paprika
Directions
Dice potatoes into bite-sized pieces, then boil in heavily salted water until fork tender. Mix together mayo, mustard, apple cider vinegar, dill relish, salt and pepper to make the dressing.
Drain potatoes and allow them to cool slightly. Add potatoes, celery and boiled eggs to the dressing and gently mix until evenly coated. Add garnish. Serve warm or chilled.
When it comes to Arkansas barbecue, Renaldo Ward knows his stuff. In fact, it’s his livelihood as the owner of The Smoke Post Southern BBQ, a food trailer and catering business based in Fort Collins.
“Arkansas cuisine is all about balanced flavor paired with slow, thoughtful preparation,” Ward says. “Each dish is prepared for the purpose of fellowship and celebration.”
Potato salad is a staple of Arkansas fare, and Ward’s recipe has been in the family for generations.
“The apple cider vinegar, brown mustard and dill relish give this recipe a more savory and complex flavor than other potato salad recipes,” he says. “They create a flavor profile that’s a balance of tangy, zesty and creamy with a fresh crunch that makes you want more.”
Ward says the dish, named after his wife’s grandmother, known as “Grand,” reminds him of traditional down-home cooking and family celebrations.
Luna’s House Margarita
Courtesy of Luna’s Tacos & Tequila
Makes one margarita
Ingredients
2 ounces 100% blue agave tequila
1 ounce organic agave nectar
1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
Directions
Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake well and pour over fresh ice into a glass rimmed with your preferred seasoning.
Fresh, high-quality ingredients are what make Luna’s signature drink shine, according to Bradley Nelson, operations manager at Luna’s Tacos & Tequila in Windsor and Greeley.
“We pride ourselves on creating a simple yet incredibly delicious margarita that really allows the quality of the tequila and other ingredients to shine through,” he says.
Nelson says the secret to the most popular drink on their menu is the 100-percent blue agave tequila—an essential ingredient, he claims, for a truly great margarita. He likes to drink it from a Tajín-rimmed glass on a sunny patio with a dish of queso fundido and warm tortillas on the side.
Caprese Salad
Courtesy of La Piadina
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 cups arugula
6 slices fresh mozzarella
1 sliced tomato
6-8 fresh basil leaves
Balsamic vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Layer tomatoes and basil leaves on a bed of arugula. Top with vinegar, oil, salt and pepper to taste. Buon appetito!
Fort Collins restaurant and food truck La Piadina offers several variations of their signature dish, the piadina, or Italian flatbread. But when it comes to accompanying salads, there’s only one that the owner, Menyhert Borocz, deems worthy of serving: the caprese salad.
“We offer a caprese salad with one simple twist,” Borocz says. “We serve the traditional ingredients—tomato, mozzarella and basil—on a bed of arugula, which gives it a bittersweet spiciness that is so refreshing. It can be served as a side salad or as a meal all on its own in the summer, and it’s easy to recreate.”
Borocz’s favorite variations on the salad include buffalo mozzarella or the addition of pistachios, pine nuts, grated carrots or cooked artichoke hearts on top.
