A Late Summer Feast

 It is still harvest season . There are markets and back yards that still offer up tomatoes and watermelon. Think of these for a late summer feast that features a spicy shrimp curry as the main course.

Regular contributor and chef David Tanis gave these recipes in yesterday's New York Times Food  Wednesday section. He presents a perfect summery meal that's a bit more substantial than the average hit weather dinner. The main meal is from the great Indian chef Madhur Jaffrey's Goan shrimp curry. The creator herself taught him to make it.It starts by adding chopped shallots, black pepper and the fiery red kashmiri chili pepper.It's made into a paste with the addition of olive or vegetable oil. There's also turmeric and ginger added for more zing and bite. They're simmered with coconut milk The shrimp is cooked into it before serving. The seafood should be large and already deveined and peeled.Lemon juice is added later in the cooking just before finishing .(Lime juice can be subbed in for this. It does have a sharper , tangier flavor) . Taste. The seasonings  may need to be adjusted.  Add a small pinch of the pepper or Kashmiri red chili pepper. Serve with steamed basmati or jasmine rice.

As for the side Mr. Tanis has a cooking tomato and cucumber salad to offset the shrimp's fieriness. Again the recipe is from MS. Jaffrey and it's the perfect foil for the main course.Use yellow or gold cherry tomatoes. Try to buy firm ones. However if these can;t be found then used slice Roma or beefsteak ones. The cucumbers. Cut them into batons or spears and arrange them with the halves cherry tomatoes.Salt and pepper them first then add a dusting of  toasted cumin and cayenne pepper.There,s a quick tadka, basically cooking of mustard seeds and curry leaves finishes the dish as a dressing. The dessert is a Sicilian one that involves mixing lemon juice watermelon juice and sugar. It's adapted from another culinary idol of Mr Tanis, Fabrizia Lanza.It's a tale on an Arabic sweet that's also found in Indian and Persian cuisines. Pistachios and mint leaves decorate it but jasmine flowers are the usual ornamentation, a nice nod to the end of summer.

This meal is the perfect way to celebrate the waning days of summer. It features the best of the harvest as well as a nod to the sea. Make the meal to celebrate the end of the season.