Somewhere between the first jug of house wine and the arrival of the grilled peppers, the table stops being a table and becomes a small republic. This is the ambition of the modern long lunch: no starters, no mains, just dishes arriving in waves.
The cooks we visited this season share a few quiet convictions — bread should be charred, vegetables should be roasted whole, and the salad should be dressed at the table so everyone can hear the lemon.
Our recipes are loose by design: a flatbread that welcomes improvisation, a tray of late-summer tomatoes with whipped ricotta, and a peach and basil granita that tastes like the last week of August.
Set the table in the shade, open the wine, and let the afternoon do the rest.