Cool Food for Hot Days

3 Tasty Things For When You Can't Bear To Cook.

Here are the days when it’s too hot to cook. Again. They’re back to make us sweat. And if your house, like mine, isn’t air conditioned, you are definitely avoiding your stove these days. Some days I have to cook for a recipe developing job, but most of the time I’m pretty good at figuring out how to eat tasty (homemade) food with the minimum amount of work. So, whether you’re on holiday, working from a front porch or picnic table, or heading out to work each day this month, I wanted to share 3 thoughts with you and 3 basic recipes, building blocks if you will, for eating simply and well during a heatwave.

Three thoughts:

1. Cook in the Morning. While you’re still padding around barefoot and waking up with your coffee or tea, do any cooking you want to do. (See suggestions below). By the time you’re dressed for the day, or your kitchen gets too hot to stand–whichever comes first– you’ll have something to rely on for a meal later.

2. Slow Down. Simplify. If you demand less of yourself, the others in the house will happily go along with you. I have to remind myself of that.

3. Mix ’n’ Match. A silly expression from fashion mags and retail, but it works for food too. Make batches of things that can be adapted to a few different meals, and eaten at room temperature.

Three things I’ve been mixing ‘n’ matching:

Lemony Labneh

Serve this with a cool cucumber salad, hummus, baba ghanoush, smoked salmon or gravlax, cold grilled chicken, or as a dip for crudités. Drizzle with olive oil and serve with olives and crackers. Stir sliced, salted, and drained cucumbers into it. Or, if you’re cooking outside in the evening later, it’s a nice accompaniment to grilled chicken, lamb, or sausage.

To make: Look for labneh or plain Greek yogurt ( I prefer the flavor of the full-fat type). If you only have regular yogurt, then strain it through a cheesecloth-lined, fine mesh strainer over a bowl and set it in the fridge overnight to rid it of liquid.

For approx 2 cups (16 ounces) of labneh or yogurt:

Stir in the finely grated zest, and the juice of 1 lemon, a good pinch of salt, ground coriander (optional), and freshly ground black pepper.

Stir in a handful of finely chopped herbs: dill, mint, parsley, chives.

Finely chop 1 scallion and stir in the white and green parts.

Orzo Salad with Herbs and Capers

Orzo is an underappreciated pasta shape, in my opinion. It’s often stocked in the hard-to-reach, upper corner of the supermarket’s pasta shelves. Some people only buy it if they’re making soup. But in my house, it’s a favorite for summer “pasta salads”. I hate to use the term “pasta salad”, as it makes me think of overcooked, multi-colored rotini with slimy bell peppers and canned black olives served in little plastic cups from a local sandwich shop. BUT cool, or room temp pasta can be just wonderful to eat on a hot day or night. I scored a nice box of orzo recently at a Greek-American street fair in Brooklyn, and I am appreciating it very much!

To make:

While the kitchen is still cool, bring a pot of water to a boil and salt it generously. add 1/2 pound of orzo pasta, and stir a couple of times while the water is returning to a boil.

Thinly slice 2 garlic cloves, and place in a large bowl. Add 1 diced tomato, and a glug of extra virgin olive oil. Use your best because you’ll really taste it. Add a sprinkle of chili flakes if you like it spicy. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of rinsed capers (if they’re salted capers, then soak them for 10 minutes in warm water before rinsing).

When the pasta is al dente, strain it and add it straight to the bowl, and toss well to coat with the oil and other ingredients.

Walk away. Let your pasta cool to room temperature.

Add a large handful of torn basil and mint leaves, with a smaller amount of other herbs if you have them: fresh oregano or marjoram, thyme, parsley.

Toss again and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and flaky sea salt on top.

A Batch of Lentils

Sometimes I just crave lentils. I try to keep French lentils de Puy stocked in my pantry for times like this. They’re good, filling protein and I can eat them any time of day with goat cheese and cooked beets, with feta on top, and hummus with pita, with the lemony labneh (see mix ‘n’ match), cooked greens, salads…

To make:

Spread lentils onto a plate and take a quick look for pebbles, running through them with your fingers. Pour lentils into a strainer, and rinse well. Place them in a deep pot.

Fill the pot with enough water to cover the lentils with about twice their volume. If you have a carrot, add a diced carrot. Add a bay leaf, and a smashed garlic clove. DO NOT SALT. Bring to a boil, stir, reduce to a simmer and partially cover the pot. Cook just until the lentils are tender ( 20-35 minutes, but stir often and check after 15). And strain.

Add salt now–let’s say 3/4 teaspoon for a couple of cups of lentils, or at least a generous pinch for a cup, and toss. Pour lentils onto a sheet pan with sides, and place the pan on a cooling rack. This is to help them cool down quickly and evenly, and preventing them from getting mushy. Better for your kitchen and for the lentils. Drizzle with olive oil, stir lightly.

Walk away.