During heat wave, minimize cooking for maximum flavour
This crazy heat dome we’ve experienced created a challenge for indoor cooking. In other words, as little as possible.
So as a result, I’ve come up with some strategies and recipe ideas to make the cook’s life a little easier and cooler during this summer heat.
Anything that needs to be cooked indoors needs to be done at the crack of dawn: a batch of quinoa, noodles — be it soba, rice or wheat-based — and maybe some hardboiled eggs.
Once refrigerated, they’re a blank slate to make refreshing and nutritious dishes. Think olive oil and citrus, grilled vegetables — done ahead of time on your outdoor grill — fresh herbs and cheeses such as crumbled feta. For rice or soba noodles, a splash of sesame oil, lime juice and ginger does the trick as does the addition of orange segments, lemon grass and ground peanuts. Maybe even some poached prawns.
The rest of the kitchen has been moved outdoors. My grill/rotisserie has been put to good use, and my cast iron pans are getting a workout from breakfast to dinner. Cooking breakfast outside feels just like camping, and no tent is required.
To maintain tasty inspiration, keeping flavours bright, light and fresh is key. For example, a batch of pesto ticks all the boxes and can be made without the use of heat. All you need is a small Cuisinart-type food processor, or a blender, a mortar and pestle for the muscular, or even an old fashioned metal meat grinder. (I’ve taken to plugging my blender, rice cooker and Cuisinart outside too).
Big bunches of fresh basil are available in most grocery stores or at the Farmers’ Market, but it’s not just about that herbaceous Italian icon. Garlic scapes and baby kale are equally available and delicious in a pesto, as is parsley, either Italian or curly. Blend to a smooth paste with garlic, olive oil, with or without Parmesan or nuts. It can then be added to cold grain or pasta salads, grilled fish, scallops or prawns, or used as a flavour booster to marinades. Adding a tablespoon to white wine is brilliant for a batch of steamed clams or mussels — easily done in a pot on a hot grill, out of doors.
Making gazpacho, that cold, refreshing soup of Spanish origin is another strategy that leaves the stove behind. Raw tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, a splash of sherry vinegar and olive oil, a bit of onion and garlic — maybe even a splash of vodka — are blended together, leaving it with a bit of texture, not a complete puree. It makes a wonderfully cooling — and nutritious — appetizer, served in shooter glasses or martini glasses.
Another cold soup is gazpacho’s kissing cousin, ajo blanco, a smooth white concoction of crushed almonds — preferably rich Marcona almonds — garlic, water, olive oil and vinegar. I’ve had versions with the addition of cream, garnished with slices of green grapes.
And recently I enjoyed a stunning version at Liquidity Winery. Created by newly interned chef Phil Tees, the dish is part of their seasonal two-course menu paired with Liquidity wines. His version uses regular skinned almonds blended to a silky conclusion with hints of cucumber, ginger, lemongrass, chamomile and local sumac. The refreshingly nuanced elixir was garnished with a textural medley of bright green snap peas, thinly sliced apple, cucumber and radish, along with a few mint sprigs adding a pop to the palate.
Another hot weather cooldown dish is ceviche, made with fresh raw bite-sized pieces of fish, cured or “cooked” in fresh citrus juices, most commonly lemon or lime, but traditionally bitter orange. Think of it as a seafood salad, with additions of chopped chilie peppers, chopped onions and often tomato, along with bright seasonings such as freshly chopped cilantro.
I like to make a kind of West Coast version using wild salmon, scallops and avocado (see recipe below). All you need is a sharp knife and a good lime squeezer — and a refrigerator. Depending on how big the pieces are — I like to use half-inch pieces – the refrigerated citrus-bathing fish is ready in about four hours. It should be opaque throughout. I like to serve the finished dish in martini glasses as an appetizer, along with a big bowl of tortilla chips for transporting the morsels. All accompanied by ice cold margaritas, of course.
Summertime... the living is easy, and also delicious.
CEVICHE WITH WILD SALMON, SCALLOPS AND AVOCADO
(Serves six appetizer servings)
¾ lb wild salmon filet, skin removed, cut into ½ inch cubes
½ lb scallops, cut into
½ inch cubes
1/3 white onion, minced
1 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice
½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
4 ripe Roma or plum tomatoes, cut into ¼ inch dice
3 serrano or jalapeno chilies, chopped fine
¼ cup freshly chopped cilantro, save some sprigs for garnish
3 Tablespoons fragrant olive oil
Sea salt to taste
1 ripe avocado
Tortilla chips
Place the cubed salmon and scallops in a large glass or stainless steel bowl. Add the minced onion, and lime and orange juices and toss to mix well. Cover and refrigerate until the fish is opaque throughout – about four hours.
Just before serving, drain off and discard the excess juice from the bowl. Add the tomatoes, chilies, chopped cilantro and olive oil and mix well. Season with salt to taste.
Halve the avocado and remove the pit. Cube the avocado and scoop into the fish mixture, gently folding in.
Divide the ceviche among clear glass bowls, wine glasses or martini glasses. Garnish with a cilantro sprig and pass the tortilla chips.
With fork and pen in hand, and a passion for culinary adventure, Shelora Sheldan, writer, cook and traveller, goes
in search of the delectable.