Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
When the heat becomes too much to cook, try serving these simple salads
It arrived just in time for a major heat wave: a big project devoted to simple salads, with 20 recipes from New York Times Cooking that capture all that is fresh and fragrant and vibrant in summer. These are what you make for dinner when you can’t fathom turning on the oven, and you pair it with an icy cold drink.
You’ll see a few of the salad recipes below are from Genevieve Ko, who led this salad extravaganza along with another one of our editors, Cathy Lo. Ko has such a keen sense of how to combine flavors and textures — elements that are essential to all good cooking but are particularly integral to good salads.
Corn salad with tomatoes, basil and cilantro
By Genevieve Ko
High summer produce comes together in this simple mix, tangy with lime juice and full of fresh herbs. Even in the height of the season, corn gets a touch sweeter when heated, and the easiest way to do it is in the microwave. It takes just a few minutes to zap the corn cobs in their husks, which makes them easy to shuck. The silks will slip right off the sweeter and stillcrisp corn. Picking basil and cilantro leaves by hand then tearing them right over the salad keeps their delicate fragrance intact. Serve this with anything off the grill or alongside tacos or sandwiches.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Total time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
• 5 ears of corn
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
•1lime
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt
• 1/4 tsp minced seeded fresh habanero or other very hot chile (optional)
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
Preparation:
1. Microwave the corn in their husks on high for 3 minutes. Shuck the corn — the silks will come off easily. (If you want to boil or steam the corn on the stovetop, you can shuck the corn first then cook just until brighter in color, 2 to 3 minutes.) Cut the kernels off the cobs, transfer them to a large bowl and add the tomatoes.
2. Finely grate the zest of the lime directly over the corn mixture, then squeeze the juice from the lime all over. Add the oil, a generous pinch of salt and the chile, if using. Mix well, then tear the herbs over the salad and gently fold them in. Season to taste with salt and serve, or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 day.
Tuna salad with hot and sweet peppers By Genevieve Ko
Inspired by the oil-and-vinegar tuna salads of the Mediterranean, this version includes newworld peppers. Letting thin slices of hot and sweet peppers sit with vinegar and salt for a few minutes gives them a pickled taste without taking away their crispness. It also makes for a sharp dressing when mixed with the olive oil from oil-packed tuna. Celery and parsley bring freshness to this blend, which is wonderful on its own and versatile enough to be spooned over toast or tossed with lettuce or pasta. Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
• 1 red, orange or yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 hot green chile, such as serrano, seeded if desired, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 tbsp sherry or red wine vinegar
• Salt and black pepper
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 (5-oz) cans or 1 (7- to 8-oz) jar tuna packed in olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
Preparation:
1. Toss the pepper and the chile with the vinegar and a big pinch of salt in a large bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the celery into 1/4-inch dice.
2. Add the celery, tuna with all of its oil and chopped parsley to the peppers. Toss until the tuna flakes into bite-size pieces and everything is well mixed, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Green bean and tofu salad with peanut dressing
By Genevieve Ko
Inspired by the combination of peanut sauce with vegetables in Southeast Asia, found in dishes such as gado gado in Indonesia and summer rolls in Vietnam, this streamlined salad would work just as well as a vegetarian main dish to eat with rice or noodles. The green beans are cooked for only a short while so that they stay crunchy. If you prefer floppy beans, you can cook them longer. And if you want something more refreshing and don’t want to turn on the stove, you can skip the beans altogether and use cut-up cucumbers and tomatoes instead.
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
• Salt
• 1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp red-pepper flakes, plus more for sprinkling
• 12 oz green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths
• 1 (14-oz) box extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes
Preparation:
1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, stir the peanut butter, hoisin, lime juice, sugar and red-pepper flakes in a large bowl. Add 2 tbsp boiling water from the saucepan to the peanut dressing and stir well. The dressing should be runny but still thick. If needed, stir in another tbsp boiling water.
2. Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook until brighter in color and just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain well, rinse under cold water until cool, then drain again. Transfer the green beans and tofu to the peanut dressing and stir gently until evenly coated. Season to taste with salt, then sprinkle with more red-pepper flakes. Serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Pasta salad By Melissa Clark
This pasta salad has everything you could want in the bowl: loads of ripe tomatoes, chunks of mozzarella, sliced olives, salami and plenty of fresh green herbs, all tossed in a garlicky, oregano-spiked red wine vinaigrette. Serve it the same day it’s made for the brightest flavor and best texture.
Yield: 8 to 10
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients: Ingredients for the dressing:
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar, plus more to taste
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated or minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Ingredients for the pasta:
• 1 lb short-cut pasta, such as farfalle
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 8 oz mozzarella, cubed (or use small mozzarella balls)
• 4 oz sliced salami, cut into 1/4-inch ribbons
• 3/4 cup sliced Kalamata olives
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced cucumber
• 3 tbsp diced red onion
• 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley and basil leaves
Preparation:
1. Make the dressing: Combine vinegar, garlic, oregano and a big pinch each salt and pepper in a large bowl. Whisk in oil; taste and add more salt, pepper or vinegar as needed. Set aside.
2. Prepare the pasta: Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions until the pasta is al dente. Drain well, transfer to the large bowl, and toss with the dressing while still warm.
3. Add tomatoes, mozzarella, salami, olives, cucumber and onion to the bowl and toss well; fold in herbs. Taste and season with more salt, pepper and vinegar, if you like.
4. Drizzle with olive oil and top with cracked black pepper just before serving.
Chicken and herb salad with nuoc cham
By Yewande Komolafe
Nuoc cham, a Vietnamese sauce bright with lime juice and chile, is tossed into this simple, satisfying salad to give it a salty-sweet finish. Thinly sliced bell pepper and shaved cabbage provide crunch, while meat pulled from a store-bought rotisserie chicken — or any leftover chicken — soaks up the dressing. Serve this by itself, or alongside steamed rice or room-temperature cooked rice vermicelli.
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 bird’s-eye chile or other small hot chile, minced with seeds
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 loosely packed cups chicken meat (12 oz, pulled from store-bought rotisserie chicken or roast chicken)
• 2 cups thinly sliced red or green cabbage
• 1 small English cucumber, thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 medium bell pepper (any color), thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups peppery leafy greens, such as watercress with tender stems, arugula or mizuna
• 1 loosely packed cup Thai or sweet basil leaves
• 1 loosely packed cup mint leaves
• 1/2 cup crispy fried shallots or onions, store-bought or homemade
Preparation:
1. In a large bowl, combine the sugar and 1/4 cup water. Whisk to dissolve the sugar. Add the garlic, chile, lime juice and fish sauce. Stir to combine.
2. Add the chicken, cabbage, cucumbers and bell pepper to the dressing. Toss to coat. Add the leafy greens and the basil and mint leaves. Toss to combine.
3. Divide the salad among bowls, garnish with the crispy shallots and serve immediately.