Hot-weather eating

[spinbaby]

It's hot. It's humid. We cook differently in the summer, even if we have AC. We do have AC but try to use it as little as possible, so I'm up early while it's still cool, prepping food for later: hard-cooked eggs, steamed shrimp, cucumber salad, carrot salad, sliced strawberries--all foods we can eat cold with maybe a side of cottage cheese. Looking forward to that first farmers market this week.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

1. We've been keeping an eye out for our local farmer's markets

but realistically, they'll only be a few weeks, maybe a month ahead of our own gardening.

I've got tiny banana peppers coming on, some small green strawberries, nice green centimeter or so across cherries coming along, and the raspberries are starting to bloom. The potatoes are starting to leaf above ground, and the garlic and onions are coming along.

No sign of the tomatoes I planted from seed yet, but I'll keep hoping they put in an appearance.

But now you've got me jonesing for devilled eggs, heh.

[eppur_se_muova]

2. Yogurt dishes (raitas) are the traditional Indian way of dealing with the heat.

Last edited Sun May 10, 2015, 06:57 PM - Edit history (1)

(In two different ways -- if you can't refrigerate milk, turn it into yogurt as soon as possible.)

There's a Turkish dish called cacik which is great for hot summer days. Like gazpacho and vichysoisse, it's a culinary reaction to summer heat, but unlike those dishes, no cooking is required for preparation. And it's hard to imagine a more cooling combination than yogurt and cucumbers, with a little mint. Keep it in mind if the AC breaks down.

You might also look into Indian lassis -- cool drinks made with yogurt, milk, and fruit. Mango is preferred, and delicious.

My favorite raita is a simple combination of chopped cucumber, golden raisins (sultanas), and blanched almonds in yogurt. Let the almonds soak for several hours (or overnight), and the raisins for about one hour. Combine and add a little salt and pepper. No measurements, just use whatever feels right for you. Other recipes call for cucumbers and tomatoes, and get to be kind of like a salad with more dressing than salad. Which, by the way, is probably where the idea for yogurt-based salad dressing comes from.

[grasswire]

3. I love this idea

Sounds delicious.

[Texasgal]

4. Hot weather cooking is my favorite!

I like to make cole slaw with sesame oil, garlic, ginger and vinegar. Also chopped salads with baby tomatoes, avacado onion and bell pepper. I also like to make casseroles with white rice, add veggies, vinegar, dijon mustard and cilantro and store in the fridge!

Pears and sliced sharp cheddar cheese is good too.

Enjoy! Cannot wait for tomato season! My favorite!

[freshwest]

5. One must beware of spoilage, but I liked making this:

Ceviche



http://www.thepescetarianandthepig.com/2011/07/07/shrimp-and-grouper-fiesta-ceviche/

That's a recipe with shrimp and grouper. I never used it and don't see fish in the grocer's I want.

Ceviche is a raw fish cooked by the citric acid in lime (or lemon and lime). One marinates it in the refrigerator, with salt, lime, lemon, onion, chili peppers, avocado, cilantro, peppers, diced tomatoes and whatever one wants.

You toss all of that. When the fish is done, it will look like regular cooked fish. The acid in the citrus changes the protein like heat. It was commonly known as being from Peru They've made it for over two thousands years, some say. But some say it's from Spain.

I like to have smoothies when it's hot and also salads with fresh lemon juice, nuts, avocadoes or fruit. Or some cold shredded carrots with raisins and kefir.