Weekend Cook and Tell: Too Hot
Welcome to the Weekend Cook and Tell. Every Wednesday we scour the food sections of various national newspapers to come up with an article or recipe to inspire a weekend cooking project. We want all of you to cook along with us and share your experiences, recipes, and photos.
Last night was one of my rare nights off, and it was hot. I foolishly decided that it was the prefect evening to make nice dinner at home. Of course, by nice I mean labor-intensive, with plenty of chopping, searing, sauteing, deglazing. No meal is complete with out dessert, so the oven was on too. Long story short-it was hot in my kitchen, I mean sweltering. By the time I sat down eat I was red-faced and sweating a little more than I care to admit. Dinner was delicious but by the time it was finished the chilled bottle of vinho verde sitting on the table was much more appealing than steaming plate before me.
While looking for an inspiration for this week's challenge I came across No-Cook Meals for Summer's Kitchen from Karen Fernau of the Arizona Central. Fernau asked chef Jene Shaffstall to come up with recipes for breakfast lunch and dinner that do not require the use of any type of heat. Breakfast was a Greek yogurt parfait, lunch was beef sandwich topped with cucumbers, peppers and basil and dinner was lime-infused shrimp tostadas, topped with a fresh jicama slaw.
This week's challenge is to make a meal with out turning on the oven. Something simple and summery, such as a cold soup, sandwich or salad or if you are feeling ambitious perhaps a carpaccio, crudo, or homemade sushi. This week there is only one rule: Your meal must not make you break a sweat!
We want to hear all about the heat-less dishes that you are making at home. Show us your photos on Photograzing (make sure to include "Cook and Tell" in your submission title) and tell us about your recipes in Talk with comments on this thread! If you'd like to blog along from home, leave a link to your Cook and Tell blog post in the comments. We'll post a round-up of your photos and recipes next Wednesday.
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29 Comments:
I'm laughing, because I was baking last night. Not me, personally overheated, but I had pastries in the oven. It's a bit too hot to do things like that during the day (and we have no air conditioning) but even so, I'm STILL baking things. And I think oven-cooking heats the kitchen a bit less than if I'm doing stovetop cooking. Maybe. Or maybe it's just that if something is on the stove, I'm lingering nearby, and if it's in the oven, I set a timer and go away.
Hmmmm...I made ceviche a couple days ago. That's uncooked. No photos, though. As usual, my timing is sooooo wrong.
dbcurrie at 6:49PM on 08/12/09
To be clear on the rules--just no oven, yes? Minimal stovetop cooking is OK?
ElizabethS at 7:56PM on 08/12/09
@dbcurrie: Kudos for not letting the heat put you off baking!
@ElizabethS: I guess the only rule is not to break a sweat while preparing your meal. Minimal stovetop cooking is okay, just don't turn on the oven and heat up the entire kitchen and yourself in the process!
Caroline Russock at 1:38AM on 08/13/09
Here are a few of my favorites: gazpacho, hummus served with crackers, carrots and pepers, panzanella with fresh mozzarella, and arugula salad with strawberries, mozzarella and almonds.
orchidgirl at 9:54AM on 08/13/09
I made a salad of pickles, kim chee, cucumber, radish and tofu, dressed in sesame oil and hot sauce and topped with a raw egg yolk. I still got all sweaty anyway.
samueltobin at 10:42AM on 08/14/09
I'm way ahead of you. It's 100 degrees where I live. Tonight it's cold boiled shrimp with hot (as in spicy) cocktail sauce, mixed green salad with sesame dressing and sugar snap peas, and french bread brushed with olive oil and garlic and broiled briefly until golden.
lambowner at 3:17PM on 08/14/09
i 2nd the panzanella idea. i also love couscous salad with fresh raw veggies. the couscous will require a minimal amount of stovetop cooking to boil the water. also, i absolutely love my convection toaster oven which fits on my countertop and doesn't heat up my small apartment. i now use my regular oven for storage.
wilma at 3:23PM on 08/14/09
How about a cold cucumber soup that's made in a blender or food processor?
A couple of cool cukes.
About a cup of cold stock (your choice)
About a cup of fat free sour cream
1 Clove of garlic or a shallot.
1 or 2 Tbsp of dill.
Some fresh parsley.
1/2 Chopped sweet onion
Blend til almost smooth.
Chill in the refrigerator.
Garnish with diced cukes,some onions, and a few cold shrimp, and whatever else you'd like.
Quick and easy and very refreshing.
And NO cooking necessary.
Grifola frondosa at 10:05PM on 08/14/09
Can I use my new solar oven? My crockpot?
gentlyferal at 3:19AM on 08/15/09
I live in the UK, so 'being too hot' doesn't really figure into my vocabulary.
Nevertheless, it doesn't take much heat to boil an egg, or open a can of tuna. Combine either with mayo, chopped pickles, onions and mustard and put on bread.
Smoked fish are also your friend. A few slices of smoked salmon and some soft cheese, maybe some cucumber and cress and a bit of pepper.
And there's always our old friend the grill...
NotAmerican at 4:41AM on 08/15/09
I have had this weird craving for sloppy joe and cole slaw the past week...haven't had it in well over 20 years since I was in high school. We'll be attempting that. :)
Cassaendra at 8:08AM on 08/15/09
Well, OK...
Solar oven: sliced kuri squash in one pot, small whole onions & melted butter in the other. Install reflectors and walk away for 4 hours. To serve, halve onions, cut peel off squash. Drizzle onion-infused butter over both vegetables.
Rice cooker: Mushroom pilaf with brown rice; just use your favorite recipe. Can start on stovetop, but finish in rice cooker.
Stovetop, low heat: Simmer fresh tomatoes with sage, cumin and garlic until soft. Add 2-3 cups of precooked red beans. Salt & pepper to taste.
gentlyferal at 10:55PM on 08/15/09
Last night I threw some sausages on the grill outside and made a broccoli salad. No oven/stovetop at all--the salad is chopped raw broccoli, shallot, raisins, peanuts, and a dressing of mayo, apple cider vinegar, honey, and curry powder. Tasty, and the only cooking I had to do was flip the sausages after a bit.
sleepyjen at 10:44AM on 08/16/09
I made an awesome peach gazpacho for lunch yesterday. No cooking required. The recipe is at: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Peach-and-Tomato-Gazpacho-232601. I subbed basil for the tarragon, but otherwise followed the recipe. It was seriously tasty and I didn't even break a sweat. Dinner was shrimp and grits with a berry cobbler (and the left over gazpacho from lunch as a starter). Serious sweating occurred, although it was all tasty.
heidij74 at 11:17AM on 08/16/09
We did a whole meal on the grill on Friday. As it was over a 100degrees inside and out, part of me thinks the heat from the grill barely registers.
Friday: steaks w/blue cheese, grilled corn, stuffer mushrooms filled with goat's cheese, peppers and onions, green salad. Watermelon and peaches for dessert
Saturday: burgers, grilled corn, grilled potato and herb salad, green salad. pre made angel food cakes, fresh whipped cream and berries for dessert.
There is nothing like August in Southern Ontario. Everything was local and at it's peak.
BananaMonkey at 12:07PM on 08/16/09
Ok. I made a Shrimp Salad on Homemade Brioche. I did boil the shrimp, but you can also buy cooked shrimp from your fishmonger and make the salad without turning on your stovetop. My workaround for the brioche (since turning on the oven was a no-no) was to use the bread machine. The bread came out great and the machine totally did not heat up the kitchen while it was baking the loaf!
Amandarama at 4:16PM on 08/16/09
I don't have central air, so I really hate to turn on my oven when it's hot out.
I'll make gravlax or salt cure a duck breast. I'll have cheese, fresh peaches and/or blackberries to round out the meal. Good bread is a plus, but not required.
MerMade07 at 8:49PM on 08/16/09
I love using the slow cooker this time of year. This week I'm using it for my recipe for peachy chicken, super moist meatloaf, and black beans simmering with smoked turkey pieces with cornbread made in my bread machine.
amiyrah18 at 10:53PM on 08/16/09
We had sloppy joes with coleslaw. I was ecstatic with the result, and described it here: http://cassaendra.blogspot.com/2009/08/no-sweat.html
Life is good.
Cassaendra at 11:29PM on 08/16/09
Completely accidental, but I made peanut butter bars this weekend that require only about 1 minute of microwave time - the rest is just refrigeration. And they're DELICIOUS.
http://mozzarellaandmerlot.wordpress.com
ktlb22 at 1:03PM on 08/17/09
Perfect cook and tell. we threw together this salad this last night because 1. it was hot and 2. we'd had way too much barbecued meat and wanted veggies. worked out great. you could also sub in some crumbled feta instead of the parmesan.
However, in an apartment with no air conditioning in Albany NY last night, even making this salad, i was sweating like Patrick Ewing.
2 cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 box of frozen corn, defrosted
1 box of frozen broccoli florets, defrosted and chopped (you can go fresh also but this requires you to boil water and cook the broccoli for about 3 minutes)
1 red bell pepper, chopped fine
2 carrots, shredded
2 stalks of celery, chopped fine
1/2 onion, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small can sliced black olives, drained
1.4 cup parmesan cheese
combine all ingredients in a bowl. make a quick vinagrette dressing with lemon juice, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, salt, pepper, dried basil and thyme, and olive oil. drizzle dressing over salad and fold in.
mr guy at 1:07PM on 08/17/09
um, that should be 1/4 cup parmesan, not 1.4 cups...
mr guy at 1:09PM on 08/17/09
I did the absolute quintessence of Too Hot: I went shopping. My lunch was a still life of awesome local offerings, and it rocked.
Here's my post: http://www.mycoldprairie.com/2009/08/17/composed-lunch/
Thanks for hosting another gooder!
tatianak at 3:56PM on 08/17/09
I'm experimenting with the cook-as-much-as-fast-as-you-can-and-get-out-of-the-kitchen-method. I started on Sunday and made in 2.5hrs: pork chops with basil in tomato sauce over pasta, schezuan beef and broccoli, garlic greenbeans, and a tomato basil and shallot salad. I was so hot that the clothes eventually had to come off. Brooklyn kitchen, tiny with no aircon! But the results were worth the short time suffering.
chicknwangs at 4:41PM on 08/17/09
I kind of feel like the rice-cooker is a cheat: it may not be the oven, but it's still cooking. And I defy anyone to make sushi without filling the kitchen with the steam rising off of the rice and breaking a sweat. Not gonna happen.
shoneyjoe at 6:24PM on 08/17/09
Grab a box of Triscuits, arrange individual crackers artfully on a microwave-safe plate. Thinly slice fruit of choice (gala apples here) and place a slice on top of a Triscuit. Thinly slice, or grate, favorite cheese and put on top of Triscuit and fruit. Season with S&P or hot sauce, if desired. Microwave for approximately 1 minute or until cheese is melted.
Eat and have a cold glass of rose' or white wine or even beer. Enjoy.
Repeat if necessary.
duncan1205 at 11:45AM on 08/18/09
I have a neighbor that puts out his extra tomatoes each day for .25 cents a piece. I steal down first thing in the morning and buy them all. I wait for this time of year to make gazpacho. I have made it for three days in a row. It doesn't freeze so I am eating it three times a day. I roast all the vegetables in the morning on the grill and let them cool and the blender does the rest.
We also had friends give us lots of cucumbers. Cucumber soup. The only cooking here is the stock you made last winter. Blend the stock and cucumbers along with honey, a little hot sauce and sea salt another crowd pleaser.
Tonight I'm making baked stuffed potatoes in the microwave. Maybe I'll have @duncan1205's suggestions for a app!
janaatwg at 5:46PM on 08/18/09
I did a simple lunch of onigiri balls in fun shapes, a soy sauce cucumber salad and fruit served in a carved watermelon bowl. I blogged and took pictures here: http://www.kirbiecravings.com/2009/08/serious-eats-challenge.html
kirbie at 4:50AM on 08/19/09
When it's really hot outside, I don't even want to _eat_ something warm, much less be around the stove or oven to cook it. So I have a fairly large arsenal of cold meals in my "summer" recipe category.
Corn, avocado, and (canned) bean salad
Gazpacho to take advantage of the wonderful homegrown tomatoes
Caprese salad, maybe with some sliced cured meat
Random-greens salads topped with whatever's around - tuna, anchovies, olives, cheese, hard cooked eggs, tomatoes, other veggies
Shrimp (pre-cooked), Mango, and Jicama salad
Also, variations that involve cooked but chilled ingredients like chicken, shrimp, sliced deli meats, or rice/pasta. You make a bowlful of a rice or pasta salad and it can wait for you chilled in the fridge for several days.
patricium at 4:12PM on 08/21/09