Cool Dishes for Hot Weather
As I write this, the today’s forecast is for the temperature to reach 105 degrees. Whew! That’s hot! When it gets that steamy, even the most dedicated cook is reluctant to “get out in the kitchen and rattle them pots and pans”. The slow cooked stews and heavy sauces that taste so good in winter lose their appeal in the heat and we look for lighter, simpler dishes to whet the appetite. Here are some suggestions for dishes that require more assembling than cooking, that taste great and will keep the kitchen and the cook cool.

Sue Kleber

 Goat Cheese and Sun-dried Tomato Spread

Crumble 2 3-ounce packages of fresh goat cheese on a flat serving dish. (Montrachet brand is very light and ungoaty tasting. Available at Trader Joe’s) Top the goat cheese with 1/3 cup of drained julienned sun-dried tomatoes and 1/3 cup Greek-style olives. Crumble 1 teaspoon of Mexican oregano, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper over all. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the best olive oil you can find and serve with thin slices of baguette toast. My favorite olive oil is Carapelli premium extra virgin in the very dark green, almost black, bottle. It is wonderfully intense and robust, but it is fairly expensive, so I save it for drizzling and dipping.

Prosciutto and Melon

Make this only when you have a fully ripe and juicy melon. Cut a small cantaloupe in slices and peel. Slice each piece in half, crosswise. Open a three ounce package of prosciutto and slice the ham crosswise. Lay one folded piece of prosciutto over each piece of melon and anchor with a frilled toothpick. Serve with lime sections and ground black pepper.
Shrimp pico de gallo

12 ozs. salad shrimp
2 vine-ripe tomatoes, diced
1/3 cup white onion, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, shredded or whole
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced
1/4 cup lime juice
dash malt vinegar
2 TB olive oil
1/2 tsp. or to taste kosher salt
Flavors of Italy

1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, tomatoes cut in half
1/2 pound whole milk mozarella, 1/2” dice
4 ozs. soppresata or other hard salami, finely diced
4 to 5 large fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
1 cup cucumber, 1/2” dice
1/3 cup olive oil
2 1/2 TB red wine vinegar
1 shallot, finely minced
1/2 tsp. kosher salt and ground pepper
Courtesy of:
Real Estate & Living
www.somocorealestate.com
Whisk the olive oil, vinegar, shallot, and the salt and pepper together in a bowl. Add the other ingredients and marinate for 20 minutes.