# Keeping Cool



## svadhisthana (May 6, 2001)

Now that the weather is warmer, I find myself leaning towards meals that require less cooking. What do you like to prepare when it's hot.


----------



## kimmie (Mar 13, 2001)

When it's REALLY hot, I like to make a Caesar Salad. It's simple and so fast, gets me out of the kitchen in a flash!


----------



## nancya (Apr 30, 2001)

fresh garden gazpacho is my favorite hot weather food. I can hardly wait for the good fresh summer veggies to start coming in so I can make it.


----------



## pastachef (Nov 19, 1999)

Fresh garden Gazpacho sounds wonderful, Nancya. The sorority is closed for summer and I miss feeding 'girls.' With two adult sons and a husband to feed, I do a lot on the grill in summer. But where veggies are concerned I have to sneak them in. They're carnivores to the bone. It seems to be this way with all of the men in the family. Meat and potatoes non-stop. Is it my imagination or is it a girl thing to go for the fruits and veggies? My girl dog goes for both, and my male doesn't. My two year old grandaughter by nature seems to go for them first, but my grandson goes for the meat and potatoes first.

[ June 11, 2001: Message edited by: Pastachef ]


----------



## ziggy (May 14, 2001)

Summer arrived awhile ago here in Arizona...once the 100 degree temps started I refused to turn on the stove or oven anymore. We grill almost everynight. Typically you will always find sweet onions, asparagus, and red bell peppers on our grill to accompany whatever we are having(often fish).

We also eat a lot of main course salads. Our favorite is grilled sea bass, grapefruit, mango and avocado salad.

Would love some suggestions on cold soups besides gazpacho if anyone has one they love!


----------



## pooh (Mar 13, 2001)

Grilling, from veggies, to meat, to fruit...absolutely everything _GRILLED_!

Cold Avocado-Tequila Soup

1/2 cup tightly packed fresh cilantro leaves
1 jalapeno pepper stemmed, seeded, and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup lemon juice 
1/4 cup tequila 
One 15-ounce can chicken broth, fat skimmed from top
2 ripe avocados (about 1 pound), peeled, pitted, and coarsely chopped 
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste 
4 lemon wedges (optional) 
1 small tomato (optional), cut into 1/4-inch dice

1. Place the cilantro and jalapeno in a blender or the work bowl of a food processor. Process until finely chopped, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary.

2. Add the lemon juice, tequila, chicken broth, avocados and salt, and process until smooth. Refrigerate the soup until it is well chilled, about 1 hour. (It can be refrigerated up to 6 hours until ready to serve.)

3. Ladle the soup into 6 serving bowls and garnish each bowl with a lemon wedge and a tablespoon or two of chopped tomato, if desired. Serve immediately.


----------



## nancya (Apr 30, 2001)

that sounds really yummy pooh - going to have to take it to my next moon ceremony. Ladies would love it.


----------



## pooh (Mar 13, 2001)

What's a moon ceremony?


----------



## nancya (Apr 30, 2001)

Pooh, a moon ceremony is a Native American ceremony. Women gather together, talk a lot - about feelings, spirituality, life, - and then we eat. Always looking for something interesting and not too hard to take. Try to meet on the full moon, but we are off a lot lately. Busy all the time.


----------



## pooh (Mar 13, 2001)

Sounds interesting Nancya.

Thanks!


----------



## kimmie (Mar 13, 2001)

How about

Cold Pear and Watercress Soup

I have to translate the recipe. Anyone interested?


----------



## jill reichow (Mar 12, 2001)

Ziggy - How about fresh strawberry soup served in cantelop halves that you remove some of the cantelop then garnish with the reserved cantelop and fresh mint sprigs?


----------



## ziggy (May 14, 2001)

pooh - thanks for the recipe! sounds yummy.

would love to try pear and watercress too if it's not too much trouble to translate(what language is it in? if it is french or italian you can email as is)

and the strawberry soup sounds delicious! two of my husband's favorites - strawberries and cantaloupe...how do I make the soup?

Many thanks!


----------



## pastachef (Nov 19, 1999)

Cold pasta salads with lots of veggies and grilled chicken are healthy and filling. I like to do the Caesar salad thing too, with grilled chicken breast and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Good with crusty French bread. There is also macaroni salad, and one in particular the girls like at the sorority is chopped Romaine lettuce, chopped tomatoes, lots of tuna, drained, and Miracle Whip. There are fresh fruit salads, stuffed tomatoes with egg salad, gelatin salads with fruits or veggies. Minimum cooking required.


----------



## nancya (Apr 30, 2001)

gee Pastachef, that reminds me...I have this great dinner salad with chicken and shrimp and bananas and cantelope and grapes.... I haven't made that in a long time and it is really refreshing in the hot weather eating out on the porch.


----------



## pastachef (Nov 19, 1999)

That sounds like a great recipe. What else is in it? I can do it when the sorority reopens.


----------



## svadhisthana (May 6, 2001)

These all sound wonderful. I have a cucumber mint soup that uses yogurt. I'll have to dig it up so I can post it.


----------



## nancya (Apr 30, 2001)

Here you go Pastachef! Hope you enjoy.

Chicken, Shrimp, and Fruit Salad:

2 cups cubed cooked chicken or turkey
1 cup seedless green grapes, halved
1 cup cubed cantaloupe
8 ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 cup small cooked shrimp

Dressing:

1 small banana, mashed
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Chill salad ingredients and dressing seperately for several hours. Serve on lettuce leaves, drizzle salad with dressing or toss shortly before serving. Serves 6


----------



## svadhisthana (May 6, 2001)

I found the cucumber soup recipe:

2 medium cucumbers, peeled and seeded
8 ounces of plain yogurt
1 tbs lime juice
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup snipped mint 

Coarsely chop cucumber, place in blender with all ingredients except mint. Process til smooth and stir in mint. Allow to chill at least 2 hours before serving. 


Afra,
To stay warm in the weather you are having I would make soups and eat it with fresh baked crusty bread.


----------



## pooh (Mar 13, 2001)

Here Ziggy,

*Cold Pear and Watercress Soup*

8 ripe pears, peeled, quartered and cored, skins and cores reserved
2 bunches watercress, leaves and stems chopped, with a few leaves kept whole for garnishing
1 quart chicken broth
2 to 3tbsp fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup heavy cream
salt & pepper

As you prepare the pear quarters, plunge them into half of the chicken broth to prevent them from discoloring. Boil the pear skins and cores in the remaining broth for a few minutes to extract their maximum flavor, then strain the broth into another saucepan. Add the chopped watercress to the strained broth, simmer for 10 minutes, then purée the mixture in a blender or food mill.
Purée the pear quarters with their broth through a sieve or in a blender, and combine the two purées. (More chicken broth may be stirred in at this point to bring the purée to the desired consistency.) Add a little lemon juice and mill in salt and pepper to taste. Chill the mixture thoroughly.

Plunge the remaining watercress leaves into boiling water to wilt them and brighten their green hue, then quickly refresh them in cold water. To serve, whisk heavy cream to taste into the soup, check the seasoning, pour into a tureen, and float the watercress leaves on top.



P.S.: A friend of mine had it in english, and she graciously typed it and e-mailed it to me!


----------



## ziggy (May 14, 2001)

thanks pooh! yum! all these new yummy summer ideas...maybe we'll make it to october after all!  Actually, we're in a cooling trend today..."only" 99!


----------



## kimmie (Mar 13, 2001)

Asparagus Vichyssoise
(10 servings)

This creamy soup is best the next day, after the flavors have blended; season it generously before serving.

2 lbs. asparagus, tips reserved, stalks cut into 1-inch lengths
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 medium leeks, white and tender green parts only, thinly sliced
½ lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 ½ cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth
2 cups water
1 large thyme sprig
1 ½ cups milk
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
Chive Oil, for serving (recipe follows)

In a saucepan of boiling salted water, blanch the asparagus tips until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Drain the asparagus tips in a colander and refresh under cold water. Pat dry, halve the tips lengthwise and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the leeks and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the asparagus stalks, potatoes, stock, water and thyme and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.

Discard the thyme sprig. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender, then transfer to a large bowl. Stir in the milk, salt and white pepper. Let the soup cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Ladle the soup into chilled bowls and drizzle with Chive Oil. Garnish with the asparagus tips and serve.

Make ahead: the soup can be refrigerated for two days.

Wine: A crisp, herbal Sauvignon Blanc with sassy fruit will complement the vegetables and spices in the soup, such as a 1999 Caymus Vineyards or a 1999 Silverado Vineyards.

Chive Oil
(makes about 1/3 cup)

1 large bunch chives (1 ounce), minced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt

In a blender, puree the chives with the olive oil. Season with salt. Strain the oil through a fine sieve. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Make ahead: The Chive Oil can be refrigerated up to 5 days.

*ALSO, this should cool you down*

Black Cherry Iced Tea

2 ½ quarts water
1 lb. fresh black cherries, pitted,
or two 10-ounce bags frozen
pitted black cherries, thawed
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 whole star anise
½ vanilla bean, split and scraped
16 green-tea bags
Mint sprigs, for serving

Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the black cherries, sugar, lemon juice, star anise and the vanilla bean with its seeds. Simmer the cherries over low heat for 15 minutes, crushing them against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon. Remove the cherries from the heat, cover and let stand for 1 hour.

Strain the cherry juice through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan, pressing on the solids. Discard the solids. Bring the cherry juice to a boil over moderate heat. Remove from the heat, add the tea bags and let steep for 5 minutes. Discard the tea bags and let cool to room temperature. Transfer the cherry tea to a large pitcher and refrigerate until chilled or up to 2 days. Serve the tea over ice, garnished with mint sprigs.

*For outdoor cooking:*
How about Hot Strip Steak Sandwiches on French Baguettes!

Get the Food & Wine July Issue. It's great!



[ June 13, 2001: Message edited by: Kimmie ]


----------



## ziggy (May 14, 2001)

wow kimmie! those are great! i have asparagus and cherries in the fridge right now!


----------



## nancya (Apr 30, 2001)

Kimmie, that sounds great. I'm going to have so many good ideas I won't know what to make first!

Pooh - if I can't find fresh watercress here, is there something else that might be substituted?


----------



## pastachef (Nov 19, 1999)

Ooo, Nancya, This recipe is going to make me a star at work when the sorority reopens. Also, the other wonderful recipes on this page. Thank you so much, everyone!


----------



## kimmie (Mar 13, 2001)

Go to town Nancya and Ziggy!



[ June 14, 2001: Message edited by: Kimmie ]


----------



## pooh (Mar 13, 2001)

How about young tender spinach leaves, Nancya.


----------



## nancya (Apr 30, 2001)

luv2bake - I finally bought paper to print out all these recipes and there is no strawberry soup recipe! Do you mind posting it?


----------



## pompeyams (Jun 4, 2001)

Hi All hows peppers piedmontese sound or chilled tomato and beetroot soup twice baked goats cheese souffle always popular or anything middle eastern flat breads tatziki
iman bhayeldi happy cooking


----------



## kimmie (Mar 13, 2001)

To continue Pooh's tequila theme:

Shrimp with Orange and Tequila

Served with seasoned white rice, this coastal dish from Mexico's Jalisco region makes a great light meal.










Coarsely grated zest of 1 orange
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 Tbs. finely chopped white onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce, chopped
1/4 cup tequila
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
16 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 Tbs. olive oil
3 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro

Bring a small saucepan of lightly salted water to a simmer. Add the orange zest and cook for 1 minute. Using a small fine-mesh skimmer, remove the zest and cool under cold running water. Return the zest to the simmering water, cook 1 minute more and cool the zest again. Repeat the process one more time. Set aside.

In a 2-quart sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter. When the butter has stopped foaming, add the onion and garlic and sauté, stirring often, until tender and translucent, 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in the chipotle chili, then carefully add the tequila and cook until the alcohol has evaporated. (If cooking over an open flame, the tequila may ignite. This is common when cooking with alcohol, so be sure the area is well ventilated and keep flammable materials away from the stove.) Stir in the zest and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and keep warm.

Meanwhile, prepare a medium-hot fire in a grill.

When the grill is hot, set a grilling shaker basket on the grill for 1 to 2 minutes. In a bowl, combine the shrimp with the olive oil, salt and pepper, toss to mix and transfer to the basket. Cook the shrimp, shaking the basket occasionally, until they are pink and opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to the bowl with the orange-tequila mixture, add the cilantro and toss to mix well. Arrange the shrimp on a warmed platter and serve immediately. Serves 4.



[ June 27, 2001: Message edited by: Kimmie ]


----------

