Heat wave dinners
Try making one of these it's-too-hot-to-cook dishes this week. And if you've got a dumb summer cold, I've got you covered, too.
It’s a true heat wave, just about everywhere it seems. How are you holding up?
Work has kept me mostly indoors, behind my computer screen, much of the past few days. Thankfully we have air conditioning, which sometimes gets a tad too frigid for my liking, especially in my lower-level office, but it beats the oven that is the outdoors right now.
I am missing my trail runs though. I’m too much of a hot, sweat-fest of a runner on an average summer day, let alone one that has high humidity and “feels like 101,” to attempt any kind of miles right now. And anyway, running in these kinds of conditions is just bananas — and potentially dangerous — in my book. I have gone on a couple of walks, but even those were uncomfortably sticky.
A plunge in the lake earlier this week did hit the spot.
A stupid summer cold also has me more holed up than usual this week, and though it’s crazy-hot outside, I couldn’t resist making a batch of my chicken-and-rice soup that I swear helps a cold and cough pass more quickly. I think it’s the loads of garlic and ginger, coupled with fresh veggies and a squeeze of lemon juice, that does the trick. (Recipe below!)
But I’m also thinking about nourishing, yummy meals that are best during the hottest days of summer — the kinds of meals that come together pretty easily when the last thing you want to do is cook.
You’re hungry. You’re drenched in sweat. No one wants to cook. Try these summer dinners:
Caprese Pasta Salad (inspiration from RealSimple.com; I adjusted a few things in this recipe, which I’ve noted below)
Ingredients
1 lb. fusilli pasta (I am partial to gemelli but use whatever type of pasta you like best!)
10 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved, or quartered if large (about 2 cups)
1 medium tomato (preferably heirloom), cut into small (half-moon or quarter) slices (about 1/4 in. thick)
2 tsp. kosher salt, divided, plus more for cooking pasta
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for topping
3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar (I didn’t have any of this on hand, so I used a smidge of white cooking wine and regular vinegar. It worked.)
8 oz. burrata cheese (While I’ve had this in restaurants before, this was my first time buying it and using it in a recipe—what took me so long?!? So, so good.)
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (I didn’t have any of these on hand, and the dish turned out great without them, but if you have ‘em, use ‘em!)
Small basil leaves, freshly ground black pepper, and flaky sea salt, for topping
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high. Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water; drain well.
While pasta is cooking, place tomatoes in a large bowl. Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt; gently toss until evenly coated.
Whisk oil, balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar, and remaining 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a medium bowl until combined.
Transfer pasta to large bowl with tomatoes. Add dressing; toss gently to coat pasta and tomatoes.
Transfer salad to a platter or serving bowl. Tear cheese into a few pieces and place on salad. Top with pine nuts. Drizzle with oil and top with basil, pepper, and flaky sea salt.
My second favorite summer dinner of late: Grilled romaine salads with french fries served with malt vinegar and a side of fresh corn on the cob.
Grilled romaine salads with Caesar and ranch dressing on the side (inspiration for the grilled romaine from howsweeteats.com; I made some adjustments, noted below):
Ingredients
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
½ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, minced
4 stalks romaine lettuce, sliced in half. (I used two 3-pack packages of petite romaine; this made enough for our family of 5.)
olive oil, for brushing
kosher salt and pepper
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered or halved
Directions
Preheat the grill to high heat.
Cook the bacon first, so it’s ready to go. Fry the bacon and place it on a paper towel lined plate to remove excess grease.
Try toasting the breadcrumbs! Melt butter in a nonstick skillet. Add the breadcrumbs and garlic and stir to coat, then cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring often, until golden and fragrant. Remove from the heat.
Brush the cut sides of the romaine with olive oil. Sprinkle all over generously with salt and pepper. When the grill is hot, reduce the heat to medium. Place the romaine stalks on the grill, cut side down. Grill for 1 to 2 minutes, until the lettuce becomes charred, then flip over and grill for an additional 1 minute. Remove the romaine from the grill.
You could serve the romaine family style on a large platter or 1 or 2 stalks on a plate. (I tend to set things up buffet-style in our kitchen and then we all find a spot either at the island or, in this case, outside on our deck. Thankfully there was enough of a breeze to help keep us cool.)
Speaking of buffet-style, I set up small bowls filled with the toppings—the quartered tomatoes, bacon, different kinds of dressings, breadcrumbs.
I hope you don’t have a summer cold, but if you do, make this soup to feel better. Serve it in a big mug so you can sip the savory broth, preferably while cozy under a blanket on the couch in your air conditioned place. With a good book, like Ann Patchett’s latest, Whistler (so good!).
Good-bye Summer Cold Chicken and Rice Stew
Adapted from: Run Fast Eat Slow by Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky
Serves 5
Ingredients
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
5 carrots, sliced
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 tsp fine sea salt
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger (I didn’t have any fresh ginger, so I used about a teaspoon of ginger spice)
¼ to ½ tsp red pepper flakes
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound boneless, skinless, chicken thighs (you could use chicken breasts, but I find the dark meat provides even more flavor)
1 cup short-grain brown rice (I only had white rice on hand, so I made this separate, as it was instant rice, and scooped it into my bowl over top the stew)
3 cups packed fresh spinach (I didn’t have spinach on hand this time around, so I went without)
1 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves (I used dried parsley and it worked great; if I had fresh I would have used that)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
parmesan cheese (optional)
Steps
Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onion and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger and pepper flakes and cook, stirring continuously, for 1 minute.
Add broth, chicken and rice (if not instant), and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender, 30 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot, place on cutting board, and use two forks to shred it.
Return chicken to pot and stir in spinach, parsley and lemon juice. If too thick, thin with a little additional broth or water. Taste and season with salt and pepper flakes if needed. Ladle into soup bowls and top with freshly grated parmesan.
To make in slow cooker, simply combine the oil, carrots, onion, salt, garlic, ginger, pepper flakes, broth, chicken and rice. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Just before serving, add spinach, parsley, and lemon juice and more broth if too thick.
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Thank you for being here and reading. I hope you are staying cool and safe during this extreme heat. If you have a favorite hot-weather meal or way to cool off that really hits the spot for you, I’d love to hear.
Until next time,
XO
Heather
Boo to summer colds! I prepped taco salad and rice bowls for minimal/no cook meals this week. Oh snd a couple flavors of ice cream.