The Heat Is On
Submitted by Stuart Broz on Fri, 06/26/2009 - 12:34am
Image by Paul SapianoSummer has hit.
Hard.
It's been hitting 90ºF regularly for the past week. I'm not a fan. Today I ran by the new farmer's market after work. I picked up my beef order from Toohill ($1/lb oxtails? Sure!) Last week, I'd grabbed a pound of their ground beef ($2.95) and it was incredibly flavorful, so I put in a big order this week for a variety of cuts (Tri-Tip, Beef Back Ribs, the aforementioned Oxtails, and some other bits). Unfortunately, it was hot enough that I didn't even want to shop the rest of the market.
That's not the only way that the heat has been altering my diet. Our kitchen doesn't have air conditioning, which makes summer cooking interesting at best... and miserable at worst.
Does anyone have any tips for cooking in the heat? Respond in the comments. If I get some good ideas, I'll post them.
Comments
101 ideas
A while back, Mark Bittman at the NYTimes wrote this article on the topic. Some are good, some are mediocre but I think there's enough ideas to get you through the worst of the summer. You might need to be a member of the NY Times to read this, but it's easy & free.
Enjoy the heat while it lasts. Some of us live in regions where the summer is non-existant so far...
Barbecue. Almost any cut of
Barbecue.
Almost any cut of meat can be barbecued.
And on nights when the concept of hot food is unappealing, try the wonderful world of bean salads.
That price on ox tails is
That price on ox tails is crazy! Wrap, seal and freeze those bad boys for another time. Or you could use a crock pot to stew them Jamaican style.
Crock pots aren't just for winter because they don't heat up your kitchen and require minimal attendance on your part.
Other things:
-Stuff that requires almost no cooking whatsoever is good, e.g., cheese, fruit and bread on a plate.
-Things that cook quickly, e.g., seared meat or vegetables that are just lightly cooked, with a salad. Um, something like a grilled steak salad would be nice and doesn't require much effort on your part.
-Make a big pot of something you like that is eaten cold. I used to make various pasta salads and antipasto type things, if you recall. Those take a bit of investment of your time but you can eat off them for a while.
-Do the prep late night or in the morning when it's cool.
Yeah
I was excited about the oxtails. I bought a couple... if they are as good as I hope they are, they might become a very strange staple...
maybe it's time to try some raw "cooking" recipes
I've never done the raw food thing, but with a kitchen like that I'd be inclined to give it a try. Otherwise you can always resort to the classic solution to all man's problems: grilling.
i made illegal ratatouille last year
As someone who sees you cook rather frequently, I've noticed that you tend to not make too many salads. ... I can only think of two or three times that you've actually made one.
Salads can be boring. But they don't have to be!
THEREFORE
I challenge you to MAKE MORE SALADS. There are lots of tasty vegetables around this time of year.
HACK THE SALAD
DO IT
OK
Tonight: Watermelon salad.
Cubed watermelon. Shallots. Balsamic Vinegar. Rosemary. Kosher Salt.