WHEN IT'S TOO HOT TO COOK . . . LET THE DOGS DO THE ENTERTAINING!

With the mercury rising daily to somewhere around or above 93ºF, life, here in New York City,  has been pretty brutal. I have friends who couldn't take the heat, even at the beach with the ocean lapping at their legs; one friend got sick from searching for potted plants at the Union Square Green Market. Wise old sage that I am, I stayed home with puppy in air-conditioned luxury, which didn't seem so luxurious with the sun beating through the blinds at the height of the day, even at an internal temperature of 66º.  A trip to a puppy play date on Sunday on the bus with Ludwig to see his pal Pazzo seemed to be the coldest spot we could find - albeit temporarily. (Pazzo's house was deliciously gelid!)

The Pazzo & Ludwig Show - we want cold treats!

What, I ask, does one cook when it's this hot? Turning on the oven is definitely NOT something I want to do. Even the thought of  eating something as mundane as a real New York "slice" seemed out of step at this infernal juncture!

Not that I want to flaunt my sense of preparedness, but last week, I bought an entire side of salmon and in anticipation of something like this, I made gravlax. What's more, I also made some shellfish stock just in case and sure enough, I have found ways to avoid cooking with heat, if only barely. 

There are three things one does when it's this hot: carry out, deliver and cook "cold". I carried out and delivered some freshly roasted "Marie's Turkey" (for sandwiches) and her eponymous quinoa salad with red onions and - I think - swiss chard but it could have been kale (both from West Side Market at 110th Street, both $9.99 a pound, and both a little bit on the salty side). I also carried out and delivered three types of Melons (water-, honeydew, and cantaloupe), a big bag of Italian plums - which were ripe with desire and delicious! - as well as other condiments which would serve to be a future dish in one form or the other. So let me talk about those other dishes for a moment. 

You buy a couple of cucumbers, some yogurt (Greek thank you very much), a sack of little potatoes (red preferred), some dill, some beets, perhaps some fresh tarragon and then use whatever else you have in the fridge to create the following or any variation thereof:

Cold Cucumber Soup

Beet Borscht

Clam or Corn Chowder

Fruit Salad and/or any other salad as well

Of course, if you want to splurge and have an ice pack and a thermal bag or such, go to Fairway and buy wild Oysters for $.99 a piece and shuck away! 

Cold Cucumber Soup

2 whole seedless cucumbers (peeled)

1 qt. fish stock

24 oz. Greek yogurt
16 oz. Fat Free Sour Cream

Juice of 1 lime

Cayenne Pepper

Tabasco

Salt to taste

2 tbs. chopped dill

Dill sprigs for decoration

Take one of the cucumbers and slice down the middle and chop coarsely. Put them in a blender with 2 cups of the cold stock. Blend at high speed until completely emulsified. 

Pour contents into a large bowl. Spoon half of the yogurt into the blender and add enough liquid to cover.  Emulsify the yogurt and stock to become a thick liquid. Pour yogurt mixture into bowl of cucumber soup, mix well with a spatula. Repeat if you want more yogurt to thicken, add the remaining stock if necessary and mix well. Fold in the sour cream and mix well until all lumps have disappeared. 

Peel the other cucumber and slice as thin as you can by hand or with a mandolin. Fold in half of the sliced cucumber and see how it looks. I sometimes don't use the whole second cucumber because the slices take up so much volume. You want cucumber soup after all, not salad. Salt to taste (cold soups always needs over-salting, but do it gradually and taste with each mixing; especially with fish stock, a little salt goes a very long way. Add a couple of dashes of Tabasco, a dash of cayenne pepper, the chopped dill and the lime juice. Chill for about two hours and serve with a sprig of dill on top.

Beet Borscht

This is so simple it's almost laughable. Borscht can also be served hot as a clear, red broth served with a hot boiled potato and a dollop of sour cream and dill. 

3-4 medium sized beets

Beet cooking water

24 oz. fat free sour cream or yogurt (or both) 

Fresh dill

Salt and pepper

Put the beets in a  pot of water. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, cover and cook for 45 minutes. Take off the stove, let it come to room temperature, peel the beets and refrigerate with the cooking liquid for 4 hours or overnight.

When you are ready to make the Borscht, peel the beets, and strain the beet juice (twice) through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth or a paper towel; you want to ensure that there is no dirt in the beet stock. 

Take two of the beets and put them in a blender. Add enough juice to cover and emulsify. Pour contents into a large bowl or saucepan (I use a no. 8 round Le Creuset covered Dutch Oven, which is perfect for this). Bit by bit whisk the sour cream and/or yogurt and the rest of the beet stock into the bowl until creamy. You want to go slowly so there are no lumps. Alternately, you can use a blender as directed in the cucumber soup. 

When everything is combined, slice the rest of the beets into julienne strips, add to the borscht with some chopped dill and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve by the glass or in a bowl with a dollop of sour cream and a dill sprig.

Corn/Clam Chowder

Bacon and corn and clams - - - YUM!

1 tbs. butter

1 tbs. olive oil

1/4 lb. diced slab bacon

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, smashed and minced

1 stalk celery, peeled and minced

8 cups combined corn water or fish stock (unsalted)
1 bottle clam juice (for clam chowder)

2 cups milk

2 lbs. potatoes, washed but not peeled - if using large Idahos or Yukon Gold, cut them in 

   quarters, if using fingerlings or new potatoes, keep them whole

3 ears corn (kernels removed

Several leaves of fresh tarragon or 1 tsp. dried 

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup cream

Cayenne and Tabasco (optional)

Scallions (optional)

2 doz. clams in the shell*** (for clam chowder) or if you're in a pinch,
1 can chopped clams

Heat butter and oil with the bacon over moderately high in a large pot. Swirl the bacon around the bubbling butter and oil until you get a good grease melt going on the bottom of the pan and the bacon bits begin to glisten at the edges. Lower the heat and add the onion, the garlic and 1/2 tsp of the tarragon and sauté until the onion becomes translucent. Add the celery and sauté until tender. Add the cooking water from the corn, the fish stock and the milk, turn up the heat, bring to the boil and turn down heat to a simmer. Add the corn cobbs, cover the pot and let steep in the liquid for about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, add the potatoes and let cook covered for another 20-30 minutes. Take a potato masher and coarsely smash the potatoes in the soup. Add the corn kernels and the 1/2 cup cream, bring to a boil again and lower heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and let cook for 20-30 minutes**. Soup should be thick and creamy. Correct seasoning, add a dash of cayenne or tabasco, the remaining tarragon and the chopped green parts of the scallion, cook for 5 more minutes and serve. 

** Always keep an eye on the soup, stir occasionally to prevent scorching at the bottom of the pan. If you need to, slide the pot to the side and cook on only half of the burner while simmering. 

*** You may add the fresh clams during the last 5-10 minutes of cooking time if you want to make clam chowder. Make sure all the shells are opened before serving.

Melon in any form

A couple of honey dew or half a watermelon or a canteloupe or all three depending on how many people.

Dice the melons

2 limes (juiced)

Put the melon in a bowl, drizzle lime juice on the fruit, cover and chill in the fridge.

Serve. 

Easy as melon pie

Eet smakelijk! (That's Dutch for bon appetit!)