Summer Salads

Imagine a hot summer day. You've mowed the lawn and done the laundry and there just isn't time to get in the pool. You definitely don't want to be in the house heating up the stove or oven and even normal heavy grill fare seems unbearable. How about just sitting out back on this hot summer evening and eating a cool salad that is both tasty and filling. Here are three to choose from. The cucumbers, mint, basil, and kale all came from Dewdrop Farms in Springboro.

• Cucumber Salad with Chile, Mint, and Basil
• Crispy Kale Salad with Lime Dressing
• Grilled Peach and Mozzarella Salad

Preparation Notes

You can avoid using the stove (and heating up the house) for the reductions by using the small side burner that comes with most gas grills. It would finally give you a reason to use it...

Cucumber Salad with Chile, Mint, and Basil
4 cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 seeded and minced Thai or Serrano chilies
2 tsp peanut oil
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup coarsely chopped peanuts, toasted

Evenly spread cucumber slices on a cookie sheet covered with paper towels and chill in refrigerator. Reduce vinegar to 2 tbsp (approximately 4-6 minutes on medium-low heat). Allow to cool and then whisk in lime juice, fish sauce, chilies, oil, sugar, and salt. Add mint and basil and toss with cucumbers. Let stand 5 minutes and re-toss. Sprinkle with peanuts. Serves 4-6.

Crispy Kale Salad with Lime Dressing

1-1/2 tbs light brown sugar

1/4 cup lime juice

3 tbs fish sauce

1 tsp minced garlic

1 jalapeno, thinly sliced

24 small kale leaves

1 tbs extra virgin olive oil

3 cups mixed herbs (such as cilantro, mint, and basil)

3 cups mixed shaved vegetables (such as carrots, beets, and radishes)

2 cups pea tendrils, watercress, or baby arugula

2 cups thinly sliced kale leaves

1 cup thinly sliced cucumber

Preheat oven to 250. In a bowl, microwave sugar and 2 tbs water on high until dissolved (about 30 seconds). Cool. Whisk in lime juice, fish sauce, garlic, and jalapeno. Gently toss small kale leaves with oil, salt, and pepper. Arrange in single layer on baking sheet and bake until crisp (about 30 minutes). Mix remaining greens and cucumbers and toss with 6 tbs of dressing. Divide among plates, top with crispy kale chips and drizzle with remaining dressing. Serves 4-6.

Grilled Peach and Mozzarella Salad

5 peaches (not white)

3 green onions, sliced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

3 tbs honey

1 tsp salt

1 tsp lime zest

1/2 cup lime juice

3/4 tsp ground cumin

3/4 tsp chili powder

1-1/2 tsp tequila

1/3 cup olive oil

6 oz watercress or baby arugula

3/4 lb fresh mozzarella cut into 16 1-inch slices

extra cilantro for garnish

Peel and chop 1 peach. Cut remaining into 1-inch thick rounds. In food processor, combine shopped peach, green onions, cilantro, honey, salt, lime zest, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, and tequila until smooth. Add oil and pulse until emulsified. Brush both sides of peach rounds with dressing and grill over medium high heat 3-5 minutes on each side. Arrange greens on plates, top with peach rounds and mozzarella slices, drizzle with remaining dressing, and garnish with cilantro.

Never Enough Watermelon

I love watermelon and am always willing to try a new recipe. This one makes for an especially good summer meal.

Basic Preparation
If you don't like arugula (which I don't) any other bitter green will work. This recipe would also likely work with any other summer melon or even peaches. The key is to use ingredients that are in season rather than be a slave to the recipe.

Watermelon Salad with Serrano Vinaigrette

Watermelon Salad
1 medium seedless watermelon
1/2 lb feta
1 serrano chile, thinly sliced
1/4 lb baby arugula
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Cut the watermelon and feta into 16 three-inch squares, each 1/4-inch thick. Gently toss everything, with half of the vinaigrette, in a large bowl. Place some of the greens on each of four plates. On top of the greens on each plate arrange four watermelon slices and top each of those with a slice of feta. Garnish with serrano slices and the remaining vinaigrette.

Serrano Vinaigrette
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp champagne vinegar
1 shallot, minced
1 serrano chile, thinly sliced
1/2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Combine all ingredients and mix until the oil is emulsified.

A Couple of Nice Melon...Recipes

If you happened on this entry because you were searching for lewd pictures then you will be disappointed. On the other hand, if you are looking for some interesting summer recipes...read on!

I love watermelon and am always willing to explore new ways of ingesting it. When I was younger I picked up the habit of just chewing the seeds and swallowing them because spitting them out slowed my WPS (Watermelon Per Second) intake. Once the seedless variety became popular, I was a happy camper.

• Blackened Watermelon Salad
• Watermelon Gazpacho

Note that the salad recipe is an excellent way to use bitter greens.

Basic Preparation

Although these recipes specify watermelon, any watery melon or fruit should work. In particular, the salad would probably be good with peaches. Choosing a watermelon is a tricky business and I've never found a foolproof method. While thumping will tell you if it is ripe, there's no sure fire way of knowing if it is tasty or bland.

Blackened Watermelon Salad
4 servings

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
4 lbs watermelon, seeded
1/4 apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp honey
3/4 olive oil
kosher salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
4 tsp Old Bay blackened seasoning
6 cups salad greens
1/2 cup glazed pecans
4 tbsp feta, crumbled
1/4 sugar snap peas

Balsamic Reduction:
Reduce balsamic vinegar over medium-high hear to 2 tbsp.

Vinaigrette:
Blend one cup of the watermelon, the apple cider vinegar, and honey until smooth. Slowly add olive oil until emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Watermelon:
Cut melon into 12 two-inch squares, 3/4 inch thick. Dust one face with the Old Bay seasoning and sear, seasoning side down, in a light coating of hot olive oil about one minute.

Salad:
Toss the greens, pecans, feta, and peas in a large bowl with the vinaigrette. Separate the salad on four plates, top each with 3 watermelon squares and drizzle with the balsamic reduction.

Watermelon Gazpacho

4 servings

8 cups coarsely chopped watermelon, seeded
1/2 cup fine diced watermelon
4 cups country bread, crust removed and torn into small pieces
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup tomato juice
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
4 toasted bread rounds
Spicy Hungarian paprika
salt

Puree the coarsely chopped watermelon and strain, reserving the liquid, about 4 cups. Discard the pulp. Puree the watermelon juice, bread, olive oil, tomato juice, water, vinegar, lemon juice, and cayenne util smooth. Season to taste with salt. Chill. Divide into four bowls and garnish with the diced watermelon, bread rounds and a dusting of paprika.

Summer Pot Luck

The selection of the proper item to bring to a pot luck is a tricky thing. The most common mistake is to make something that is best eaten warm which, if not cold when the eating starts, will be by the time the party has entered the snacking phase. This may work out if the dish can be kept warm in a crock pot and does not get mushy or crusty when sitting but that is frequently not the case. Another mistake is selection of a food that is inappropriate to the season. Unlike clothing, certain foods are seasonal for pragmatic reasons such as ingredient freshness, digestion and safety. Bringing a heavy, mayonnaise-based dish to an outdoor summer picnic is not only hard on the digestive tract of the poor souls who give it a whirl, it is unsafe.

Personally, I find a pot luck one of the best times to experiment. Rather than haul out an oldie that has been had a million times, why not take the opportunity to offer something that no-one is likely to have tried before? No matter what you bring, not everyone will like it anyway and you are likely to please at least someone with anything.

Keeping all of this in mind when I was recently invited to a summer pot luck, I decided to take the following dish from ``The Nero Wolfe Cook Book'' by Rex Stout. The copy of this out of print book that I acquired through Amazon was the second printing published in 1973 by The Viking Press (SBN 670-50599-4). I realize that I have used this reference in two of my previous three postings, but this dish really did stand out as something proper for the occasion, which is more than half the battle in food preparation.

(Yes, picture forgotten again)

The menu

• cantaloupe and celery salad

Basic Preparation

Never put celery down the garbage disposal. It will become a horrific mass which will take days to break down during which you will be without a kitchen sink. If you do make this mistake, do not rush to buy a new disposal unless you are simply unwilling to wait for the cellulose to break down on its own. The same can occur with any pulpy fruits or veggies such as potato peels. When in doubt, put excess vegetable matter in the garbage.

Cantaloupe and Celery Salad

Although I was unsure about this mixture, I thought it was very tasty and it went over well at the pot luck. The dressing was an interesting combination of tarragon wine vinegar, olive oil, currant jelly, and poppy and coriander seeds. It was fairly easy to prepare and kept well in the heat. The flavor was light and cool which was perfect for a summer party.