The up side of summer storms is that they often cool things down and offer some relief to that relentless, sticky Southern heat, however temporary. The wake of that tropical storm that blew through Virginia this week, however, has brought nothing but more withering heat and smothering humidity.
There's just so much cooking one can do under those conditions, and what little I have been doing involves things that I don't have to stand over, or that are in and out of the pan in a hurry: that cold summer squash puree from last month, cold minestrone finished with a spoonful of pesto, my grandmother's salmon cakes, Mrs. Randolph's whole okra that's done in four minutes and best enjoyed at room temperature, quick pasta sauces like zucchini sautéed with garlic and oil, and, of course, those lovely, cooling composed salads like salmagundi and salade nicoise.
But most composed salads require at least some cooking and for beating this heat, the ones on my mind now are those that don't require any cooking at all.
A favorite of those that has refreshed my appetite and gotten me through more oppressively hot summer afternoons than I can count Read More