I have seamlessly slalomed down the slippery slope toward summertime kitchen entrapment. Last week I let Nigel Slater convince me that it was perfectly permissible to break my golden rule about cooking in the summertime. Oh, it is fine to steam a few ears of corn on top of the stove – as long as you eat the resulting buttery-dripping delights outside on the back porch. And yes, it will not offend the Lazy Summer Gods if you bake shortcakes, because how else are you possibly going to consume all those beauteous strawberries you found at the farmers’ market? Of course you can rustle up some bacon on a Sunday morning. But that is about it. Otherwise you may only consume any coolth that comes from the freezer, victuals grilled by other people, or eat onion rings from Dairy Queen, sitting in a car, sharing them with the dog. These activities all fall within the strict parameters of Limited Exposure to Cooking During the Hot Stinky Summer.
But then Nigel Slater warbled his siren song about really good Spaghetti Bolognese, and it was downhill for my natural and formidable abilities for avoiding the kitchen. I was listening to a perfectly charming 92Y podcast with Mark Bittman and Mario Batali, which was moderated by The New York Times food editor Sam Sifton while Luke (the wonder dog) and I were working on our 10,000 steps one day last week. (So many rules and goals in the summer!) And I allowed a crazy thought to rise to my over-heated consciousness. “Huh. That sounds good. That would be perfect for dinner Saturday night!” And there you have it. Along about step 8,527 my resolve was undone. I was planning on cooking a meal, in the house, on top of the stove, in the middle of the Hot Stinky Summer.
https://markbittman.com/dinner-with-bittman-roasted-chicken-cutlets-w/
Check iTunes for the podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/92y-talks/id905112228?mt=2
And I can sling the hot sauce of blame on another couple of people: Anthony Bourdain and The Wall Street Journal, to name just two. I have just started watching Bourdain’s The Layover and he waxed poetical about chicken and rice during his layover in Singapore (where Mr. Friday was visiting right at that precise moment). Rice cooked with chicken stock is a specialty in Singapore, where it is always at least 85 degrees. Certainly if cooks in Singapore can stand the constant fiery state of a kitchen, who was I to complain? And I have central air conditioning…
https://www.travelchannel.com/shows/the-layover/video/tony-tries-chicken-rice
This is how I made the rice:
Chicken Broth , 2 cups
White Rice , 1 cup
1 tablespoon olive oil
I heat up the pan with the oil on a medium high temp, and sauté the rice for about a minute, then add the broth, and boil merrily for another minute, before lowering the heat, and covering the pan, and walking away for about 15 minutes. Give it a stir so it doesn’t stick. Keep it covered until all the broth is absorbed and the rice is tender. Serve with copious amounts of good European-style butter.
Interestingly, The Wall Street Journal supplied the idea of a summery panzanella salad. Theirs included peaches and burrata, which I thought would be an interesting summer variation on one of our favorite salad themes. I could not find burrata at our grocery store, so I used some fresh mozzarella which still tasted mighty fine and creamy. Plus I only turned the oven on for a just a wee little while, just to make the bread a little crunchier.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/tomato-and-stone-fruit-panzanella-with-burrata-1438957860
And dessert was strictly by the book. Yes, I whipped out the mini food processor and then the electric mixer, but I did not use any heat to the delightful Strawberry Fool, which took mere minutes to prepare. But to ensure my place in hell, I served it with a plateful of Pepperidge Farm cookies. Yumsters.
https://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/10/the-minimalist-strawberry-fool/?_r=0
Join me in the ever capacious hand basket shooting full speed to hell. I confess well and truly, yesterday I cooked chicken and baked bacon to make my friend Chris’s world famous Club Chicken Salad. Deelightful.
Chris’s Chicken Club Salad
Serves 4
Cook 1/2 pound bacon, crisp and crumble (be sure to save the fat)
1 cup bread cubed (use nice, firm French bread – Pepperidge Farm white won’t work)
3 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed and chilled
2 fulsomely ripe tomatoes, quartered
1 head Romaine, torn (not cut) into bite-size piece
Dressing:
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon capers
Sauté the bread cubes in the bacon fat, tossing constantly to toast all the sides. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. (I harden our arteries a little with some Lawry’s Seasoning Salt.) Put the chicken in a bowl, cover with dressing, add the capers and toss to coat each piece with dressing. Chill for half an hour. Arrange lettuce on each plate and mound the chicken salad on the lettuce. Crumble the bacon on top, surround with tomato quarters and top each with the crunchy, wonderful croutons. Serve with a frosty cold beer. Yummm. Perfect for picnics.
“’Come with me,’ Mom says.
‘To the library.
Books and summertime
go together.’”
― Lisa Schroeder
..
Richard Skinner says
Does canning factor into your fatwah on summer cooking? I trust not, else how will you remember summer in February?
Jean Sanders says
No canning for me! Although I have listened to a couple of radio broadcasts about the virtues of canning and freezing one’s home grown produce lately – but right now I only have a basil plant. I’ll share other peoples’ summer bounties, thank you!
Robert Hall (BobHallsr) says
The chicken dish that surpasses all others in any season is Hainese chicken rice, a heavenly combination of delicious soup, tender juicy chicken (white cooked) and a full flavored rice, along with chilli sauce, ginger dip and dark (sweet) soy sauce condiments. The ginger dip is addictive, with a combination of ginger sauce, egg yolk, ginger juice, hot peanut oil and vinegar. The chicken is cooked in a seasoned stock and the rice is baked in some of the stock along with seasonings and a dose of chicken fat. The home of this incredible dish is in Singapore at the Chatterbox restaurant in the Mandarin Orchard Hotel. Whenever we visit Singapore this is our favorite stop.
Life is Good,
BHsr
Jean Sanders says
It sounds divine! Thanks for sharing!