Cool Summer Recipes: Pasta Salad, Gazpacho and Popsicles

Summer is a time when we go to the beach, take picnics on boats and in parks and above all, avoid heating the kitchen by baking or roasting! Even standing over a hot grill outside can be taxing for whoever is staffing the grill. But we still want to eat well. Fortunately, it is a time of year when the produce is lovely, the fresh herbs are screaming with flavors and everything looks pretty on a plate.

I like to think of summer as the time to maybe do a bit of cooking on top of the stove but try to use other forms of cooking — perhaps the microwave, the toaster oven, a crockpot or an air fryer. And besides those alternative methods, there is also assembled food like a composed salad or a chilled soup. And if you do have to cook something, make extra so that you can eat it again.

Gazpacho is one of those dishes that allows you to eat the great produce of summer without cooking. Once you get the hang of it, you can substitute ingredients you have on hand. I have even added yesterday’s leftover salad to a gazpacho. It’s a lovely way to use up everything. Traditionally, gazpacho includes bread as a thickener, so you also might experiment with this trick to avoid discarding almost stale bread. I love a mug of gazpacho and a grilled cheese sandwich for a light meal that still gets me to eat my vegetables.

I have included two frozen treats. If you are having fun and want a snack, and you’re also hot, nothing beats the convenience of being able to open the freezer and finding a treat waiting for you. It’s tasty and helps you cool down. And when kids come in hot and hungry from playing, you become their favorite person when you can satisfy their hunger instantly with something delicious and fun.

I love a good pasta salad. Whenever I cook pasta and plan to serve it traditionally for dinner, I always make too much. I take out the excess, toss it with olive oil and put it in the refrigerator for pasta salad the next day. That little bit of planning allows me to make pasta salad without having to cook pasta and wait for it to cool down.

Even in the summer, I like my time in the kitchen. I don’t think of cooking as drudgery, but as a way to show love to my family and friends. But summertime has so many alluring possibilities that sometimes there is just no time to cook. Long simmered sauces and soups will have to wait for cooler weather.

Frozen Cream Popsicles

3 cups fresh blueberries or cut up strawberries, divided
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 pinch kosher salt

Place 2 cups of the fruit, the sugar and lemon juice into a bowl and put in the microwave for 4 minutes. Remove from the microwave and mash the fruit. Set aside.

Add the cream to a chilled bowl. Add the vanilla. Whip into soft peaks. Do not over beat.

Add the sweetened condensed milk to the bowl with the whipped cream. Fold in the fruit slurry. Then add the other cup of uncooked fruit. Add the salt and fold again.

Divide the mixture into the popsicle forms, add the stick or top and place into the freezer overnight. Remove the popsicle as needed. Makes 8-10 popsicles, depending on the size of your forms

Louisiana Gazpacho

1 de-seeded cucumber, chopped
2½ pounds ripe Creole tomatoes, chopped
½ green bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
½ cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, chopped
¼ cup chopped flat leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
4 tablespoons cane vinegar
½ cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling bowls
1¼ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cherry tomatoes cut in half and 3 peeled boiled shrimp for each bowl, as garnish

Place cucumbers, tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, garlic, parsley, vinegar, olive oil, salt, paprika and pepper into a blender. Blend until the mixture is uniform. If it seems a bit too thick, add water 1 tablespoon at a time and blend until the consistency is to your liking. Chill for at least 2 hours.

To serve Allow to warm for 10 minutes before serving. It shouldn’t be frigid. Place the gazpacho into bowls and add 4 cherry tomato halves to each bowl, a small shower of parsley and shrimp. Drizzle with olive oil. Serve. Makes 4–6 servings

The Best Pasta Salad

Dressing

2 6-ounce jars of basil pesto
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice
1 small lemon, thinly sliced

The Salad

3 cups shredded chicken
1 chopped shallot
3 cloves garlic, minced
5-ounce package fresh arugula
2 cups cooked farfalle, cooled
¼ cup roughly chopped black olives
2 small bulbs thinly sliced fennel
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
½ cup pine nuts or pecans

The day before serving, place all dressing ingredients in a bowl. Make sure that the lemon slices are submerged in the oily mixture. Refrigerate overnight.

Remove dressing from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature.

Place all salad ingredients into a salad bowl. Add dressing and toss to coat. Allow to sit for 15 minutes and toss again. Serve with warm, crusty bread. Makes 6 servings

Frozen Banana Nuggets

2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons neutral oil, like canola or sunflower
An assortment of healthful coatings like chopped or crushed nuts, shredded unsweetened coconut or granola. Or you can go the way of sweet with various kinds of cookie crumbs, sprinkles or sweetened sesame seeds.
3 large ripe bananas, peeled and cut into 36 pieces

Line a cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper. Put each coating in a separate saucer or bowl. Set aside.

Place chocolate and the oil together in a microwaveable bowl. Heat for 30 seconds. Remove and stir. Continue adding 10 seconds at a time and stirring until the chocolate is completely melted. Set aside.

Place a banana chunk on a spoon or skewer and dip it completely into the chocolate. Tap off the excess back into the chocolate bowl. Place the covered banana chunk into one of the coatings and use a spoon to completely coat it. Place the coated banana chunk on the prepared cookie sheet.

Repeat until all of the banana chunks are done. Freeze for 3 to 4 hours. Serve. Makes 3 dozen nuggets