Amy's Food Adventures

It's Too Hot to Cook

It's been over 90 degrees for six days in Philadelphia and it will stay that way for at least a few more.  I'm melting.  Outdoor activities seem impossible.   Even sitting on my flower-filled terrace (usually breezy) under the umbrella, isn't inviting.

What to have for dinner?  It must be cold and require little or no cooking.

I'm thinking of my favorite Middle Eastern Cucumber Soup -- just blend a quart of non-fat yogurt (Greek if you have it) with 2 peeled and seeded cucumbers cut in chunks, a clove or two of peeled garlic, a few tablespoons of red wine vinegar, and lots of fresh dill (I get carried away and use a whole bunch, but not the stems).  Chill in the refrigerator and stir before serving.  If you want a very light meal, just serve it with some delicious bread or float a few medium size shrimp on top of each glass bowl of pale green coolness.

If you (and your guests) will need more, I suggest saving the shrimp.  Make a salad, laying a bed of mixed small lettuces (Mesclun) and fresh herbs into a big shallow bowl.  Top it with chunks or thin slices of ripe tomato or halved cherry tomatoes, sprinkle with thin slivers of sweet onion (red or white), and then top with lots of cold shrimp (buy them cooked and cleaned from a good fish market -- let them do the work).  If you want you can add other goodies -- halved artichoke hearts in olive oil, guardineria, and ribbons of very fresh zuchini would all taste good.  I usually mix a bowl of lemon or lime vinaigrette dressing and toss it at the table for the freshest taste.  And I'd provide some interesting bread, butter, and a slab of cheese for the really hungry.

Dessert is obviously fruit, fresh berries gently washed and placed in a large bowl with my berry spoon and a pitch of cream -- it's too hot to even whip it!

The Myth of American Regional Cooking -- and an Antidote

There is a myth that the best (perhaps the only) real American cooking is regional cooking, cooking specific to the settlers and migrants to a particular region and the things that grow there.  Once that might have been true and occasionally -- particularly at the very high end -- you may find something wonderful.  (I am thinking wistfully of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, CA, Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Westchester County, New York, and any lobster roll eaten at the end of a pier in New England on a sunny day.)

The reality is that in most places authentic regional food has been overtaken by bevies of chain restaurants, not just at the Macdonalds and Wendys level, but also at the $50 and up dining experience.  Everywhere we are offered the same homogenized foods and experiences at places I would never eat at in my own home town, where I know where to find great food at every level from a juicy hamburger to Fine French Cuisine.

In the great cities there are still authentic experiences (and new restaurants experimenting with nearly anything, some of which may be very pleasant).  But when you go to a tourist area (and there are lots of reasons to do that -- children to entertain and educate, historic sites or relatives to visit, foreign guests to expose to Americana), one falls into a deep culinary abyss -- except for the traditional American breakfast, which is available everywhere.

To the extent that any native cuisine still exists, it is likely to be bastardized, combined with gift shops and petting zoos, railroad museums and golf courses.  You are likely to be sent away from the Pennsylvania Dutch country surrounding Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for example, convinced that the settlers existed entirely on protein and carbohydrates.  We went to a polite but entirely formulaic (and expensive) steak house for dinner, just to be guaranteed that we could get a salad. 

Since we're on the east coast, summer means frequent forays to the New Jersey, New England, or Maryland sea shore.  There are still some authentic Italian restaurants and  seafood houses tucked  away here and there, but even then one must be careful to avoid  pompous places that pretend to be seafood houses but are really Continental Restaurants in disguise (complete with truly dreadful wine lists and waitresses who  know nothing about either wine or fish). 

We have worked out a returning home strategy from weekend trips, however.  Dinner is always Chinese (takeout or not) or Philadelphia Cheese Steaks and Hoagies.  At least we can vouch for their authenticity.

Something Quick

Sometimes you thought the weekend would be over by Sunday brunch, but it wasn't.  Guests lingered and it became clear that dinner would be required. 

What to do?  Sometimes we just go out to dinner -- Chinese being the preferred solution. 

But sometimes it's just so pleasant sitting in the garden or watching the ballgame that going out isn't going to be the right solution.  In that case, something quick and easy is called for.

In the summer time, for me that always means a cold soup or a big salad plus something grilled or quickly sauteed and a little something on the side.  Ice cream usually suffices for dessert, with perhaps some berries drizzled over the top.

Here are some menus we've served recently:

• Gazpacho with Garlic Croutons
• Thin Pork Chops in Mustard Cream Sauce
• Steamed Rice
• Steamed Green Beans
• Vanilla Ice Cream with Blue Berries

• Caesar Salad
• Grilled Porterhouse Steak, Thinly Sliced
• Oven Fried Sweet Potoatoes with Cumin and Cayenne
• Coffee Ice Cream with Raspberries

• Cold Cucumber Yogurt Soup with Dill
• Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Olive Oil, Oregano and Garlic
• Pilaf
• Greek Salad with Mint/Oregano/Garlic Vinaigrette
• Mixed Berries with Greek Yogurt and Honey