Food Professionals Share Their Favourite No-Cook Recipes For Summer
With most restaurants closed during the four-month lockdown, many of us have relied on our own kitchens to rustle up delicious home cooked meals instead. But when you’re living in a tiny rented flat with unreliable air conditioning, simply turning on the oven during the summer months can make you feel as though you’re going to burst into flames — or at the very least get sweat in the dish you’re cooking. Even those who have a bit more space usually aren’t interested in a hot, hearty meal during the scorching days of summer. Instead, we’re looking for delicious no-cook dishes that will leave us refreshed and satisfied. That’s why we talked to five chefs and cookbook authors to find out which no-cook recipes they find themselves turning to the most in summer.
Ahead, you’ll find 10 recipes from food professionals that don’t require any cooking whatsoever. From courgetti and spring rolls to salads and ceviche, these dishes are sure to help you not just survive but thrive in the summer heat.
Summer Courgetti with Raw Sungold Tomato Sauce
“This is the kind of recipe where ingredient quality is king. In the middle of winter, this is a nice simple pasta dish. In the middle of summer — particularly when picking perfectly ripe produce from your garden — this is a transcendent experience.” — Desiree Nielsen, chef, registered dietician, and author of Eat More Plants Cookbook
Serves 4
Ingredients
900 g courgette, ideally firm and large diameter for better spiralising or 455 g box of spaghetti, boiled according to package direction
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced or micro-grated
3 tbsp pickled capers, chopped
455 g ripe Sungold tomatoes, halved 64 g fresh basil, sliced into ribbons (chiffonade)
salt to taste
pepper to taste
fresh lemon juice to taste
For serving:
1 398 ml can of white beans, rinsed or 220 g of my almond ricotta
Instructions
1. In a large serving dish, place oil, garlic, capers, tomatoes, basil, and olive oil and crush the sauce together with your fingers to release juices and blend ingredients. Season with a generous lashing of salt (at least 1/4 to 1/2 tsp), pepper, and lemon juice for more acidity if required. If tomatoes aren’t naturally sweet, the addition of 1/2 tsp of sugar can boost flavour. Let sit so flavours can blend.
2. Spiralise courgette or cook pasta. If you don’t have a spiraliser, you can use a good vegetable peeler to make large ribbons of courgette. It will just take a little longer!
3. Make the almond ricotta or rinse and drain beans.
4. Toss sauce with pasta of choice and if using a standard pasta, the addition of a couple of large handfuls of arugula will add extra greens. Divide among four plates and top with almond ricotta.
Vegan Ceviche
“When the weather is hot, I want my food as refreshing as possible. Kind of like the meal equivalent of a dip in the pool. Salads are a given, as are smoothies and crudité plates with piles of yummy dip. So when I catch on to a new way to indulge in cooking veg, it becomes a bit of a (healthy!) obsession.” — Desiree
Serves 4 as an appetiser
Ingredients
2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice 60 ml freshly squeezed lime juice
1/8 tsp ground turmeric 32 g salt
1 tbsp micro-grated fresh ginger
2 tsp minced shallot
½ jalapenño, minced, (and seeded, if the flesh is too spicy)
128 g Sungold cherry tomatoes, halved
1 400-gram jar heart of palm, sliced into rounds 64 g thin, bite-sized pieces of kohlrabi
32 g cup cilantro light packed
1 medium avocado, peeled and chopped
½ navel orange, peel and pith removed, cut into bite-sized pieces
Instructions
1. In a medium bowl, mix together the orange and lime juices, turmeric, salt, ginger, shallot, and jalapeño. Add tomatoes, heart of palm, and kohlrabi and marinate for 20 minutes.
2. Add the orange, cilantro, and avocado and taste. Adjust with up to 1/4 teaspoon more salt — particularly if using unsalted heart of palm — and extra lime juice, to your taste.
3. Divide amongst four plates and serve.
Carpaccio Style Vegetable Feasts
“This is one of the first no-cook recipes I pull out in the spring, mainly because I love thinly sliced fennel drizzled with little more than olive oil, lemon, and herbs. Keep a very affordable mandoline on hand for easy slicing, but make sure to use that finger guard!” — Maggie Battista, author of A New Way to Food: 100 Recipes to Encourage a Healthy Relationship with Food, Nourish Your Beautiful Body, and Celebrate Real Wellness for Life, which features the following recipe
Serves 1 to 2
Ingredients
1 solid vegetable, cleaned and dried (like fennel, summer squash, or cucumber)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp lemon or lime juice (from about 1 medium lemon or lime)
1 tsp lemon or lime zest (from about 1/2 medium lemon or lime)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
For serving:
1 baguette, sliced (optional)
Instructions
1. Using a mandoline and finger guard, carefully shave your vegetable over a cutting board. Arrange the vegetable slices on a flat plate.
2. Drizzle the oil and citrus juice over the vegetable, then sprinkle with zest and salt. Wait 10 minutes and serve with baguette slices, if desired.
Corn, Radish, Tomato, and Tortilla Chip Salad
“This is one of my favourite no-cook recipes. I brought it to life the morning after a particularly wild night and all that veg works really well with salty tortilla chips. I don’t even mind using early tomatoes; it all just tastes so fresh on the fork.” — Maggie
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
455 g large ripe heirloom tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for seasoning
2 tbsp coconut vinegar or apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
10 twists freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
340 g fresh corn (sliced from about 4 ears)
2 small radish bunches (about 16 radishes), cleaned and julienned
About 10 salted tortilla chips, crushed
Instructions
1. Soak the scallions in cold water for 20 minutes to crisp them up. Drain and pat dry with a paper towel.
2. Slice the tomatoes into medium-sized wedges. Dust them with a heavy pinch of salt and let them sit for 10 minutes to further bring out their flavour.
3. In medium bowl, mix together the salt, vinegar, oil, and black pepper. Add the tomatoes, corn, radishes, and half the scallions, and toss gently with clean hands to coat veg well. Taste and season to taste with more salt and pepper, but don’t add too much salt as the tortilla chips are also salty.
4. Gently arrange the veg on a large platter to create a pretty presentation. Spring the tortilla chips and remaining scallions atop the dish and serve immediately.
Macadamia Ricotta
“The macadamia nut ricotta is a perfect no-cook recipe — great for a hot summer day.” — Morgan Jarrett, chef at Yellow Magnolia Café at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Ingredients
128 g raw macadamia nuts
125 ml filtered water
3 tbsp blended oil
64 g tsp salt
3 tbsp lemon juice
Suggested garnish: strawberries, pink peppercorns, and a drizzle of honey
Instructions
1. Soak macadamia nuts 12 to 24 hours. Then strain.
2. Place nuts, water, lemon juice, and salt into a high powered blender (Vitamix preferred). Blend and stream in oil.
3. Adjust seasoning as preferred.
Tomato, Pesto & Mozzarella Plate
“One of my favourite quick and easy things to eat in the summer is items fresh from my garden. Grab some pesto (store bought is fine), some fresh mozzarella and jersey tomatoes and you’re all set. Can be garnished with basil & balsamic/oil drizzle. No formal recipe here.” — Dianna Miller, chef at Martorano’s at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City
Originally published at https://www.refinery29.com
