By Susie Berta
Ooh, Law it’s hot! End of June and it already feels like the middle of July.
Apparently, it’s hot everywhere in America, though, especially out west in Arizona where people swear their dry heat is not as stifling as our humid, Southern heat.
Now, they are singing a different tune since their dry heat has ramped up to all new and higher triple digits than ever before. Even they are crying Uncle. We’re all sizzling!
It's time to beat the heat with some cooking strategies that don’t involve turning on the oven and heating up the kitchen.
If you can stand the walk from your door or your pool, to your backyard grill and back without collapsing from heat stroke, you have taken the first step.
The only thing we lack at our house is the backyard pool. We shall make do, brave the heat briefly for the grill walk, and enjoy eating in our cool kitchen.
For festive summer gatherings (we can do that now! Yay!) appetizers are nibble-worthy filler-uppers, pairing well with cold refreshing drinks.
Fresh-made guacamole with chips or grilled artichokes and an ice-cold margarita or Sangria punch are the perfect partners. Texas Caviar is a fine and easy cold dip, made with corn, black beans, onions and seasoning.
While hamburgers, hot dogs and steaks are standard grilled fare and have their place, how about a simple, light and lovely grilled salmon filet with some dill sauce? Go to Costco or BJ’s and get you some nice, thick ones.
Or if you’re lucky, your freezer still holds some fresh-caught salmon from the last man-trip your husband took to go fishing in Alaska.
Or you can order your Alaskan salmon straight from Ed’s Kasilof Seafood (https://kasilofseafoods.com/) and just tell everyone you went salmon fishing in Alaska. If you’re not a salmon fan, how about spatchcocking a chicken on the grill?
I mean, you can always prop a whole bird on one of those beer can roasters on the grill, but spatchcocking is better in my opinion. Because it’s flattened out, the chicken actually comes in contact with the grill, and you get nice grill marks and crispy skin.
Those beer can roasters are kind of passé now anyway, like Billy the Singing Fish plaques and mood rings. But whatever floats your boat; it’s all good.
There’s a frozen, no-cook cranberry ring I make every Christmas. It’s good and sweet as a Christmas dessert, and does double duty as a rich, creamy stand-in for homemade ice cream on a hot summer day.
The summer drinks and punches — oh so many wonderful liquid concoctions exist, and they can be made with alcohol, or without, with a few exceptions.
If there’s any such thing as a non-alcoholic Margarita, though, I can’t imagine how it could possibly be worth its salt. I just don’t even want to know.
Don’t forget the root beer floats for the kids and the grandchildren. I hope our grands will always keep happy memories of us slurping floats through big straws as we sit together on the porch swing in the summertime.
We sing, too, between slurps. Silly songs and sea shanties. But that’s another article altogether.
Now for the qualifier: let us not forget the folks in our town who have neither a pool nor a grill, nor a kitchen, nor even a house after the EF-4 tornado disaster blew through on March 26.
We are NewnanStrong, and we can all continue to offer our help in a multitude of ways. Cook a meal for a besieged neighbor or friend. Or help a perfect stranger. Donate. Volunteer. Find folks who need assistance through the various agencies in town whose job it is to help those in need, like local churches, Bridging the Gap, Coweta Community Foundation, One Roof and others.
RECIPES
Grilled Artichokes with Roasted Garlic and Lemon Aioli
Artichokes
Water to Cover
2 lemons, cut in half
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon oregano
1/4 cup olive oil
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons kosher salt
Butter
Poach artichokes in the above mixture until bottom leaves easily pull off, about 45 minutes to an hour. Carefully remove from water to cool. Cut artichoke in half lengthwise and remove the choke. When ready to serve, brush with whole butter and finish on grill to reheat.
Roasted Garlic and Lemon Aioli
1 head of roasted garlic (about 8 cloves together in a head) Cut off tops of garlic head, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and double-wrap garlic head in foil. Place on grill, non-direct heat, close lid and roast for 30-45 minutes
1 each lemon (juice & zest)
2 cups Mayo
Squeeze roasted garlic out into mayo, add lemon and whirl all together in food processor until smooth
Homemade Guacamole
3 Avocados - Find a couple or 3 ripe avocados. If they aren’t ripe yet, bring home and place a small paper sack on counter for a day. They will ripen faster that way.
2 Ripe, Roma tomatoes, chopped – see directions for avocados
¼ C. Red onion, chopped
1 Garlic clove, minced
Dash of Tabasco
Jane’s Krazy Salt (Do you know me? Then use this stuff. Makes all the difference)
¼ C Cilantro (or not), chopped
¼ C Parsley, chopped
1 Fresh lime (juiced)
Slice avocado vertically all the way around and twist halves until they come apart. Remove pit. With spoon scoop avocado into bowl and mix with a fork. Don’t mix it to death. Won’t hurt to have a few bigger pieces. Your call on whether you want chunkier or smoother guac.
Add other ingredients to taste.
If you are like me, you don’t do cilantro. But it’s your choice.
For leftovers, push guacamole down packing it firmly into a container that has an airtight lid. Gently pour water on top of guac until it’s completely covered. Apply lid. Will keep for a couple days without turning brown. To re-serve, pour off water first.
Texas Caviar
2 lbs. frozen corn
2 cans black beans
1 red onion
3 jalapeno peppers (fresh, not canned)
½ C. red wine vinegar
¼ C. olive oil
cilantro (1/3 of a bunch?) chopped fine (leave it out if you don’t like cilantro)
S&P
Mix it all together in a bowl. Serve with scoopy corn chips.
Margarita - from the horse’s mouth (bartender) in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Sorry, but I’m a purist with my Margs. I don’t do the cruise-ship ones that use mixes and are blended like snow cones or shakes. Nope. I like mine pure and on the rocks. Apparently, the bartender who served me in Mexico felt the same way. I asked him specifically how he made his margaritas. This is what he said, and they are the absolute best.
1 ½ oz tequila
½ oz Cointreau
Juice of one lime
Ice
Salted rim if you like that, but I’m a no-salt girl
Short tub glass
Mix liquors and lime gently, add ice, salt glass rim if you must, and enjoy.
White Sangria Punch
1 c. sliced strawberries
1 mango, cubed
1 peach, sliced
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. Grand Marnier
1 apple, sliced
1 orange, sliced
1 lime, sliced
1 (750-ml.) bottle dry white wine, chilled (Use white Riesling, Pinot Grigio, Moscato, or Sauvignon Blanc)
1 c. club soda, or sprite, or Prosecco
In a medium bowl, combine strawberries, mango, peach, sugar, and Grand Marnier. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
To a large pitcher, add refrigerated fruit and apple, orange, and lime slices. Pour in white wine and soda, sprite, ginger ale, or prosecco, and stir to combine. Serve well chilled.
Non-Alcoholic Punch for a Crowd
Yield 4 gallons
4 12-oz cans frozen orange juice concentrate
4 12-oz cans frozen lemonade concentrate
2 46-oz cans pineapple juice
1 c sugar
2 33.8 oz. bottles ginger ale
Dilute frozen concentrates as directed. Add pineapple juice and sugar. Blend well. Add ginger ale just before serving. Best if made a day ahead.
Summer Root Beer Floats
Crushed ice
Barq’s Root Beer
Vanilla Ice Cream
Put a little crushed ice in a tall glass. Add root beer. Leave some space at the top. Plop in a scoop of ice cream. Stir. Add large straw. Go sit on the porch swing with a kid and sing.
Grilled Salmon Filet
Salmon:
4 thick (3/4 – 1 inch salmon filets. Do not remove skin on one side if skin is still attached
Rub fish with olive oil (or grape-seed oil which has a high smoke point, also)
Sprinkle with Montreal seasoning
Grill filets 6-8 minutes on a hot grill (450°) skin-side down so they have nice golden-brown finish.
Do not try to move the fish before 6-8 minutes because it will stick at first, and then after time it crisps up and releases, allowing you to carefully flip it
Flip ONCE and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Internal temp should be about 130° when removed from grill.
It should rest for a few minutes until it comes up to 145°
Bring inside and remove skin.
Aioli:
Sliced cucumber (thin).
Add and mix well:
½ C mayo,
½ C sour cream,
1 green onion chopped,
dill weed, maybe ½ Tbsp
a little chopped parsley
lemon juice, several capfuls or ¼ C
Krazy Salt
CRUSHED GARLIC OPTIONAL
Serve salmon filet on a bed of fresh spinach, top with Cucumber Aioli.
Pairs well with wild and brown rice.
Add cherry tomatoes and fresh parsley for garnish.
Grilled Spatchcocked Chicken
1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half
1 large garlic clove, peeled
1/3 cup packed fresh herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, parsley, and sage leaves
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon, zest removed in strips with a peeler
1 chicken (3 1/2 to 4 pounds), spatchcocked (see instructions, below)
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Puree onion, garlic, herbs, oil, and zest in a food processor. Rub some puree under skin of chicken breast. Rub remaining puree over rest of bird. Refrigerate at least 6 hours and up to 8 hours. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Wipe off most of rub, season with salt and pepper.
Heat grill to medium-high or set up for indirect heat. Grill chicken, breast side down, covered with vent open, until nicely charred, 10 to 15 minutes. Flip; cook 30 minutes more. Flip again; grill until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees in thickest part of breast, 5 minutes more. Let rest 10 minutes.
To spatchcock (butterfly) a chicken, cut along each side of the backbone with shears. Remove the backbone. Turn the bird breast side up; flatten it with your palm.
Frozen Cranberry Ring Dessert
This is like rich ice cream!
1 C. fresh cranberries – “blenderized”
1/3 C. sugar
2 med. oranges
1 8 oz creamed cheese – softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1 med. chopped apple
½ C. chopped dates
1 C. heavy whipping cream
Combine cranberries and sugar. Let stand 10 minutes.
Peel and section 1 orange. Squeeze and reserve juice. Chop orange fine.
Squeeze remaining orange for a total of 1/3 C. juice
In a bowl, put juice, cream cheese and vanilla together and beat till fluffy.
Stir in orange sections, cranberries, apples, dates.
In a separate bowl, whip cream into peaks. Fold cream into cream cheese mixture.
Turn into Bundt pan or angel cake pan; or 8x4x2 loaf pan or 8-9 individual molds. Cover with foil.
Freeze 3 hours MINIMUM. Overnight is better. When ready to serve, let stand 10-15 minutes and then unmold to a platter or flat cutting board. It will be hard frozen at first, but it will soften quickly. Slice to serve on a plate or in a bowl. Drip chocolate or shave chocolate on top if you like. Also put some cranberries, sugar, and a little Grand Marnier in a small saucepan and simmer til fruit is soft for an adult topping. Let cool before putting on. Serves 8-10
Unmolding tricks:
If it won’t unmold after sitting out for 10-15 minutes, set the pan down in a sink or larger pan filled with room temp water (not hot water or you’ll melt it!) for a couple of minutes. It may take a couple of tries.
Susie Berta has many creative pursuits, including music, art, writing, cooking, gardening, entertaining and decorating. She has lived in Newnan with her husband, Rick, since 1977. They have raised two boys and have two grandchildren. She is retired from a long career as a vocalist/performer, having sung for many years in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus and Chamber Chorus, as a staff singer at St. Mark UMC in Atlanta, and in many other venues, in addition to her one-woman show, “All Grown Up,” at the Rialto Theater in Atlanta. As an empty nester, she returned to school in 2003 and earned a BFA in art at Atlanta College of Art and SCAD Atlanta. She is now pursuing her passion for writing and is currently working on her memoir, The Veterinarian’s Wife.
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