Sip, munch & savour: 3 tasty delights to keep you cool all summer
August menu is essentially designed for beating the heat on seriously sweltering summer days, when ice-cold everything seems appropriate. We're on the right track, I think, with a chilled soup, followed by a room-temperature vegetable salad and a dessert straight from the refrigerator. The avocado soup — a cool, savory smoothie of avocado, lime juice, yogurt and olive oil — couldn't be easier: Everything goes in the blender, swirled to a silky puree.
I like to keep a jug in the fridge, ready to pour into chilled bowls or glasses, so it's well worth the 15-minute investment. Many know the picnic-standard three bean salad, made from three cans of beans (kidney, garbanzo and string), a sliced onion and cider vinegar. I like that, too, but here I'm proposing a different sort of bean salad, the kind you can make only in late summer when all of the great fresh beans are available.
Right now, at the market, you'll probably find fresh shelling beans piled high in their pods. Grab a few pounds and shuck them, then simmer them for the best-tasting, creamiest beans imaginable. While you're at it, scout the market for ribbonlike Romano beans, also called runner beans or flat beans.
They have extraordinary texture and flavor when cooked. Then you'll need some tender green beans, which can sometimes be a problem. Look for the smallest ones.
Cooked to perfection, these seasonal treats need only a zesty vinaigrette. I'd be perfectly happy with only dressed beans. But to make the salad more substantial, I added halved fingerling potatoes, cherry tomatoes and boiled eggs.
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