Cool Foods For Summer

It is already hot and sticky in most of the Northern Hemisphere.It's impossible to eat let alone cook.What's a foodie to do? Go for cool foods.Make dishes that require minimal kitchen time along with minimal prep time.The results are light and airy dishes, perfect for lunch or even dinner. David Tanis tackled this issue in his City Kitchen in yesterday's New York Times Dining section.He suggests taking a page from Italian home chefs.Make it fresh and simple and you"ll never go wrong.He suggests making a simple diced base salad.It requires minmal cooking and prep time.What is great about insalata di risotto is that is can be made in a variety of ways.Mr Tanis turns his into a frutti di mare. He takes shrimp ,squid and mussels boiled on salted water as the main ingredients.Green beans and sliced cherry tomatoes are the veggies , both fresh picked and perfect foils for the seafood.It's all placed on a bed of Arborio rice. This variety is used instead of white rice because it will hold up to the oil and vinegar.Regular white rice will get mushy after too much time in the vinaigrette. Arborio holds up much better, however if you want to use brown rice for a healthier spin.Just don't use Too much dressing on it Rice salads can be varied on ingredients. According to Mr. Tanis, Italian home chefs add leftovers such as chicken and /or various cold cuts.It's a great way of cleaning the fridge. Leftover meats can be julienned and added to any overage from barbecues can be sliced up and then cubes into bite sized pieces. Think a grilled London broil salad, dressed with a garlicky vinaigrette, graced with thinly sliced beefsteak tomatoes.For a vegan insalata, grill asparagus , corn ,and peppers.Use a dressing full of lemon , olive oil and fresh picked herbs.For a truly refreshing evening meal or even a Sunday brunch. For another lighter turn try flakes tilapia or salmon,both broiled ,witness just peas and onion and a simple oil and red wine vinegar. This is the start of light cooking and eating.Try an insalata riso fora meal that's both light and yeasty.It's easy to male and easy to eat,perfect for the onset of summer.