When it’s just plain too hot to cook, I start looking through my recipes for something that sounds refreshing and cool. Here are a few new ideas.

Salade Catalane

4 servings

This recipe came from Food & Wine and brought back memories of our trip to Barcelona. Steve Hoffman says besides it being a classic salad of Catalane, this particular recipe comes from Autignac in southern France.

Vinaigrette

• 2 T. red wine vinegar
• 1 T. finely chopped shallots
• 1 t. coarse salt
• ¼ t. Dijon mustard
• 1 T. olive oil

Salad

• 1 small red pepper
• 1 medium head radicchio, quartered lengthwise through core into wedges
• 2 T. finely chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 finely chopped garlic clove
• 2 medium heads Belgian endive, sliced crosswise into ½-inch pieces
• 1 small head red Boston lettuce, cut into ½-inch pieces
• 6 oil-packed anchovy fillets, rinsed, dried and cut into ½-inch pieces
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered lengthwise

1. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, shallot and salt. Let stand for 10 minutes. Whisk in mustard. Gradually whisk in oil until well combined.
2. Using tongs, roast bell pepper over gas flame 8-10 minutes or broil on a baking sheet, 6 inches from heat for 10-15 minutes. Remove to a bowl and cover with a plate for 5 minutes. Peel under cold water then cut into ½-inch ribbons.
3. Broil radicchio wedges like pepper, 3-5 minutes. Cut into ½-inch ribbons.
4. Stir together parsley and garlic. In another bowl, toss red pepper, radicchio, endive, Boston lettuce and anchovies. Add vinaigrette 1 T. at a time, tossing to coat.
5. Divide salad and eggs between 4 serving plates, Sprinkle with parsley mixture.

Lemony Chickpea Salad

4 servings

• This came from Food & Wine online, by a celebrated American chef, Tom Colicchio, co-founder of Gramercy Tavern in New York City, with a few of my changes.
• olive oil
• 1 quartered yellow onion
• 2 halved carrots
• 1 celery rib plus 4 small ribs finely diced
• 1 pound chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained
• sprigs rosemary tied with string to 4 thyme sprigs
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 finely chopped red onion
• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• shredded zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 2 finely chopped garlic cloves
• 1 t. finely chopped rosemary
• ½ t. dry oregano
• 1 cup olive oil
• ¾ cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley

1. Heat olive oil in a pot. Add yellow onion, carrots and celery rib and cook for 10 minutes. Add chickpeas, herb sprig and water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 ½ hours.
2. Add salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes longer. Cool 15 minutes. Then drain and discard herb sprig, onion, carrots and celery.
3. In a large bowl, soak red onion in vinegar for 15 minutes. Drain, return onion to bowl with diced celery ribs, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, and oregano.
4. Add chickpeas and olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Fold in parsley and serve.
   

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Sybil Kaplan is a Jerusalem-based journalist, author and compiler/editor of nine kosher cookbooks. She is a food writer for North American Jewish publications, and she leads walks of the Jewish food market, Machaneh Yehudah, in English.