Waiting in a cool spot for lunch!
Well, these are not actually hot plates but plates of nice cool things for HOT weather. Mama does a lot of dishes to get us through lunch when it’s 90 outside and I thought I’d share a couple with you.
Turkey Tonnato (or chicken)
Easy if you have a blender or mixer.
Flatten 4 serving sizes of turkey or chicken breasts until thin.
Heat chicken broth to a simmer, add the breasts and simmer for 8-10 minutes until just done and still tender. Do not overcook. Set aside.
In a blender put 2/3 cup mayonnaise, a few basil leaves, 2 tablespoons of capers, 2 cans of tuna in olive oil (or water if you prefer but olive oil is best), 2 anchovy filets, the juice of a large lemon, ground pepper, and blend until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, you may add a quarter cup of the chicken broth. Serve cold over the cooked chicken/turkey, garnished with capers or fresh basil snips.
Another great dish is Gazpacho with Almonds (Salmorejo in Cordoba)
In a blender combine:
6 large ripe tomatoes
1 large cucumber, peeled
1 sweet onion
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup toasted almonds
Juice of large lemon
1 or 2 melba toasts, crumbled
Leaves of a sprig of fresh mint
A handful of fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper (or pinch of cayenne)
1 small red sweet pepper, roasted or sautéed until soft, then peeled (Optional-you can use red pepper paste if you can find it in your markets)
Whiz this all up until very smooth and chill. You may add a spoon of good yogurt on top of each dish when you serve it, or a few crushed almonds.
If you are not cool after having eaten this, something is wrong. Get to a shaded place and sip a mojito!
My favorite, of course, is the tonnato…can’t imagine why.
A note to all who registered this week for my blog: THANK YOU SO, SO MUCH. MERCI, GRAZIE, GRACIAS.
Your mom sure does enjoy cooking. She must be fun to have around the house.
Sounds like you have new readers. Neat!
Yes, it’s nice when someone actually reads my kitty-musings.