Salsa cruda minus the pasta: Tuna Artichoke Potato Salad

Potatoes stand in for pasta as the only cooked ingredient in this dish, warming the Italian tuna, artichoke hearts, capers, red onion, lemon and parsley. Recipe below.

This was going to be a salsa cruda pasta, one I make several times every summer. A salsa cruda (uncooked sauce) is perfect for warm weather cooking, because all that gets cooked is the pasta. It warms the other ingredients, causing their fragrances and flavors to blossom. The other ingredients, in turn, cool the pasta a bit. Your meal is warm, but not hot—perfect for warm weather dining. And your kitchen doesn’t overheat either, since you’re only cooking the pasta. Continue reading “Salsa cruda minus the pasta: Tuna Artichoke Potato Salad” →

A Herbivoracious side dish: Potato and Green Bean Salad with Arugula Pesto

This warm, garlicky potato and green bean salad is bursting with summery flavors of mint, arugula and lemon juice. Recipe below.

We’re trying to eat less meat these days. It’s healthier for us, some would argue, and definitely healthier for the planet. We sometimes do it by having meatless days. And we eat smaller portions of meat when we have it; this is an approach Mark Bittman urges us all to take, to use meat as a flavoring or move it to the side of the plate, with vegetables taking the starring role. In an interview this spring on NPR, he envisioned a scenario in which meat “could resume its proper place in our lives, which is as a treat rather than as something we can eat whenever we feel like it.”

I’ll admit I’m not there yet. When I go more than a few days without eating meat, I miss it. A lot. So when author Michael Natkin told me he’s been a vegetarian for 30 years now, it was almost more than my brain could take in. Marion and I were at a book tour event for Natkin’s excellent new vegetarian cookbook, Herbivoracious: A Flavor Revolution with 150 Vibrant and Original Vegetarian Recipes. Continue reading “A Herbivoracious side dish: Potato and Green Bean Salad with Arugula Pesto” →

The Minimalist does it again: Potato salad, all grown up and 100% mayonnaise-free

Served warm, this Potato Salad with Capers, Shallots and Mustard is bursting with lively flavors and sophisticated enough to go with anything. Recipe below.

bittman-potato-salad

When it comes to lists, I’m a rank amateur. A little over a month ago, I raided my archives and came up with a list of five easy meals for summer. Thought I was pretty cool, giving readers a smorgasbord of summer cooking ideas. Then the New York Times’ Minimalist, Mark Bittman, came out with not one, but two lists. First, Summer Express: 101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less. He followed it a few days later with 101 Simple Salads for the Season. That’s two lists of 101 recipes each. Continue reading “The Minimalist does it again: Potato salad, all grown up and 100% mayonnaise-free” →