9 Recipes for Cooking (or Not Cooking) During the Hot Summer Months

A little freezing trickery and a lot of assembly are the elements of artful summer cooking. Thus, a collection that includes a no-cook berry must-have, the best basil pesto and a vigorous watermelon salad.

Peach granita

The effortless wonders that can be accomplished with fruit, ice cream and sugar! Granitas are the worn jeans of the frozen dessert world: comfortable, easy to access, no fuss, well textured. This peachy incarnation exclaims everything good and right about summer.

Tomatoes simmered with Cotija

A little heat goes a long way with fresh tomatoes. Not quite a tomato sauce; This is definitely not a tomato salad, this preparation teases the essence of tomatoes in a jacuzzi of olive oil, fresh oregano and green olives.

Sardine omelette

On those scorching days when you want a nourishing breakfast but don’t want to go through unnecessary hassle, remove the tin lid from a can of sardines. Beat a few eggs, brown the shallots (or onion), mix. Take a breath before stepping out into the sweltering heat.

Grilled zucchini with fresh mozzarella

A recipe in name only, it’s more of a collection of ingredients – which is precisely what you need in the heat of summer. Grill a few planks of zucchini, mix them with vinegar, garlic and parsley; arrange them on a plate with a bouquet of good fresh mozzarella. Call it a meal.

Basicil pesto

Having a solid pesto recipe for the summer months is simply living well. And if you want to stick with a pesto recipe – of which there are endless variations with lots of herbs and nuts – the northern Italian version with basil and pine nuts is a good place to start.

Summer pudding

Berries are one of the vibrant wonders of the warm seasons. One of the best ways to see them shine is to make summer pudding, the classic British no-bake dessert of bread soaked in macerated fruit. A sublime example of a dish that, through simple alchemy, becomes much greater than the sum of its parts.

Egg and okra curry

It’s a Burmese recipe with eggs and okra, this summer staple vegetable. Shallots, garlic, turmeric, Thai chili peppers and tomatoes make the base; hard-boiled eggs and whole okra pods provide ballast.

Steak with dandelion, arugula and Grana Padano

A tasty and heavy salad: isn’t that how everyone wants to eat during the hottest time of the year? Zesty greens, like arugula and dandelion, are tamed with the umami thud of fish sauce (or anchovies), then tossed with lemon juice, slices of seared or grilled steak, and shavings of Grana Padano.

Watermelon Salad with Pickled Habanero Onions and Lime Salt

Watermelon is a refreshing treat on its own, straight from the coldest part of the fridge. Marinate some onions with the floral habanero wallop and salt mixed with lime zest and the watermelon becomes a new creature.