Recipes: Chill out with some cool summer salads

"Summer arrived with a vengeance last week. It caught me unprepared, air conditioners still packed away in the garage. On the first sweltering night, I recalled summer in the city where I grew up. Neighborhood kids played catch in back yards long past sunset, past dusk, waiting for the wind to shift. At the beginning of starlight, a chorus of mothers' voices, carried on a whiff of harbor breeze, called us in to a late dinner of salad on cool porcelain. We'd lower our heads to the table, touching our cheeks to the plates before taking forkfuls of tuna or chicken salad. Dinner salads for hot nights call for a long list of ingredients. But when I can avoid turning on the stove, I don't mind a bit of extra prep work. Some chopping, cubing, opening cans, draining, whisking and tossing is necessary for the extra flavor. The other trick is to take advantage of pre-chopped veggies. Sometimes a little boiling is necessary. Done in the cool of the morning, and storing the pasta or potatoes in the fridge until you feel like finishing the salad, closer to dinnertime, it will keep the cook cool. Bags of frozen vegetables are easily thawed and tossed into a salad, no cooking necessary. A chicken salad can be made from leftover chicken, or chicken purposefully cooked ahead and frozen for a "heat emergency."

Includes recipes for:

PO'FOLK SEA SUMMER SALAD

BIG DADDY'S FRUIT SALAD

CHINESE CHICKEN SLAW

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June 20, 2005

Recipes: Chill out with some cool summer salads