Summertime can be one of the most creative seasons for home cooks, with fresh local produce spilling out of backyard gardens and farmers’ markets.

But the hot summer months pose their own challenges. Schedules are thrown off with kids out of school for summer break. No one wants to spend a lot of time in a sweltering kitchen and some of us are just plain tired of cooking. This year, families are also dealing with the skyrocketing prices of food in the grocery store.

MPR News Host Angela Davis talks with two food writers about finding inspiration for summer cooking at home.  

Guests: 

• Melissa Clark is a staff reporter for the New York Times Food section, where she writes the popular column “A Good Appetite” and appears in a weekly cooking video series. She's also the author of several cookbooks.




• Amalia Moreno-Damgaard is a chef and entrepreneur in the Twin Cities. She is author of “Amalia’s Mesoamerican Table” and “Amalia’s Guatemalan Kitchen.” She is also president-elect of the National Association of Women Business Owners-Minnesota.

Recipes to try

Guest Melissa Clark and colleagues at the New York Times come to the rescue with 20 Easy Salads for Hot Summer Days, including Melissa’s twist on a classic Cobb salad, a lemony shrimp platter with crunchy celery and a pasta salad featuring cubed mozzarella, salami ribbons and sliced cucumber.  

Guest Amalia Moreno-Damgaard shared these recipes:

Ensalada de Repollo — Spicy cabbage slaw with lime

Recipe by Amalia Moreno-Damgaard

Serves 4 to 6 people

Ingredients:

3 cups shredded cabbage

1 cup shredded carrots 

1 cup green bell pepper strips

1 cup red or multicolored grape or cherry tomatoes, whole or halved

¾ cup shaved red onion

1 serrano pepper thinly sliced, veins and seeds included

½ cup parsley leaves, chopped

½ cup cilantro leaves, chopped

1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

The juice of 2 limes

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and add the salt, pepper and lime juice, right before serving. Mix well. Serve.

Ensalada de Pepino y Tomate — Cucumber, tomato, red onion, and corn with sour orange

Recipe by Amalia Moreno-Damgaard

Serves 4 to 6 people 

Ingredients

1 thinly sliced English cucumber

2 thinly sliced Roma tomatoes

½ cup tablespoons thinly sliced red onion

1/3 cup freshly squeezed sour orange (or equal parts orange and lemon juice)

½ to ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

 ½ cup cooked corn kernels

Curly parsley sprigs (optional)

Instructions

Layer the ingredients on a platter starting with cucumber, onions, and tomatoes, and repeat until all ingredients are used. Or, mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Combine the sour orange juice with the salt and dissolve well and add it to the vegetable mixture. Garnish with parsley.