Hot Plates (and thanks)

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.