"I'm not hungry - it's too hot, too sweaty, too sticky to eat,"come deep-voiced whines. Seconds pass. "Well, ice cream sounds good.(Pause.) So does maybe a soda pop or a chocolate shake. (Pause.) Oh,you're going to McDonald's? I'll have a cheeseburger, a large fry.With extra ketchup."
Eating, on occasion, has less to do with our appetites than withour energy. Men and women in sweat-stained business suits aregasping. Kitchens turn to wastelands; dust gathers on stoves; evenmicrowaves are ignored.
Yet success and corporate takeovers are not of milk shakes andfrozen candy bars made. Summer is not a license to destroy yourinsides. The four food groups still have to be ingested, no matterhow tedious that sounds.
Enter salads. Not a stove to warm up, not a grill to fire up,not even a blender to excite. Just crisp salad greens, coldvegetables, creamy cheeses, maybe a marinated fish or precooked meatand a potent dressing. It's enough to satiate the appetite withnutritional value, but not overtax heat-frazzled nerves.
Below are some cool ideas for a hot, slimy, summer day. Serve tuna salad in red, yellow and green bell peppers, halvedlengthwise, and garnish with black olives and capers. Whip up a chunky gazpacho with plenty of tomatoes and crunchy freshvegetables and throw in cooked, peeled shrimp, which you can pick upat the market. Mix cooked, shelled shrimp with mayonnaise, sour cream, currypowder, lemon juice, chives and pepper for a quick curried shrimpsalad. Open a can of salmon and add a can of boiled potatoes,chopped cucumbers, chopped celery, chopped onions and a mixture ofhalf sour cream and mayonnaise with a bit of lemon juice and salt andpepper to taste. Serve on crisp lettuce leaves and garnish withcapers. Make a turkey or chicken Waldorf salad, mixing apples,celery, walnuts, mayonnaise and store-bought cooked poultry. Servein hollowed-out tomatoes or papaya halves. Combine cold sliced roast beef with chopped onion, canned anchovyfillets, capers, hard-cooked egg quarters with an oil-and-vinegardressing to make a cold, but cooked, tartare salad. Make a Caesar salad with tuna in addition to the anchovies. For tofu lovers, add peanuts, chopped celery, diced green pepper anda dressing of one part sugar, one part sesame oil and six parts lightsoy sauce to fresh bean curd cakes, cut into half-inch cubes andserve at room temperature. Don't forget tabbouleh, a salad of bulgur, chopped tomatoes,scallions, herbs and dressed with lemon juice and olive oil.
So, if you're in the mood, give the recipe below a shot. Ifyou're not in the mood, do yourself a favor. Go out to eat. CRAB RAVIGOTE Adapted from The New Doubleday Cookbook by Jean Anderson and ElaineHanna (Doubleday, $16.95) 1 1/2 pounds fresh lump or backfin crabmeat, picked over well 1/4 cup tarragon vinegar 3/4 cup mayonnaise 1/2 medium-sized yellow onion, minced 2 tablespoons capers, minced 1 tablespoon minced chives 1 teaspoon minced parsley 1 teaspoon minced tarragon 1 tablespoon slivered pimiento (optional)
Mix crabmeat and vinegar, cover and marinate in refrigerator 2hours, turning now and then. Drain off vinegar and mix with all butpimiento, pour over crab, toss well, and arrange on lettuce or inavocado halves. Garnish with pimiento and serve to 6.
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