With the city heating up to record-breaking temperatures, the last thing anyone wants to do is turn on the burners. We spoke to some of NYC’s hottest chefs to come up with three chill twists on no-cook dishes — from a spicy Vietnamese-style menu to a Middle Eastern feast to a South American inspired meal.
Jonathan Baskin
2 of 8
No-cook Nuevo Latino
At his splashy new South American eatery, Nuela (43 W. 24th St.; 212-929-1200), chef-owner Adam Schop serves more than a dozen kinds of seafood “cooked” in citrus, including tuna ceviche with young coconut. Serve it with his Amazonian-inspired salad that incorporates elements of the palm tree — and an ice-cold beer.
Hearts of palm salad
If you can’t find fresh hearts of palm (try Manhattan Fruit Exchange in the Chelsea Market; 212-989-2444), you can substitute canned or jarred. This is meant to be an elegant, composed first course, so consider doubling the recipe for a more substantial salad.
4 oz. sherry vinegar
2 tbsp. shallots, minced
½ tsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp. thyme, chopped
6 oz. coconut oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
10 oz. fresh hearts of palm, shaved with a vegetable peeler
3 cups frisée lettuce, yellow and white leaves only (bitter green leaves discarded)
4 oz. queso fresco cheese, ¼-inch diced
8 dates, skins and pits removed, slivered (Tip: To easily remove skins, first blanch in boiling water for 5 to 10 seconds.)
olive oil to taste
Before serving: Mix sherry vinegar, shallots, garlic and thyme. Slowly drizzle coconut oil into mixture and whisk until well incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. Dress hearts of palm and frisée with vinaigrette to taste. Garnish with cheese and dates. Drizzle with olive oil. SERVES FOUR.
Jonathan Baskin
3 of 8
Tuna ceviche
The trickiest part of this recipe is attacking the young coconut. To drain the coconut water, punch two opposing holes in the top of the coconut (we used a screwdriver and hammer). Next, lop the top off with a serrated knife, hacksaw or cleaver, using a spoon to scrape out the interior white meat. If you don’t own a toolbox, substitute 6 ounces of store-bought coconut water (or 3 ounces coconut milk) and 1/4 cup of dried, unsweetened coconut.
12 oz. sashimi-grade tuna, ½-inch diced and chilled
3 to 4 limes, or enough juice to nearly cover tuna
salt, to taste
1 young coconut, water reserved and meat julienned
1 red onion, julienned thin
1 to 2 Thai chilies (or red jalapeño), sliced very thin
6 fresh mint leaves, torn into small pieces
20 fresh cilantro leaves, torn into small pieces
6 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
Before serving: In a glass or nonreactive chilled bowl, squeeze lime juice and two pinches of salt over diced raw tuna. Add onion and chili and let marinate for two minutes, or until slightly opaque. Add 6 ounces of reserved coconut water, coconut meat and herbs. Mix well and taste for seasoning, adding more salt and chili if desired. SERVES FOUR.
Jonathan Baskin
4 of 8
A meal to beat the desert heat
Late last year, chef-owner Rawia Bishara moved her acclaimed Brooklyn restaurant, Tanoreen, to a beautiful new space down the block (7523 Third Ave., Bay Ridge; 718-748-5600). While her recipes are firmly rooted in Middle Eastern home cooking, you’ll find Italian and Greek influences, as well. Eaten with some olives, pickles, hummus and pita, the dishes below could easily satisfy a small party fueled by arak — an anise-flavored spirit that turns cloudy when water and ice are added.
Mahamara
This pepper and walnut spread originated in Syria, and will keep in the fridge all week. You can find pomegranate molasses at Whole Foods or at specialty stores like Kalustyan’s (123 Lexington Ave.; 212-685-3451).
4 medium red bell
peppers, seeded and chopped into 2-inch pieces
½ Spanish onion, chopped into 2-inch pieces
2 cups raw walnuts, chopped, plus more for garnish
1/3 cup pomegranate molasses
2/3 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
½ tbsp. ground cumin seed
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 pinch ground nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground coriander seed
salt and pepper, to taste
Blend peppers and onions in a food processor until they are ground to a smooth consistency, straining and reserving any liquid. Set aside. Pulse the walnuts in the same processor until they are coarsely chopped (not big pieces, but not a paste). In a bowl, fold the bell pepper, onion, walnuts, pomegranate molasses, breadcrumbs, oil and spices together until thoroughly mixed, adding some of the reserved liquid if necessary to achieve desired consistency. Refrigerate for half an hour to cool, and garnish with a drizzle of the molasses and some walnut halves. Serve with soft pita or toasted pita chips and fresh vegetables.
SERVES FOUR TO SIX.
Jonathan Baskin
5 of 8
Bulgur salad
2 cups bulgur (or smoked wheat
berries), soaked in 4 cups of water for 2 hours prior to composing dish
½ cup lemon juice
2 tbsp. chili paste
5 tsp. pomegranate molasses
½ tbsp. garlic, minced
4 to 6 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4 medium tomatoes, ¼-inch diced
1 red onion, ¼-inch diced
1 cup scallions, ¼-inch diced
1 bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped, reserving some for garnish
1 bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped
4 tbsp. fresh mint, finely chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
Drain the bulgur and
discard the excess water. In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, chili paste, pomegranate molasses and garlic, and whisk in olive oil until well incorporated. In a large bowl, toss bulgur, vegetables and herbs with some of the dressing until everything is well dressed. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with fresh parsley.
SERVES FOUR TO SIX.
Jonathan Baskin
6 of 8
Halloumi cheese plate
You can replace firm halloumi cheese from Cyprus with another goat milk-based cheese like feta, but try not to. The halloumi is really the star here.
4 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. dried hot red pepper flakes, or to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 cups fresh arugula
1 block of halloumi cheese
3 kirby cucumbers
3 ripe tomatoes
1 cup olives (preferably Kalamata olives)
1/2 cup fresh mint sprigs
4 fresh figs, quartered
In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, red pepper and salt, and whisk in olive oil until well incorporated. Toss the arugula with some of the dressing and spread on a large platter to form a bed. Slice the halloumi, cucumber and tomato into thin slices and arrange around the plate, alternating slices of each. Then place the olives, mint and figs in the empty spaces. Before serving, drizzle some of the dressing over the salad and grind fresh black pepper over the top to taste. Serve with pita.
SERVES FOUR TO SIX.
Jonathan Baskin
7 of 8
Cold Asian fusion
Insatiable chef-restaurateur Michael Huynh is always on the go — opening a string of bahn mi sandwich shops, Baoguette, across the city, as well as Vietnamese eateries like Bia Garden at 154 Orchard St. and DOB 111 at 115 St. Marks Place. His recipes for beef carpaccio and summer rolls make ample use of fresh ingredients and flavor combinations.
Spicy lemongrass beef carpaccio
If raw beef isn’t your thing, you can make this carpaccio using rare roast beef sliced thin from the local deli. To prepare lemongrass, peel off tough outer stalks, remove the bulb and slice the tender green shoot into thin rings.
1 pound beef tenderloin, trimmed of fat and sinew
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 lemons, juiced
2 tbsp. fish sauce
4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup pineapple, ¼-inch diced
½ cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and 1/4-inch diced
½ cup jalapeño, seeded and ¼-inch diced
2 tbsp. fresh lemongrass, chopped
½ cup mixed fresh herbs (mint, basil, cilantro)
Before serving: Slice beef tenderloin very thinly with a very sharp knife, pound between wax paper and arrange on platter. Season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine lemon juice and fish sauce and whisk in olive oil until well incorporated. Drizzle some of the dressing over the beef and let marinate for a minute or two. Scatter with pineapple, cucumber, jalapeño and chopped lemongrass and top with mixed herbs tossed with some of the dressing. SERVES FOUR.
Tamara Beckwith
8 of 8
Vegetable summer rolls
Feel free to get creative here, adding cucumber, iceberg lettuce and cold shrimp or chicken into the mix. You could use a single rice-paper round, but two nearly overlapping ones yield more surface area and are less prone to breakage. Dabbing your fingers in oil will help prevent tearing of the round.
For the peanut sauce:
3 tbsp. onion, finely chopped
1 small garlic clove, minced
¾ tsp. jalapeño, minced (or dried hot red pepper flakes)
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. creamy peanut butter
1 tbsp. hoisin sauce
1 tsp. soy sauce
¾ tsp. sugar
3 tbsp. water
For summer rolls:
8 (8-inch) rice-paper rounds, plus extras in case some tear
2 red-leaf lettuce leaves, ribs cut out and discarded and leaves halved
1 block of fresh, firm tofu, diced
½ cup cabbage (preferably Napa cabbage), thinly sliced
1/3 cup carrot, coarsely shredded
¼ cup fresh mint leaves
¼ cup fresh basil leaves (preferably Thai basil)
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
To make sauce: Combine onion, garlic, jalapeño and oil in a small bowl and stir to mix well. Whisk in remaining sauce ingredients, adding the water last to achieve desired consistency.
To make summer rolls: Soak two nearly overlapping rice-paper rounds in warm water until pliable, about 15 seconds. Arrange one piece of lettuce on bottom half of rice papers, folding or tearing the lettuce to fit and leaving a one-inch border along the edge. Spread one-fourth of the peanut sauce over lettuce and top with one-fourth of each remaining ingredient. Fold in sides of rice paper and roll up tightly around filling. Transfer to a plate and cover with dampened paper towels. Make three more rolls in the same manner. Serve halved on the diagonal. SERVES FOUR.
Tamara Beckwith
