No-cook cooking

You know they are coming. Those scalding summer days, so heavy with heat that even sundown offers little relief. Summer brings evenings in which even the most dedicated foodie quivers at the mere thought of firing up the stove.

The best defense might be a simple list of the names of no-cook dishes taped to the inside of a kitchen cupboard — a reminder that hot-weather, heat-free dishes can be glorious.

Have a pen? Go on, write them down.

No. 1, Cucumber Gazpacho. No. 2, Chopped Salad. No. 3, Seaside Slaw. No. 4, Ciabatta With Fresh Pesto and Ricotta Cheese. No. 5, Seafood Salad With Mango, Papaya, Cucumber, Avocado and Lime-Mint Vinaigrette.

All are elegant enough for company, but easy enough for weeknight family fare. They are all from the cookbook "The Summertime Anytime Cookbook" by Dana Slatkin (Clarkson Potter, $32.50). Slatkin is a chef and co-owner of Shutters on the Beach, a luxury seaside resort in Santa Monica.

A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and creator of her own line of food products, Slatkin based the book's recipes on some of the well-loved dishes at the resort. (The resort has two restaurants, One Pico and Coast Beach Café & Bar.)

"I thumbed through all the old menus and dug up the most popular dishes from over the years," she said. "I wrote the recipes, because recipes didn't exist, and gave them a fresh twist. Then I compiled them according to weather."

Chapter headings read like climate forecasts: cloudy days, balmy nights, stormy nights, misty mornings and sunny days. The no-cook, sunny-day dishes catch my eye. Perhaps I'm influenced by the sunshine beating down on my shoulders or the cloudless midsummer sky. Or the desire to spend a carefree day at the beach.

Here are the heat-relief recipes, along with Slatkin's comments and tips for turning each recipe into a meal:

• CUCUMBER GAZPACHO

"This has a bit more verve than the traditional tomato gazpacho (chunky cold soup hailing from southern Spain) — it's more like a vegetable smoothie," Slatkin said. "Why not serve it with smoked salmon, some cold cuts and flatbread, like lahvosh. I like to make it two days ahead and chill it. That allows the flavors to develop and deepen. Be sure to give it a good shake before serving."

She likes to serve the gazpacho in glasses rimmed with coarse salt. She garnishes each serving with a smidgen of grated radish to give it an additional spark of color, plus a "nice flavor bite and texture."

Yield: Six to eight servings

3 cups plain yogurt, preferably Greek-style or whole milk

5 medium English cucumbers, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped

1⁄2 bunch celery (about 4 long stalks), roughly chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded, cored, roughly chopped

3 green onions, white and green parts, roughly chopped

1⁄2 bunch fresh cilantro, leaves and stems

1⁄2 bunch fresh dill, leaves only, plus a few sprigs for garnish

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sugar

Garnish: 2 medium pink radishes, grated

Procedure

In a blender, puree yogurt, cucumbers, celery, bell peppers, green onions, cilantro and dill in batches until smooth. Season with salt, pepper and sugar to taste. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours or up to two days.

Serve soup in chilled bowls or salted glasses with dill sprigs and grated radish for garnish.

• SEAFOOD SALAD WITH MANGO, PAPAYA, CUCUMBER, AVOCADO AND LIME-MINT VINAIGRETTE

Not only is Slatkin's Seafood Salad delicious, it's gorgeous on the plate. She naps it with appealing Lime-Mint Vinaigrette, which complements the ingredients perfectly.

Yield: Four as a first course

Meat from 1 large cold, precooked whole lobster, or cooked shrimp or crabmeat or chilled grilled fish

1 English (hothouse) cucumber, peeled, cut into 1⁄2- by 3-inch sticks

1 head butter lettuce, leaves torn into large pieces

Lime-Mint Vinaigrette, see cook's notes

1 mango, peeled, pitted and sliced

1 papaya, peeled, seeded and sliced

1 firm but ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Garnish: chopped fresh herbs, such as basil or mint

Optional garnish: salmon caviar

Cook's notes: In medium bowl, whisk 1⁄2 cup fresh lime juice, 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar, 1⁄4 cup chopped fresh mint, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 small shallot (minced) and 1 small garlic clove (minced). Whisk in 3⁄4 cup canola oil in thin steam to emulsify. Season with salt and pepper.

Procedure

Toss cucumber and lettuce with 1⁄2 cup vinaigrette. Arrange on plates or platter with mango, papaya and avocado slices. Place slivers of lobster (or cooked and chilled crabmeat, shrimp or fish) on top of salad and season with salt and pepper, then drizzle with additional vinaigrette to taste. Serve chilled, garnished with herbs and a spoonful of salmon caviar if desired.

• SEASIDE SLAW

"When you make slaw from scratch, it has that fresh punch of summertime and the beach," she said. "If you take the time to make your own aioli (to use as dressing), it adds a lot of punch. Just barely coat the ingredients with dressing so it doesn't get soggy. It tends to break down with time. So if you want it crunchy, make it two hours ahead, or if you like if softer, make it ahead of time, up to two or three days ahead and store it airtight in the refrigerator."

Yield: Eight servings

1⁄3 cup Basic Aioli or mayonnaise, see cook's notes

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar or more to taste

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

3 cups finely shredded napa cabbage (1 small head)

1 large carrot, shredded

1 small red onion or 4 green onions (white and green parts), thinly sliced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook's notes: To make aioli, whisk together 1 large egg yolk, 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice and 1⁄2 teaspoon Dijon mustard in medium bowl. Mince and mash 2 small (peeled) garlic cloves with pinch of kosher salt. Combine 1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil and 1⁄4 cup vegetable oil. Add oil mixture to yolk mixture in a thin stream, whisking constantly until emulsified. Whisk in garlic paste. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Use 1⁄3 cup in this recipe.

Procedure

In large bowl, whisk aioli or mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, mustard and fennel seeds.

Add cabbage, carrot and onion; toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper; if needed add a little more sugar; toss. Cover and refrigerate up to three days.

• SHUTTER'S CHOPPED SALAD

"Everyone loves a chopped salad for its bite-sized mélange of goodies," Slatkin said. To make the salad a meal, she says to toss in leftovers from breakfast, such as bacon or hard-cooked eggs, or leftovers from last night's dinner, such as cold chicken, cooked shrimp or grilled tuna. I think store-bought room-temp rotisserie chicken or leftover grilled steak or pork would work, too, as long it is cold and cut into small pieces.

The salad is napped with Louie dressing, a chunky concoction that Slatkin says needs to have good flavor balance.

"It should be a little sweet from the ketchup and pickle relish, but balanced with lemon juice and chopped pimento-stuffed green olives," she explained.

Yield: Eight servings

Dressing:

1 cup mayonnaise

1⁄4 cup chili sauce or ketchup

1 hard-cooked egg, peeled, chopped

2 tablespoons finely chopped pimento-stuffed green olives

2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish, or more to taste

1 tablespoon grated onion

Juice of 1⁄2 lemon, or more to taste

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad:

3 hearts of romaine lettuce, chopped into small pieces

1 (14-ounce) can hearts of palm, drained, chopped

3 ripe yet firm tomatoes, seeded, chopped

8 ounces white mushrooms, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 small bunch chives, chopped

2 avocados

Juice of 1⁄2 lemon

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Procedure

Prepare dressing: In medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, chili sauce or ketchup, egg, olives, relish, onion, lemon juice, plus salt and pepper to taste; mix well. Add more pickle relish or lemon juice as desired. Store in airtight container in refrigerator up to one week.

In large salad bowl, toss lettuce, hearts of palm, tomatoes, mushrooms, celery and chives. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve, or up to two hours.

Just before serving, halve and pit avocados. Scoop out flesh with large spoon and dice the same size as other ingredients. Sprinkle pieces with lemon juice and add to salad bowl.

Season with salt and pepper. Toss with enough dressing to lightly coat. Divide among eight chilled plates and serve.

• CIABATTA WITH FRESH PESTO AND RICOTTA CHEESE

Ciabatta (pronounced cha-BAHT-ta) is an Italian white bread with an appealing crunchy crust. Slatkin teams slices from this wide and flattish loaf with creamy ricotta cheese and garlicky basil pesto.

"If you like, instead of basil, use mint or arugula for the pesto," Slatkin said. "Or substitute goat cheese for the ricotta. And, if you like, use another kind of nuts — walnuts, pistachios or almonds.

"If you like, warm the ciabatta in a toaster oven or oven, but you don't have to."

Yield: Four servings

2 cups packed fresh basil leaves

1⁄4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted, cooled

3 medium garlic cloves, peeled

1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 loaf ciabatta or other crusty bread, thinly sliced

8 ounces fresh whole-milk ricotta or part-skim ricotta cheese

Procedure

Combine basil leaves, Parmesan cheese, nuts and garlic in food processor fitted with the metal blade; pulse until leaves are finely minced. Add oil and pulse to blend, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer pesto to an airtight container and cover with thin layer of oil to keep it from browning. Store covered in refrigerator up to one week.

Serve ciabatta in bread basket. Fill a shallow dish with pesto and drop spoonfuls of ricotta on top. Guests take a scoop of pesto and cheese and spread on bread.