In this sort of heat, I find that my hunger for ‘meals’ decreases, but my hunger for ‘cold savoury snacks’ spikes exponentially with the temperature (and I am not narcissistic enough to think I am the only one to find/feel/think this, but I’ll mention it anyway as that’s why we’re here, right?).
As such, I’ve found myself keeping a few choice things in stock in the fridge so that at any given moment a perfect chilled savoury morsel to sate a heat-crazed craving is very achievable indeed. At the same time, if the moment takes you, say for instance a picnic rug and paddling pool winks at you alluringly from a John Lewis window display as you shlep past dripping in sweat, then you know that that you’re only a chiller bag and a blanket away from having the best picnic of your life, which is a heartening place to be.
This combination of current obsessions goes something like this: trays of devilled eggs, seasoned and ready to go; a Tupperware of steak tartare needing just a good mix before it can be scooped up with a little gem salad leaf and ushered swiftly into a mouth; likewise seafood cocktail, often made with those lovely little jars of pickled mussels or cockles you find in good pubs (and in Waitrose and Sainsbury’s, which is a boon), maybe with a prawn or crayfish tail too if I am feeling positively flush, this also gets scooped with a little gem leaf or sometimes gets run through by an errant corner of baguette; and finally, a giant vat of ice tea, or more likely Arnold Palmer if I’m feeling a little ‘Florida golf wife’ which I often am in this heat.
And that’s it. Or that’s almost it. Having a carton of posh Gazpacho is a must in this heat too (or indeed making a vat of some cold soup as per this newsletter from this time last year.)
And actually having a stock of little gem, cucumbers and radishes is pretty sensible too. But otherwise, that’s it, no need for meals, not in the daytime anyway.
So here are my recipes for my current fridge rotation. I promise you they’re perfect for right now, and handily, they work for pretty much every other time of year too, just with a less hasty method of consumption.
Devilled eggs
I think this is an old NIgella recipe, or if not it ought to be, and it is my go-to for devilling eggs, a preparation that I use a lot and consider completely normal, but that others might consider a) vile and slightly creepy, or b) old fashioned and decidedly poor taste.
12 eggs (at room temperature)
75ml mayonnaise
2 tsp English mustard
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp sweet smoked paprika plus more for sprinkling
Plenty of Tabasco (to taste)
(Some finely chopped chives if you want it very preppy in its presentation, which can be nice)
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