We don't cook any less in the summer. We cook on repeat: the same dishes come back because they require ten minutes of grocery shopping, zero oven time, and are even better the next day at the beach. Here are ours, sorted by situation, because that's how we really choose a dinner in July.
When it's 34 °C in the kitchen
The oven stays off until September. The watermelon-feta-mint salad is the absolute staple of this category: sweet, salty, ice-cold, and ready before you finish your drink. Its cousin, the tomato-peach-burrata salad, plays the same tune but creamier.
→ Make the watermelon-feta-mint salad
→ Make the tomato-peach-burrata salad
And for a surprise: ajo blanco, the Andalusian white gazpacho with almonds and grapes. Nobody expects it, and everyone goes back for seconds.
The beach bag and the picnic
The criteria here: survive the transport and improve along the way. Panzanella is literally designed for this; the bread soaks up the tomato juices during the trip. The savory olive loaf can be sliced on the corner of a napkin, and the lemon mackerel rillettes play the role of pâté, only better.
→ Prepare the mackerel rillettes
Nights of total laziness
Prosciutto and melon, a plate of salted tomatoes, fresh berries with mint: summer allows for pure assembly. And when you still want a little fire, the Thai yam nua only takes eight minutes on the grill for a stunning result: beef, lime, mild chili, and fresh herbs.
The summer bar
A pitcher waiting in the fridge changes a heatwave day. Homemade mint lemonade for the basics, watermelon agua fresca for the Mexican version, and lemon-basil granita when you need to bring out the big guns. On the sweet side, watermelon-lime paletas are prepared the day before, and honey-roasted peaches just need a skillet.
→ Blend the watermelon agua fresca
→ Scrape the lemon-basil granita
→ Mold the watermelon-lime paletas
→ Roast the peaches with honey and rosemary
The repeat is the point
There is no glory in cooking a new dish every day in August. Staples exist to free your mind: you know the grocery list by heart, you know it works, and the variation comes from the markets, not the recipes. The whole collection is in Umay, with adaptable quantities and a shareable grocery list.