What We’re Eating (and Drinking) When It’s Too Hot to Cook
It’s been hot here in Walla Walla, which means my kitchen strategy lately has been a combination of “NEVER TURN ON THE OVEN” and “alright I’ll cook something on the stove, but only for the least amount of time possible.” Below is a little synopsis of recent dinners — four no-recipe recipes, because nobody needs exact measurements when it’s 95 degrees outside. Treat these as guidelines, not gospel.
Cold Soba Noodles, paired with sémillon
This one is on hard core rotation. I will not stop until there is a full on rebellion from the kids.
Cook a batch of soba noodles, rinse them under cold water until they stop feeling warm, and toss with sesame oil, seasoned rice vinegar, and a good amount of grated ginger — more than feels reasonable. If the sauce is too sharp, you can add in a little mirin or maple syrup to balance it out. Add whatever’s in the crisper drawer: I usually go cucumbers, bell peppers, and snap peas, all sliced thin. Sautéed tofu or grilled chicken are wonderful on top if you want more protein, but it’s fine without. I usually do a few shakes of sesame seeds or furikake for good measure.
Why it works: the sémillon’s high acid cuts right through that dressing instead of getting lost next to it. Rice vinegar and sesame oil can flatten a lot of wines — the sémillon has the stuff to balance it out.
Tarragon Chicken Salad, paired with chardonnay
This one is good for making once and eating off of for a few days.
Shred or chop rotisserie chicken (or whatever leftover chicken you have on hand), and mix with crème fraîche, olive oil, mayo, avocado…. whatever creamy thing you like. People have strong feelings about mayo, so you know, do you. Add a good squeeze of lemon, chopped fresh tarragon, diced apple and/or celery for crunch, salt and pepper to taste. Eat it over greens, in a wrap, on crackers, or straight off a spoon standing at the counter.
Why it works: the chardonnay’s clean, floral character complements the lemony creaminess without competing with it. The tarragon and the wine’s freshness are also a lovely call and response of fresh, bright flavors.
Girl Dinner, paired with carbonic zin
This is not even a no-recipe recipe, more of a call to arms to get as few dishes dirty as possible.
Some cured meat from your fridge — prosciutto, salami, whatever you’ve got. All the cheeses. Fruit, ideally something in season. (Dried fruit is also great!) Crackers or chips, including the half-stale ones from the back of the cupboard. Arrange on a board or just a plate, or don’t arrange them at all and rebel against the aesthetic overlords.
A specific pairing that is worth a teensy big of effort: prosciutto and melon with the carbonic zin. If you make one intentional choice out of this whole spread, that’s a great candidate.
Grilled Peaches with Burrata and Basil, paired with any of the above
If you do feel like firing up the grill on one of these nights, this is worth the extra effort, and it works across the whole lineup.
Halve and pit ripe peaches, brush the cut side with a little olive oil, and grill cut-side-down until you get real char marks and the peaches start to soften, a few minutes. Tear a ball of burrata over the top while the peaches are still warm, tear some basil over that, and finish with a drizzle of good olive oil and a pinch of flaky salt. Add a drizzle of honey or balsamic if your peaches aren’t quite sweet enough.
Why it works with everyone: the char plays well with the carbonic zin’s tannin, the honey-sweet peach leans into the sémillon’s fruit profile, and burrata has never met a chardonnay it didn’t like.
None of these need a trip to a specialty store or a precise plan. The idea is just that you can make something yummy, uncomplicated, and good with whatever wine’s already in your fridge.
