NO OVEN? NO PROBLEM!

 

Looks like a gratin, no? Summer vegetables cooked in the microwave are topped with cheese and crispy breadcrumbs. No oven needed.

Would you turn on the oven to make a summer vegetable gratin? That was a question posed in one of my food groups on Facebook. My answer: NO WAY. I don’t turn on the oven from the first of June until mid-September. That’s been the house rule for years. But now, with heat waves coming earlier and more severe (we hit 40ºC/104ºF a few days ago), we will have to extend the oven ban from May until October. Scary. 

If using the oven is out of the question, how to cook in the summer? I long ago stopped making baked goods, so that’s no problem. But I miss a weekly roast chicken, a simple preparation that’s good the first time round, with leftovers to last a few days. And, yes, I remember making summer vegetable gratins. How to adapt?

Andalusians have traditionally not used ovens at all. No roasts nor oven casseroles. So summer fare just means faster top-of-the-stove cooking—fried fish and gazpacho being a perfect summer meal. In the old days, paella cooked, on a wood fire, nowadays it’s still cooked outdoors, on a gas ring big enough for a huge paella pan. Fat bell peppers are roasted on the parilla, wood-fired grill, or else purchased with fresh bread at the village panadería, where the peppers are roasted in bread ovens.

At my house, I have adapted the roast chicken for the gas grill on the patio. And, the gratin, while not legally gratinée, works pretty well in the microwave.  

Vegetables cooked in the microwave soak up the olive oil, but keep their shape and texture. Fried bread crumbs added before serving give the vegetables some crunch. Serve this dish hot or cold, as a starter or side. It would make a great vegetarian main accompanied by rice or bulgur.

My summer substitute for oven-roasted chicken. Small, spatchcocked chickens are quick to cook on a grill.  

Leftover grilled chicken makes a great summer salad with cheese and tangy olives.

Microwave Summer Vegetables with Crumb Topping

Verduras al Microonda con Crujiente de Migas

I make a quite acceptable eggplant Parmesan in the microwave, after first frying the slices of eggplant in a skillet. This is different in that all the vegetables are layered raw. They never become totally soft as with an oven-baked casserole, but keep their texture very nicely. I’ve added the crunchy bread crumbs after removing the vegetables from the microwave.

A ceramic tian casserole is perfect for this dish, as long as it fits inside your microwave unit. A deep-dish glass pie pan is a good alternative as is an earthenware cazuela or any round, flat-bottomed bowl with straight sides. Presumably, microwave-safe plastic would work, although I didn’t try it. 

Slice vegetables.

The vegetables need to be cut in fairly equal ¼-inch slices. Salt the eggplant slices and let them stand in a colander 15 minutes so they release excess liquid. Slice the tomatoes, salt them lightly and lay on a plate. When assembling, lift them and discard the liquid. 

I used a vegetable peeler to peel the bell peppers.

You can use more or less of the listed vegetables or swap others. If you use sliced potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots or butternut squash, steam or parboil them before layering with the other vegetables. 

Serve the vegetables hot, room temperature or cold. Sprinkle with the crispy crumbs right before serving. Cold, the vegetables are good with a squeeze of lemon.

Serves 4-6.

For the crumb topping:

3 slices day-old bread (5 ounces), crusts removed

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, chopped

Pinch of dried thyme or parsley

For the vegetables:

Olive oil

1 cup reserved crumbs

1 onion

2-3 medium eggplant (1 pound)

3 plum tomatoes

1 medium zucchini and/or yellow squash (12 ounces)

2 bell peppers, yellow and/or red

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Basil leaves, torn

1 ounce thinly sliced cheese

2 ounces grated cheese

Crispy bread crumbs.

Tear the bread into pieces. Use a food processor to chop it into coarse crumbs. You should have about 2 ½ cups crumbs.

Reserve 1 cup of the crumbs to layer with the vegetables. 

Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the remaining 1 ½ cups of crumbs and fry them until they begin to turn golden. Add the chopped garlic and continue to fry until crumbs are browned and crispy. Stir in thyme. Remove crumbs from the skillet.

Oil a microwave-safe dish. Spread the reserved 1 cup of crumbs that were not fried in the bottom of the dish.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet. Cut the onion in thin julienne slices. Sauté until they are softened and beginning to brown, 4 minutes. Remove from the heat. Spread half of the onions in the bottom of the dish on top of the crumbs.

Slice the eggplant crosswise into rounds. If eggplant is very large, cut the slices in half. Salt them lightly and leave 15 minutes  in a colander to drain. Pat them dry with a paper towel. Slice the tomatoes crosswise. Salt them lightly and lay flat on a plate.

Overlap sliced vegetables in dish.

Slice the zucchini, peppers and any other vegetables selected into more-or-less equal-sized pieces. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

Arrange the eggplant, tomato, zucchini and pepper slices in overlapping rows in the dish. Push slices of the sautéed onion and sliced cheese between the sliced vegetables. Tuck pieces of basil between the vegetables. When all of the vegetable slices have been incorporated, drizzle 2 tablespoons of oil over the top. 

Test vegetables for doneness.

Cover the dish with plastic wrap or a microwave plastic lid. Microwave on High for 5 minutes. Microwave on Medium-High until vegetables are done to taste, about 15 minutes. The heavy dish will be very hot, so use oven mitts or a towel to protect hands when removing the dish. 

Remove the lid or plastic wrap. Sprinkle the grated cheese on the top of the vegetables. Return the dish to the microwave uncovered. Microwave on Medium-High for 5 minutes. Leave the dish in the microwave for at least 5 minutes.

Before serving, sprinkle the top with the crispy crumbs. 

Grilled Chicken

Pollo a la Parilla

Two-pound chickens

These supermarket chickens come two to a package, each weighing only 2 pounds. Once spatchcocked and opened flat, they cook very quickly on the grill (40 minutes or so). “Dry brining” helps to keep them juicy.

Try different spice blends. I’m currently experimenting with Middle Eastern za’atar, a mixture of thyme, oregano, sumac and sesame seeds. Other mixes to try: Spanish pinchito spice, Moroccan ras el hanout, Indian garam masala. Or make up your own. 

2 small (2-pound) chickens

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil

Spice-herb blend such as za’atar

Lemon juice

Spatchcock (butterfly) the chickens by cutting out and removing the back bone, opening the chicken out and pressing the breastbone to flatten it. Sprinkle the chickens on both sides with salt and pepper. Leave them, uncovered, in the refrigerator for up to eight hours.

Before grilling, brush the chickens with oil. Sprinkle them with the spice-herb mixture and squeeze lemon juice over them. 

Preheat grill. Grill the chickens, bony-side down, over indirect heat for about 30 minutes. Douse any flare-ups and adjust the position of the chickens so they don’t burn. Turn them skin-side down. Grill until golden-brown and done in the thickest part. (Test by cutting into the thigh to see if juices run clear.)  

Allow the chickens to rest 10 minutes before serving. Or, store refrigerated, for use in chicken salad (recipe follows).

Chicken Salad with Olives

Ensalada de Pollo con Aceitunas

Cut leftover grilled chicken into strips or cubes for the chicken salad.

The slight sweetness of vinegar made from Málaga wine complements the vinaigrette for this chicken salad. PX vinegar would also be good. Both are mellow and less sweet than balsamic.

Trusty olive pitter!

Serves 2 to 3.

2 cups cooked chicken, cut in strips or cubes

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

½ cup sliced pitted green olives

¼ cup seedless black grapes

2 tablespoons diced celery

1 tablespoon diced red bell pepper

2 tablespoons finely chopped onions

2 ounces cheese, cut in strips or dice (½ cup)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 ½ tablespoons Flor de Málaga vinegar

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pimentón de la Vera (smoked paprika)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salad greens to serve

Cherry tomatoes to garnish

Sprigs of fresh herbs to garnish

Place the cut-up chicken in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add the olives, grapes, celery, red pepper, onions and cheese. Mix gently.

In a jar combine the mustard, vinegar, salt and pimentón. Stir well. Add the oil. Cap the jar and shake it until dressing is smooth.

Stir the dressing into the chicken and combine well. (If not serving the salad immediately, store it, covered and refrigerated.) Spread plates with salad leaves. Spoon the chicken salad on the greens. Garnish with cherry tomatoes and sprigs of fresh herbs.

More recipes for the microwave:

Seabass in Papillote.

Marinated Turkey Breast.

Zucchini Timbale.

Stuffed Peppers.

Zucchini Chocolate Cake.

Another way to use the grill instead of the oven:

Cornbread on the Grill.

A BONITO SORT OF WEEK

 

Albacore steaks on the grill.

When life gives you bonito, start planning menus. A five-kilo hunk of bonito del norte—albacore tuna—landed in my kitchen last weekend. It had already been frozen and thawed, which meant I pretty much needed to use it up. 

Albacore tuna, also known as atún blanco, white tuna, is fished primarily off the northern Cantabrian coast of Spain, where much of it goes to the canning industry. Summer is the season for albacore. Its flesh is lighter than that of bluefin tuna (called atún rojo because of its red flesh in Spanish) and not very fatty. 

We cut the piece of fish into four thick steaks. One I chilled to use raw. The other three were grilled alongside a couple of chickens that were already on the menu when the bonito arrived in my kitchen. Grilled and served with nothing more elaborate than a vinaigrette sauce, the tuna was delicious. The remainder of the cooked fish, I de-boned and refrigerated. 

Here’s how the bonito week went. (The cat also had a bonito week.) If you have not got fresh albacore, try using chunks of canned or bottled bonito del norte, preferably that which has been conserved in olive oil, for all but the recipe for raw fish.

For this poke bowl, chunks of raw albacore tuna are marinated in a soy-based sauce with ginger and sesame seeds to top rice. With the tuna are, clockwise from the top, cucumber curls, strips of red bell pepper, shredded cabbage, seaweed salad, grated carrots, pickled melon, cherry tomatoes and cooked green beans. 

A quickie meal for two: chunks of grilled albacore tuna are added to a sofrito of fresh onions, fresh tomatoes and diced zucchini, served over spaghetti. A sprig of basil adds a summery scent.

Sort of like a Niçoise salad, but with Spanish ingredients--albacore tuna, tomatoes, potatoes, green beans and olives. The secret is marinating all in vinaigrette.

Marmitako is a classic summer dish in Basque Country. It's chunks of albacore tuna cooked with potatoes and green peppers in a white wine sauce. (The recipe is here.)

Crispy fish cakes are made with chopped albacore tuna and rice. They are plated with coleslaw and potatoes vinaigrette and served with a fresh tomato-caper sauce.

Poke Bowl

Bol de Poke

Poke is a one-bowl cold dish of rice lightly flavored with vinegar (same as sushi rice), topped with raw fish and an assortment of salad ingredients, cooked and raw. (More about poke here.) 

For protection against parasites, fish to be served raw should be frozen before use. (See more information about raw fish here.)

Allow about 1 ¼ cups of cooked rice and 1 teaspoon of vinegar per serving. Or, use your favorite sushi rice.

Raw tuna or bonito, cut in bite-size cubes

Sauce for poke (recipe follows)

Cooked short-grain rice

Vinegar (rice or wine)

Shredded cabbage or slaw

Cherry tomatoes

Cooked green beans or asparagus

Strips of red bell pepper

Seaweed salad (recipe here)

Sliced avocado

Cucumber curls

Grated carrot

Slivered onions

Melon pickle (recipe here)

Place the cubes of tuna in a bowl and add 3 tablespoons of the sauce for poke. Cover and chill until ready to assemble the bowl.

Toss the rice in a bowl with the vinegar. Spread rice in individual bowls for serving the poke.

Place cubes of the marinated tuna in the center of the rice. Place shredded cabbage, tomatoes, beans, red pepper, seaweed salad, avocado, cucumber, grated carrot, slivered onions and melon pickle around the tuna. Spoon additional poke sauce over all.

Pieces of raw albacore tuna have been marinated in sauce to add to the poke bowl.

Sauce for Poke

Aliño para Poke

¼ cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

½ teaspoon sesame oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Dash of hot sauce such as siracha

½ teaspoon sesame seed

Combine all the ingredients. 

Vinaigrette

Vinagreta

Use this vinaigrette as a marinade, a dressing or a sauce for any grilled foods. It keeps well, tightly capped and refrigerated. Bring it to room temperature and stir well to mix  the oil before using. 

1 clove garlic

1 shallot, chopped

1 tablespoon parsley

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

¼ cup Sherry vinegar

½ cup + 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of pimentón de la Vera (smoked sweet paprika)

Combine the garlic, shallot, parsley mustard and vinegar in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add the oil, salt, pepper and pimentón and blend again.

Store the vinaigrette, refrigerated, in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to room temperature before serving. Shake or stir well to combine the oil before using.

Not-Niçoise Salad

Ensalada No-Nizarda

This composed salad with albacore tuna is a perfect summer meal.

With the use of Andalusian brine-cured olives and local tomatoes, this classic recipe is more Spanish than French. 

Use the above recipe for vinaigrette for this salad. Also use it to dress the tuna, potatoes and onions. However, don’t add the dressing to the green beans until immediately before serving, as the vinegar will leach away the bright green of the beans.

Use Spanish brine-cured olives, green or black, for the salad or, if you like, use anchovy-stuffed manzanilla olives (and eliminate the anchovy fillets). 

I used grilled albacore tuna steak for the salad. Tomatoes are fabulous right now. Spanish-style, they are cut in wedges, not slices.

Add vinaigrette to the sliced albacore tuna.

Salad greens

Vinaigrette (recipe above)

Sliced cooked tuna

Tomatoes cut in wedges

Cooked, sliced potatoes

1 tablespoon brine from olives or capers

Cooked green beans

Hard-boiled eggs, quartered

Slivered red onion

Brine-cured olives

Capers

Canned anchovy fillets, drained

Spread salad greens on a serving platter or individual plates.

Drizzle vinaigrette on the sliced tuna. Add olive brine and a spoonful of vinaigrette to the sliced potatoes and mix gently. Add vinaigrette to the slivered onions. 

Arrange the tuna in the center of the platter or plates. Place the tomatoes, potatoes and beans around the tuna. Tuck in quartered egg. Scatter slivered onion olives and capers on top. Lay anchovies on top of the salad. 

Immediately before serving, drizzle vinaigrette over all.

Tuna Cakes

Tortitas de Bonito

I used tuna steak that had been cooked on the grill for these cakes or patties. Albacore tuna is not very fatty and tends to be dry. So, the cooked fish gains in juiciness if allowed to marinate briefly in vinaigrette. Canned light tuna can be substituted for the cooked tuna in this recipe.

If you have not got smoked hot pimentón, use regular smoked pimentón plus a pinch of cayenne.

Instead of the usual tartare sauce or mayo, serve the tuna cakes with a fresh tomato sauce with capers.

As a summer dish, neither the fish cakes nor sauce need to be served hot.  

10 ounces skinless, boneless cooked tuna

2 tablespoons vinaigrette (recipe above)

2 cloves garlic

1 shallot, coarsely chopped

½ cup parsley

1 cup cooked rice

1 large egg

¼ teaspoon cumin

¼ teaspoon oregano

¼ teaspoon pimentón picante de la Vera (smoked, hot paprika)

½ teaspoon salt

Fine dry bread crumbs

Olive oil to fry the cakes

Tomato sauce with capers, to serve (recipe follows)

Tuna chopped with rice.

Chop or flake the tuna. Place it in a small bowl and add the vinaigrette. Let marinate 10 minutes.

Finely chop the garlic, shallot and parsley in a food processor. Add the rice and egg and process briefly. Add the cumin, oregano, pimentón and salt and combine well. Add the tuna and any vinaigrette left in the bowl. Process just until the tuna is finely chopped but not reduced to puree. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, cover tightly and refrigerate at least one hour.

Heat oil in a skillet on moderate heat. Take handfuls of the tuna mixture. Press it firmly into golf-ball-size balls. Flatten the balls slightly to make a patty. Coat them lightly with bread crumbs. Fry the cakes until browned on both sides, about 4 minutes per side.

Serve the tuna cakes hot or room temperature accompanied by Tomato Sauce with Capers.

Tomato Sauce with Capers

Salsa de Tomate con Alcaparras

Unlike a sofrito, this tomato sauce doesn’t start with sautéeing ingredients. Tomatoes and oil go into the pan together. The sauce is done with 15 minutes of cooking.

An easy way to peel tomatoes: Cut an X on the blossom end of the tomatoes. Place them, stem side down on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on “high” for 2 minutes. Remove and turn the tomatoes so the stem sides are up. Microwave 4 minutes longer. Leave the tomatoes inside the microwave until they are cool enough to handle. Slip off the skins and cut out the cores.

The sauce can be served warm, room temperature or cold. If it has been chilled, stir it well before serving.

1 ¼ pounds tomatoes (about 6), peeled

2 cloves garlic

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup dry Sherry

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon oregano

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons drained capers

Chunk the peeled tomatoes into a food processor with the garlic. Process until fairly smooth. Pour the tomatoes into a heavy saucepan. Add the oil, Sherry, salt, oregano and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover the pan. Cook 15 minutes.

Remove lid and, if you want a thicker sauce, simmer, uncovered, another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the capers. 

Serve the sauce warm, room temperature or cold.

More recipes with bonito/tuna:

Bonito with Olives.

Grilled Albacore with Garlic-Crumb Topping.

Sashimi of Bonito.

Peppers Stuffed with Tuna.

EXCITEMENT: BLACK GARLIC

 

Fresh garlic turns black, sticky and sweet in a slow fermentation process.

I get excited when I find something new at the grocery store. This time it was “black garlic.” Two whole heads of the garlic, nested in a plastic carton, cost about triple what ordinary garlic costs. The label said they were produced in Las Pedroñeras, a town in La Mancha, known as the garlic capital of Spain. 

Although black garlic has become trendy in Spanish gourmet cooking, it is not a Spanish invention. It probably was invented centuries ago in Asia. 

The whole head of garlic is submitted to a kind of fermentation process (Maillard reaction) with controlled temperature and humidity that turns the cloves of garlic black. The outer, papery skin turns a tan color and the individual cloves become black, soft and sticky and decidedly sweet. Yep, sweet, with a complexity that immediately made me think of chocolate. Or molasses. Although black garlic is virtually fat-free, it has an unctuous, buttery consistency. 

Black garlic has no garlicky smell, no bite, no garlic after-burps. According to what I read, black garlic has got all the health benefits of fresh garlic, with none of the unpleasant side effects such as bad breath. Chew one a day as a potent antioxidant. Better yet, experiment with black garlic to see what best to combine it with. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Squash a clove of black garlic on toast and spread it like butter. Top the toast with orange marmalade. Or anchovies. Or sausage. Cheese, perhaps?

Five slices of toasted baguette have each been spread with a clove of black garlic. They are topped with, from left, sliced hard-boiled egg and a dollop of black garlic yogurt sauce (recipe below) and a sprinkling of smoked pimentón; slices of black-pepper Mallorcan salchichón; sliced avocado and a ribbon of salsa (hot sauce); anchovy fillet with strips of piquillo peppers, and smoked salmon with cream cheese, capers and chives.

Mash several cloves of the black garlic and mix them with mayonnaise, vinaigrette, cream cheese or yogurt. Use the sauce on burgers, vegetables, pasta, potatoes, fish, or just about anything!

Black garlic and yogurt sauce plus a dribble of ketchup top a chicken burger. (Recipe below.) 

Mix crushed black garlic with butter or extra virgin olive oil. Smear it on corn-on-the-cob, baked potato or cooked green beans.

Better than butter! Whip black garlic with extra virgin olive oil and chill it until thickened.

Make a dramatic garnish for gazpacho and salmorejo.

Ajo blanco is a traditional Málaga cold soup, a white gazpacho. It's made with fresh garlic, olive oil, bread and ground almonds. This black and white version is garnished with dollops of black garlic as well as traditional grapes. (Recipe below.)

Add black garlic to chocolate.

Black garlic and chocolate have an affinity. These chocolate clusters incorporate raisins, peanuts and a piece of black garlic clove.

Black Garlic Yogurt Sauce

Aliño de Ajo Negro

Serve this sauce as a spread for hamburgers, a topping for baked potatoes or a finishing touch with vegetables such as green beans. Note that the resulting sauce, once garlic and yogurt are combined, is not black, but a tan color. 

For 1 serving:

2 cloves black garlic

1 tablespoon Greek yogurt

Salt

Pinch of cumin

Few drops of Tabasco or other hot sauce

Mash the garlic in a small bowl. Stir in the yogurt until smooth. Season the sauce with salt, cumin and Tabasco. 

Black Garlic “Butter”

Manteca de Ajo Negro

Why did I think that black garlic and olive oil would emulsify? They don’t. But, after blending, then chilling, the olive oil partially congeals and can be whipped with the garlic to make the perfect “butter” for slathering on corn-on-the-cob. The sweetness of the black garlic complements sweet corn. 

10 cloves black garlic

1 tablespoon water

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon flaky salt

½ teaspoon chopped parsley

In a blender or mini food processor, puree the garlic and water. Whirl in the olive oil. Season with salt and parsley. Chill the mixture, stirring occasionally, at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours. Immediately before serving, stir the garlic-oil again. Serve it cold.

Black and White Garlic Gazpacho

Ajo Blanco y Negro

Grapes are a traditional garnish for ajo blanco, a white gazpacho. This one has spoonfuls of black garlic as well.

White-garlic gazpacho, made with almonds, raw garlic, bread and olive oil, is a traditional cold soup in Málaga. The black garlic makes a contrasting garnish for the soup. I kept the ajo blanco thick, so that the garnishes don't sink to the bottom. 

Serves 4

For the black garlic garnish:

8 cloves of black garlic

1 teaspoon Sherry vinegar

2 teaspoons water

Salt

Mash the garlic in a small bowl. Stir in the vinegar and water. Season with salt to taste. 

For the white gazpacho:

2 slices (3 ounces) day-old bread, crusts removed

Water

2 cloves garlic

½ cup ground almonds (unsweetened)

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar

½ teaspoon salt

Grapes, to garnish

Break the bread into pieces and place it in a bowl. Cover with water and let the bread soak until softened. Squeeze out most of the water and place the bread in a blender with the garlic, almonds, oil and vinegar. Add enough water so that the blender works, about 1 cup. Season the gazpacho with salt. It can be thinned with additional water, if desired, but the black garlic garnish will sink if the gazpacho is too thin.

Chill the gazpacho. Serve the gazpacho in small bowls. Garnish each with some of the black garlic. Garnish with grapes.

Chocolate Clusters with Raisins, Peanuts and Black Garlic

Bocados de Chocolate con Pasas, Cacahuetes y Ajo Negro

These chocolate clusters with black garlic are yummy.

So perfectly does the black garlic blend with the chocolate, fruit and nuts that no one is likely to detect it unless you tell them! The candy clusters need to be kept refrigerated, as the chocolate softens quickly in a warm room.

Makes 12 (2-inch) clusters

4 ounces dark (74 percent) chocolate, chopped

Pinch of pimentón picante de la Vera (smoked, hot paprika)

12 pieces black garlic (half-garlic cloves)

2 ounces dark seedless raisins (1/3 cup), chopped if very large

2 ounces roasted, salted peanuts (1/3 cup), coarsely chopped

Line a baking sheet with parchment. Make room for it on a refrigerator shelf.

Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of boiling water. Sprinkle the chocolate with pimentón. Heat until the chocolate is melted.

Drop chocolate onto garlic, chill.

Place the pieces of garlic, a few inches apart, on the baking sheet.

When chocolate is melted, remove the bowl from the pan. Stir in the raisins and peanuts. Scoop up chocolate, fruit and nuts with a teaspoon. Use another teaspoon to push the chocolate on top of each piece of black garlic. When all the chocolate clusters are shaped, place the baking sheet in the refrigerator until the chocolate solidifies, at least 1 hour.

Remove the clusters from the baking sheet. Store them, layers separated with parchment, in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Or, you could just eat the cloves of black garlic like bonbons.

Another recipe with black garlic: Cauliflower with Almond Sauce and Black Garlic.

PUNCH UP THE FLAVORS FOR NO-SALT COOKING

Canned tuna, low in salt.

"What do I do with this can of no-salt tuna?” asked Paola, the home helper who prepares meals for a friend of mine. My friend is supposed to be on a salt-restricted diet to control high blood pressure. 

I’m supposed to be on a salt-restricted diet too. But I’ve become awfully lax about it. Just now, I sliced an avocado and, without thinking, sprinkled it with salt . I enjoy cooking for my friend once a week, so now I’ve got good reason to pay closer attention. 

Because salt enhances flavors, it’s hard to give up. Many nutritionists advise that you will soon get used to natural flavors without the salt. But, in the meantime, my advice is to kick up the flavors with the use of herbs, spices and, especially, lemon juice, vinegar and other acidic ingredients such as tomatoes, wine, 

Much excess sodium comes in the form of prepared foods—store-bought mayonnaise, soups, canned tomato sauce, canned tuna, not to mention ready-to-eat meals like pizza. But, I found lots of salt-free and reduced-salt foods at the grocery. Tuna and other canned fish. Canned tomatoes and tomato sauce. Chickpeas and other legumes. Caldo (broth), a good starting point for many soups. A deeper search would probably turn up more foods, such as salt-free cheese.

Reducing salt intake pretty much means eliminating some favorite salt-laden foods and condiments such as soy sauce, olives, capers, pickles, mustard, ketchup, ham and bacon, or else using them in miniscule quantities. 

 I suggested to Paola that she make tuna-salad sandwiches with the salt-free tuna she had. Now that I have stocked up on salt-free products, I am making a salt-free meal to take to my friend. For a starter, I'm making cold borscht with beets and salt-free broth. The main dish is tuna-mac, a summertime salad that my kids always loved.  Can I crank up the flavors to make up for the lack of salty mayo?  

Cold borscht made with roasted beets and salt-free broth. 

A tuna-mac salad with no mayonnaise. The dressing is made with olive oil and yogurt and generously seasoned with spices and herbs.

No-Salt Summer Borscht

Sopa Fria de Remolachas Sin Sal

This recipe is a simplification of true Ukrainian borscht, but it’s delicious and refreshing. Other vegetables such as carrots or beet greens can be cooked with the beets.

No-salt added chicken broth.

Roasting beets concentrates their flavor. I just happened to have roasted beets in my freezer, so that’s what I used. But you can make the soup with diced, raw beets. Cook them in the soup until they’re soft enough to puree easily.

You’ll need salt-free chicken broth/stock for the borscht. If you’re making your own, use the orange zest, bay, ginger, cloves and cardamom in the stock. If starting with store-bought broth, cook it briefly with the aromatics to add flavor to the soup.

Serves 4.

Aromatics for the broth.

4 cups no-salt chicken broth

3 strips of orange zest

1 bay leaf

1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled

3 cloves

3 cardamom pods

2 cups diced beets (roasted or raw)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar

¼ teaspoon allspice

1/3 cup cream

2 tablespoons orange juice

½ cup Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon chopped chives

Minced or grated orange zest

If using store-bought broth, place it in a pan with the strips of zest, bay, ginger, cloves and cardamom. Bring to a boil and simmer 8 minutes. Remove from heat and let the broth infuse with the spices.

Heat the oil in a pan. Sauté the onions and garlic until softened, 5 minutes. Do not let them brown. Add the diced beets. Strain the broth into the pan with the onions. Pick out the piece of ginger, chop it and add to the pan with the beets. Add the vinegar and allspice. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat and cook, covered, until the beets are very tender, about 20 minutes.

Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. Add the cream and blend again. Return the pan to the heat and cook 2 minutes more. Pour the soup into a container. Allow to cool, then stir in the orange juice. Refrigerate until serving time.

In a small bowl, whisk the yogurt with the chives and minced orange zest. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with the yogurt sauce.

No-Salt Tuna-Mac Salad

Ensalada de Atún y Macarrones Sin Sal

I used four small (80-gram) cans of light tuna canned in water, no added salt, no oil. Drained, I had 8 ounces of tuna, making about 1 ½ cups.

Pasta for tuna-mac.

I use a pasta called tiburones—sharks—in Spanish. It’s more like lumaconi (snails) than like elbow macaroni. Use any shape you like for this salad. 

Season the oil-yogurt dressing generously with dry mustard powder and smoked pimentón. Add other flavors, to taste. Red pepper flakes or chopped fresh chile are terrific salt place-holders for those who enjoy “hot” flavors (my friend does not). A few aromatic seeds—dill, celery, cumin, mustard—add punch and crunch. Right before serving, fold in chopped fresh herbs. I used basil, but parsley, cilantro, chives or tarragon would be good as well. I finished the salad with a teaspoon of capers, about two capers per serving. Yes, capers are brined. Used as seasoning, they pack a real punch for not much sodium. 

Serves 4.

8-ounce package of elbow macaroni

Extra virgin olive oil (5-6 tablespoons, divided)

12 ounces canned salt-free tuna

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

¼ cup finely chopped onion

¼ cup chopped celery

½ cup chopped red and/or green pepper

1 teaspoon dry mustard powder

1 teaspoon pimentón de la Vera (smoked paprika)

Pinch of cayenne

¼ teaspoon black mustard seeds

¼ teaspoon dill seeds

1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar

½ cup Greek yogurt

Hard-boiled egg

1 teaspoon drained capers (optional)

Chopped fresh herbs

Salad greens, to serve

Sliced tomatoes, to serve

Cook the macaroni in boiling water with no salt until done to taste. Drain, rinse in cold water and drain well. Place the macaroni in a bowl and add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Stir to coat the macaroni with oil.

Drain the canned tuna, reserving the liquid from the can to be used later. Break up the chunks of tuna and place them in a bowl. Add the lemon juice to the tuna. Add the tuna to the macaroni. Add the onion, celery and chopped peppers to the macaroni.

In a small bowl, combine the mustard powder, pimentón, cayenne, mustard seeds, dill seeds and vinegar. Whisk in 3 tablespoons of the oil. Stir in the yogurt and combine well. Thin the dressing with 2 tablespoons of the reserved liquid that was drained from the canned tuna.

Fold the dressing into the macaroni and tuna. Add more of the reserved liquid, as needed, to keep the mixture creamy. The hard-boiled egg can be chopped and added to the salad or can be saved to garnish at serving time. The capers, if using, can be mixed in with the dressing or scattered on top when serving.

Cover and refrigerate the salad until serving time. 

Remove the salad from the fridge 30 minutes before serving. If needed, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the salad. Fold fresh herbs into the salad immediately before serving. Garnish the salad with salad greens and sliced tomatoes.