Lite Summer suppers

Summer time and the heat is just awful.  Drought has taken over the garden and the weeds aren't even growing.  So I've turned down the heat in the kitchen making cold soups and lite salads.  Here are a few of our favorites.

TOMATO ASPIC
4 cups v-8 juice                         2 tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped celery              1/4 cup chopped green onion
1 tsp. salt                                    1 small envelope unflavored gelatin
juice of 1/2 lemon                       2 cloves finely crushed

Heat half the juice until warmed.  Mix gelatin with one cup of juice and add to heated juice.  Stir in other ingredients and pour into mold.  Stir often until it sets.  Serve over a bed of greens and top with a spoonful of sour cream.  There are many versions of aspic, but this has a bold flavor because of the v-8 juice and touch of cloves.  This makes enough to fill an 8+8 baking dish.


CRAB SALAD WITH PAPAYA
1/4 cup rice vinegar                     3 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. water                                  4 tsp. fish sauce
1/2 tsp. salt                                   1/2 cup each chopped green and red pepper
1 1/2 tsp. minced serrano chile     2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
1/2 lb lump crabmeat                   2 ripe papaya

Whisk vinegar, sugar, water, fish sauce and salt until blended and sugar is dissolved.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Hollow and seed the papayas.  Depending on desired presentation, place spoonfuls of crab salad into each half of papaya and plate.  It is easier to eat to just serve over cubes of the fruit.  Add slices of lime and enjoy.


Other ideas are tuna salad stuffed tomatoes over bed of lettuce.  Chilled stuffed beets is on the menu this week.  Par boil the beets, skin and hollow out center.  Dice the pulp add celery, baby peas, green onions
and seasonings. Add enough mayonnaise to bind.  Chill both the beets and salad until very cold.  Fill beets with salad drizzle with a splash of balsamic vinegar.

Enjoy!