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How you can (and should!) keep your good habits of cooking even in the summer heat

Summer is the season where you have time to do whatever you want. You can go on vacation, lay on the beach and enjoy the sun, or just stay home and relax. Whatever you choose, summer is a great time to cook.

Cooking can be a fun activity that helps you connect with your family. It is also a great way to spend some quality time together during the summer months. Plus (and not a small bonus) usually is the season when ingredients are at their best: ripe, juicy, colourful and ready to grab from the next tree or allotment…if yours, please don’t steal my tomatoes 🙂

However, many people are reluctant about cooking because it might seem like too much work or too complicated for them. As you imagine, this does not have to be true! Anyone can cook and it does not have to be difficult either!

Even if there are other things going on in your life right now, such as vacations or parties at different places every day, you should still find time for cooking at least once per week during summertime. This will help keep your kitchen clean and organized while also improving your health by eating better and healthier food than what most restaurants offer nowadays! Plus it will save you money! If all else fails then at least make sure you have an emergency meal plan ready in case something comes up unexpectedly (such as guests coming over unexpectedly). A simple salad filled with at least a source of protein of your choosing will make everyone happy without too much time in the kitchen. Also, the usual “Italian” simple dishes like burrata with tomatoes or melon and prosciutto will be loved by your friends and family and leave everyone full for hours. Just add some good bread, a bit of olive oil for anyone who likes to make a bruschetta, and you are all set.

Remember:

1. Plan ahead—if possible, make a few meals in advance so you don’t have to worry about making dinner every night while everyone else is away.
2. Make sure your kitchen is stocked with everything you need (and nothing more). If there’s something missing or broken in there, fix it now while everyone else is home!
3. Don’t overdo it with complicated recipes; keep your meals simple and straightforward so they don’t take up too much time or effort (and also so they’re easier on your wallet!).
4. Take advantage of the great weather outside! Grab some friends or family members (or both) and head outside for a cookout instead of trying to

This morning I was reading something on one of the profiles I follow, @katiesturino 

She was writing about her frustration with using pumpkin to cook a pasta dish., which results in a not-so-good -tasting dish and made her question her cooking abilities.

I think there are some ingredients that look ‘friendly’ (come on, October is pumpkin season, who doesn’t love a pumpkin) but in reality are very tricky.

First you have to find a really tasty one, and it’s not easy until you cook it usually… by then it’s too late. And even when you find a tasty one, its consistence is not easy to work with (tip: better in a risotto than in a pasta dish if you are not too experienced, or like the picture above in a soup).

So I would suggest to anyone who is practicing their first dishes, or perhaps want to impress a guest at dinner (the person you are spending your lockdown with, that is), to try with easier to work with ingredients.

Some foolproof ingredients you could start with are zucchini, for instance: you can sautee’ them with a little olive oil, a garlic glove and some parsley (at the end) and add them when ready to some cooked pasta, toss in and sautee a bit more, add a hint of parmesan if you like and voila’, simple and tasty dish even for beginners.

Another ingredient that always works well is asparagus (with risotto this time), or again for a pasta I would also do a handful of small round tomatoes, cut in half and sauteed in a little olive oil, salt and toss in the cooked pasta, add basil and enjoy.

Leave the most “risky” ingredients for a time when you are sure they are as tasty as possible, or when you can experiment.

Avoid false friends, in the kitchen and in your life 🙂