Fast food at home, part III: Cooking when it’s too hot for heat
The fields on either side of the sand road are lined with broad bands of windrows, the green, earthy, sweetly herbal scent of freshly cut alfalfa hanging heavy in the sweating air.
The thermometer already reads 19 Celsius and it’s only 6 a.m. Recent afternoon readings have topped the mid-forties post-Humidex.
The early hours are the only time of day to get in a run — any time later would do more harm than good — so my dog and I scamper down and back, then eat breakfast on the deck before the mosquitoes discover us.
Welcome to summer 2026 on the Prairies. The mosquitoes and ticks, plus humidity that turns the heat into swamp air, are just not my idea of a great prairie summer. I’d rather have those blisteringly hot, dry days. And please, dear goddess of wild things, call off the insects already — or send in the dragonflies.
So, let’s say we got through our morning run, coffee and breakfast are behind us (yay for peaches and strawberries in season!) and we’ve gotten on with our day. In a few hours, we’ll be thinking of lunch, then supper. For me, in summer, that means not cooking. Not turning on the stove. Not heating up the grill. No oven-time to blaze my old farmhouse kitchen into conflagration. No heat-generating heat, if you take my meaning. I am willing to use my InstaPot or countertop air fryer for early-morning prep towards a cold supper, but no more heat, please.
What are some options for a cold supper in high summer?
First up are the “hunter-gatherer who sources supplies in town” choices: a rotisserie chicken someone else cooked is top of the list, quick protein that is good in any number of cold dishes.
Then there’s the InstaPot advantage: cook some beans or chickpeas, and spin them into salads, falafel, hummus and fillings for naan bread and pita.
Next is the “raid the freezer” gambit, which is highly appealing, if only for time spent with head immersed in cold air.
There’s the air fryer one-upper, which can roast Korean-marinated flank steak or air fry halloumi for deconstructed grilled cheese sammies, all without generating any extra heat.
Translate those options into any of the following heat-free meals and you’re on target.
Try lettuce wraps, leaves filled with chickpea salad or cold noodles in dressing; arugula or red oak leaf with olive tapenade; or salmon or tuna salad with aioli or spicy peanut lime dressing.
Put that store-bought rotisserie chicken to good use in Vietnamese rice paper salad rolls (gỏi cuốn — aptly called “summer rolls”) with rice noodles, shredded vegetables and hoisin or peanut dip. Vietnamese baguette sandwich (bánh mi) is another candidate for shredded rotisserie chicken or for some of that thinly sliced Korean-style flank steak that you air fried earlier in the day.
Use tomatoes in bruschetta, juices dripping onto crusty buns. Or same ingredients, different presentation: panzanella, the best-ever peasant salad made with toasted cubed bread and diced juicy tomatoes in an olive oil vinaigrette. Add feta, olives, roasted peppers, shredded chicken, chickpeas.
Try InstaPot-cooked chickpea or bean salad with pickled red onions and handfuls of whatever herbs and vegetables are ready, dressed in a spicy vinaigrette featuring smoked paprika and a dollop of pomegranate molasses. Next day, serve hummus made from some of those cooked beans or chickpeas, with flame-toasted pita or naan. (Okay, I bent the no-flame rule for this one!) Still later in the week, make falafel from the last of the chickpeas, and serve in pita with chopped and pickled salad and tahini dressing.
The only cold pasta salad I really love is Japanese, made with buckwheat noodles, grilled peppers and eggplant slivers, cilantro and shredded green onions in a sweet and spicy sesame oil and soy vinaigrette. Made in the morning, it can be embellished with the last of that rotisserie chicken or flank steak, or barbecued duck or pork from the Chinese market.
Whew. Now we’re talking. Cold supper on a cool breeze. Alternatively, take a Canadian vacation on a coast. Think east coast lobster rolls, west coast Dungeness crab salad or north coast Arctic char escabeche.
First, we eat without heat, then we plan our next Canadian trip with our tummies.
Tuscan Panzanella
Bread is the star of this Mediterranean salad. Choose a robust sourdough with lots of texture and flavour. Use only ripe, delicious tomatoes. Serves 4-6
1 loaf sourdough bread, cubed
2 lb. ripe tomatoes, cubed or halved if small
a generous sprinkle of kosher salt
2/3 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. mustard
a pinch of Aleppo chili peppers
1/4 c. sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
1/2 c. minced chives
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. shredded basil leaves
freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Put bread cubes into air fryer at 325 F. Bake for 10-12 minutes, tossing once. Transfer to a tray and let stand.
Put tomatoes into colander or sieve placed over a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Let stand for 15 minutes. Reserve drained tomato juice. Transfer tomatoes to a large bowl.
Add oil, mustard, chili peppers, vinegar, chives and garlic to tomato juice. Whisk well and pour over tomatoes. Add basil and bread. Toss well, let stand for five minutes, toss again and serve.
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