​Despite the heat, I’m still cooking. When considering what to cook, I do consider the weather and what I have from my weekly CSA box. Such was the case when I chose Yewande Komolafe’s recipe for Ginger Chicken with Crisp Napa Salad. This 30-minute recipe needs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, kosher salt, finely grated fresh ginger, fresh garlic, fresh cilantro, ground cayenne, a neutral oil, a lime, 1/2 of a small Napa cabbage, seedless cucumber, fresh chives, fresh mint leaves and either rice vinegar, distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
 
As my CSA box this week included regular cabbage I substituted that for of Napa and I substituted fresh parsley over cilantro for personal taste. To start, the chicken breasts are pounded to an even thickness of 1/2-inches and seasoned on both sides with salt. The chicken is marinated in a mixture of ginger, garlic, cilantro, cayenne, lime zest and oil. They only have to sit 10 minutes at room temperature before cooking.

​I made my first trip into Manhattan since COVID. My daughter wanted to see Sean Hayes in “Good Night Oscar” and her husband wasn’t interested.  Initially she was talking about an evening performance, but sensing my hesitation, we went the Sunday following her return from vacation on Long Beach Island. My daughter selected the restaurant, Ci Siamo, which is behind the Daniel P. Moynihan Train Station, convenient to Penn Station where we arrived. Although it was a hot and sticky day, the walk was quick and there was a slight breeze.
 
Upon our arrival we were seated in an open dining room with a view of The Manhattan West Plaza. Spacing between the tables was ample, the chairs comfortable and the table had a nice proportion for two people. We began with a cool non-alcoholic drink for each of us. I selected the Phony Negroni made with juniper, bitters and bubbles ($14) and my daughter had Tonio made with Italian bitter, grapefruit, elderflower and tonic ($14). Both were delicious and refreshing

​The steamy days of summer really put a kink in one’s cooking. However, I’ve been finding some delicious one pot pasta dishes that go well in this hot weather. Melissa Clark’s recipe for One-Pan Shrimp Scampi with Crispy Gnocchi takes about 30 minutes to prepare and makes for a quick post-beach supper. In last week’s Dreyer Farms CSA box, I had two green zucchini that came just in time to try Alexa Weibel’s recipe for One-Pot Zucchini-Basil Pasta. As Sunday was overcast and gray, why not bake even more cookies. I made Rosemary Walnut Biscotti from a vintage issue of “Gourmet Magazine, December 1992.
 
If you are a subscriber to The New York Times, you can find Melissa Clark’s recipe in her column “A Good Appetite.” This recipe appeared in the article titled “Give Your Gnocchi the Shrimp Scampi Treatment,” published in October 2022. I love this recipe because it’s quick, you can use fresh or frozen shrimp and shelf stable gnocchi, such as Wegmans potato gnocchi, which I love. For the recipe you’ll also need extra virgin olive oil, unsalted butter, fresh garlic, dry white wine (clam juice or broth works too), kosher salt (Diamond Crystal), black pepper, red pepper flakes, one pound of shrimp, a lemon and fresh chopped parsley.