Salads a refreshing alternative for suppers in summertime

Summer seems to be an unpredictable meal time. Either people are ravenous or picky, depending on the heat and the activities of the day. Surfers are starving, sunbathers languid. It's hard to know how much to fix, winding up with making too much rather than too little most of the time.

These dribs and drabs -- a bit of barley here, a little rice there, some leftover rotisserie chicken, two slices of country ham, a pork roast that has a goodly portion of meat, a grilled flank steak only partially used, an extra fillet of fish untouched -- can enhance a salad, feed the whole gang and clean out the refrigerator, all in one serendipitous occasion.

The heat dissuades me from cooking another meat when I have all these pieces of a meal here. And soup doesn't call to me. A cool salad can serve as a host to most of these proteins, accommodating one or even two types of meat/fish leftovers to make a full meal if there is enough.

My two interns, Julia Regner and Hayley Daen gathered fresh ingredients and turned them into wildly delicious salads. (They also arranged the food for the photographs.)

Serve the salad in a bowl, accompanied by the slivered pieces of meats, arranged side by side on a platter. Open a can of tuna or salmon, drain and add it to the array on the platter, just to be sure it is enough for whoever has turned up to eat.

Don't feel limited to just one salad, by the way. The other night, we had three salads, along with some slivers of meat and a handful of leftover shrimp, and let everyone mix and match. It's a lot better than cooking casseroles or roasts in the heat, and much more refreshing!

Green Bean, Blue Cheese and Pecan Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 pound green beans, cleaned and with tips cut off

4 ounces blue, feta or soft goat cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped

Directions

Note: For a main course, add fingers of ham, pork or beef -- it can accommodate a hearty meat

Add the green beans to boiling water over medium heat and cook 5 minutes, uncovered. Strain them in a colander and run cold water over them to stop the cooking process (or prepare an ice water bath for the beans). Toss the cooled and air-dried beans with the blue cheese and pecans. For a creamier sauce, toss until the cheese mixture becomes a creamy consistency. The longer you toss the beans, you'll discover that an elegant blue cheese sauce has developed under your eyes. For chunkier cheese, simply crumble blue cheese on the presentation plate and then sprinkle with pecans. Plate on a shallow dish for a cleaner presentation.

Julia Regner's Tomato Watermelon Salad

Serves 6-8

Recently, I took this to a covered dish supper, where it had a lot of competition with fabulous dishes, and it held its own. As we talked about it, we wondered why it had taken so long for watermelon to be integrated with cheeses and other savory mixtures. Even tomatoes are a new addition on the table. Whatever the reason, we've been missing out on a vibrant, refreshing salad. It extrudes a great deal of liquid on its own, making its own dressing, and should be salted just before serving.

Other food companions for this salad other than the bacon would be tender cooked white fish, broken into small pieces, or slivered chicken breast, tossed together with the rest of the salad at the last minute. This dish is best enjoyed the day it is prepared.

Ingredients

3 cups diced tomato, preferably yellow or orange, in 1-inch dice or wedged

3 cups diced watermelon, 1 1/2- to 2-inch dice

2 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste

Salt, to taste

2 slices bacon, crisped and crumbled (optional)

2 ounces blue, feta or soft goat cheese, crumbled

Directions

Gently mix tomatoes and watermelon in a medium bowl with the lemon juice. Plate individually or in a serving bowl, then sprinkle with salt, bacon or other meat and cheese.

Variation: Tomato-Watermelon Soup. If there is any left over, whir it all together, with or without the bacon, to make a refreshing soup. A little mint or lemon balm would add a refreshing note.

Ham, Fig and Arugula Salad

Serves 2-3 as a light lunch

Bursting fig trees can be daunting when one doesn't have time to make a jam or preserve with them. But rather than waste their deliciousness, combine them with country ham and a green. (Arugula seems to be more available in the summer, as it is still growing here, but any salad green will do.)

Although this is very tasty and satisfying by itself, to feed more people a heartier meal, scatter this salad on top of the barley rice salad.

Ingredients

2 cups arugula

1 cup fresh figs, diced

4 ounces country ham, diced into 1-inch pieces (prosciutto can be substituted)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Arrange arugula on a platter, and scatter figs and ham on top. Finish the dish by sprinkling the lemon juice and salt on the salad.

Rice and Fruit Salad With Ginger Dressing

6 servings

Although this may happily be made with long- or medium-grain rice, there is a multicolor rice product (Basmati brown rice, red rice, pearled barley and rye berries) that we have grown to love. It is lovely and healthy in this salad. When figs are in season, they are particularly welcome; otherwise dry will do. Feel free to substitute other dried or fresh fruit. To make a full meal, add strips of country ham, flaky cooked fish such as trout or sea bass, or strips of cooked pork, chicken or beef.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon ginger juice (see cook's note)

2 tablespoons white wine or Champagne vinegar

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt to taste

1 cup fresh or dried figs, stems trimmed, quartered

1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped

1/2 cup toasted pecans, loosely chopped

1 cup cooked rice, room temperature

3 to 4 cups of arugula or other tasty green, washed and dried

Directions

Cook's note: Ginger juice is commercially available, and lasts a long time in the refrigerator or may be made by pureeing a 4- to 5-inch piece of ginger in a clean coffee grinder or grater and then pressing it against a strainer to extract the ginger juice.

Whisk the ginger juice, vinegar, hot sauce, olive oil and a couple of big pinches of salt in a large bowl. Stop when the dressing takes on a slightly thick, opaque look. Set aside.

Just before serving, toss the figs, apricots, pecans and rice with a large dollop of the dressing until lightly coated, then add the arugula. Taste and add more seasoning or dressing if needed. Fork the mixture to arrange the rice and fruit on the top.

Hayley's Carrot Raisin Salad

Serves 6-8

Sometimes a carrot dipped in hummus or smeared with peanut butter just doesn't cut it. Sometimes something a little dressier, a little more festive is necessary. When that occasion arises, turn to this easy salad. It is sweet and warm and has beautiful texture, being both crunchy and chewy at the same time. It would be a great accompaniment to roast pork, but it would be equally delicious alongside a burger straight off the grill. It's even good out of the container later that night all by itself.

Ingredients

1 pound carrots

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup raisins

Directions

Clean and peel carrots. Cut into thin ribbons using carrot peeler. Whisk lemon juice, olive oil, honey, cinnamon, cumin, salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Toss carrot ribbons together with dressing and raisins. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Goat Cheese Herb Pearl Barley Salad

Serves 6-8

Tiny pearl barley makes a textured, tasty and nutritious base for any salad. I usually make a batch and freeze half of it just to pull out at a later time for a salad or a soup. It is wonderfully satisfying as a side. Pieces of cooked pork, flank steak or shrimp added to this would make a colorful and hearty dinner salad.

Ingredients

4 cups cooked pearl barley (cooked according to package directions)

1/4 cup goat cheese

1/4 to 1/2 cup warm water

Juice and zest of one lemon

2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped green onions

3 tablespoons chopped fresh fennel fronds (optional)

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

6 ounces mozzarella, cut or torn into chunks

Directions

Toss the barley and goat cheese together with a couple of forks in a large bowl. Add the water as needed to thin out the goat cheese a bit. Whisk the lemon juice, zest, vinegar, onion and herbs together separately. Pour over shortly before serving. Scatter the mozzarella over the barley and toss to incorporate. Serve at room temperature.

Nathalie Dupree, who lives in Charleston, is the former director of Rich's Cooking School in Atlanta and the author of eight cookbooks, including "Nathalie Dupree's Comfortable Entertaining." She may be reached at www.nathalie.com.