[ominously] School's out.
The ACBN Friday Newsletter flips to summer mode, whether it wants to or not
I have some alarming news to share.
I hope you’re sitting down.
Are you ready?
[whispers] It’s summer.
Now, I know what you’ll say—Mr. Cookbook, summer doesn’t start for nearly a month. It’s still definitely spring.
You would be technically correct, but here’s the thing: it doesn’t matter. It’s summer.
Today is the last day of school here in Louisville, and my kids are going to throw down their backpacks and pencils for twelve weeks of hotly-anticipated educational decline. Sure, we’ve got some day camps scheduled, but those will only be delaying the inevitable. They’ll be fully feral by Flag Day at the latest.
And you know what? That’s fine.
As an adult, I may not get an extended summer break myself—something I helpfully reminded my son of when he complained about the day camps—but I can at least live vicariously through their three months of never wearing real shoes.
Spring is dead. Long live summer.
Friends, it is Friday once again at The Action Cookbook Newsletter.
I’m ready to dive into the long weekend, and I’ve got a full slate of ACBN-Certified Good Things to help you dive in, too. Today, we make another stop on my Summer Side (Dish) Quest, mix up a cocktail specifically tailored to go into an insulated cup for the pool, put on some nostalgic summer tunes, read a fun book, and so much more!
Time to sit back and unwind…
Cowboy, take me away
The last few weeks, I’ve been using the recipe section of these Friday newsletters to highlight some of my favorite summer side dishes—the things that can accompany a cookout or barbecue, or maybe even travel in a cooler to the beach.
So far, I’ve featured a terrific Hawaiian Pizza Pasta Salad, and a powerful turn at Watermelon-Halloumi salad.
Today, I want to take a Tex-Mex spin on things, with my (sorta) spin on Cowboy Caviar, a side salad with black beans, corn, tomatoes and more.
(Technically, Cowboy Caviar is based on black-eyed peas, but that’s not what I did here and I’m not going to be bound by nomenclature. If Texas wants to argue with me about food, I have some thoughts on chili that’ll really blow their minds.)
The basics of the dish are really easy—it’s mostly opening cans and chopping vegetables. Where this version really succeeds, though, is in the dressing I made for it—a delicious roasted garlic-cilantro vinaigrette that elevates a humble cookout staple to star status.
Cowboy Corn Salad
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped into a small dice
12 ounces cherry tomatoes, cut into eighths (halve, quarter, then halve those quarters)
1/2 of a large red onion, very finely diced
1 avocado, diced
1/4 of a bunch of cilantro
Roasted Garlic-Cilantro Vinaigrette
1 head garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
juice of two limes
3/4s of a bunch of cilantro, stems mostly removed
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Cut the top off of the head of garlic, exposing the tops of the cloves, and remove the looser papery skins. Place on a sheet of foil, drizzle with olive oil, wrap the foil tight around it, put it in an oven-proof dish, and bake for 45 minutes at 350F. Allow to cool, and then—if you’re lazy like me—just smash the whole thing with a fork to squeeze out the roasted cloves.
Add the roasted garlic, oil, lime juice, cilantro, honey and salt to a food processor; process until a pourable consistency is reached. Toss the dressing with the corn, black beans, peppers, onion, avocado and remaining cilantro; season with additional salt to taste.
This is really the ideal summer side, because it was great with something off the grill—I served it with grilled fish the first time—but it also kept very well, and wasn’t something I felt bad taking as part of my workweek lunches. That’s versatility, friends.
NO RUNNING!
Memorial Day weekend means lots of things—sales, cookouts, road trips—but to my kids, it means something they’ve been anticipating for months: the pool is back open.
I do not love going to the pool; I am not wired for sitting calmly poolside, nor for dodging balls thrown by other people’s children. I accept it as a fact of life in summer, though, because my kids love it.
Now, poolside drinks are their own genre; I might enjoy a nice craft beer during the winter months, but when it’s over 90 degrees, I’m in full Bud Light Lime mode. Those trash beers are delicious, but I had a thought the other day—why not craft a cocktail specifically tailored to drinking out of a Hydroflask or Yeti next to a pool, lake or other body of water?
I spent long hours in the lab coming up with this; it’s a drink that’s meant to benefit from a slow melt on a hot day, a sweet summer refresher that’s got an eye toward proper hydration. I call it The Pool Boy.
The Pool Boy
2 ounces blanco or reposado tequila
1 ounce Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao (I used the Yuzu variant, but the standard is fine)
1/2 ounce passionfruit syrup
1/2 ounce lime juice
8 ounces coconut water
8 ounces coconut water (for ice cubes)
Ahead of time, fill an ice try with coconut water. This is critical to keeping the drink cool (obviously) but also to prevent it becoming too watery.
In a cocktail shaker, mix the tequila, Dry Curaçao, passionfruit syrup, and lime juice; shake well. This is a very solid margarita if you stop right here, or just add a few ounces of the coconut water. But we’re not stopping; we’re going to the pool.
Add the coconut ice to a glass, pour the drink over, and top with coconut water.
This is the LinkedIn headshot for this drink; professional, proper.
This is the “actual use case” photo of the drink, in my custom ACBN Yeti. Either way, it was very tasty—and hydrating!—and would make a lovely compliment to any drink-appropriate outdoor events this summer.
Speaking of which, let’s put some music on…