Cocoa and Lavender: Summer Nights

You might think that when the mercury soars above 100°F (38°C), the idea of a hot meal would be unthinkable. Alas, for this cook, it is not.

We are very fortunate to have air-conditioning so dishes that might normally be winter comfort food, can comfort us year-round.

Heating up the kitchen in summer is not something I like to do. Even with the AC, it gets stuffy. However, we have found a really great solution that doesn't involve a $40,000 outdoor kitchen.

We bought a propane grill with a side burner. Honestly, it is a marriage saver!

First, one of us (no names, but his initials are Markipedia) hates it when I cook onions in the house. The smell, and the idea that there are tiny fat globules floating through the house - through the ventilation, lodging themselves in our clothing, in our hair, in the upholstery, on the paintings, - is unacceptable. Now, I simply sauté the onions outdoors - especially if there is a large quantity.

Second, that burner allows us to make wonderful stove-top comfort dishes like today's Argentinian Carbonada Criolla without heating up the kitchen.

You might well ask, "Why are you making something so wintry in the summer?" It's a great question. The answer is pretty simple: look at the ingredients and ask yourself, "When are these ingredients in season?" Summer. If you use frozen or dried corn, and dried mango, most other ingredients hold well into the fall and winter. But, pretty much, this is a summer stew.

Our recommendation? Make this stew (indoors or on your patio), put on some tango music, and enjoy the summer heat.

¡Bajá un cambio¡ (Chill out! in Argentinian slang.)

Carbonada Criolla

1 large onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 1/2 pounds stewing beef, cut into 1-inch pieces

salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 14-ounce can plum tomatoes, with juices

2 sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice

2 white potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 firm-ripe mango, peeled, seeded, and diced - or - 1 cup diced dried mango

2 tablespoons sugar

1 cup corn kernels from 2-3 ears of corn

In a large pot, sauté the onions and green pepper in the olive oil until golden and soft. Add the beef, season with salt and pepper, and cook on medium-high heat, turning to brown all sides.

Add the plum tomatoes, beef broth, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, butternut squash, and mango. Break up the tomatoes with a spoon or fork. Add sugar, and mix well. (If dried mango is sweetened, cut the sugar by half.) Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat for one hour. Taste for seasoning. Cook uncovered for about 30 minutes longer, until beef is tender. Stir in the corn and simmer for 5 minutes more.