I heart artichokesIf you want to see how much a raw ingredient can be transformed by roasting, try a fresh vegetable. Slice it, drizzle with oil and blast in the oven at high heat. Your bright, crisp produce is now brown at the edges, soft at the center and deeply, elaborately flavorful. But roasting can bring out some of those same qualities in canned and frozen vegetables, too — particularly artichoke hearts, which gain a concentrated, almost herbal flavor from a stint in a 425-degree oven. Naz Deravian puts such burnished artichoke hearts to good use in her recipe for lemon spaghetti with roasted artichokes. While the artichoke hearts are working their magic in the oven, you work some of your own at the stovetop by boiling the pasta and whisking together a simple, tangy sauce with Parmesan, olive oil and plenty of fresh lemon juice and zest. The process is even faster with an air fryer, if you have one, saving you from heating up the oven, your kitchen and yourself, which is a trick I think all of us can use this month. Featured Recipe Lemon Spaghetti With Roasted ArtichokesMore food for thoughtChilled cucumber soup with avocado toast: I turn to this cold, creamy soup all summer long, whirling cucumbers, herbs and buttermilk in the blender until smooth, green and tangy. Top it with corn kernels and serve with avocado toast to add a sweet and juicy crunch. On the hottest days, though, I skip the corn and toast and sip it straight from a glass, letting its icy savoriness cool me down without ever having to chew. Smashed cucumber and chicken salad: Another no-cook recipe starring cucumbers, Zainab Shah’s Sichuan-inspired chicken salad is made with shredded rotisserie chicken mixed with a spicy-sweet dressing. It gets even better after sitting in the fridge for a few hours to let the cucumbers absorb the heady flavors — the perfect thing to have ready and waiting for the steamiest summer nights. Feta-ranch wedge salad: Alexa Weibel raises wedge salad to the next level by slicing the iceberg lettuce into thin crescents, rather than thick chunks, which helps every drop of the salty, herby dressing work its way into the nooks and crannies. If feta ranch isn’t your thing, swap in a basic vinaigrette or green goddess for a new spin on this retro classic. Blackened chicken breasts: Kia Damon streamlines blackened chicken breasts in this speedy, five-star winner. Her smart move is to cut the chicken breasts in half horizontally to ensure they cook quickly and evenly. Halving them also exposes more surface to soak up the Cajun spice mix, giving you full-flavored, perfectly seared chicken in under half an hour. No-churn salted caramel ice cream: With a texture somewhere between soft serve and a fluffy frozen mousse, this delightful ice cream requires no special equipment and can be made in minutes with a jar of dulce de leche and some heavy cream. Top it with hot fudge to go all out, or drop a couple of scoops into a glass of root beer or ginger ale for a fun and fizzy float. Does it get more summery than that? That’s all for now, except to remind you that if you run into any technical issues, you can send an email to cookingcare@nytimes.com. And as always, I’m at hellomelissa@nytimes.com if you want to say hello.
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