When it heats up outside, I hesitate to do much cooking inside. Flames and smoke of grilling outdoors don’t hold much appeal, either. So, I revert to lessons learned in Greece: cook ahead, and keep it simple. Even the most lethargic appetite seems to respond to fresh flavors of basic Greek classics. This year the alarming heat wave across Greece and southern Europe has been major news. But in the cool of the morning, one can make the evening’s meal – and sit under an arbor or pergola somewhere at the end of the day with a glass of retsina or raki. Early in the day, prepare a simple sauce – Skorthalia/ Skordalia - of mashed potatoes, garlic and ground almonds to accent a main dish of sautéed fish with fennel or grilled chicken. In its simplicity, Skorthalia in fact recalls ancient Mediterranean traditions combining ground almonds and garlic. Persia’s legendary, sophisticated cuisine used ground almonds with garlic in sauces similar to Turkish tarator. Today, it seems there is a revival of interest in these combinations that the ancients set before their family and guests. Skorthalia is a actually more of a rich side dish rather than a sauce, though it is usually listed with sauces. In some regions, bread soaked in water is incorporated into the mixture as a thickener instead of almonds – but then it loses the delicate almond flavor. Using new potatoes and fresh garlic, a bit of lemon juice and olive oil, this can be a staple on summer’s al fresco tables. I sometimes thin the mixture a bit with the pan juices from sautéed fish with fennel, and although recipes say: “serve chilled”, I have been known to set a bowl of warm Skorthalia on the supper table and watch it quickly disappear. Combine ingredients using a mortar and pestle, then whisk in the mashed potatoes with a fork, stirring it until all ingredients are smooth, well blended. And add more garlic for a snappier, more authentic version:

2 large cloves of fresh garlic, finely chopped then mashed with 1 tsp. sea salt

2 tablespoons ground almonds, 1 tsp.freshly ground white pepper

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 to 1 +1/2 cups warm mashed potatoes (about 4 potatoes)

1 egg yolk (optional)

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon wine vinegar

Blend in the order given, stirring the egg into warm potatoes until completely blended (this gives a pleasant color). Using a 2 or 4 cup pyrex measuring cup takes the guesswork out of proportions; this is easily doubled to serve 6. Continue stirring while adding the oil in a thin stream, then blend in the vinegar last. Let cool, cover and chill during the day. Serve with fish, grilled vegetables, or spread a dab of Skorthalia on a slice of toasted baguette and top with a small shrimp or plump mussel as an appetizer. Variations abound.

On opposite ends of the Mediterranean Sea, I’ve discovered distinctive combinations – literally from soup to nuts – using almonds in savory, appetizing sauces. When I set out on the adventure of writing a book about almonds, I expected to primarily taste lots of almondy pastries and puddings: a sweet subject. So during the process of culinary and cultural digging on the subject of this Mediterranean ingredient, my taste buds have had a succession of surprises. This month, I’m testing almond recipes, beginning with a Salsa category, and I’d like to share a few discoveries. Now, in June, the timing is right for sauces made of garlic and almonds – a combo found in many culinary traditions. New garlic, with buds bulging under sheaths of purple-striped casing, is at its juiciest, freshest and easiest to mash and mix into vinaigrettes, sauces and marinades.

Lets begin with Romescu, a quintessentially Catalan sauce that shows up from March into April when calçots (local wild spring onions) are grilled. I was delighted to taste it recently in the northern Spanish city of Girona, served with not grilled but lightly batter-dipped and deep fried calçots. At the next table (within inches), a young Catalan gent attacked a plate of tiny snails, ceremoniously dipping each skewered caracol into the pink Romescu and then into a Catalan variation of the Mediterranean favorite garlic-infused mayonnaise, Ali-oli/ailloli. Romescu contains peppers, but in fact is only slightly spicy – not at all a Hot sauce. The almond presence is in the texture, depending on how the almonds are ground. Packaged pre-ground almonds are convenient, or grind small quantities of blanched almonds in a blender or spice grinder. To prepare salsa Romescu, use a blender if you are rushed, but get out the mortar and pestle for the most authentic results.

Romescu: 4 Tablespoons ground blanched almonds

2 T. garlic, finely minced then ground with 1 tsp. salt

a pinch of cayenne or Piment d’Espelette

1 tomato, peeled, seeded and finely chopped (or 3-4 T. crushed tomatoes, drained)

4 T. wine vinegar

3-4 T. olive oil – or as much as a cupful if you like a richer sauce

Mash the garlic and spices, adding the almonds gradually as the paste becomes thick. Continue to add the chopped tomato, then add vinegar (or use half lemon juice) gradually while mashing. Drizzle the oil in a spoonful at a time to create a smoother consistency, beating it in with a spoon. This recipe is adapted from the useful Time/Life book, Cuisine d’Espagne et du Portugal, 1970. A more complicated version in Penelope Casas’ excellent The Foods & Wines of Spain begins by boiling hot peppers in water and vinegar, then adding them to a bread-thickened sauce. For a little zip, sometimes I have added a bit of Ancho chili. Each kitchen has its own favorite approach to this sauce from Tarragona. In that ancient, coastal city, Romescu can describe a platter of shellfish (often the priciest item on the menu) bathed in the addictive stuff.

Next salsa post: Skordalia

Note to travelers: In épiceries and local grocery shops in northern Spain, look for “Salsa Calçots“, the Ferrer label, made in the Barcelona region.

Gigot! Festive and easy is the best description for this variation on simply roasting a lamb leg for a special occasion dinner. An herb-crumb crust made with ground almonds seals in the juices as the gigot roasts.

Ingredients:

1 small leg of lamb, about 4 1/2 lbs/2 kg. (to serve 5 or 6)
1/4 c./56 ml olive oil, sea salt & freshly ground pepper.

For the crust: 1 egg beaten with 2 T. Dijon mustard (do not use a sweet mustard)
8 T./160 ml cream mixed with 1/2 cup crushed or ground almonds
5 T./90 grams fine breadcrumbs mixed with chopped thyme & sage

Preparation: Preheat oven to 426°f/210°c. Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan, rub the leg with seasoning and brown the lamb on all sides. Transfer it to a roasting pan. Make the crust by mixing the ingredients together. Then spread this paste over the lamb. Insert a meat thermometer and roast for 45 to 60 minutes, depending on how rare you prefer the lamb. Before serving, allow 10 minutes for the meat to rest before carving. Serve with your choice of seasonal vegetables, steamed or creamed, and a light rice pilaf. With each serving, include a strip of crust on top or beside the lamb. Garnish with flowering thyme, sage leaves or sprigs of lavender.

This recipe is adapted from La France Gourmande, the May Fête de l’Agneau in Pauillac, Gironde. A fine Médoc red, a Pauillac or St. Julien, is always a good wine choice for gigot.