European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 25, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Cool food for hot nights by Jacques Pepin new York times n hot summer nights i am usually in he mood Foi simple food and especially vegetables and fruits. They Are Cooling cleansing refreshing and appealing when nothing else titillate my taste buds. Times like these Call Lor a vegetarian menu Ideal when the weather is hot and humid. To Start off make Zucchini Yogurt soup lightly Flavoured Vith Curry which could be increased decreased or eliminated depending on your taste. Green Zucchini is used in the accompanying recipes but another Type of Squash could be substituted. The Apple could also be replaced with Pear or banana. For a less caloric soup replace the regular Yogurt with Low fat or non fat Yogurt. The Slock either homemade or commercial which by the Way tends to be Salt May be diluted with water to lighten it. Or water can be used alone As a perfectly acceptable alternative. The soup can be served hot or cold. If it is served hot the Yogurt should be added to each bowl just before serving because heating Yogurt to the boil will cause it to break Down. The soup can also be served without Yogurt. Large pasta shells Are Good to have on hand at any time. For a vegetarian menu they Are cooked and then stuffed with a Ricotta cheese mixture but they could be stuffed instead with shrimp salad or Ratatouille vegetable Stew and served cold As an hours d oeuvre. Serve about 5 or 6 of the stuffed shells per person this will amount to about 3 dozen shells weighing when raw about % Pound. A few shells usually break in the cooking process the broken pieces can be Cut into smaller pieces and used As a Garnish for soup or sprinkled around the stuffed shells in the Gratin dish. Basil the essence of summer is used in the cheese mixture and also As a Garnish on the finished dishes. Use Ripe fresh tomatoes readily available and delicious at this time of year. When they Are not available use 3 cups of canned tomatoes often mixed with Tomato sauce instead of the 4 cups of fresh Tomato flesh called for in our recipe. In the recipe Here for Strawberry and Orange Coupe fresh strawberries Are combined with Strawberry Jam although another fruit Jam could be used and Orange juice. Julienne Orange Rind lends texture color and taste to this dessert which is Best served in stemmed wine glasses. The Berry mixture can be prepared a Lew hours ahead and left to macerated refrigerated until serving time. Do not make it a Day ahead however because the berries will tend to get too soft and Mushy. The soup can be made up to one Day ahead and will develop taste in the refrigerator. The pasta can be cooked and stuffed and the sauce prepared ahead with final cooking put off until the last moment. The Best Way to reheat leftovers of the cooked dish is in the microwave oven 4 to 5 minutes for a Large dish and about 2 minutes for individual Servings. The Only addition i might suggest would be a summer salad perhaps featuring Cucumber or watercress to serve with the pasta. A dry White wine a Light cod red wine or a Blush wine will go Well with this meal. Zucchini Yogurt soup preparation Lime 15 minutes cooking time 20 minutes 1