Summer licuados
Not sure what happened to spring, exactly. I suppose a late arrival doesn’t necessarily push back what comes next, but I had hoped we’d have a few more weeks between down jackets and tank tops.
That said, there’s plenty to look forward to here. We’ve grilled every night since we brought home our new grill, our home life seems to have shifted entirely to the porch, and yesterday at the market I bought a big, red, ripe tomato. A tomato! Three months ago, sick with Tundra Vision, I never thought I’d see this day again.
Memorial Day was a hot and heavy one, and I mean that in the least fun way possible, and in the hour or two before we really awake and had breakfast on the table, I blended a honeydew licuado to stave off hunger and defend against the heat. A licuado (also known as a “batido”) is a Latin American version of a smoothie, generally simpler than its northern counterpart with one or maybe two fruits, some milk (usually), and a small bit of ice and other flavorings. I’m not a big smoothie drinker, usually finding them a bit too acidic and on the wrong side of both beverage and meal (too heavy to be the former, too light to be the latter), but a licuado is a light, more refreshing alternative that is perfect for summer. They’re meant to be consumed immediately after blending, since they separate a bit as they sit, but they’re also meant to be an icy cold respite in very warm places, so it’s not difficult to get them down quickly.
