Hot enough for you? When summertime hits, especially when a sweltering heat wave punishes the asphalt and everything in its path, I often have to remind myself to eat more. It isn't that I lose my appetite completely; my eating habits simply change. In the summer, I tend to graze on lighter fare throughout the day — with the occasional barbecue pig-out, of course. It's human nature, I think, to ditch many of the heavier dishes of fall and winter in favor of the bountiful summer harvest and a bolder, wider flavor profile. (Some restaurants in Santa Fe haven't figured that out yet, but that's another conversation for another day.)

Many folks alter their dining patterns in warm weather in the hopes of shedding a few pounds, while others, like me, just can't put it away like they do when there's a chill in the air. I tend to eat more cold salads and fresh fruit in the summer, and recently, I came across a gem of a salad that's a rarity in our multi-culti berg. Mark Friedman, owner/proprietor of local prepared-foods company The Providers, is no stranger to me. Our paths crossed weekly while I was working in the prepared foods section of a chain supermarket near downtown Santa Fe. Friedman's wares were popular, and he even took me on a tour of his commercial kitchen on Rufina Street. I hadn't seen him in years, but Friedman's products are still on refrigerated shelves nearly everywhere I grocery shop locally.

Friedman contacted me a few weeks ago, excited about a new product he had recently rolled out of his production kitchen. Called simply a "Burmese Ginger Salad," this portable dish — a more involved version of a popular Mandalay digestive snack known as gin thoke — contains everything I love about cold salads on a hot summer day: sweet, spicy, salty, savory, crunchy, herbaceous ... and a delicate shellfish flavor that's hard to pin down until you read the ingredients list (only natural product, no preservatives).

There's no central component to this dish, although ginger is a star player, of course. Instead, you taste a kaleidoscope of textures and flavors: cabbage, fresh ginger, roasted peanuts, roasted coconut flakes, fried shallots, split peas, fresh cilantro, fresh jalapeños, black sesame seeds, fried garlic and dried shrimp. The vegetable oil and palm oil used for frying aren't noticeable — nothing's greasy. A simple, piquant dressing of fresh lime juice, rice vinegar, fish sauce, beet sugar and fresh garlic is separated from the vegetables in a small plastic container, as are some of what Friedman calls the "crunchies," which you pour onto the salad from a small, zip-locked plastic baggie. Gin thoke is traditionally eaten with the fingers, which I suppose you could do with The Providers' version if you don't mind the occasional odd stare. The way I see it, here's an opportunity to play with your food, and who's going to stop you? People should be more worried about spontaneously combusting in the grocery store parking lot.

The Providers "Burmese Ginger Salad" is a 9-ounce bundle of cool, tongue-tantalizing goodness that won't leave you full, but won't leave you feeling cheated out of multi-sensual bliss, either. You can pick one up at these Santa Fe locations, and price may vary: La Montanita Co-Op (913 W. Alameda St., 984-2852); Kaune's Neighborhood Market (511 Old Santa Fe Trail, 982-2629); Vitamin Cottage (3328 Cerrillos Road, 474-0111); Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center gift shop (455 St. Michael's Drive, 913-3361); 10,000 Waves (3451 Hyde Park Road, 982-9304); and Miklo's Coffee House (6005 Jaguar Drive, 474-4886). The Providers products — which include everything from Asian noodle dishes and deli-style sandwiches to chicken liver pâté, breakfast burritos and chipotle-glazed walnuts — are available in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Dixon and Taos at select locations. Call 989-8028 for details.


Speaking of grazing: I received an e-mail from La Casa Sena (125 E. Palace Ave., 988-9232) late last month announcing the opening of a "wine grotto" located past the cantina which was slated to be open from noon-3 p.m. daily and include special wine flights and food pairings. The days and times at the grotto have changed, but the pairings and flights are still a go. The grotto now operates from noon to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday, and through July, all wines in grotto pairings are 10 percent off in La Casa Sena's wine shop the day those specific bottles are featured (they will be posted on the wine shop's daily wine board). I'm looking forward to whetting my hot-weather appetite on items like Alaskan halibut ceviche, a cheese sampler, wild boar sausage, and Spanish white anchovies. OK — I'm looking forward to the wine, too, and you can get Twitter and Facebook blasts from La Casa Sena each day the grotto is open to discover which wines will be sampled. (Hint: an Internet search of "La Casa Sena Wine Shop Twitter" or "La Casa Sena Facebook" will lead you to these pages for free sign-ups).


And further on the subject of grottos and wine: I helped break in Il Piatto Cucina Italia's (95 W. Marcy St., 984-1091) new dining space a few weeks ago during a dinner/fundraiser for the Santa Fe Alliance's Farm to Restaurant project. The new space adds some much-needed elbow room and space for a few more patio tables, and inside, there are high-rise tables fashioned from wine barrels. Word has it an enoteca — or small wine-tasting area and shop — is also in the works.


Tapas are my light cuisine of choice, and luckily for me, The Santa Fe Alliance's Cook With the Chef program continues at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Santa Fe Farmers Market in the Railyard with a demonstration by chef James Campbell Caruso, whose La Boca restaurant (72 W. Marcy St., 982-3433) specializes in the small Spanish plates.


On Saturday, The Spanish Table (109 N. Guadalupe St., 986-0243) will be cooking up paella in the store's large paella pans in celebration of this weekend's 59th Annual Traditional Spanish Market. At 10 a.m., the staff and others will be working on a paella mixta, and at 1 p.m., vegetarian paella is on deck. Roberto Capocchi plays classical Spanish guitar from 10 to 11 a.m., and the store will also be dishing out samples of specialty food products from Spain's autonomous Andalucía region. The event has become an annual tradition, and the store celebrates its eighth year in business in Santa Fe this month. ¡Feliz cumpleaños, The Spanish Table!

Send tips on the local food scene to Rob DeWalt at rdewalt@sfnewmexican.com. You can also follow Taste on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sfnmTASTE.