Korean cucumber salad (oi namul)

Slice two cups of cucumber lengthwise, then into ¼ inch diagonal slices. Mix with 1 ½ tsp salt and let sit for 30 minutes, then rinse and drain well. Combine the drained cucumber with 1 Tbsp each sugar and rice wine vinegar, ½ tsp each toasted sesame seeds and red pepper powder (kochu garu), 1/8… Continue reading Korean cucumber salad (oi namul)

Baked salmon in puff pastry

We used store-bought frozen puff pastry that we defrosted in the fridge for 2-3 hours. Recipe and useful video here: http://livewellnetwork.com/My-Family-Recipe-Rocks/recipes/Salmon-Stuffed-Puff-Pastry/9263020. We used about 1 lb salmon and baked it for 45 mins. We also served mixed green salad with a honey dijon mustard vinaigrette. The vinaigrette recipe is here: http://www.onceuponachef.com/2011/03/roasted-beet-salad-with-goat-cheese-walnuts-honey-dijon-vinaigrette.html. We added an extra… Continue reading Baked salmon in puff pastry

Smitten Kitchen/Madhur Jaffrey chick pea curry (channa masala)

An excellent Madhur Jaffrey recipe adapted by Smitten Kitchen. http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2010/02/chana-masala/ I agree with Deb Perelman’s recommendation to add only ¼ tsp cayenne. We also doubled the lemon juice in lieu of amchoor (mango) powder. We used fresh tomatoes (two medium vine-ripened), as she had suggested, and one jalapeño pepper as the hot chili pepper. This… Continue reading Smitten Kitchen/Madhur Jaffrey chick pea curry (channa masala)

Cast iron roast chicken with small potatoes

This is a recipe from the new Smitten Kitchen cookbook. Although I own the cookbook, I found the recipe online here: http://www.pink-parsley.com/2013/10/flat-roasted-chicken-with-tiny-potatoes.html?m=1. We removed the spine from this chicken and tried to cook it flattened, but our 12" cast iron skillet was a bit small for a 3 ½ lb chicken. (Oct. 2015)

Uncle Tun’s grilled soy-marinated salmon

I learned this recipe from Waimar and her father. Marinate four salmon fillets (about 24 oz) in approximately ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce, 1/3 cup mirin, 2 tsp honey, and 1 tsp black pepper for about 30 mins. (Oct. 2015) Note: I did not measure the marinade ingredients, so these measurements are approximate. Grill… Continue reading Uncle Tun’s grilled soy-marinated salmon

Turkish stuffed bell peppers and tomatoes (dolma)

We followed this recipe here: http://ozlemsturkishtable.com/2013/06/stuffed-peppers-and-tomatoes-with-ground-meat-delicious-gluten-free/. We used: fresh spearmint instead of dried mint and 1 ½ tsp of salt for the stuffing; 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth instead of water for the sauce; and added 1 additional tomato (to make a fifth stuffed tomato). Due to the large size of our bell peppers, our… Continue reading Turkish stuffed bell peppers and tomatoes (dolma)

Spicy caramel popcorn

Caramel corn with a dash of cayenne. Recipe from Smitten Kitchen: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/12/spicy-caramel-popcorn/. My modifications: Rather than pop ½ cup kernels on the stovetop, I used two regular sized bags of Newman’s Natural microwave popcorn. I reduced salt to 1 ½ tsp (the recipe calls for 1 to 1 ½ Tbsp) and used ½ tsp cayenne.… Continue reading Spicy caramel popcorn