Shu Mei Sliders with Hoisin Mayo

Ingredients:
for the burgers:
5 oz water chestnuts, drained
.5 oz dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated
1 lb peeled shrimp
1 lb ground pork
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons shaoxing
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper



for the hoisin mayo:
2 1/2 tablespoons hoisin
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon five spice powder
1/4 teaspoon sesame seeds


slider rolls
1 cucumber, thinly sliced


Directions:
Place all of the mayo ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk together. Refrigerate until ready to use. Place all of the burger ingredients in a food processor, pulse until well combined. Prep grill. Lightly oil your hands, a platter and the grill rack. Form into small burgers. Grill until cooked through, about 2 minutes on each side. Place on buns, top with cucumber and mayo.

Yield: about 18 sliders

My thoughts:

This going to be a quick post because I am in Seattle at the International Food Bloggers Conference! These sliders are awesome, they are my favorite kind of dumpling in burger form. They stay amazingly juicy and really do taste like dumplings, except smokier and crisper. I think they would be perfect for a party, they are small so you can cook a ton at once and serve them quickly.

Hot Slice (of Pickle)

Ingredients:
4 lb pickling cucumbers, sliced
3 cups water
2 cups white vinegar
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup pickling salt
6 teaspoons peppercorns
6 dried pili pili peppers
3 teaspoons crushed red pepper
3 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
1 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large shallots, minced


Directions:
Bring the water, vinegar and salt to a boil. Prep the lids/jars. Evenly divide all of the spices, shallot and garlic between 6 pint jars . Add the cucumber spears. Pour in the vinegar mixture. Close the jars and process for 10 minutes in a hot water bath. Allow to sit 2 weeks before eating.

Yield: about 6 pints

Note: A great source for canning information is the Blue Book guide to preserving. I highly recommend it for learning how to can. Or check out this online guide.

My thoughts:

Can you stand more canning? I have done so much canning this year, I barely have any non-canning recipes saved up to post. I am actually a little annoyed that it is suddenly so cool and I have nothing to can right now. I did a ton of canning during the long stretches of high heat and humidity we've had recently and it was pretty brutal, even though I was canning late at night so I could go to bed and escape the hot kitchen and downstairs. Anyway, these pickles are really good. I wanted to make a sandwich slice that was different than the spears I had made and came up with the idea of a hot and spicy pickle. They are so good on a hamburger and I can't wait to have them in the middle of a grilled cheese sandwich. YUM!

Tip: It is a little harder to gauge how many slices fit in each jar since they are sliced and not always evenly so make sure you prep a couple of extra jars just in case.

Triple Dill Pickles

Ingredients:
4 lb pickling cucumbers, quartered length-wise
3 cups water
2 3/4 cups white vinegar
1/4 cup pickling salt
6 teaspoons yellow mustard seed
6 tablespoons dill seed
3 teaspoons dillweed
6 bay leaves
6 cloves garlic
1/2 cup minced dill

Directions:
Bring the water, vinegar and salt to a boil. Prep wide-mouth pint lids/jars. Place 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon mustard seed, 1 tablespoon dill seed, and 1/2 teaspoon dillweed in each jar.



Add the cucumber spears and one clove garlic to each jar. Evenly divide the dill among the jars. Pour in the vinegar mixture. Close the jars and process for 10 minutes in a hot water bath. Allow to sit 2 weeks before eating.

Yield: about 6 pints

Note: A great source for canning information is the Blue Book guide to preserving. I highly recommend it for learning how to can. Or check out this online guide.

My thoughts:

Pickles! I sent my husband to buy pickling cucumbers the other day and he came back with 15 lbs. He helped cut up the cucumbers (thank goodness!) and I ended up canning 22 jars of pickles in three varieties. These are the first ones I've opened. To my delight they stayed pretty crisp and have wonderful but not overpowering dill flavor. I was a little worried that using dillweed, dill and dill seeds would end up being too much but it really wasn't. There was just a depth of flavor that one normally doesn't find in a pickle. I hope the other ones I canned turned out just as well! After a while, I felt like I was living in a pickle factory and I think I developed "pickle wrist" from trying to really pack the cucumbers in there. But it really wasn't difficult at all, just a little time consuming.

Lovely Summer Salad with Crabcakes

Ingredients:
for the salad
2 cold or hot crabcakes
4 slices pickled beets, cut into sticks
1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped
2 oz plain crumbled  feta
1/2 cucumber, sliced
15 cherry tomatoes, halved

for the dressing:
juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Toss the salad ingredients together (except for the crabcake) divide among two plates. Place the dressing in a jar or salad dressing container and shake. Pour over salads.

My thoughts:

This is a great way to use up leftover crabcakes. I know it is hard to even think about having something as delicious as a crabcake leftover but living in a two person household, we often end up with extra. Luckily they are pretty good cold or at room temperature the next day. For this salad I want some serious flavor so I used feta and pickled beets (my new favorite combination!) and a tart dressing. It was really good! If I was making this again, I think I might be tempted to make miniature crabcakes and have more than one per salad just for fun. Sort of like a crab crouton.

Vibrant Corn Salad with Jalape�o Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
6 ears of corn worth of kernels (cooked and cooled)
6 radishes, thinly sliced
1 cucumber, seeded and diced
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 large red onion, diced
1 1/2 large avocados, cubed

for the vinaigrette:
5 tablespoons avocado oil
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
juice of 1 lime
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and halved
salt
freshly ground black pepper


Toss all of the salad ingredients together in a large bowl. Shake the vinaigrette ingredients in a dressing mixing container or closed jar. Strain over the salad. Discard the jalapenos. Toss to evenly distribute the dressing. Serve at room temperature.

My thoughts:

I love salads like these. I am honestly not the biggest traditional salad person but on hot days, a cool dish is needed. I especially love the vinaigrette I came up with for this salad, the oils of the peppers get shaken into the dressing adding just enough heat. It is a great way to get a spicy fix without actually having to bite down on a pepper. The trick to the perfect corn salad is to have a mixture of tastes and textures. A mix of sweet (corn, tomato), crisp (radish), creamy (avocado), spicy (radish, jalapeno), juicy (tomato) and crunchy (cucumber) is my favorite. I served this as an entree but I think it would also be great as a side dish to grilled seafood or portobello burgers.

Summer Vegetable Green Salad with a Dill Vinagrette, Feta and Grilled Tuna

Ingredients:

for the vinaigrette:
1/4 cup minced dill
3 oz white wine vinegar
2 1/2 oz olive oil
1 teaspoon pepper sherry
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt
pepper

for the fish:
2 tuna steaks
zest of one lemon
2 tablespoons minced oregano
2 tablespoons fresh or freeze dried chives
salt
pepper
olive oil

for the corn:
1 or 2 ears of corn
olive oil
salt
pepper
celery seed

for the salad:
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
4 radishes, sliced
4 button or crimini mushrooms, sliced
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/2 English cucumber, sliced
3 oz crumbled feta
1/2 red onion, sliced very thin

Directions:
Place the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar or salad dressing shaker. Shake until emulsified. Set aside.

Prep the grill according to manufactures' instructions. Prep the cedar plank according the package instructions. Meanwhile, rub the tuna with oil then pat on the zest and spices onto both sides. Place the tuna on the grill. Follow the instructions for grilling corn. Grill until the tuna is medium rare and the corn is done, covering briefly if needed, about 10 minutes. Strip the corn from the cob.

Meanwhile, toss the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Divide among two dishes. Top with tuna and the corn. Drizzle with dressing.

My thoughts:

I know this salad looks complicated with the long list of ingredients but it really isn't, I promise! The salad dressing is super easy, there is nothing fancy about the salad itself and the tuna and corn require pretty much the same prep and cooking time. I have been eating a tons of salads lately because of my feta challenge and I have found that my favorite salads with feta are the ones that have a lot of different ingredients and flavors. Feta is so robust tasting it can stand up to pretty much anything, even very herbal dressings and heartier ingredients like fish or meat so I've been experimenting. I wanted to make this salad my complete meal so I added tuna and a hard boiled egg to make it more substantial without feeling heavy.

I had room on the grill (even though I was making extra tuna for another recipe) so I tossed some corn on. It added a smoky-sweet flavor that was a wonderful contrast with the feta and all of the crisp vegetables I used. All in all, a very tasty, vegetable packed salad. Perfect for a hot July day!

Tzatziki Lamb Burgers

Ingredients:
1 lb ground lamb
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced Italian parsley
1 tablespoon minced dill
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic, grated
zest of one lemon
salt
freshly ground black pepper



tzatziki:
3/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/3 cup finely diced, seeded cucumber*
1 tablespoon minced dill
salt
freshly ground black pepper

toppings:
1 large red onion, thickly sliced
1 small eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch slices

4 buns

Directions:
In a medium bowl, mix together the burger ingredients until evenly distributed. Form into 4 equal patties.

for the sauce:
Stir all ingredients together in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Prepare your grill to medium heat. Meanwhile, brush the onion, burgers and eggplant slices with olive oil. Place on the grill next to the burgers. Cook until everything is cooked through, flipping once. Cover as needed.

Place a slice of eggplant on each bun. Top with a burger then onion slices and drizzle with sauce.



*You can salt and drain them if you want but I just left them chopped on

My thoughts:

This is seriously the best lamb burger I have ever had. Better than the much lauded lamb burgers at Breslin. More than just juicy, this burger has a lot of flavor. I thought the cumin in the Breslin burger brought out a gamey flavor to the burger which was a little overpowering. I picked seasonings that I hoped would enhance the fresh taste that lamb can have and it paid off. The burger tasted amazingly fresh and light. I honestly can't wait to make it again and I rarely remake a recipe! The cucumber-yogurt sauce, eggplant and onions are really just gilding the lily but they do make the burger more fun to eat without overpowering the lamb. The flavors of the tzatziki really tie in with the flavors of the burger.

Parm, Olive & Pepperoni Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
8 oz rotini
1/2 English cucumber, diced
2 1/2 oz turkey pepperoni, sliced
1 large cubanelle pepper, diced
1/4 cup diced red onion
10 pimento stuffed green olives, sliced

for the dressing:
2 oz olive oil
2 oz red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Directions:
Prepare pasta according to package instructions. Drain and allow to cool. Place the pasta and the remaining salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss. In a small bowl or dressing shaker, mix together the dressing ingredients until emulsification occurs. Drizzle over the salad and toss again. Serve at room temperature for best flavor.

My thoughts:

Every year around this time I really, really want to eat light, spring-like dishes. Unfortunately, living in the mid-Atlantic means that despite recent warm weather, there are virtually no vegetables or fruits in season locally right now. Overwintered rhubarb or leeks maybe but that's about it. So frustrating. So what I've been doing is making a lot of salads that don't absolutely rely on in season vegetables to be awesome. I've been getting a head start on grilling some proteins for this summer's grilling posts and these salads are prefect accompaniments; I can make them ahead of time leaving me free to grill without running back and forth to the kitchen. The trick is to include enough fresh ingredients in the salad to keep it from tasting too straight from the cupboard but nothing that truly needs to be in season to be delicious like tomatoes or corn. A bit of fresh Italian parsley brightens the dressing, hot house English cukes and cubanelles are pretty tasty year round. Good quality olives, Parmesan and pepperoni round it out and add an Italian edge which makes it robust enough to serve along steaks or pork marinaded with Italian herbs. The leftovers make a tasty light lunch the next day too.

Farm Stand Salad

Ingredients:
1 ear of corn's worth of kernels
1 cubanelle pepper, diced
4 baby pattypan squash, diced
2 cucumbers, diced
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes

dressing
1 small shallot, minced
1 handful basil, minced
3 oz red wine vinegar
salt
pepper


Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Place the salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss. Drizzle with the dressing and toss again.

My thoughts:

While there is nothing fancy about this salad-no cheese, no meat, no exotic ingredients, not even a drop of oil this is one of the best salads I've made this year. I diced up a bunch of vegetables at their absolute peak, made a simple dressing and nothing else was needed. It is fresh tasting, crisp and has enough variety that each bite seems slightly different. It would be a welcome addition to any meal or picnic, just use the freshest vegetables possible. One note-make sure you use the smallest pattypan squash, the larger ones are a little dense to eat raw while the small ones have thin skins and tender flesh.

Viva la Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
12 oz rainbow rotini, cooked
12 oz marinated artichoke hearts, drained and marinade reserved
8 oz mozzarella, diced
1/2 English cucumber, diced
1/2 large red onion, diced
6 radishes, sliced thinly
1 stalk celery, diced
2 cups halved campari tomatoes
1/3 cup diced green onion (green parts only)
1/3 cup sliced spiced olive-cured green olives


dressing:
1/4 cup marinade from the artichoke hearts
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced basil
1/2 tablespoon minced Italian parsley
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt
pepper

Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Place the salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss to evenly distribute. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss again. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

My thoughts:

I haven't made too much in the way of pasta salads before but I have been trying to will actual summer weather into existence and thought that a cold salad might do the trick. Not quite sure if it worked but it has been rather sunny the last few days if very humid.

The salad itself was very tasty; comprised mostly of items I purchased at our local Italian market. The olives and artichokes are quite robustly flavored and the mozzarella adds a creamy note. The dressing couldn't be easier and using the marinade from the artichokes really ties the flavors together.

Dill Rubbed Steak & Cucumber Pita Sandwiches

2 lbs 1 1/2 inch thick top round steak (sometimes labeled as "London broil")

for the dry rub:
1 1/2 tablespoons sea salt
1 1/2 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 1/2 tablespoons dried dill weed
1 tablespoon white pepper

to serve:
pita
cucumber salad

Directions:
In a small bowl, stir together the dry rub. Rub on both sides of the steak and allow to to sit about 20 minutes. Grill on preheated indoor grill (it took only 7 minutes at 450 using my countertop grill) or Alternately, grill outside or cook on the stove top in a skillet until desired doneness. Remove to a platter, tent with foil and allow to sit for 5 minutes before thinly slicing it against the grain and on a sharp angle. Serve in a pita with cucumber salad.



Yield: 4-6 sandwiches

My thoughts:

I know you hardly need a recipe to know how to make a sandwich, but this one was so good I had to share. I am actually not much of a sandwich person myself but lately I have been craving and creating interesting sandwich combinations. This is one of my new favorites. The seasonings on the meat echo the flavorings of the cucumber salad and they combine to create a really flavorful, juicy sandwich. Top round steak is a great, economical choice if you are craving something beefy. It is full flavored and quite tender when cooked medium-rare and sliced diagonally against the grain. Another bonus is that I frequently can find top round steak on sale for about $2 a lb. Alternately a flat iron or skirt steak would work well instead. And imagine how impressed people will be when you reveal that the sandwich is entirely homemade, right down to the pita!

Cooling Dill-Cucumber Salad

Ingredients
1 large cucumber, peeled (if waxed)and sliced thinly
1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
3/4 oz fresh dill, chopped finely

dressing:
3/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
juice 1/2 lemon
salt
white pepper

Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Pour the dressing over the remaining ingredients and toss to evenly distribute. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

My thoughts:

I sliced cucumber with my mandolin for the first time making this salad and it was so fast and they look so perfect I suddenly have the urge to make more cucumber dishes. Or this one again. Matt especially enjoyed the dressing, it was naturally thinned by the released liquid from the cucumbers and had a bright, fresh flavor. Perfect on a sandwich or as a side salad.

Thai Noodle Salad with Turkey and Shrimp

Ingredients:

for the dressing
1 shallot, thinly sliced
2 Thai green chiles, thinly sliced
juice 1 lime
2 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon palm sugar
1 tablespoon tamarind juice (optional)


salad ingredients:
1/2 seedless cucumber, thinly sliced
3 oz bean sprouts
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, cut up

for the meat:
2 cups shredded, cooked turkey
1/2 lb steamed, peeled shrimp
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 Thai chiles, diced
1 clove garlic, minced

Plus:
10 oz rice stick OR bean thread noodles

to serve:
3 tablespoons chopped toasted peanuts
1 lime, cut into wedges
diced green onion

Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients, set aside.


Prepare noodles according to package instructions. Set aside. In a skillet, heat the oil then saute the chiles, and garlic with shrimp and turkey for 1 minute. Toss with dressing, salad ingredients and noodles. Sprinkle with peanuts and diced onions. Serve with lime wedges.

My thoughts:

Every year I get a lot of "what to do with leftover turkey" requests. Frankly leftover turkey was never much of an issue in my family (we just ate the meal, had a sandwich and maybe made soup and that was it) but since I've had this blog, I've been making Thanksgiving-like meals way in advance so I can post new holiday recipes leading up the event and come up with creative leftover ideas.

While checking out the competition, I've found most turkey leftover recipes are either a. some sort of creamy casserole, b. Mexican food or c. chili. All of which are well and good (and I still might make a chili this year) but I was thinking of something a little lighter. The last thing I want after a day of heavy food is more stick to the ribs fare. So I came up with this Pad Thai-inspired salad. It is substantial enough to serve as a meal but much lighter and healthier tasting than what you probably had on Thanksgiving.


Note: I used bean thread noodles but I think that rice stick (normally what is used in Pad Thai) would be great as well. I actually only used the bean thread because I had a package of them and not the rice stick like I thought. Despite being rather different noodles I think both would work because they are neutral tasting and delicious even when served in cold dishes.

Pork & Cellophane Noodle Salad

Ingredients:
8 to 10 oz cellophane noodles*
2 thick cut pork chops or about 8 oz of pork tenderloin
1 thin skinned, low seed cucumber, cut into strips
2 carrots, cut into strips
1 bunch scallion, diced
1 bunch baby bok choy or Shanghai cabbage, chopped

for the marinade:
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice (I actually used key limes)
1 clove garlic, sliced

for the dressing:
1 Thai chile, minced
2 tablespoons lime juice (again, I actually used key limes)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/4 teaspoon agave nectar



Directions:
Marinade the pork for about 30 minutes. Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the pork and cook thoroughly, flipping once, about 10 minutes. If the chops are very thick, cover the pan for a few minutes of the cooking time. Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to package instructions. Add the bok choy in to the water/noodles during the last minute of soaking. Drain. I actually put it all my beloved salad spinner and spun it dry. Whisk together the dressing ingredients in small bowl and set aside. Slice the pork into thin strips. Toss with noodles, bok choy, carrots, cucumber and dressing. Serve cool.

*also known as vermicelli, bean threads, bean thread noodles, or glass noodles, they always make Mister Cellophane get stuck in my head.



Note: You might have noticed that I actually used my crinkle cutter instead of slicing the vegetables. It is just as easy as using a knife and since the salad is so simple, it added some extra visual interest. Totally unnecessary though.

Yield: 2-4 servings

My thoughts:

I always find making dinner in September a daunting task. Some days it is as hot as July and on others it is downright chilly. Salad can be a perfect choice but tomato season is waning so I can't muster up too much enthusam for a leafy salad. Instead, I opt for salads like this, hardy but not heavy and boasts juicy meat and crisp vegetables. It is perfect for a hot day or one with a bit of a nip in the air.

This is another recipe that is truly more than the sum of its parts. It is a complete meal that goes from raw ingredients to finished product in under 15 minutes-perfect for a busy weeknight. The dressing is divine-be careful to really mince that pepper though, you don't want an unsuspecting diner to get a big chunk of one of them, they are pretty fiery-and just coats the noodles with flavor. Using pork chops is a great short cut, they cook quickly and stay juicy even when thoroughly cooked. This salad holds up well overnight so you might want to make a bit extra to have for lunch the next day.


If you like this you might also enjoy:

Cold Black Rice Noodle Salad with Mixed Vegetables

Superlative Sesame Noodles

Swiss Chard, Beef, Tofu & Shrimp Summer Rolls

Korean Style Spicy Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:
3 Korean cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 bunch green onion, diced

for the dressing
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons ground Korean red pepper
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon Korean red pepper paste (gochujang)
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil


Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients together. Pour over the cucumbers and green onions. Refrigerate until cool. Serve chilled.


Yield: 6-8 servings

Quick note: Korean cucumbers are thin skinned and have minimal seeds. A good substitute would be a Kirby or English cucumber.

My thoughts:

This is a pretty firey cucumber salad. The contrast between the hot chile sauce and cool cucumbers is refreshing. It would be great served with a Korean meal, but I also enjoy it as a side dish for other meals, like steak or grilled chicken.

Pork Summer Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

1 lb thick cut pork chops
2 tablespoons canola oil
6 rice paper wrappers*
1/2 pound rice stick noodles
1 cucumber, in thin strips
2 carrots, in long strips
1 head red or green leaf lettuce
fresh mint

pork marinade:

2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons rice wine
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon black sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced


dipping sauce:

1 quarter cup roasted peanuts, ground
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon grated garlic



Directions:
First, mix marinade ingredients in a small bowl and marinate pork in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Heat the oil in a skillet Add pork and cook until pork is cooked and sauce has thickened, covering if needed. Cut into thin strips. Then, boil rice stick noodles for 5 minutes and blanch in cold water. Cut noodles into bite-sized pieces.

Whisk together all ingredients for the dipping sauce, set aside.

Fill a wide bowl or pot with warm water. Each rice paper wrapper must be soaked individually. For each roll, soak a wrapper until pliable and soft. Remove the wrapper and spread out on a clean surface. Add a small portion of the noodles towards the middle of the wrapper. Add a portion of the lettuce, a portion of the meat, and mint. Fold the rice paper from both sides in towards the middle, then lift the end closest to you and roll away from you, grabbing all of the filling, and roll until the spring roll is closed. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Serve at room temperature.

*Sometimes labeled spring roll wrappers. Not to be confused with refrigerated egg roll wrappers, they are round, brittle, translucent and sold directly off the shelf.



Yield: 6 rolls

My thoughts:

Summer rolls (g?i cu?n) are salads convinently served in roll form. They are a bit of work but it is worth it, they are quite filling and we often have them as a meal unto themselves. They can also keep for a few hours in the refrigerator if you cover them with a damp towel so they can be made ahead. For this version I kept the filling simple and made a yummy dipping sauce which takes them to the next level of deliciousness and cut down on the prep time.

Chilled Borscht

Ingredients:
6 small to medium sized beets, peeled
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 cups water
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoons salt
1/2 tablespoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 egg
juice of 1 lemon

to serve:
sour cream
chopped cucumber

Directions:
In a large pot, bring the beets, onions, salt, celery seed, pepper, broth and water to a boil. Boil for 1 hour. Add the sugar and lemon juice and simmer for 1/2 hour. Remove the beets and grate half. Reserve the other half for another use. Pour the liquid into a large measuring cup. Beat the egg until very fluffy in a large bowl. Add about 1/4 cup of the liquid and beat, continue adding the soup in a slow stream to the egg, whisking continuously. Stir in the grated beets. Chill at least 4 hours or overnight. Ladle into bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of cucumber.


Yield: 2 meal-sized servings

My thoughts:

Labor Day may have come and gone but here in Baltimore it stays pretty hot and humid until about October which leaves me a few more weeks to experiment with hot weather food before turning to roasts. Chilled soups normally leave me cold but I really enjoyed this one. It had the perfect texture, not too chunky but not totally smooth either, the sour cream added a creamy note and the cucumber the right amount of crunch. I am glad I added some celery seed to the mix, it added just a hint of bright, fresh flavor and gave the soup a great depth. Perfectly refreshing on a hot day-the best borscht I've ever had.

Creamy Dill-Caper Dip

Ingredients:
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup (loose) fresh dill, chopped
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoons capers
1 bunch scallions, white and greens chopped
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt
pepper

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir until combined. Alternately, place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse a few times for a smoother texture. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

My thoughts:

What is a cookout or Summer party without some sort of dip? This dip uses in-season dill to its advantage. Low fat/high calcium yogurt replaces sour cream for a dip that is creamy yet not totally naughty. I even used reduced fat cream cheese and (as always) canola mayonnaise to reduce the fat/calorie content even more and no one noticed. It isn't totally fat free or exactly health food but it is super tasty and better for you than some of the other sour cream and cheese heavy dips out there.

Excellent on: salmon, tomato slices, cucumbers, baked potatoes, tortilla chips, celery or instead of tartar sauce.

Perfect for: parties, lunch, snacks, eating directly from the bowl.

Quick Pickled Carrot-Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:
4 medium carrots, sliced diagonally
3 Spring onions, greens and white, chopped*
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced diagonally


dressing:
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 inch knob ginger, grated
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes


Directions:
Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. Toss with the rest of the salad ingredients. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.



*I find that occasionally there is a tightly packed and slightly tough little section right where white bulb meets the green. I normally just toss that part and just use the bulb and the upper 3/4 of the greens.

My thoughts:

This is a crisp, fresh tasting salad that is a great way to show off some in season vegetables. It can be made up to a day before you serve it which makes it a great choice for picnics and parties. I got my inspiration for this salad from the little bowls of pickled vegetables that often accompany Vietnamese dinners or that adorn b�nh m�. This recipe is similar in spirit to those pickles but with a slight twist: the addition of sesame, which I think lends an extra layer of flavor and texture and helps the vegetables from fully absorbing the dressing and becoming soggy too quickly.

Superlative Sesame Noodles

Ingredients:
the dressing:
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons black sesame oil
1 1/2 tablespoons hot chile (sesame) oil
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame paste*
1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 1/2 inch knob ginger, grated

8 oz . skinny noodles* cooked, drained and cooled

to serve
toasted sesame seeds
chopped scallions
seedless cucumber slices or ribbons
steamed snow peas


Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients until smooth. Toss with noodles, cucumber and snow peas then sprinkle with scallions and sesame seeds.


* AKA tahini (not the super light tahini-make sure the label says it was made with toasted sesame seeds, not raw) or use Chinese sesame paste
**Somen, lo mein, soba, even thin spaghetti would all work.

My thoughts:

I love sesame noodles but always hated recipes that called for peanut butter. It just seemed wrong somehow. Then I got to thinking: if the taste I really wanted was sesame so why not just use sesame paste? It serves the same purpose (helping with the emulsion of the sauce and adding some flavor depth) and is roughly the same texture. In fact, to take a not-so-wild stab at it, I think that whole reason peanut butter is even in sesame noodles was because it is easier to find than sesame paste and not because of any ancient sesame noodle tradition. Now that tahini and sesame paste is at nearly every grocery store (one near me has 5 different brands of the stuff included a nice organic toasted variety) there is no reason not to use it. You can also find it in most Asian markets, along with the sesame and chile oils.

And you know what? These were the best sesame noodles I ever had. Who needs peanut butter? Packed with sesame flavor but not overwhelmingly so, with just enough heat to keep it interesting. Plus the cucumbers and cold noodles give the dish a hot-cold aspect that I love.