After a long, hot, relaxing day at the beach, the last thing I wanted to do was turn on the oven, stand over a simmering pot, or even think much about dinner. I also needed to use up at least one of my numerous bulbs of kohlrabi. This simple yet elegant dish was the perfect solution. If you are not familiar with kohlrabi, the slaw is a nice way to try it. I prefer it in salads like this one, raw and thinly sliced. Its crunchiness holds up nicely in the vinaigrette so it can marinate for as long as you need it to without losing texture or taste. If you can’t find kohlrabi or are afraid of its UFO like appearance, celery, jicama, or even green apple could be substituted.

Salmon with Asian Slaw
serves 4

Slaw:
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
juice and zest of 1 lime
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 kohlrabi, peeled and julienned
1 small head napa cabbage, thinly sliced crosswise to “shred“
3–5 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
1 serrano or jalapeno, thinly sliced
2 carrots, shredded
2–3 radishes, diced
1 Kirby (or 1/2 regular) cucumber, diced

Salmon:
1 tablespoon canola or grapeseed oil
4 salmon fillets (about 6 oz each)
salt and pepper, to taste
3–4 cups cooked jasmine rice

Combine the slaw ingredients in a large bowl. Feel free to add more vinegar, sesame oil, tamari, lime, salt, pepper and serrano, to taste. Sometimes I add a half cup of mayonnaise for extra creaminess. Toss the slaw gently and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour.

About 15 minutes before serving, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Add the salmon to the hot oil and cook about 8 minutes until nicely browned. Turn the salmon over and continue cooking until cooked through, 3–5 minutes longer depending on the thickness of the fillets.

For each serving, mound rice in the center of a dinner plate. Place a salmon fillet in the center of the rice, then top with the chilled slaw.

When you’re a freelancer who works to deadlines, taking time off can be a mixed blessing. The time away is great, but I work overtime before I go to clear my desk and then more overtime when I come back to catch up. Kelly put it perfectly when she said it’s like trying to fit 25 hours of living (or working, in this case) into a 24-hour day, which is why we’ve been eating a lot of salads in my house for the past few weeks while I worked to clear my desk in advance of my solo trip back to the States. Salads are the summertime equivalent of wintertime one-pot wonders, but with the added benefit of coming together in no time at all (which also makes them perfect for lazy summer cooks). The flavors in this one are cool and crisp, but it’s still substantial enough for a main course, especially on hot days when you don’t feel like eating much of anything at all. Like the white bean, salami and spinach salad, this is another favorite salad that I make at least once every summer.

Vietnamese Chicken and Mint Salad
from Nigella Bites by Nigella Lawson

Serves 4 as a main course

A food processor or mandoline slicer makes short work of the chopping and shredding in this recipe. If you don’t want to turn on your oven to roast the chicken, you could poach it instead, or just buy a rotisserie chicken from the store and avoid heating up your kitchen altogether.

4 chicken breasts
olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 red chili, deseeded and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup (60 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup (60 ml) nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
1/4 cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
freshly ground black pepper
2 onions, finely sliced
1/2 head of white cabbage, shredded
4 to 6 medium carrots, shredded or grated
1 large bunch of mint, roughly chopped, with some set aside to garnish

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Lightly grease a baking tray with olive oil.

Place the chicken breasts on the baking tray. Drizzle the chicken with a little olive oil, then sprinkle both sides liberally with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside to cool, then roughly chop into bite-sized chunks.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the chili, garlic, lime juice, fish sauce, oil, vinegar, sugar, and black pepper to taste. Add the sliced onions to the mixture and set aside for 30 minutes.

In a big plate or bowl, mix the cabbage, carrot, mint and cooked chicken. Pour over the dressing and toss well, making sure everything is combined and covered thinly with dressing. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Serve on a flat plate with a little mint scattered on top.

I’m a little jealous of all the heat waves in America lately. After the best June in years here in Ireland, July is turning out to be cold and rainy a lot of the time and we’re lucky to even hit 70°F. But last month, when we had proper warm weather, I was making salads for dinner almost every night and this is one of my favorites. Served with some crusty bread, it’s a perfect main course for a hot (or even not so hot) summer’s night.

And if you’re being good and eating salad for dinner, it’s as good of an excuse as any to splurge a little with one of these biscuits. If you can rouse yourself from the heat enough to melt some butter on the stovetop, then all you have to do is press the dough into a baking dish and leave it in the fridge overnight, making this ideal for summertime baking. I made them for the Irish foodies’ cookie bake-off* at the start of the month, and while at first I was a little disappointed in them (I’d been expecting more flavor from the coffee and Crunchie bars), they grew on me. They’re a grown-up kind of cookie, the kind of thing that’s perfect with a cup of coffee after dinner (or anytime).

White Bean, Salami and Spinach Salad
adapted from The Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater

Serves 2 as a light main course

for the salad:
7 oz (200 g) baby spinach (or about 4 big handfuls)
1/2 lb (225 g) salami, thinly sliced
a handful of basil leaves, cut into ribbons
2 x 14 oz (400 g) cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup (100 g) black olives, halved
freshly grated Parmesan shards, to serve
crusty bread, to serve

for the dressing:
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the spinach into a large serving dish. Cut the salami into thin strips and add to the spinach along with the basil, beans and olives.

To make the dressing, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, thyme and salt and pepper together until thick and creamy (or shake to combine in a screw-top jar). Pour the dressing over the salad and toss everything together gently. Grate over some thick shards of Parmesan cheese and serve with plenty of crusty bread.

***

Italian Chocolate Fridge Biscuits
adapted from Avoca Café Cookbook

Makes one 9 x 13 inch tray

3/4 cup (175 g) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (150 g) cocoa powder
1 cup (200 g) sugar
3/4 cup (75 g) ground almonds
3/4 cup (75 g) ground hazelnuts
1 tablespoon espresso or strong black coffee
1 egg and 1 egg yolk, beaten together
6 oz (175 g) Petit Beurre, high-quality butter cookies or digestive biscuits, roughly chopped
6 oz (175 g) honeycomb, such as Crunchie bars, roughly chopped
1 1/4 cups (175 g) hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Put the butter, cocoa, sugar, ground almonds and ground hazelnuts in a large pot and heat gently, stirring, until the butter has melted. Beat the coffee, egg and egg yolk into the mixture, then stir in the cookies, honeycomb and chopped hazelnuts. It will be very crumbly and rough looking at this stage.

Lightly oil a shallow 9 x 13 inch baking dish and firmly press the mixture into it (the mixture should be about 3/4 inch thick). Leave it to set in the fridge overnight, then turn out and cut into squares. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

*Looking for more cookie inspiration? Check out all these recipes from some other Irish foodies:

• Brown butter chocolate chip cookies
• Chocolate crinkle cookies
• Chocolate melting moments
• Chocolate orange cookies
• Cinnamon butterfly cookies
• Cranberry pecan cookies
• Double chocolate pecan cookies
• Lemon rind heart cookies
• Lemon sugar cookies
• Messy choc chip mallow block
• New York Times chocolate chip cookies
• Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
• Peanut butter button cookies
• Sugar-dusted wedding cookies
• Toffee apple cookies
• Vanilla sugar cookies
• World peace cookies

When you travel, what do you remember afterward? I remember the food. I have a better memory of eating quiche Lorraine for breakfast on a bench by the Seine in Paris than I do of seeing the Mona Lisa in the Louvre. Of course I remember the big-name sightseeing highlights, but I also remember the Nutella and banana crepe we bought from a stand near the Eiffel Tower; a brioche aux praline in Lyons that was so good we changed our return travel plans back to Paris just so we could eat it one more time; chocolate mint gelato in Florence served by a man in what looked like a crisp white lab coat and perfectly Brylcreemed 1950s hair; kriek cherry beer in Amsterdam, glögg in Copenhagen and a harsh, peaty whiskey in Edinburgh that I downed after (foolishly, in my case) taking the ghost tour of the city; conch chowder in the Bahamas; hot chocolate and a gingerbread man with my little girl in London; and a ploughman’s pub lunch in Canterbury. In Barcelona we spent more time eating tapas and drinking sangria than sightseeing. In the US, I still have clear memories of bratwurst being grilled on the Memorial Union Terrace in the summertime in Madison, Wisconsin; whole crabs in Baltimore, complete with a newspaper-covered table and hammers; lobster in Boston with flimsy plastic bibs and pitchers of beer; a post-wedding brunch at the Ritz in Washington, DC with scallops and bacon, caviar and waiters who seemed to top up my glass of mimosa after every sip; sopapilla and honey in Santa Fe; scoops of ice cream in waffle cones so freshly made on the spot in Bellingham, Washington that they were still warm; and a nondescript hot dog somewhere outside of Charlottesville, Virginia that I remember only because I couldn’t understand a single word the man behind the counter said when he rattled off all the toppings because his Southern accent was so thick, so I just said I’d have what my friend was having.

As for this salad, I had it for lunch on a rooftop café in Tuscany on my honeymoon eight years ago, looking out over rolling countryside that was hazy in the middle of the heat wave they were having at the time. Earlier during that trip, walking across the city on our way to stand in line in the hot sun for an hour to see Michelangelo’s David in Florence and wilting just at the thought of it, I turned to my husband and said, “Will seeing David really make us better people? How about we just go back to the garden at the hotel and drink beer and eat olives instead?” Which is exactly what we did.

What are some of your memories of food and travel?

White Bean and Tuna Salad with Lemon Pepper Dressing
adapted from How to Cook Book Two by Delia Smith

Serves 4 as a light main course or 6 as a starter/light lunch

for the salad:
2 x 14 oz (400 g) cans of cannellini beans
salt and freshly ground black pepper
a few handfuls of arugula (rocket), stalks removed
2 x 7 oz (200 g) cans of tuna, drained
1 red onion, peeled, sliced thinly and deflamed
crusty bread, to serve

for the dressing:
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 teaspoons Maldon sea salt
1 heaped teaspoon mustard powder, such as Colman’s
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
zest and juice of 1 large lemon (3 tablespoons juice)

To make the dressing, first crush the garlic and salt using a pestle and mortar until the garlic is pulverized into a paste, then work in the mustard powder and pepper. If you have a large pestle and mortar, add the olive oil, lemon zest and juice directly into it and whisk everything together thoroughly. If your pestle and mortar is small (like mine), then scrape the garlic paste into a larger bowl and whisk in the olive oil, lemon zest and juice in that.

Place the beans in a bowl and pour the dressing over, stirring to make sure all the beans are coated. Season generously.

To serve the salad, arrange three-quarters of the arugula (rocket) leaves over the base of one large serving dish (or you could assemble the salad on individual plates), spoon the beans on top and add the tuna fish in chunks. Add the rest of the arugula, pushing some of the leaves and chunks of tuna right in amongst the beans. Arrange the onion slices on top and serve straight away.

When I moved to Ireland 11 years ago, any ingredient that was the least bit exotic was almost impossible to find, or at least it was outside of upmarket Dublin delis or ethnic markets. I remember how excited I was after a couple of years here to find a local store that sold sweet potatoes and butternut squash, though an Irish friend asked me what the squash was after seeing it sitting on my kitchen counter. To this day, when I buy an eggplant (aubergine) or avocado, the checker will sometimes ask me what it is, leaving me to wonder if I’m really the only person who’s ever come through their line to buy these things. Just last week, when I saw that my store was stocking fresh lemongrass, I snatched up a bundle with this recipe in mind after recently watching Bill Granger make it on his Bill’s Holiday TV show, but laughed when I looked at the receipt and saw that the checker had charged them as scallions.

I’m just happy to have found it at all, since these burgers and this fresh, zingy slaw were the perfect dinner for the equally unexpected hot, sunny weather we had this past weekend. But if you can’t find lemongrass (I certainly didn’t expect to!), you could either substitute the zest of half a lemon or just leave it out altogether and the burgers will still have plenty of flavor. With or without the lemongrass — and with or without the accompanying summer weather, for that matter, seeing as how you can’t count on that either in Ireland anymore — I’ll definitely be making both of these dishes these again.

Chicken Burgers with Lemongrass and Lime
adapted from Holiday by Bill Granger

Serves 4 to 6

1 lb (450 g) minced chicken
1 small onion, grated
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 stalk lemongrass, white part only finely chopped (or the zest of 1/2 lemon or omit altogether)
3/4 cup (75 g) fresh white breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
zest of 1 lime
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
vegetable oil, for brushing
soft rolls, to serve
lettuce, to serve
chili sauce, to serve
mayonnaise, to serve

Mix the chicken, onion, garlic, lemongrass, breadcrumbs, cilantro, lime zest, fish sauce and sugar in a large bowl and gently mix everything together well with your hands (try not to overwork the burgers). Shape into 6 patties, then cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow them to firm up a bit.

Heat a barbecue or grill pan and brush the burgers with a little oil. Cook for 4 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Serve the burgers on soft rolls with lettuce, chili sauce and mayonnaise.

***

Spicy Slaw
adapted from Holiday by Bill Granger

Serves 8

I left out the thinly sliced red onion called for in the original because I don’t personally care for raw onion, but by all means add it back in if you want to. The original recipe doesn’t call for basil either, but I had half a bunch in my fridge and wanted to use it up. You could use any combination of these herbs that you like or have to hand.

for the salad:
4 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 large carrots, grated
2 large handfuls white cabbage, grated
2 large handfuls red cabbage, grated
1 large handful mint leaves, roughly chopped
1 large handful basil leaves, roughly chopped
1 large handful coriander leaves, roughly chopped

for the sweet chili dressing:
1 tablespoon rice vinegar or white vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 or 2 red chilies, deseeded and finely chopped

Toss all the salad ingredients together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix all the dressing ingredients together, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Add the dressing to the salad and toss together. Serve immediately.

Is there anyone more stereotypically Australian than Bill Granger? He’s blond, buff, lives by the beach in Sydney and knows his way around a barbecue. He also isn’t afraid of loud shirts and white pants and throws in an occasional wink to the camera. He’s my new favorite TV chef and this is my new favorite salmon. It’s the kind of recipe that’s so good I won’t want to make salmon any other way from now on. Try it and you’ll see why. (And head’s up for all you cookbook addicts — Bill Granger’s most recent book, Every Day, is on sale online at the Book Depository for €10.32 (about $13.50), with free worldwide shipping. Just don’t tell my husband, who bought it for me as a surprise last week and paid twice as much.)

Caramel Salmon
adapted from Every Day by Bill Granger

Serves 4

This is Bill Granger’s take on a traditional Vietnamese caramel dish.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 lb (900 g) salmon, deboned and cut into large cubes
1 red onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1/2 cup (100 g) brown sugar
3 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla)
freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lime juice
steamed rice, to serve
a handful of fresh cilantro, chopped, to serve
3 or 4 scallions, chopped, to serve
1 red chili, deseeded and finely chopped, to serve
lime wedges, to serve

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the salmon in 2 batches and cook each batch for a couple of minutes until lightly browned. Turn over and cook the other side for 1 minute, then remove from the pan.

Reduce the heat to medium and add a little extra oil to the pan, if needed. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the soy sauce, sugar and fish sauce. Return the salmon to the pan and cook for 1 minute, or until the sauce is rich, dark and syrupy. Sprinkle liberally with black pepper and stir through the lime juice. Serve on top of steamed rice with a little sauce drizzled over. Sprinkle over some chopped cilantro, scallions and red chili and place lime wedges on the side.

***

Cucumber and Snow Pea Salad
adapted from Every Day by Bill Granger

Serves 4

If you like this salad, you might also like to try Bill Granger’s sugar snap and bok choy salad, which is very similar to this one.

1 cucumber, thickly sliced
5 oz (140 g) snow peas (mangetout), trimmed, blanched and halved diagonally
2 teaspoons lime juice
pinch of sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil

Put the cucumber and snow peas in a large bowl. Whisk together the lime juice, sugar and oil until the sugar dissolves (or shake to combine in a screw-top jar). Pour over the cucumber and snow peas and toss well. Serve immediately.

My book club’s most recent pick, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver, provided the perfect inspiration for our meeting’s dinner menu. The book centers around the author’s year of eating only local foods, including produce and animals that she raised herself. After getting past the initial defensiveness of my own food choices, I came to love the book and have been truly inspired by it. It also provided a ready theme for our book club dinner — local. Luckily, by living in Wisconsin, I have easy access to farms that offer direct-to-seller meat and produce. I had a freezer full of beef from Sulzer Beef at my disposal. I also rediscovered Outpost Natural Foods, which in recent years has made a concerted effort to carry more local products.

My friend Alex brought a wonderful rhubarb strawberry crisp made with strawberries she picked from a nearby farm and rhubarb from her garden. For the salad, I used a winter salad mix from Milwaukee’s own urban, award-winning farm, Growing Power. To serve, I splashed some balsamic vinegar and olive oil over the greens (not local, I’m afraid), then used a vegetable peeler to grate long strips of Wisconsin Parmesan over the top. We rounded out the meal with an assortment of other Wisconsin cheeses (lemon chevre, cranberry cheddar, and Gorgonzola) and a fresh baguette from our local Breadsmith bakery.  A feast that doesn’t require gallons of petroleum to transport it to the table tastes even better than one that does.

Filipino-style London Broil
adapted from Indoor! Grilling by Steven Raichlen

Serves 4 to 6

2 medium lemons
1 cup (240 ml) soy sauce [Kikkoman brand is made in Walworth, Wisconsin]
1/2 cup (120 ml) distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 bay leaves, crumbled
1 tablespoon coriander seed
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 sirloin or top or bottom round steak (1 1/2 to 2 lb/680 to 900 g)

Rinse the lemons. Cut each in half and squeeze out the juice with a citrus press. Place the lemon juice in a large nonreactive mixing bowl. Cut the rind of 1 lemon into 1/4-inch dice and add it to the juice. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, oil, onion, garlic, bay leaves, coriander seed, and pepper and whisk to mix. Set aside half of the lemon juice mixture to use as a sauce.

Spread half of the remaining lemon juice mixture in the bottom of a nonreactive baking dish just large enough to hold the meat. Place the meat on top and spread the other half of the lemon juice mixture over it. Let the steak marinate for at least 6 hours, or ideally overnight. The beef can also be marinated in a resealable plastic bag.

Place a grill pan on the stove and preheat it to medium-high over a medium heat. When the grill pan is hot, a drop of water will skitter in the pan. When ready to cook, lightly oil the ridges of the grill pan. Drain the meat, scraping off most of the marinade with a rubber spatula. Place the beef in the hot grill pan. Sirloin or round steak will be cooked to medium-rare after 5 to 8 minutes per side. To test for doneness, use the poke method: when cooked to medium-rare the meat should be gently yielding.

Transfer the meat to a cutting board and let it sit for 5 minutes. Cut the meat into broad thin slices, holding a sharp knife blade at a 45-degree angle to the top of the meat. Spoon the reserved sauce over the slices and serve at once.

***

Oven-roasted Potatoes

Serves 6

3 large baking potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil
handful of flat-leaf parsley, minced [I love parsley and use about a half bunch in this recipe]
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon paprika
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

Toss the cubed potatoes with the olive oil, parsley, garlic, basil, oregano and paprika. Spread in a single layer on a large baking sheet (or 2 smaller baking sheets). Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, turning the potatoes halfway through cooking, until golden brown and tender. Immediately season with salt and pepper to taste.

This was originally going to be tilapia, Veracruz style but Reuben was too enamored with the halibut to pass it up. I especially liked this preparation not only for the taste but also because the sauce can be made the night before. As you can see from my photo (thank you Reuben for my early birthday present), it’s even pretty enough for guests.

I try to serve seafood at least once a week, not only because it’s healthy, but also because it is quick. U.S. tilapia and wild Alaskan salmon are my fish of choice — the tilapia for its price and the wild salmon for its omega-3. Both fish are also sustainable. I recommend Monterey Bay’s Seafood Watch Program to check whether your seafood choices have low toxin levels and minimal environmental impact.

Halibut, Veracruz Style
adapted from Bon Appétit, May 2003

Serves 6

1 x 28-oz (780-g) can diced tomatoes in juice, well drained, juices reserved
1/4 cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 small bay leaves
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1/3 cup (50 g) chopped pitted green olives
2 tablespoons raisins
2 tablespoons drained capers
6 halibut, tilapia or red snapper fillets (about 1 1/2 lbs/680 g total)
pickled jalapeño chilies, sliced

Place the drained tomatoes in a medium bowl. Using a potato masher, crush the tomatoes to a coarse puree. Drain again, reserving juices.

Heat the oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and stir 30 seconds. Add the garlic and stir 30 seconds. Add the tomato puree and cook 1 minute. Add the bay leaves, parsley, oregano, and 1/4 cup (60 ml) reserved tomato juices. Simmer until the sauce thickens, about 3 minutes. Add the olives, raisins, capers, and all the remaining reserved tomato juices. Simmer until the sauce thickens again, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Spread 3 tablespoons of sauce in the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish. Arrange the fish on top of the sauce. Sprinkle the fish lightly with salt and pepper. Spoon the remaining sauce over the fish. Bake uncovered until the fish is just opaque in center, about 15 to 20 minutes. Using a long spatula, transfer the fish with sauce to plates. Garnish with the pickled jalapeño slices. Serve with rice.

***

Orange-Lime Cumin Vinaigrette
adapted from Manger La Ville!

Makes about 1/2 cup (120 ml)

1 small clove garlic
kosher salt
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons minced shallot
1/2  teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil
freshly ground pepper

Mince and mash clove of garlic with about 1/2 teaspoon salt. In a medium bowl whisk the garlic paste, lime, orange juice, shallot, cumin and honey. Slowly add the oil while whisking to emulsify the mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I think Orangette was the first food blog I ever read. Kristin pointed me towards it years ago and I was hooked. Being the thoughtful friend that she is, Kristin sent me Molly Wizenberg’s (aka Orangette) book, A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table, last week for my birthday. I had already planned to make this salad, but the arrival of the book sealed the deal. It was fate. It was kismet. It was delicious.

Warm Butternut and Chickpea Salad with Tahini
adapted from Orangette

4 servings

For salad:
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
1 medium garlic clove, pressed
½ teaspoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt
1 x 15-oz (425 g) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 or 2 shallots, finely chopped
¼ cup (10 g) coarsely chopped parsley or cilantro leaves

For tahini dressing:
1 medium garlic clove, finely minced with a pinch of salt
3 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons well-stirred tahini (sesame paste)
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to taste

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).

In a large bowl, combine the butternut squash, garlic, allspice, olive oil, and a good pinch or two of salt. Using a large spoon or your hands, toss until the squash pieces are evenly coated. Turn them out onto a baking sheet, and bake for 15 to 25 minutes, or until soft. Remove from the oven and cool.

Meanwhile, make the tahini sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic and lemon juice. Add the tahini, and whisk to blend. Add the water and olive oil, whisk well, and taste for seasoning. The sauce should have plenty of nutty tahini flavor, but also a little kick of lemon. (I found that my tahini was a little bitter and that the lemon was a bit much, so I added additional olive oil to tame both.)

To assemble the salad, combine the squash, chickpeas, onion, and parsley in a mixing bowl. Add tahini sauce about 1/2 cup of dressing, and toss carefully. Serve, with the extra tahini dressing on the side and additional salt for sprinkling. This tastes great with a crusty piece of bread.

Note: This salad, lightly dressed, keeps beautifully in the fridge. Before serving, warm slightly with quick jolt in the microwave and serve with any extra tahini dressing.

From Issaquah to Birmingham, towns across the globe are finding that the recession has driven consumers from the ubiquitous Borders or Barnes & Nobles back to public libraries. Libraries are especially useful for people like me who love drooling over glossy cookbook pages but are too cheap to actually buy them. The stash of cookbooks at our East Side library is so overwhelming that I’ve taken to letting Sam pick out the cookbook we bring home with us. This week, I decided to try random picks at the beginning of the alphabet. Tonight we had “B” for Bittman — Mark Bittman, the New York Times’s Minimalist with the most. I’ve made several of his recipes, clipped from the inky pages of the Times, but this was my first time browsing through one of his cookbooks. I couldn’t be happier with my choice (Mark Bittman’s Quick and Easy Recipes from the New York Times). The book is filled with quick and easy recipes, just as it promises, with lots of notes on how to adapt the recipes depending on what you have on hand.

Though I’m not normally impressed with entree salads (it takes a lot of lettuce to fill me up), this chicken salad is truly satisfying. The scallion pancakes make a nice savory accompaniment, but a good baguette would work as well.

Asian Chicken Salad with Greens
adapted from Mark Bittman’s Quick and Easy Recipes from the New York Times

Serves 4

1 1/2 lb (680 g) skinless, boneless chicken thighs (recommended) or breasts
1/4 cup (60 ml) soy sauce
3 tablespoons tahini or peanut butter
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 clove garlic, peeled
a few drops of hot sauce
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or other mild vinegar
1 cucumber
6 cups (7 oz/200 g) salad greens
2  scallions, chopped
cilantro and grated carrot, to garnish

Preheat the broiler. Cut the chicken meat into 1/2– to 1-inch chunks, then place in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce.

In a blender, combine the remaining soy sauce with the tahini, sesame oil, garlic, hot sauce, salt, pepper, sugar and vinegar. Turn the blender on and add 1/3 cup (80 ml) hot water, a teaspoon at a time, until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Cool the dressing in the refrigerator.

Broil the chicken, turning once or twice. Total cooking time will be 10 to 12 minutes for thighs or 6 to 8 minutes for breasts. Meanwhile, peel the cucumber (if it’s waxed), slice it in half the long way, and scoop out the seeds with a grapefruit spoon. Cut it into 1/2-inch dice, and combine in a bowl with the dressing. When the chicken is done, let it rest and cool for a few minutes, then toss it and the cucumber with a few tablespoons of the dressing. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve the chicken and cucumbers on top of greens, garnished with cilantro and shredded carrot. Pass extra dressing so everyone can add dressing to his or her taste.

***

Scallion Pancakes
from Mark Bittman’s Quick and Easy Recipes from the New York Times

Serves 4

salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 bunches scallions or spring onions, about 1 lb (450 g)
1 egg
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 cup (60 g) flour
peanut, canola or olive oil as needed

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil while you trim the scallions. Roughly chop three bunches, and mince the fourth.

Add the larger portion of scallions to the water, and cook for about 5 minutes, or until tender. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the cooking liquid. Puree the cooked scallions in a blender, adding just enough of the cooking liquid to allow the machine to do its work.

Mix the puree with the egg and soy, then gently stir in the flour until blended. Add pepper to taste, then the reserved minced scallions. Film a nonstick or well-seasoned skillet with oil, and turn the heat to medium-high. Drop the batter into the pan by the tablespoon or quarter cup, and cook about 2 minutes to a side, or until lightly browned. If necessary, the pancakes can be kept warm in a 200°F (95°C) oven for about 30 minutes.