Author: cia

Watermelon and Tomato Salad

This is one of my favorite summer salads adapted from Dan Barber’s Blue Hill Restaurant in New York City. In the summer, you can go to the market and all kinds of tomatoes are available. Watermelon also come cheap. This salad is already refreshing, but to add mint and basil in it just makes it more special.

Ingredients:
1 watermelon, preferably seedless, rind removed, cubed
1 quart of yellow, red, orange cherry or graped tomatoes, halved
lemon juice
red wine vinegar
1 small Thai chili, chopped
handful of basil, finely chopped
handful of mint leaves, finely chopped
olive oil, salt, pepper

1. Into a bowl, whisk the vinegar and the oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the chili and the herbs.
2. Add the tomatoes and the watermelon. Toss. Chill and serve.

Roasted Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad

Adapted from Fergus Henderson of St. John, London

Ingredients:
several pieces of marrow bone
half a bunch of flat-leafed parsley, coarsely chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
lemon juice
olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt all over bones. Roast in oven, about fifteen minutes each side.
2. Mix the rest of the ingredients together and serve on top of cooked bones.
3. Enjoy by scooping out the fatty goodness and spreading it on toast with the parsley salad.

Grilled Skirt Steak with Vietnamese Chimichurri

Adapted from The New York Times

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds skirt steak
1 tbsp nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
1 tsp sugar
1 small Thai chili, stemmed and seeded
2 tbsps fresh lime juice
2 tsps chopped garlic, or to taste
2 medium shallots, chopped
1/2 cup mint leaves, finely chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
leaves of Boston lettuce, washed and dried
salt and pepper

1. Combine fish sauce, pepper, sugar, chili, lime juice, garlic and shallots in a small glass bowl and mash with a pestle. Add mint and cilantro and mash some more. Taste and adjust seasonings as you like.
2. Sprinkle steak with salt and pepper and grill 4 minutes a side. Cut into strips, arrange over lettuce, and serve with sauce and roll up.

Note: Recipe calls for grilling. In my New York City kitchen, I simply cooked the steak in a skillet with very hot oil. I also used Romaine lettuce as a substitute.

Red Wine Squid Salad

Adapted from Cold Food’s chargrilled octopus recipe

Ingredients:
1 pound squid, cleaned, washed, paper towel-dried
2 tbsps red wine
2 tbsps soy sauce
2 tbsps hoisin sauce
3 cloves garlic, crushed
vegetable oil
salt and pepper

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl to make marinade. Add squid, too and marinate for a couple of hours.
2. When ready to cook, drain and save the marinade.
3. Heat a deep skillet and grease with a little oil. Fry squid until it’s white on both sides, about 3 minutes per. Brush with some of the marinade and sprinkle with salt and pepper while cooking. Try not to overcook so they are not tough. Slice and serve either hot or cold with mixed greens.

Poached Eggs with Oyster Mushrooms, Sugar Snap Peas and Hazelnuts

Adapted from The Tasting Room, New York City

Ingredients:
2 pints of oyster mushrooms
1 cup sugar snap peas, destringed
1 tbsp distilled white vinegar
4 large eggs
chicken stock
1 tbsp butter
1/3 cup crushed hazelnuts
2 tbsp chives, minced
salt and pepper

1. Clean mushrooms, using your fingers to brush away dirt and remove woody parts. Break into bite-size pieces. Set aside.
2. Place a small pot of salted water over high heat. When water boils, add peas and cook until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain into a colander and rinse with cold water.
3. Place a sauté pan over medium-high heat, add mushrooms and stir until their color deepens and aroma intensifies, about two minutes. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, remove from heat and continue stirring. After a minute, mushrooms should release some liquid; if not, add a tablespoon or two of the stock. Return pan to heat, add butter and peas and stir until hot, about 2 minutes. Shut off heat and divide among four plates.
4. Fill a deep skillet with a few inches of water, add vinegar and salt and place over high heat. Crack eggs into small, separate cups. When water boils, reduce heat to a low simmer and carefully pour in eggs one at a time. Cook until whites are firmly set. Strain eggs with a slotted spoon and transfer each to a plate atop mushrooms. Sprinkle with hazelnuts, chives and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.