Holy smokes, this Asian noodle salad is yummy! And ridiculously easy to pull together, too, especially if you have extra Spicy Sweet Shrimp on hand–or substitute other leftovers, like Mahogany Grilled Chicken. Packed with flavor yet light and refreshing, this noodle salad is a go-to, one-dish healthy dinner.
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Granita is a super-simple summer dessert or appetizer that’s simply a frozen mixture of water, sugar and other flavorings. I planted a lemon verbena in our garden right near our Adirondack chairs simply because I wanted to be bathed in its heady fragrance whenever I was chilling out. And then I made this granita and fell in love with the plant even more. If you don’t have lemon verbena on hand, try lemon thyme or lemongrass, or just add the zest of another lemon.
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The heat of the jalapeno and bite of the red onion play nicely off the subtle sweetness of the peaches in this summery salsa recipe. Serve this peach salsa with just about anything grilled, from pork and chicken to salmon. Or if you’re like me, pop open a cold beer, rip open a bag of tortilla chips, and dig in! I like my salsa caliente, so I leave the seeds and stems in the chile pepper. To tame the heat, discard the stems and seeds.
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“Hola, Lia. I promise you more to come but here is a recipe of a chicken in tomatillo sauce typical of Coban in Guatemala. It is called Pollo en Jocon (pronounced, ho-kon) and is traditionally served over rice, with warm corn tortillas. It is a stew, so you serve it in bowls–the rice in the bottom, then spoon the sauce all over it. I hope you like it. I particularly hope your darling little girl enjoys it.”
~ from Sandra Gutierrez, The Culinary Latinista™, food writer and cooking instructor
20 large tomatillos, cleaned of husks, rinsed and dried
1/2 large yellow onion, sliced into thick slices
2 green onions
1 green bell pepper, quartered
1 plum tomato
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 Serrano chiles
1 bunch cilantro (about 3 cups, packed)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 (3-4 pound) chicken, cooked, deboned and shredded (about 7 cups) * [see below for instructions]
1/2 cup reserved chicken broth (from cooking chicken)
Set a dry skillet—preferably cast iron—over high heat. Working in batches, add the tomatillos, yellow onion, green onions, bell pepper and plum tomato, roasting them until they are charred all over. Set them inside a large bowl, as they are readied.
Roast the unpeeled garlic, making sure to char the skins well. Peel the roasted garlic and place the roasted pulp with the other vegetables. Roast the serrano chiles on all sides, remove the seeds and stem, and add the chiles to the vegetables.
Working in batches, puree the roasted vegetables and the cilantro in a blender until smooth, adding enough reserved chicken broth to help you along.
Heat the oil in a large pot on medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the tomatillo sauce and stir well. You should hear a sizzling sound when the sauce comes into contact with the oil—watch out for sputters. Lower the heat and simmer sauce for 2 minutes. Add the cooked chicken and the remaining chicken broth, stir well, and simmer the stew for 15 minutes. Serve over steamed white rice.
Note: the stew can be completely prepared ahead of time, chilled, and re-heated before serving. It also freezes beautifully for up to 2 months.
Serves 6
* Lia’s note on cooking the chicken: Place the chicken in a large pot with two scallions and 2 smashed cloves of garlic, and cover with cold, salted water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat (it will take a while) and skim off any foam that has risen to the surface. Then lower heat to medium-low (it should still be bubbling, but not very vigorously) and cook for 50-60 minutes, the legs and wings should come off easily when grabbed with tongs. Remove the chicken (reserving the liquid), let cool enough so you can handle it, then remove the skin and bones and shred the meat.
I first developed this spicy pesto recipe out of desperation with an abundance of end-of-the-season Thai basil (it freezes wonderfully). Now it’s one of our summer staples … especially now that Noemi loves being in on the action. Get creative with this flavorful pesto recipe. Rub it on chicken and fish, mix it into rice noodles, stir-fry some tofu and spicy greens. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle–or don’t want to use yours–just whip it up in a food processor; drizzle in extra lime juice and a bit of water if you need liquid to process.
3 cloves garlic
3 dried Thai chiles
Sea salt, to taste
1/3 cup peanuts
1 tablespoon sugar
2 packed cups Asian basil leaves
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
In a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic and chiles to a paste with a tiny pinch of salt. Then add peanuts and sugar, and pound to incorporate. Handful by handful, add the basil and pulverize completely in between additions. Stir in fish sauce, peanut oil and lime juice.
Serves 8
Prep Time: 15 minutes
This confetti-colored ceviche definitely has Asian-leanings. In fact, I had green papaya salad mingling with ceviche in my mind when I came up with it. Ceviche is a simple, no-cook way to prepare fresh, sustainable seafood that “cooks” the scallops in acid (in this case, lime juice). For a fun, summer hors d’oeuvre, chop the vegetables into smaller pieces and serve the ceviche with tortilla chips.
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This grilled asparagus recipe comes from Savigno, Italy, a hamlet it the hills south of Bologna, by way of my friend Alberto Bettini. Along with being the third generation to run his family’s incredible restaurant and inn, Da Amerigo, Alberto is passionate about preserving traditional foods and recipes. He shared this one with me in much the same manner as it has probably been passed on for centuries (Alberto calls it an ancient recipe): by simply describing it. Like many Italian recipes that have endured the ages, this one is simple in technique and ingredients, yet surprisingly complex in flavor. Serve this asparagus as an appetizer (it’s great as part of an antipasto platter), tossed with pasta, or simply snacking on out of hand.
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I learned about Mississippi caviar, in which black-eyed peas stand in for fish roe, when I lived in the South. Sometimes it’s called Texas caviar, but I’ll leave it to those states to duke it out for naming rights. This zesty, summery side dish comes together in a flash when you use steamed, ready-to-eat blacked-eyed peas, and I’ve added precooked brown rice to introduce a little whole grain to the mix. You can use other beans or legumes, or even canned beans, in place of the peas. Mississippi caviar works as a light supper or as a side dish with grilled fare. Leftovers are even tastier, since the flavors continue to develop with time.
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This recipe transforms fresh spring veggies into a fragrant, satisfying curry. Serve with purple or red rice for a stunning vegetable curry bowl.
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I waffled about whether to name this “hummus” or “chickpea dip,” but ultimately thought it veered far enough from tradition — thanks to the addition of spinach and smoked paprika — to go with the latter. (And my choice should satisfy purists like Cheryl Sternman Rule — check out her tongue-in-cheek thoughts on the matter the hummus debate here.) It is, in any case, delicious. If you’ve ever had any doubt as to the strength of pounded garlic, this little dish will set you straight.
3 cloves garlic, peeled and pounded to a paste in a mortar and pestle with a pinch of salt
2 cups cooked chickpeas
12 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Combine garlic, chickpeas, spinach, lemon juice and tahini in a food processor, and blend until smooth.
Warm olive oil in a small pan over medium-low heat and add spices. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes, until just fragrant. Scrape oil and spices into bowl of food processor, add a pinch of salt and process until well blended.
Serves 8
