Taste of Amalfi: Hearts of Palm and Avocado Salad

Are you looking for a perfect summertime salad? My mom has been making this salad ever since my parents visited the Amalfi Coast 10 years ago. I have since loved this salad, and appreciate it even more after having spent some time in Praiano, Italy. Something about it brings me back to afternoon Peronis, midnight glasses of Prosecco and limoncello, cherries, olives, - oh the amazing freshness and flavors of the Amalfi Coast!

This salad is even better served with a good crusty bread with a soft inside - a good sourdough is perfect.

Ingredients:

• 2 avocados
• 1 can hearts of palm*
• 2 large tomatoes
• 1/4 red onion
• 3 ears of corn
• 1/2 lemon
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste
  

How to:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Once the oven is preheated, place the corn cobs (still in husks) onto the oven racks. Roast for 30 minutes.
   
3. While the corn is roasting, chop up the hearts of palm into 1/2 inch pieces, and slice the onion and tomoatoes.
4. Combine the hearts of palm, onions, tomatoes, and olive oil in a serving bowl. Salt to taste and let marinate while the corn roasts.
5. Remove the corn from the oven, slice the corn off the cob, and combine with salad.
6. Chop the avocados into 1/2 inch pieces, combine with the salad, vinegar, and lemon juice from 1/2 a lemon.

*Note: Hearts of palm can be found in most grocery stores in the canned vegetable aisles. Some brands have very woody exteriors - if that is the case, remove the outer layer. The best brand (and surprisingly, the cheapest!) is Whole Foods 365 brand of hearts of palm - they are the most consistent in size and texture and sometimes go on sale for less than $2 a can!

Spring Spaghetti

Spring has finally sprung! This dish is the perfect reminder that long, warm and sunny days are here. This is one of my all time favorites because it is so light and fresh.

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• 4 servings of dry spaghetti
• 1 leek, sliced
  
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
  
• 1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
  
• 1.5 cups frozen or fresh peas
• Salt
• Pepper
• Parmesan
  

How to:

1. Bring a large stock pot filled with salted water to a boil. When the water reaches a rolling boil add the dry spaghetti
   
2. Heat a 12 inch skillet and coat with olive oil. Add the leeks and saute until translucent, about 10 minutes
3. Add the garlic, asparagus and 1 ladle of the pasta water to the skillet. Cook about 2 minutes on medium-low heat. Add the peas and stir. Salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat.
   
4. Using tongs, add the pasta to the skillet and stir until the vegetables and pasta are mixed well.
   
5. Garnish with olive oil and grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Notes:
It's very important not to overcook the vegetables. Be sure that the vegetables remain bright green and have a snap to them, it adds to the freshness of the dish. Enjoy!

Artichokes Provencal

I have been waiting for baby artichokes to be in season to cook this recipe by Mark Bittman. Baby artichokes grown in California are at my local co-op this week - get them while they last because I know I will be making this at least one more time over the weekend!

Ingredients:

• 6-8 baby artichokes
• 1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  
• 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup water
• olive oil
• salt

How to:

1. Heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a skillet, add whole cloves of garlic and thyme
   
2. Prep the baby artichokes by peeling off the tough outer leaves, trimming the outer edges of the stem, cut the top inch off of the top, and cut in half. Add the artichokes into the skillet.
3. Once the bottom of the artichokes are slightly brown, add the olives and tomatoes.
4. Add in the water, cover and let simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes
5. Salt to taste
6. Serve with good crusty bread and a little grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
   

Notes: This may be good with a pasta or grain like farro. The bread is great since it soaks up all of the juices.

Indoor Sweet and Sour Tofu Kabobs

Anyone anxiously awaiting outdoor barbecue season? Here is an idea - indoor kabobs that fit on a stove top grill pan. These would be great to serve at a party.

I made kabobs with pineapple, tofu, scallions, and orange bell pepper by skewering on toothpicks. Just like kabobs on the grill, be sure to soak the toothpicks in water for a minute. I grilled these on the indoor stove top grill lightly oiled with canola oil.

My main goal with the sweet and sour sauce was to not use ketchup as so many recipes do (even my vegetarian Chinese cookbook in Chinese).

Sweet and Sour Sauce Ingredients:

• 6 ounces pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon water

How to:

1. Combine all of the ingredients except the cornstarch and water in a sauce pot. Heat and let boil for about 30 seconds. Reduce heat.
   
2. Make a slurry by mixing cornstarch and water.
   
3. Slowly add into the sauce pot and stir until thickened.

Note: The sauce would be perfect to add to a stir fry.

Shitake and Cabbage Dumplings

In celebration of Chinese New Year, I made some dumplings. It's been a long time since I have made dumplings from scratch, and they definitely reminded me of how delicious homemade dumplings are. I didn't follow a recipe for this and tried to pay attention to the quantities I used, but just play around. The recipe below made enough for about 25-30 dumplings. These turned out really good!

Ingredients

Dumplings:

• Half a head of cabbage
• 10 - 15 shitake mushrooms
• 3 chopped scallions
  
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/2 cup of water
  
• Wonton or dumpling wrappers
  

Dipping Sauce:

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
  
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger
• 1 chopped scallion

How to:

1. Shred the cabbage using the shredding attachment of a food processor.
   
2. Grate the ginger and garlic (see note) and finely dice the scallions and mushrooms.
   
3. Heat one tablespoon of sesame oil in a skillet and add the cabbage, ginger, garlic, mushrooms, and scallions. Saute for about 10 minutes, until the cabbage and mushrooms are soft. Set aside.
4. While the filling is cooling, mix all of the dipping sauce ingredients together.
   
5. Place 1-2 teaspoons of filling into a wonton wrapper - the amount will depend on the size of wrappers you use. Using your finger, wet half of the wonton edges with water - then fold over to seal.
   
6. Heat the two tablespoons of canola and remaining sesame oil in a skillet. Make sure to use a skillet that has a lid. Add the dumplings (do not cover). Pan fry until golden brown. When the dumplings are brown, add the water and cover the skillet with the lid very quickly. Let steam for about 2 minutes.
   

Note: The key to making good dumplings at home is make sure the filling isn't too wet. You don't want it to cause the wrappers to break. Also, be conservative when you wet the edges of the dumplings. One other tip, using a microplane to finely grate the ginger and garlic is a good way to pack in the flavor.