Cucumber Salad

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Cucumber Salad

Cucumber Salad Triptich

It's hard to believe that in less than a week I leave for Alaska. A few months ago, I was approached by the Copper River salmon fishery to join them on a trip to Cordova, Alaska. The idea of being on a boat with fishermen, to watch them catch salmon and then eat it fresh... well, there's nothing that could bring me more joy.  I envision myself on the deck of this vessel, hands open, awaiting a slice of sashimi. Ok, maybe I'm getting carried away. It most likely won't go exactly as I imagine (a boy can dream, though, right?), but I'm fairly certain that I'll eat the freshest fish I've ever consumed.

I'm also thrilled to be away from the 90+ degree weather we've had here. I swore I wouldn't complain about the heat, but, what can I say, this is what us Bostonians do. We can't help but talk about the temperature, except between April and May (when we whine about the rain) and September and October. Right now it looks to be in the 60s while I'm in Cordova. Which sounds perfect to me!

I refuse to turn on the oven when it's above 80 degrees and, therefore, we've been eating a lot of salads. Not lettuce-laden salads, but hearty salads loaded with grilled fish and hard-boiled eggs and cheese.  This pickled cucumber salad often makes its way onto the plate. It does the trick in cooling things down: the combination of thinly sliced cucumbers, fresh herbs and vinegar helps cut the heat and humidity in just a few bites.

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Cucumber Salad

Servings 8-10 servings as a side

Ingredients

4 cucumbers, slightly peeled, leaving a little green for color 1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped 1 cup white vinegar 1/4 cup sugar 1 tbsp salt Black pepper 1 tbsp fresh or dried dill

Directions

1. Thinly slice the cucumbers using a mandolin, grater or with a food processor.  Put the sliced cucumber in a bowl and pour white vinegar over them.  Sprinkle in the sugar, salt, some black pepper, dill, and mint.

2. Stir together and let sit for about 2 hours before using.  Great alone, or can be served on top of a green salad.

Spicy Squid and Mango Salad

Spicy Squid and Mango Salad

Spicy Mango and Squid Salad

Spicy Mango and Squid Salad

We closed on our house last week!!! (I think that deserved more than a single exclamation point) After we did the walk through and signed a gazillion documents, Eric and I went back and had a quiet moment together. There was Prosecco consumed out on the front porch. We got to meet a few of our neighbors, all of whom greeted us warmly. Now we begin the process of moving. We immediately started moving fragile items and the massive amounts of photography props just to make room for more boxes.  Next week, the movers come which, along with hiring a painter, was one of the smartest things we could have done in this whole process. Those cookbooks are heavy!

Despite having no furniture in our house, we managed to throw our first dinner party on Sunday. Ok, so we took in Thai food and ate on the kitchen floor, but it was still a lot of fun. And we drank some delicious wine (thanks to Eric's brother and sister-in-law). My heart melted a little when our niece came up to me and asked me if this was our new home. Seriously, precious.

This weekend will be spent in NJ hanging with my mom as she turns the big 6-0 (sorry, Mom, I had to share!). For months, she kept telling me that it was crazy to come down in the middle of the move. But celebrating this milestone... well, there's no way we are missing this.

Spicy Mango and Squid Salad

Spicy Squid and Mango Salad

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds small squid, cleaned, bodies cut into 1/3-inch rings and tentacles halved 1 mango, ripe but still firm, peeled and julienned 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup lightly packed mint leaves 4 basil leaves, chiffonade 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped cilantro Juice of one lime 1 tablespoon sesame oil 1 1/2 teaspoons minced ginger 1 shallot, sliced thinly 1 tsp chopped habanero pepper 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper 1/4 cup unsalted roasted peanuts Salt Black pepper

Instructions

1. Add the oil to a skillet and set over medium heat. Add the squid and cook on low heat for approximately 5 minutes, or until they become opaque. Season with 2 teaspoons Kosher salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Remove from heat and transfer squid, but not the cooking liquid, to a bowl to cool.

2. In a separate bowl, add the lime juice, sesame oil, ginger, shallot, and habanero. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and whisk to combine.

3. Add the mango, red pepper, mint, basil, and cilantro to the bowl with the squid. Pour the dressing over and toss to combine.

4. Transfer salad to a serving bowl and top with peanuts. Season with salt, to taste.

Shaved Fennel, Apple and Crispy Quinoa

Shaved Fennel, Apple and Crispy Quinoa | A Thought For Food

Shaved Fennel, Apple and Crispy Quinoa | A Thought For Food

Shaved Fennel, Apple and Crispy Quinoa | A Thought For Food

Shaved Fennel, Apple and Crispy Quinoa | A Thought For Food

Shaved Fennel, Apple and Crispy Quinoa | A Thought For Food

Shaved Fennel, Apple and Crispy Quinoa | A Thought For Food

I shouldn't complain. I really shouldn't.  Our kitchen is quite lovely, especially for a city apartment.  I've heard about (in fact, I've cooked in) some tiny spaces that barely fit one or two people.  We actually have a table in ours and have managed to fit 15+ folks in the room (standing, of course).  For me, the real challenge comes with the light. If you're just eating in there, it's fine... but for those of us who obsessively take pictures of our food, well, a well-lit kitchen is key.

Rarely do I photograph dishes in our kitchen, instead I move things out to our living room or our back deck to get the shots. It often means I need to get creative, shooting things close up or using textured backgrounds to make it pop.

If I need to work on a bigger project, I pack up bags of props, my lenses and any ingredients and I take a trip to my mother-in-law's to use her newly renovated kitchen.  The light in there is magnificent and with all the beautiful appliances, I get a little spoiled by the experience.

This is what I did just last week on a day when I needed to do a shoot for a client and wanted to also work on a dish for the OXO "Very Vegetarian Recipe Challenge," which I'm really thrilled to be a part of. The guidelines for this competition are as follows: use three of the six OXO gadgets they were so generous to send participants to make a vegetarian dish that can serve at least 2 people, be made in 30 minutes or less, and incorporated veggies, a starch/grain, and dairy. Sounds easy, right? Well, we also couldn't use certain things, like blenders, a Dutch oven, or my favorite kitchen appliance, a food processor (WAH!!!!). But, you know what? When forced to think outside the box, you tend to do your best work and, I have to say, I think this was one fantastic salad.  In fact, I plan on putting this on my Thanksgiving menu.  Yeah, it was that good.

Shaved Fennel, Apple and Crispy Quinoa | A Thought For Food

Shaved Fennel, Apple and Crispy Quinoa | A Thought For Food

Shaved Fennel, Apple and Crispy Quinoa

Tools Sauce pot Mandoline slicer (from OXO) Whisk (from OXO) Salad dressing container (from OXO) Sauté pan

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients 1/2 cup uncooked red quinoa 1 cup veggie broth (low sodium is fine if preferred) 1 small fennel bulb, trimmed 1 honeycrisp apple 2 cups mixed greens, rinsed and dried 2 tablespoons olive oil Kosher salt

Dressing Ingredients3 tablespoons Greek yogurt 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 2 teaspoons honey 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil Juice of 1/2 a lemon Kosher salt

Instructions

1. To cook the quinoa, add the veggie broth to a pot and bring to a boil.  Stir in the quinoa, cover and reduce heat to medium low.  Simmer until all the veggie broth has been absorbed, approximately 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool.

2. While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the rest of the salad.  Place the greens on a platter.  Using the mandoline, thinly slice the fennel bulb and apple. Drizzle a little lemon juice on top of the apple slices so they don't brown.  Decorate the greens with the fennel and apple and set aside.

3. Next, make the dressing by whisking together the greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, and honey.  Transfer the yogurt mixture into a salad dressing shaker and add 1/4 cup olive oil, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon of Kosher salt.  Shake vigorously for 10 seconds.

4. Once the quinoa is done cooking, open the pot lid and let rest for 2 minutes.

5. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a medium sauté pan.  Set over medium-high heat.  Once the oil has heated, add the quinoa to the pan and spread out across the surface.  Refrain from stirring as this will allow the quinoa to crisp up.  After 2-3 minutes, give the quinoa a stir and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Season with 1/4 teaspoon of Kosher salt.  Remove from heat.

6. Using a spoon, sprinkle the quinoa on top of the sliced fennel and apple.  Drizzle dressing on top and serve.