Vietnamese Noodle Salad

Sweet, tangy, spicy, funky, salty, delicious.  

Walking the dogs the other night, I happened across my new favorite book store--the Book Mall on South Broadway. The owner gave Tato and Swaysway dog treats and had an encyclopedic knowledge of everything written, ever. So many used book stores are full of faded Joyce Carrol Oates and The ButterBusters Cookbook and other worthless crap. But the Book Mall is totally different--on every shelf, there is something you've been meaning to read.

And the cookbook section was phenomenal. There were half a dozen I really wanted, but I settled on The Gourmet cookbook: 

This cookbook contains the top 1000 or so recipes from the whole history of Gourmet magazine. The recipes come with the back stories about the context of American cooking in which they first appeared. It's super entertaining to read page by page, like a novel, and there are so many things I am dying to make. 

After reading it once through the first time, the recipe that stuck in my mind was the Lemongrass Beef and Noodle Salad. 

This recipe originally appeared in Gourmet in 1995, when people first started using formerly obscure Asian ingredients in mainstream cooking. 

This was the first time I've used Vietnamese fish sauce--I've used Thai fish sauce for years, but not Vietnamese. And it is DELICIOUS. The nuac cham dressing TO DIE FOR.

My new magic ingredient. 

I mean, you could sprinkle chopped basil and cilantro and mint and crushed peanuts on anything and it would be fabulous. But this salad is just wonderful. 
They didn't have beef at the Asian market, so I used pork. But would probably have been better with beef, so I included the original recipe. 
The lemongrass marinade is also fantastic. It would be perfect on any grilled meat--beef or chicken or pork or fish. 

This recipe would be great without meat, too. 

I served this for Bachelor Night, where it was an unmitigated hit. 

I also made some stir-fried shitakes with eggplant to go with it. 

This is delicious. Make it immediately!
Enjoy!

Grilled Lemongrass Beef and Noodle SaladGourmet | June 1995

Serves 4 as an entrée

ingredients

For marinade

• 2 stalks fresh lemongrass, outer leaves discarded and root end trimmed
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce (preferably nuoc mam)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

• a 1- to-1 1/4 pound skirt steak or flank steak
• 1/2 pound dried rice-stick noodles (rice vermicelli)
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves (preferably Thai basil), washed well and spun dry
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, washed well and spun dry
• 1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves, washed well and spun dry
• about 1 cup Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese lime sauce) (see below)
• a 1-pound seedless (European) cucumber, halved lengthwise and cut diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 2 to 4 small thin fresh red or green Asian chilies (1 to 2 inches long) or serrano chilies, seeded and sliced very thin (wear rubber gloves)

• Garnish: Thai basil, mint, or coriander sprigs

preparation

Make marinade:

Thinly slice lower 6 inches of lemongrass stalks, discarding remainder of stalks. In a food processor or blender finely grind together sliced lemongrass and garlic. Add remaining marinade ingredients and blend well.

In a large resealable plastic bag combine marinade and steak and seal bag, pressing out excess air. Marinate steak, chilled, turning bag once or twice, at least 4 hours or overnight.

In a large bowl soak noodles in hot water to cover 15 minutes, or until softened and pliable.

Prepare grill (or preheat broiler). Bring a kettle of salted water to a boil for noodles.

Discard marinade and grill steak on an oiled rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals 3 to 5 minutes on each side for medium-rare. (Alternatively, steak may be broiled on rack of a broiler pan about 3 inches from heat about same amount of time.) Transfer steak to a cutting board and let stand 5 minutes.

While steak is cooking, drain noodles in a colander and cook in boiling water 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until just tender. In a colander drain noodles and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Drain noodles well.

In a large bowl toss noodles with herbs and half of nuoc cham. Divide cucumber among 4 bowls or plates and top with noodles. Sprinkle each serving with 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons rice powder. Thinly slice steak on the diagonal and divide among noodles, mounding it. Sprinkle chilies over each serving and garnish with herb sprigs. Serve remaining nuoc cham on the side.

Nuac Cham Dressing

This recipe is used to prepared Grilled Lemongrass Beef and Noodle Salad.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

ingredients

• 6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce (preferably nuoc mam)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 garlic clove, forced through a garlic press
• 2 small thin fresh red or green Asian chilies (1 to 2 inches long) or serrano chilies, seeded and chopped fine (wear rubber gloves)

preparation

In a small bowl stir together all ingredients until sugar is dissolved.

Grilled Zucchini with Anchovy Vinaigrette

The garden has come a long way since I tricked my buff sister into clearing it out for me. 

The garden when we bought the house. 

Today! 

Some things have gone better than other. Squirrels ravaged our watermelon and peppers, and the mint we planted--supposed to be an almost weed-like, easy thing to grow--is a sickly yellow and barely produced enough leaves to support a lonely mojito. 

But: the zucchini, unsurprisingly, is going gangbusters! From a single plant, we are well past our 20th zucchini. Several new ones mature every day. 

The vegetable crisper, overrun with zukes!

I've made zucchini bread, zucchini latkes, and put zucchini in pad thai and green curry. And we've been grilling zucchini frequently as a side, with whatever happens to be for dinner. 

But zucchini is undeniably bland. With a simple preparation like grilling, you need something to put on it--pesto, romesco sauce, balsamic--something like that. So, to go with grilled zukes, today I made my all-time favorite salad dressing: anchovy vinaigrette. 

World's simplest, most delicious salad is crispy torn romaine, Italian parsley, and green onions--all lightly dressed with this vinaigrette. This alongside a roast chicken and a glass of red wine may be world's most perfect homemade dinner. 

Anchovy vinaigrette tastes nothing like the nasty anchovies you get on pizza--it's rich, complex, salty, and totally delicious. Even an un-adventurous eater like my mom liked it on salad last time she came to visit (the woman loathes even hypothetical fishiness in food--she's never tried sushi because she thinks it will maybe taste fishy. Alas.) 

Here is how you make it:

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons or more good red or white wine vinegar
• Salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
• 1 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard, (optional)
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tsp white sugar
• juice of one lemon
• 4 anchovy fillets, or more to taste, with some of their oil ( I prefer the rolled ones with capers!)
• 1 large shallot (about 1 ounce), peeled and cut into chunks

What to do

1.

Combine all ingredients except shallot in a blender, and turn the machine on. A creamy emulsion will form within 30 seconds. Taste, and add more vinegar if necessary, about a teaspoon at a time, until the balance tastes right.

2.

Add shallot, and turn machine on and off a few times, until shallot is minced within the dressing. Taste, adjust seasoning and serve. (This vinaigrette is best made fresh but will keep refrigerated for a few days. Before using, bring it back to room temperature, and whisk briefly.

Finished vinaigrette! I made a week's worth. This keeps great in the fridge. 

I grilled some zucchinis and drizzled the vinaigrette on top--delicious! 

I made a gigantic tupperware full of grilled zukes, along with some of our patty pan squash, and a leftover red pepper from the last time I made romesco. It's school again, so having this on hand will ensure veggies find their way into our lunches this week. 

Enjoy!

Chickpea and Lentil Salad with Coconut Curry Dressing

Fantastic news---I got married! The wedding was a blast, and the first event of the wedding weekend was a barbecue in our backyard that Thursday night. All our friends and relatives who were in town early came over and made merry. We brewed a keg of apricot blond, and I made a ton tried-and-true recipes which are always crowd favorites: smoked brisket, glazed pork shoulder, tomato salad, summer salad.
But: throughout my life, I've accidentally made friends with a number of vegans, vegetarians, people who only eat chicken and no other meat, people who observe Jewish food rules even though they only actually believe in karma, and people who are perpetually embracing whatever new fake-science fad diet is current. These individuals dazzled me with their personalities before I could reject them for their dietary lameness. So, what were they going to eat at the BBQ? I wanted to make something vegan that would be hearty and taste awesome.
So I settled on a curried chickpea salad. I started with one of Mark Bittman's recipes as a base, and improvised a few additions (more heat, more flavor elements, fresh herbs). I tend to love anything including coconut milk, but had never tried it in a salad dressing before.
It was a wild success! This salad came out absolutely delicious and was eaten nearly as fast as the glazed pork. I got more compliments on it than any other dish, and not just from the karma-vegans.
I will definitely be adding this to our regular rotation. It would make great, healthy lunches and is the perfect thing to keep a big batch of in the fridge for the work week.

This was amazing. 

Ingredients 
(This is for a huge amount. Halve the recipe for a more normal amount. Or just eat it all week!)

6 cans of chickpeas
1 1/2 cups of dry lentils
4 shallots
1 can coconut milk (use full-fat, not the light kind)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons curry powder
1.5 tablespoons whole cumin seeds
juice of 3 limes
1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce (leave this out if you want the recipe actually vegan)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
dash soy sauce
dash sriracha (or any heat element)
3 jalapenos
1 bunch of cilantro

What to do
Drain and rinse the chickpeas and place in a large bowl. Cook the lentils and add them to the bowl with the chickpeas.
Dice the shallots and jalapenos and add them to the bowl. If you like things spicy, leave the seeds in the jalapenos. If you want it mild, take the seeds out before dicing.
Pour the can of coconut milk into a container (I used an old jelly jar, but a smaller bowl is fine too).
Pour the olive oil into a small saucepan and heat until shimmering. Add the curry powder and cumin seeds and toast / fry in the oil until fragrant--about 2 minutes. Add the toasted spices to the container with the coconut milk. Add lime juice, dash soy sauce, dash sriracha, and the fish sauce (or not). Mix well (shaking works best).
Pour the coconut mixture over the chickpea mixture. Toss to mix. Place in the fridge for at least and hour--this allows the dressing to soak in.
Just before serving, chop the cilantro and mix it in. Add the pecans if you're using them, and mix those in too.
All done!

This was a really, really easy recipe, in addition to tasting fabulous. I can't recommend it enough.

Enjoy!

Rainbow Summer Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

The dressing looks a bit green because the cutting board still had parsley remnants.

Summer produce is so delicious and wonderful, you just want salad all the time. During the summer, I love to keep a big tupperware of a mixed, lettuce-free salad in the fridge to eat with everything. 

This salad contains some of my favorite summer things: sweet corn, peppers, tomatoes, herbs. Roasting the corn and red peppers gives extra sweet flavor. I also like to throw a few diced jalapenos in any salad for the occasional burn-bomb.

I don't think people really actually a recipe for salad, but here's what I put into this one: 

Rainbow salad

Ingredients: 

1 cucumber, chopped 

2 packages grape or cherry tomatoes, each tomato sliced in half

4 ears of corn on the cob, roasted, kernels sliced off

2 red peppers, roasted and chopped

2 yellow peppers, chopped

1 bunch spring onions, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

1 bunch Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped

2 jalapenos, finely chopped (I left the seeds in))

What to do

Start by roasting your corn. Rub each ear with olive oil, place them on a cookie sheet, and place under the broiler. As the ears start to look roasty-brown, rotate them. When they're roasted on at least two sides, take them out. Wait for them to cook slightly, then slice the kernels off and put them in the salad bowl. 

Roast your peppers. I use the gas burners on my stove. Poke a hole in the peppers, then lean them up against the flame until their skin is blackened. Rotate to get all sides. Allow to cool, then chop and add to the salad bowl. 

Chop all the other veggies. Add to the bowl. Mix. Add dressing and eat!

I like to serve this over a bed of spinach leaves. 

Mustard Vinaigrette 

Ingredients

3/ 4 cup olive oil 

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 

3 TB whole-grain mustard 

2 garlic cloves, minced 

juice of 1 lemon

2 TB brown sugar 

salt and pepper to taste 

What to do: 

Mix all the ingredients in a jar. Screw the lid on, then shake like crazy. Taste for salt and re-season as needed. Pour over salad. 

Tomato Salad

This salad means SUMMER. It's as delicious as staying in bed while your groggy lover drags himself to work. As delicious as boxed wine and the Cooking Channel at 2pm for the third day in a row. As delicious as laying on a towel on the lawn, finishing a novel in one day. As delicious as not working for three damn months.
I make tomato salad all summer long and we eat it with everything--goes beautifully with lamb chops, BBQ chicken or steak--all the kind of things you eat grilled, on days when it's way too hot to turn on the oven.
I have always loved tiny tomatoes--they are sweeter, somehow more tomato-y than big ones. The most difficult aspect of this recipe is not popping too many of them into your mouth as you chop.

Ingredients:
2-3 lbs of small tomatoes. Try to find a variety of colors and types. The very BEST way to make this salad it to get the rainbow heirloom ones from the farmer's market--but a few tubs from Albertson's also works.
1 head of fennel
1 bunch fresh basil
1 bunch Italian flat-leaf parsley
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

I used basil from the garden!

What to do:
Start by slicing the tomatoes. I cut each in half.

Sliced tomatoes

Put the sliced tomatoes in a bowl.
Then, dice the head of fennel and add to the bowl with the tomatoes.
Chop the basil and parsley together and add to the tomatoes and fennel.

Chopped herbs

Pour a glug of olive oil and a few lashings of Balsamic into the bowl.
Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
Mix!
Eat!
Taste and re-season if needed.

This is a delicious, refreshing salad. My fingers are crossed that our tomato plants allow me to make it with our own produce later this summer--save the fennel, I am growing all these ingredients in the backyard.
Enjoy!

Bean and Herb Salad with Lemon Vinagrette

This is a fresh, bright side dish. You could also have it as a light lunch, perhaps with some good toast spread with ricotta. Hmm. I have everything to make that in my fridge right now...
I made this to go with my glazed pork shoulder. It was an excellent counterpoint to the rich, sweet, fatty slow-cooked pork. The mint was a MUST. This made me resolve to use mint in savory preparations more often.

Ingredients:
1 package dry large lima beans or giante beans, cooked and cooled
1 bunch mint, chopped
1 bunch parsley, chopped
1 small package / bunch basil, chopped
1 red onion, chopped or slivered
juice of 3 lemons
3 TB olive oil
Pinch salt and pepper

What to do:
1.  Cook the beans. You could soak them overnight, or boil, let cool, then simmer until done. I chose the second option--I boiled them, then let the water cool all the way, then simmered them for about 20 minutes, then ran them under cold water to cool them off. 

You want to beans cooked, but not mushy. I always use dried Lima / gigante beans. Whereas canned garbanzos taste great, canned lima beans have an unpleasant cafeteria-food taste.

Beans nice and fat after a simmer.

2. From there it's really easy. Chop all the herbs together and toss them over the beans. Slice up the red onion and put that in too. Juice the lemon over the salad, drizzle the oil on, add a pinch of salt and pepper, and toss everything together. Taste to see if it needs more salt or more lemon juice. 

Parsley, basil, mint, onion and lemons

Chopped herbs

The proportions in this recipe reflect how I usually cook--the thing becomes the unit of measurement--for instance, I use a whole onion, not a cup of onion. Whenever I buy herbs, I use them ALL. What is the point of using a teaspoon measly of any kind of herb?---you won't taste it, and you'll waste most of what you bought.

 This was lovely. This was only the second time I've made it. I am adding it to my regular rotation of sturdy salads.

Thai Slaw

I made this slaw to go with Adobo Chicken, but I think it would go great with any vaguely Asian meat main dish. It's crunchy and bright and acidic, so it was a perfect counterpoint to the soft, rich, fatty adobo stew.
This is a STRONG flavor: the fish sauce makes it funky and salty. Personally, I LOVE fish sauce and dishes where it stands out, like in my all-time favorite food, the pad-thai pig ears from Euclid Hall. In fact, this dressing reminded me of them, and got my brain working in all manner of fish-saucy evil directions: thai chicken wings? Thai-glazed oxtail? Thai pork cracklings over noodles? Look forward to incarnations of this dressing in future, fat-tastic situations.
But I would recommend people with more timid palates steer clear.
I, however, will be making it over and over.

The ingredients. I forgot peanuts at the grocery store, so I went and bought some snack ones from the bodega on our corner. Also: I neglected to include the jalapeno.

Recipe (adapted from the nytimes)
Put shredded Savoy cabbage (about 12 cups) in a large bowl with 1/2 cup chopped peanuts, i chopped jalapeno and 1 cup chopped mint. Combine 3 tablespoons fish sauce, 1 to 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon neutral oil, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, the juice of 2 limes; whisk to dissolve the sugar. Or shake like crazy, if you made your dressing in old olive jars like I do. Add the dressing to the cabbage and toss. 

Again: lettuce-free salads are the BEST. 

Garbanzo Salad with Lemon-Balsamic Vinaigrette

Summery deliciousness

I have been making this recipe in various iterations for years and years. It's great.
As I've said, I love salads without lettuce because they don't get slimy or soggy when left in the fridge for a few meals in a row.
This is also one of my favorite things to make on a Sunday, then bring for lunch all week.The weather is warming up and this is the perfect summer lunch.

The ingredients.

Ingredients: 
2 red bell peppers, chopped 
1 bunch spring onions, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
3 cups grape tomatoes, cut in half (I used both red and yellow ones)
1 jalapeno, diced (I left the seeds in because I like things spicy. If you don't want heat, don't use the seeds) 
3 cans of garbanzo beans, rinsed
Juice of 2 lemons 
1/2 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced 
2 Tablespoons Balsamic vinegar 
pinch of salt 
pinch of sugar 
Shredded or crumbled cheese (I used parmesan but feta goes great with this)

 To make the salad:
Mixed the bell pepper, spring onion, red onion, tomatoes, jalapeno, and garbanzo beans in a big tupperware. 

To make the dressing: 
Mix the oil, lemon juice, garlic, Balsamic, salt and sugar in a jar, then shake vigorously. Taste and see if it needs more seasoning. 

Then: Put the dressing on the salad. Sprinkle with cheese. Eat!

Tiny tomatoes are so delicious. Many of them were eaten during the slicing process. 

 

These lemons were enormous--too big for my squeezer.

My dressing-making jar. An old olive jar I saved. I find that shaking makes for more effective emulsifying than whisking.

All done!

Enjoy!

My favorite slaw

Every time I make slaw, Adam sings "Oh baby I like your slaw!" in the style of Old Dirty Bastard. I love slaw for many reasons: unlike lettuc-y salads, it won't disintegrate into gross slimyness if you make a big bowl and leave some in the fridge, it's crunchy rather than soggy, and cabbage is cheap and delicious.
I make a bunch of different kinds, but this one is hands-down my favorite.I make it as a side dish or take it for lunch. The hardest part of this recipe is finding currants. Denver grocery stores tend not to have them, even though they have a million kinds of Crazins, including super-bizarre ones flavored like other kinds of fruit. Of you can't find currants, any kind of dried fruit is fine. 
                                          You need:
1. A head of purple cabbage
2. Bacon
3. Dried Currants
4. 2 shallots
5. sliced almonds
6. Italian flat-leaf parsley
 7. Balsamic, olive oil, salt and pepper

How to make it:
1. Slice the cabbage and put it in a big bowl.
2. Slice the bacon into little batons or squares. Then  cook until crispy.
3. Add diced shallots to the bacon fat and cook.
4. Add half a cup of balsamic to the cooking bacon and shallots and allow to reduce for about two minutes.
5. Add half a cup of olive oil and the currants to the greasy vinegar pan. Allow to sit for a bit to plump up the currants.
6. Dump the dressing over the chopped cabbage.
7. Add chopped parsley (1 bunch) and half a cup of almonds. Or more.
8. eat!