Cool as a cup of cucumber dill soup!

Humidity is the one thing that characterizes summer in Northwest Ohio. Hot, sunny, sticky days. Those from the South may laugh at these claims, but everything is relative. I grew up in a house without air conditioning. 90 degrees with 80 percent humidity for at least a full month. I remember my family going to the movies or just hanging out in the freezer aisle of a local grocery store to cool off. I also have laughable memories of trying to get to sleep with the rumbling sound of an attic fan and an ice cube melting in my belly button.

It's late June in Toledo, and we're already there. Thank goodness for central air.

Tonight I'm meeting up with my book group and bringing a tureen of Cold Cucumber Soup. Once again, this is someone else's recipe. This time from the Moosewood Cookbook: A classic vegetarian cookbook published in 1977 by Mollie Katzen and friends. Published by 10 Speed Press, it is "compiled, edited, illustrated and hand-lettered by Mollie Katzen". The worn, dog eared pages and Mollie's tidy handwriting make it feel like a gift from a friend.

Chilled Cucumber Yogurt Soup

4 cups peeled, seeded and chopped cucumber
2 cups water
2 cups yogurt*
1 clove garlic
several fresh mint leaves
1 tbs. honey
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dill weed
chopped scallions or chives

Puree everything together in the blender (save the scallions for garnish).

I use 2 whole cloves of garlic, 1 tbs. fresh dillweed (instead of 1/4 tsp. dried), and use Fage yogurt for this recipe. It isn't too big of a deviation from the original, but I like the extra creaminess that comes from using Fage and I can never get enough garlic in anything.

I typically ladle the soup into chilled mugs or bowls and garnish with a whole mint leaf and chopped up scallions and dill.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/glasscitygourmet/186744341/

“Glass City Gourmet” is a chronicle of one woman's attempt to cook, eat, diet and entertain with both flair and whimsy while based in Toledo, Ohio. I encourage you to read on as the "Glass City Gourmet" attempts grand recipes, samples locally owned restaurants, visits indigenous markets and humbly pursues her quest to be formally recognized as the official "Glass City Gourmet".

Variety is The Spice of Life

A spice rack says more about a cook than a trip to the medicine cabinet says about a bachelor.

My new kitchen is a galley kitchen. There just isn't enough space in the cabinets to store my spice jars so that I may read them and grab what I need in a hurry. Elevation between rows is critical, and the built in shelves that can't be moved are a real hindrance.

I ended up putting my spice rack on a counter, next to the stove. Handy for cooking, but probably a bit intimidating for visitors. I am proud to report that there are 39 jars of herbs, spices and other seasonings on this rack. Starting with Whole Alspice (back left) and ending with Fancy White Pepper (front right), this is what I affectionately refer to as the "A" Team.

The "A" Team ranges from the ordinary: Basil, Rosemary, Thyme, and Parsley Flakes. To the obscure: Spanish Mancha Saffron Strands, Ground Moroccan Coriander and Ground Szechuan Pepper. The Moroccan Coriander label will tempt you with, "..hints of orange, anise and cumin lend depth to savory and sweet recipes". The Saffron Strands are worthless without a hot bath. I learned in a cooking class at The Greenbrier that the best way to cull both flavor and color from Saffron is to put a splash of white wine in the hot water. It works. I've used the Saffron water in Milanese Risotto and as a stock for cooking white rice.

I've read that you shouldn't keep spices for more than a few months. I do my best, on occasion, to clean out the jars and replace the contents with more freshly dried herbs. Yet, the fact remains that these are no more than dehydrated plant life with no stamped expiration dates. So I ask myself, how stale could they really get?

There are three members of the "A" Team that don't sit on the rack: 1) The olive oil. I keep mine carefully stored in a hand painted glass bottle with a whiskey pour top. I feel very talented pouring without a drip. 2) My rock salt and whole peppercorn grinders. This is yet another affectation for a wanna-be chef and 3) A small ceramic canister of kosher salt that has a Barbie sized wooden spoon attached to it.

Then there is the "B" Team. These are stored in the cabinet above the counter. They include things like pine nuts, sun dried tomatoes, sesame seeds, dehydrated oyster and shiitake mushrooms and baking essentials. These are all great to have around when you don't feel like shopping but want to whip up something really tasty. However, I don't reach for these things every day, so they are stored off the counter. The "B" Team also includes spices I don't want anyone to know that I have...

No, I'm not talking about Spanish Fly here.

I'm talking about pre-fab rubs, pastes and marinades (a.k.a "RPMs"). A dear friend of mine, who is an outstanding cook, refers to RPMs as "cheaters". On occasion, the Glass City Gourmet will grab a jar of the Trader Joe's "21 Seasoning Salute" instead of creating her own masterpiece. Ditto for "Old Bay Seasoning", "Herbs de Provence", and the ever popular "Lawry's Salt". Sometimes, I'll even buy an overpriced marinade that was mass produced for a celebrity chef. No matter how good, or how beautifully packaged it may be...it will remain part of the "B" Team. When I use it in a recipe and take it to a someone's house, I always add a pinch of something to try and disguise it. I try not to admit that some portion of my offering came from a jar. I can't bring myself to do it. I hope you are thinking, "I'm sure that doesn't happen very often, does it?". Not really. I'm not very good at being dishonest. Even if I tried to lie about my ingredients, my closest friends would be able to identify the offending "cheater" and lovingly give me a hard time for pretending it was my own creation.

"Cheaters" aside, the beauty of my spice rack is it's efficiency. With all this on hand, it is a rare occasion that I need to buy spices for any recipe I might choose to prepare.

If variety truly is the spice of life, the Glass City Gourmet is one spicy gal.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/glasscitygourmet/171652660/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/glasscitygourmet/171652661/


“Glass City Gourmet” is a chronicle of one woman's attempt to cook, eat, diet and entertain with both flair and whimsy while based in Toledo, Ohio. I encourage you to read on as the "Glass City Gourmet" attempts grand recipes, samples locally owned restaurants, visits indigenous markets and humbly pursues her quest to be formally recognized as the official "Glass City Gourmet".

Bang! Bang! Chicken Salad

Bang! Bang! Chicken Salad is a close cousin of Dan Dan Noodles, a dish named for the sound of Chinese street vendors banging their metal pots to attract attention to themselves and sell their noodle dishes. If you like the Ameri-Thai combination of peanuts and chilis as well as the summer flavor of fresh mint and cilantro, you will love this recipe.

I have to admit, this is a derivative of a fine recipe by Nigella Lawson from her cookbook, FEAST: Food to Celebrate Life. If you don't own it, buy it. She's hip, she's smart, she's beautiful and she inherently understands the connection between food, love and sensuality. Although I've never heard her say anything about sex, some of her photos are downright erotic.

On to the recipe:

Bang! Bang! Salad Dressing

2 tsp. peanut oil
3 tbs. smooth peanut butter
2 tbs. Chinese chili bean sauce*
1 tbs. superfine sugar
1 tbs. light soy sauce**
1 1/2 tbs. Chinese black vinegar***
2 tbs. water

*A blend of chili and fermented broad beans, a.k.a Toban Djan, not likely to be available at your local mega-grocery chain. Get to an Asian grocery store. Look at the labels carefully, it's easy to accidentally pick up "bean sauce", which does not taste the same.
** I prefer to use light soy sauce. It contains less sodium than regular soy sauce. You will get the sodium from other ingredients anyway...
***Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce is an OK substitute.

For the salad:
3 c. cold shredded chicken (About 4-5 half breasts)
1 medium head of iceberg lettuce (6 cups finely shredded)
1/2 c. fresh cilantro (chopped)
1/2 c. fresh mint (chopped)
4 oz. cucumber
4 scallions
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

To make the dressing: heat the oil in a small saucepan to release the peanut flavor. Let it cool and pour it into a medium sized bowl. While it is cooling, put the saucepan back on a low temperature burner, with whatever peanut oil remains, and add the sesames to toast them to a golden brown color. Cool the toasted sesames on a plate and store in an airtight container or plastic bag. Now that the oil is cool, you can add all of the other dressing ingredients (not the toasted sesames!) and stir or whisk it until it is smooth. Refrigerate. Will still be good for at least a week.

Bake the chicken breasts until they are full cooked. Let them cool. Then use the back of a fork to shred them. Toss in a small bowl with 4-5 tbs. of the Bang! Bang! dressing and store until ready to serve the salad.

Arrange the shredded lettuce over the base of a large flat plate, or in a deep and wide salad bowl. Sprinkle chopped cilantro and mint everywhere. Drip 4-5 tablespoons of the Bang! Bang! dressing over the lettuce and herbs. Place the shredded chicken mix as a row up the center of the lettuce and herb mix. Peel, seed and chop up the cucumber into matchstick sized pieces. Prepare the scallions by removing most of the bland green part and the roots at the white end. Then slice each scallion in half, the long way, and slice again and again until you have shreds of white scallion. Spread scallions and cucumbers over the salad. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the salad and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

...Bang! Bang! It's ready to present to your family or guests. Show everyone your glorious creation, toss and serve.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/glasscitygourmet/171652658/

“Glass City Gourmet” is a chronicle of one woman's attempt to cook, eat, diet and entertain with both flair and whimsy while based in Toledo, Ohio. I encourage you to read on as the "Glass City Gourmet" attempts grand recipes, samples locally owned restaurants, visits indigenous markets and humbly pursues her quest to be formally recognized as the official "Glass City Gourmet".

Bistro Wasabi

Bistro Wasabi
3150 Chappel Drive
Perrysburg, OH 43551
419-872-1988

Bistro Wasabi is an oasis of local sophistication in the midst of a synthetic culture shopping area. Tucked on a side street of "Levis Commons", Bistro Wasabi offers an eclectic mix of Japanese sushi house favorites, Asian fusion creations, and the Toledo staple of steaks and chicken. Chef John Kim, formerly of the Toledo based Fujiyama, shines in this Zen-like ambiance.

During my first visit, I dined with "the girls" on assorted Maki rolls ($5-$18 per roll), the seaweed salad ($6), and a spring roll ($10). The seaweed salad was a delicate mix of seaweed, sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, curly & crispy rice noodles and a gentle rice wine vinaigrette. My dining companions were surprised, but pleased, with the addition of small pieces of red onions in this salad. The spring roll, wrapped in rice paper, was served chilled and featured julienned vegetables with shrimp, as well as two unique dipping sauces. One was a spicy, vibrant red Southwest chipotle pepper sauce and the other a hot and sweet combination of orange marmalade and chili peppers. If this is how Wasabi Bistro does fusion...I want more!

I returned within the week for lunch with other friends. This time I ordered the "3-Course Lunch Express" ($15/four options) to sample more of the sushi. The miso soup was pleasant, the Asian salad luscious, and the nagiri zushi did not disappoint me. While I prefer to eat sashimi as hira giri (big, perfectly cut, unadorned pieces of fish), the nagiri zushi alternative was excellent (Nagiri zushi literally means "squeezed sushi" and is sashimi pressed onto a small, oval rice ball often with a small amount of wasabi between the rice and the fish.). I am anxious to return and see if hira giri may be requested.

My companions ordered the Teriyaki sampler ($9) appetizer that included marinated and grilled skewers of chicken, beef and shrimp and a perfect cylinder of the richest mashed potatoes I have ever tasted. Although I detest mashed potatoes in fine dining establishments, the heavy cream and butter ladden treat on our table sent my chopsticks flying while I used my fork.

In the interest of additional research, I also sampled the "Sosun Steak Hoggie" ($9), as well as the Sapporo maki roll ($6) and spicy tuna rolls ($10) on the plates of my friends. The hoggie tasted like a Teriyaki version of a Philly cheese steak and certainly offers an acceptable alternative to those who don't care for sushi.

On both visits, my friends noticed that the menu is void of iced green tea or the ubiquitous, non-alcoholic "ginger-beer" favored in Asian fusion restaurants. I inquired with the owner, who assured me these options are being investigated. However, the restaurant features a full bar with both an ample wine and sake list.

As for the decor, it is a simple combination of hardwood floors, Japanese screens, and contemporary furniture. With museum white walls, a zinc bar and subtle blue neon accents, it has a "Sex and the City" feel. The space is extremely loud when the restaurant is full. The walled off sushi bar may offer a more quiet place for intimate dining. Although my table mates on both visits felt that the mostly black and white interior could use a bigger splash of color and some cieling or wall fabric to absorb some of the noise, everyone agreed that Bistro Wasabi is a welcome addition to an otherwise predictable mix of chain restaurants.

“Glass City Gourmet” is a chronicle of one woman's attempt to cook, eat, diet and entertain with both flair and whimsy while based in Toledo, Ohio. I encourage you to read on as the "Glass City Gourmet" attempts grand recipes, samples locally owned restaurants, visits indigenous markets and humbly pursues her quest to be formally recognized as the official "Glass City Gourmet".