Baby bok choy salad

Baby bok choy salad

Baby bok choy is common in Japan (but only the young leaves; we never see the sturdier ones in Japan) but they're usually eaten cooked. A nice green vegetable that I never paid much attention to - until I tried it raw in a salad at a dinner with friends - and since then, it's basically been my go-to salad green. 

Actually, a lot of greens eaten raw in many countries are cooked in Japan. Raw spinach is not so common there, and my parents were quite shocked when they heard that in Russia we eat napa cabbage raw. I think I still prefer napa cabbage cooked (especially the thick stems) but bok choy I now prefer raw. 

3 baby bok choy - choose tender ones, not the ones on the verge of turning into tough monsters

3 teaspoons sesame seed oil

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon sugar (any kind)

1 teaspoon white vinegar (you can use any kind, as long as it's white. No Balsamic. God forbid.)

2 teaspoons sesame seeds 

First, cut them the bok choy half, starting from the stem. 

Again cutting from the stem, cut them into wedges, This should make it easier to cut into wedges without everything falling apart. If they do, it's no big deal - I cut them into wedges chiefly for the looks of it. 

You can't say this isn't pretty. 

In a small bowl, combine the dressing ingredients. If your sesame seeds aren't toasted, you can do that by putting them in a small frying pan and tossing them over high heat for half a minute or until you start to smell them. (Do not let them turn brown.)

Toss the bok choy with the dressing in a large bowl, and serve immediately. Do not toss the salad ahead of time - it will make the lovely green wilt and they will not taste as luscious. 

Serves two. 

You can also make loads of this dressing and keep it in the fridge in a jar. I also use it on normal salad, tomatoes, whatever I have lying around. 

You can also use a mix of white and black sesame seeds, or black. 

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My mother's tomato salad

My mother's tomato salad

This is a salad my mother has always made for guests. It's the perfect dish to kick off a dinner with - smooth, fruity, succulent and pretty. It's become a staple of my repertoire as well, and I've given the recipe out to countless people.

I go to farmers' markets to seek out ultra ripe beefsteak tomatoes. In Japan, my mother complains that tomatoes nowadays are about as tender as potatoes and probably a little drier. Seek out the ripest wettest tomatoes you can!

2 large beefsteak tomatoes, very very ripe

1 medium apple

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/8 teaspoon salt

a few shakes of freshly ground pepper

With a sharp knife, puncture the bottom of the tomatoes with a "x." Put a small pot (or saucepan) of water to boil.

When the water is boiling, gently drop in the tomatoes. (If you have a large number of tomatoes, use a small sauce pan anyway and do them in batches. This step takes almost no time and you can't let the tomatoes sit in the boiling water for long.)

If your tomatoes are really ripe, the skins should burst and start peeling back within seconds. Pour a few dollops of boiling water of the entire tomato (the part not submerged) and lift them out and drop into a bowl filled with water and ice.

Slip the skins off with your fingers and leave on a plate or colander so that the excess water will drain. Put in the fridge until very cold or until serving time.

In the meanwhile, peel an apple and grate it to a puree. Immediately add lemon juice to stop the apple from oxidizing and turning brown. Add olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate until use.

With a small sharp knife, remove the core (the top) of the tomato. Handle carefully; if your tomato is as ripe as it should be, it will squish. Slice the tomatoes about a third of an inch (8 mm) thick and arrange on a plate.

Pour the dressing over the tomatoes and serve immediately. Remember, this dish should be very cold! I usually refrigerate the plate as well.

And if you have leftovers... the next day they don't look as pretty, but they are so good you seriously want to drink all the liquid - which I did!

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Anchovy Dressing

Anchovy Dressing

This is my take on a Provencal salad dressing with anchovies. It goes well with salad greens of any kind, from bland boston lettuce to spinach. In Provence we ate it every day with mache - lamb's lettuce, or rapunzel. 

1 can of flat anchovie fillets (2 oz.)
4 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1.5 tablespoons of mustard (I prefer grainy mustard, but you can use any kind - sweet mustard works as well)
2.5 tablespoons of blasamic vinegar
1 teaspoon of soysauce
a sprinkle of black pepper
... and a jar

Peel the garlic... (I always find this annoying. Can someone peel my garlic for me, please?)

Open the can of anchovies, pour the oil in the jar and take out the fillets. Finely chop the anchovies, and mince the garlic. You can also put the garlic through a garlic crusher. I didn't have one.

Dump the anchovies and garlic in to the jar, and add the mustard.

... and the balsamic vinegar. I like a lot of acid in my dressings; if you don't, you can go easy on the vinegar. 

Add a dash of soysauce as well.

Pour in the olive oil. Add a sprinkle of pepper if you like, but the dressing is already quite pungent, with the garlic and mustard. And if you think my oil is not going in the jar, you're right. It's not comfortable juggling an iPhone and spoons of oil at the same time!

 If you feel the mustard is a bit strong, you can add a few drops of honey to sweeten things up. 

Shake the jar thoroughly. Best served with green salad; goes well with any kind of salad leaves, tomatoes (grape tomatoes in particular) and cucumbers. Be creative and let me know if you find any good combinations!

P.S. Sorry about the groggy photos. Blame Hipstamaic. I just bought the Foodie SnapPak and it kind of works and kind of doesn't work. Need some more practice to figure out how to get it right.

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