Soba Noodle Salad Recipe

If you follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter or Instagram, you've probably seen how huge the plants in our garden are. Thanks to the recent sunny, warm weather we’ve experienced, they have really taken off.

To celebrate our first crop of Persian cucumbers, I prepared a chilled noodle salad. I used soba noodles, a variety of fresh vegetables, flavorful peanut sauce, fresh mint (again from our prolific garden) and dill. Soba noodles are Japanese-style buckwheat. If you can’t find them, you could use whole wheat angel hair pasta for a similar texture.

I prepared everything in advance in the morning and assembled the salad later at the last minute. That's what I call healthy, fast food!

If you live in the Bay Area, don't forget to pencil in this Saturday (May 25^th) for my cooking demo and cookbook signing for Haute Potato at Los Altos Library. Hope to see everyone there.

How to Make a Vinaigrette

I've mentioned several times in the past that vinaigrettes are extraordinarily versatile. I've developed multiple variations over the years and the recipes are very forgiving. At the core, vinaigrettes are an emulsion of oils, vinegar, (sometimes flavored with sweeteners), herbs, spices and mustard. The trick is to use the best ingredients you can. I've cooked with several quality vinegars in the past and Bellindora makes some of the most awesome ones I've come across.

This week, I'll show you how to flavor your favorite salad, meat or fish and dessert with the delicious vinegars I received. Today, I used Bellindora balsamic apple vinegar and served it with a simple apple (how appropriate!), artichoke, grape, Cheddar and arugula salad. Quick, effortless and incredibly flavorful are words that come to mind when describing this salad dressing. 

When I launched PhamFatale.com, I remember the first thing my in-laws and friends would ask is if I could share my recipe for vinaigrette. I've made it daily in my home since I was a child. My husband Lulu loves it so much, he says he could eat it with French fries. The procedure is pretty easy and the salad dressing stores very well in the refrigerator (3-4 days). I make two-cup batches at a time and I guarantee you won't feel the need to buy the ready-made ones from the supermarket anymore.

Before I end today's post, I have one more announcement. I'll be giving a cooking demonstration (complete with samples!) of one of my potato creations at the Los Altos library. On Saturday, May 25th, starting at 2 pm, I will be talking about my first cookbook, Haute Potato, and cooking, and we'll have the opportunity to chat afterwards. This event is free and open to the public and my cookbook will also be available for purchase and signing. So as to be able to serve enough food for everyone, I would greatly appreciate an RSVP so you may be added to the guest list: send an email to events{at}PhamFatale{dot}com with "Haute Potato Reservation" as the subject, indicating the number of people you'll be coming with. Please spread the word; the more the merrier. I'm so excited, can't wait to meet you!

Event Type: Adult Program
Age Group(s): Adult, Teen
Date: 5/25/2013
Start Time: 2:00 PM
Santa Clara County Library District
Los Altos Library |  www.sccl.org
13 S. San Antonio Rd. | Los Altos, CA 94024 

Mexican Vegetable Terrine Recipe

This vegetable terrine was inspired by Blaise, a regular PhamFatale reader, who suggested this vegetarian dish. I adapted it this week in anticipation of Cinco de Mayo. I layered grilled eggplant, tri-color roasted bell peppers, sweet basil leaves, celery, fresh pineapple, black beans and a lot of Oaxacan cheese. 

The key to creating the terrine is to make sure the layers of flavors are tightly packed to showcase the colorful display. I garnished the vegetable terrine with shredded red oak leaf lettuce, diced avocado and crumbled queso fresco (Thank you, Queso Del Valle!). The last step is a flavorful salad dressing; I prepared this one with delicious champagne vinegar from our good friends at Bellindora. 

Want to see more? Make sure to like PhamFatale on Facebook for exclusive new dishes and follow @phamfatalecom on Twitter for instant culinary news and more photos on Instagram and Pinterest.

Chinese Cabbage and Lotus Salad Recipe

When writing my second cookbook, Banh Mi, which by the way is already available for preview and pre-order, I tried to share authentic and traditional recipes for Vietnamese sandwiches, condiments and sides. If you've ever tasted a bánh mì, you probably are familiar with the standard condiment of pickled carrots and daikon. It takes the place of cornichon-based pickles (tiny French gherkin pickles) found in Western sandwiches.

You can of course vary the ingredients to your liking, and in this recipe I prepared a modified version of the bánh mì condiment with shredded Chinese cabbage, pickled lotus and freshly-picked satsuma mandarins that baby Aria helped me gather from our garden --follow me on Twitter and Facebook to see more pictures-- (sadly it was our very last batch). With a few peanuts and a nice dressing, it makes a great salad. Though it isn't strictly speaking a traditional pickle, you could also use it in your own bánh mì sandwich. The flavors are mellow enough to let the meat or tofu of your choice shine.

Oeuf Mollet (Soft-Boiled Egg Recipe)

After more than 10 years of knowing each other, my husband Lulu still reminds me how much I enjoy his sense of humor even though I often don't want to admit it. Yesterday, he came to me and said from now on, after much thought, he has decided to incorporate animal protein into his vegetarian diet. I got really excited, and naively, I prepared oeufs mollets (French for soft-boiled eggs) for him. It took exactly six minutes to prepare. Lulu looked at the eggs and said: "Nah. April Fools!"

It wasn't a big deal because Aria and I ended up eating the eggs. They were delicious, especially because they were freshly laid. The preparation is very easy. Start by quickly boiling the eggs, then peel and serve them on a bed of béchamel-topped spinach and asparagus.

I'll post another preparation that's as simple as oeufs mollets, where the eggs are boiled for an even shorter amount of time. They're called "oeufs à la coque".