Saturday, February 23, 2013

Spicy Winter Comfort


Dreary damp February Saturday, splashing around in the drizzle doing errands, antiquing, shopping for fresh produce in spite of the winter. Nestled by the evening fire, I peered into my latest 'Bon Appetit' to the Hot Soup section and tried the concoction of Chicken Khao Soi, a curry chicken soup to stick to our ribs. What a perfect choice for this evening meal. With this we also enjoyed marinated tomato salad and a Korean style cucumber salad.

 Korean Cucumber Salad

1 lb. cucumbers peeled and thinly sliced
Salt
1 ¼ tsp. cayenne
1 ¼ tsp. paprika
1 clove garlic crushed and minced
1 1” piece fresh ginger minced
2 scallions, diced
1 TBS sesame oil
Place sliced cucumbers on a plate and sprinkle with salt. Set aside for 3 hours. Drain.
Mix all other ingredients in a bowl, add cucumbers and let sit for a few hours for flavors to mix well.


 Tomato Salad

 2 – 3 tomatoes, sliced
1 scallion, finely chopped
1 TBS lime juice
½ tsp finely chopped ginger
Salt    Pepper
 Arrange sliced tomatoes on a plate or platter. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and other diced ingredients. Allow to sit for flavors to mingle. Enjoy

 *You could substitute chives, parsley, cilantro or any other fresh herbs for the scallions. Also, you could use grape tomatoes rather than large ones.