heidih

Love char-grilled beans and scallions and fish sauce with grilled items is such a natural. The hazelnuts probably pick up the sweetness of the other ingredients. Nice combo.

I just rinse. My understanding with pesticides is that they operate similarly to the bacteria - they get absorbed. I coud be wrong of course, but don't think I'll be changing. As for bugs hitchhiking - most of the crawling protein doesn't bother me much (earwigs and beetley types excepted but they usually run off)

More along the lines of interesting twists to classics, I found this Eater article about New Orleans' Essential Summer Salads inspriring. #8 Atchafalaya's Beets in a Cloud is reminiscent of the concept of creamy gelled oldies. #10 Maypop's Bibb Lettuce Salad caught my attention with coconut cucumber Ranch dressing garnished with cashew crisps. Southern California is awash in super busy salads so I found several of those featured to be more, thoughtful , light, and appealing. I overdid at Farmers Market so I'll have to play with my zukes, eggplant, corn and fabulous tomatoes first. https://nola.eater.com/maps/best-salads-new-orleans-nola

@mm84321 Was it lemon verbena an id it do anything for that beautiful lobster meat?

Me again! I'm going to be able to prowl the farmers market tomorrow so my brain is buzzing with options. The classic French grated carrot salad came to mind. Linking to a very simple version again from David Lebovitz https://www.davidlebovitz.com/carottes-rapee/ And then to update it a bit try the beet version or the one including avocado mashed in the dressing. My caution would be to avoid those tasteless horse carrots and softball sized beets. Look for ones that are actually young and "juicy". I am fond of including some Dijon mustard in all varieties. Also, if not overdressed, I find them enjoyable even a second or third day later. https://cnz.to/recipes/salads/grated-carrots-and-beets-recipe/ https://cnz.to/recipes/salads/grated-carrot-salad-with-avocado-recipe/

Couldn't sleep due to heat so I mulled over the topic. Couple things came to mind. Along the updating old line, David Lebovitz recently posted a green bean, lettuce, and pea salad with that classic - Ranch dressing - but homemade with buttermilk and fresh herbs. https://www.davidlebovitz.com/summer-green-salad-with-peas-green-beans-and-buttermilk-ranch-dressing-recipe/ Slipping into the slippery texture of gelatin I thought of Kenji's shirataki sesame noodle salad with cucumber, chile oil, and crunchy bits. I've not made it yet but do enjoy those noodles so it is in the queue. https://www.seriouseats.com/2015/02/how-to-cook-with-shirataki-noodles.html

Love the garden and selections @chromedome I think based n my "professional" experiences that keeping naturalized plants between rows is the "new black". It encourages pollinators, good bugs, and good soil "bugs". Carry on!!!

Hmm so fruit salad- I do not like complicated ones with dressing but a good combo of very ripe stone fruits and melons takes me back and pleases me. During my food awakening summer in Corsica as a young teen the other 2 girls and I would be in charge of it. Dead ripe fruit, keeping all the juices in the bowl. First time I heard pineapple called annanas. We would keep the plum pits in our mouths like young Southern boys workin on "chew".

Ya know - though I cringe at the gelatin thing I was moved, as so often, by an article recently quoted upon the passing of our great Jonathan Gold. Not a salad, but his description of jellied consomme gave me pasue - so maybe my mind is a tad open http://www.laweekly.com/restaurants/best-jellied-consomm-1919-musso-and-frank-grill-2377397

Hmmm - are you thinkig updated versions of those yuckers or just what salads (hyper broad term) we are enjoying? I live in a temperate climat so salad is a year round thing for the most part. I am currently partial to a broccoli salad along the lines of Melissa Clark's but my base is fish sauce, Dijon mustard, fresh orange juice, balsamic, and olive oil as the dressing. I add garlic, craisins, red onion, sometimes Persian cucumber, and a healthy dose of that shunned green can "parmesan" as the added salt/umami. Lasts for days. Here is a snap of yesterday's. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016146-broccoli-salad-with-garlic-and-sesame

Ouch! Though they are not deceased yet, just prone to disease...;)

Yes! A neighbor gifts them everyChristmas and I got a big can this year. Plowed through them!

@Smithy Oh yes! Fish sauce as the salt element in such preps is lovely. Next time you prep some tomatoes with oil and vinegar try it!

PS: per kayb of course Schnitzel always an option !

Of course Singapore gives us treaures like Hainanese chicken rice - again a low temp poach but employing fat from good chicken which it seems you are accessing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hainanese_chicken_rice

The poach method where you bring it to temperature in seasoned liquid and then let it rest can result in an edible enjoyable product.as well, exploring Chinese velveting techniques is worth it.

So Anna it sounds like the cabbage roll filling is a lot like a gyoza one with the cabbage element front & center on the outside. With that mindset perhaps a dipping sauce as traditional for the dumplings would be a nice drizzle?

Lest you doubt my oddness - some lists....

Thanks for sharing your lists Anna. I do several a day; more to organize my thoughts than to remember stuff. More of a hand-writer here. i LOVE "xing" out completed items And... nut job that I am I often do the important ones in a composition notebook so I can refer back. Yes - reading through the cross-outs! We all have our "odd"!

L.A. food writer Cathy Chaplin who was mentored by J. Gold posted this note to him today - it spoke to me https://gastronomyblog.com/

Anothe lovely rememberance https://www.theringer.com/2018/7/23/17601794/jonathan-gold-food-critic-la-times-obituary-in-memoriam

@paulraphael Thanks for the sherry vinegar prompt. Back in the day it was my favorite and I've not taken the time to explore current on-line options. That will change

So any idea why rest of country is clueless? Distribution issues, packaging? Hell I'm interested...

So back to the man we love - Blue-Dolpin has some great links http://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-jonathan-gold-chef-tributes-20180721-story.html

@blue_dolphin thanks for the links - my eyes ae still raw...