Nothing beets these.

Here are two salad ideas.

First, in my quest to recreate my favorite Thai curry dishes, I have obtained several requisite specialty items from the Asian Deli. Lime leaves, fish sauce, Pho broth cubes, another crumbly substance the description of which was lost in translation (I thought I heard tamarind), pickled thai chilis, galangal root, various curry pastes. These ingredients always seem to be in my kitchen, and I am diligent about this curry recreation, so it is a dish I make frequently. Deadly serious here: My appetite is the Rapture for Thai curries. I will let you know when I perfect 'it'. But, after becoming romantically involved with baby bok choy, it occurred to me one afternoon in the aisle that I needed to be taking full advantage of the wonderfully cheap but limited produce items at the deli. Thai basil, the bok choy, the most perfect scallions, cilantro in lush abundance. Carrots. Here is what I did:

1. Heated up some curry paste, fish sauce, small amount of olive oil, and the juice of a lime, rice wine vinegar to taste, if desired. In a pan, enough to allow the curry to meld evenly. Let it cool in the refrigerator.
2. Chopped up the bok choy and tomatoes, scallions, the cilantro (always generous).
3. Left the basil leaves whole, perhaps garnish with flower head.
4. Shred carrot.
5. Combine when dressing is chilled, whisk it up with a little salt & cracked pepper.

This was fresh, light. Don't beat up the bok choy too badly, in fact chop it up and add it last. Go real light on the olive oil. I heard Mr. T hates it when people butcher salads. So, if he is your dinner guest you'd be wise in heeding this advice.

Salad number 2 is pretty popular in the summer. I do some things differently here though. Someone told me they wanted to 'get this salad pregnant'. Maybe I said that. Anyways, the NW is a land of asparagus, alfalfa, sweet onions, and sweet corn. Other stuff too. This time of the year I become somewhat of a 'cornographer' because I was raised on sweet, local corn on the cob, and I exploit produce by nature. I am omnivorous. Try this take on a cold corn salad for an evening on the porch. Perhaps grill the corn? I wish I had a porch now, having said that.

1. Boil lightly or grill the corn.
2. Slice off in sheets.
3. Chop Italian parsley, two big Walla Walla sweet onions (never caught with the Vidalia onion), fennel and the bulb's grassy tops (tops done very finely).
4. Synchronize the swimming of the Grey Poupon, honey, salt & cracked pepper, light olive oil, and more lime or lemon juice. Whatever.
5. Combine and chill. Should be a very light, sweet honey mustard. Restrain yourself. The dressing should absorb the flavors, not become a puddle. Chill, stirring intermittently. Light salt before serving.

These two will disappear. Help them to do it. Help them fake their own death. If you were thinking about sharing these at a picnic or potluck, don't. Hire a surrogate, and send him first to the store for that sickly-sweet deli potato salad, then to the potluck. You didn't want to go anyway. Why. You already have food at home now. Find some meat and beer. I know you are worried about your carbon footprint anyway. So am I. But, I just billed you for that little jewel.

Suggested pairings?

Wine: I don't care. Who cares.

Muppets: Invite Kermit. Fozzy is a notorious lush. And, I read that he is being sued for child support.

Music: Neil Young's Harvest. Or, whatever.

What is the Gustatory Gospel...?

..."Relating to the sense of taste or to the action or experience of tasting something. Something believed to be absolutely and unquestionably true."

This is a philosophy of food, of cooking, as physical and spiritual enrichment.

The idea is that spending more time in the kitchen, going to market, searching for fresh and local ingredients, taking that time prepare a meal, sharing your food, involves sacrifice. It isn't necessarily a frugal approach, and as a novice, it is admittedly time consuming. Painstaking. But, you start to pay attention to your food. You work to create for yourself. You pay attention to details, you finely chop. You peel garlic. Later on, you peel heirloom garlic. Because you develop a heightened appreciation for your food. As elevated prose is poetry, cooking from scratch is pure and simple truth, beautifully expressed. You take it seriously, and you do it well.

The recipes and ideas are not new, in fact they are antiquated.

Fresh herbs in everything. Quality extra virgin olive oil. Butter that you've made. Local chevre. Same day seafood. Beef from a cow you've met before. The bounty of your garden.

Beets, and beet greens. Turnips, and turnip greens.

The more energy you expend collecting and preparing a meal, the better it tastes, the healthier you eat. Eating less, but maybe richer, whole.

I want to share a link to the recent NY Times Magazine article by the Michael Pollan, the most famous man in food right now. I haven't read his books, and I didn't see Food Inc. I get it. It is an old an simple equation. Stop eating processed trash, convenience foods, snacks, and eat vegetables, exercise, be active. The benefits of this dietary approach are well documented and widely extolled. But, this is a different topic. The article is about the importance of cooking. It is about the success of food. Food the media personality, food the television superstar and megapitchman. I really enjoyed this article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/magazine/02cooking-t.html?_r=1&hpw

There is a great quote from Mario Batali, running through the perceived stereotype personalities doing business on the Food Network.