Asian Pear Salad

This year concluded my decade-plus run of not touching Asian pears. It’s not like there is anything particularly wrong with them, but on my exceedingly scientific hierarchy of fruits I wish to consume, they don’t rank terribly highly.
When my grandparents moved into their new house (well, [...]

Ahi Poke in Lettuce Cups

I fell in love with poke in Hawaii. It came with some plate lunches, and I could not get enough!  There are many variations – I love the really spicy stuff with little flecks of nori in it.  However, I made this for a family dinner that included people [...]

Cucumber-Peanut Salad

I have a glaring shortcoming as a home cook, and that is that I am salad-challenged.  It’s not that I don’t enjoy a good salad.  I LOVE them.  The problem is, they never turn out quite how I want them to.  My dressings end up too oily or too acidic, [...]

Fattoush

This is a perfect summer salad.  Green and vibrant with specks of sumac and slivers of onion, it has a bright citrus dressing and the satisfying crunch of toasted pita.
I like to use Persian cucumbers because they are less watery and more sweet than English cucumbers.  I find them at [...]