Corn with Cherry Tomatoes & Aleppo Pepper

We don't need to have a big conversation about this one.

I've made a variation of this dish many times this summer. I think I've got it where I like it best. Quick, easy, substantial, and kind of exciting. This corn won't blow your mind, but I bet it will keep you wanting more.

I cut the kernels off the cob before cooking them. Some do this the other way around. I'm not sure that it matters.

Shallot is sautéed with a few shakes of aleppo pepper and maybe one and at most two of crushed red pepper flakes. The corn is added and tossed or stirred around a bit. I like the corn with a bit of color on it. There's more nuttiness with the sweet that way. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook for a wee bit more. Throw in a handful or two of chopped cilantro. Salt and pepper.

Eat!

Lovely with salmon or really any protein for that matter. It's a very versatile side that would taste great with mint or basil. I've certainly used onion and garlic in lieu of shallot in a pinch.

The aleppo is key. I like the slightly fruity warmth it adds without too much heat. But you'll notice the addition of red pepper flakes, so I clearly I need a little.

Corn with Cherry Tomatoes & Aleppo Pepper

2 ears corn

15 or so cherry tomatoes or yellow pear tomatoes, halved

1 medium shallot, chopped

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon aleppo pepper

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

A handful or more cilantro, roughly chopped

Cut the kernels off the cob, shaving down into a large bowl. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and sauté until almost translucent, 5 minutes. Add the corn, aleppo, and crushed red pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until the corn colors a bit, turning golden brown here and there. Season with salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes and toss a few times or stir a few times, until the tomatoes soften slightly. You don't want them to turn to mush. Remove from the heat and mix in the cilantro. Serve.

Serves 3

Vietnamese Cucumber Relish

Isn't it salmon season?

I've had a real longing for salmon lately. On the hunt, I went to Fish King in Glendale. Good news –– they had wild King Salmon for sale!

Screech. For $39.99 a pound.

Can you imagine if you overcooked that fish? You would have to jump off a bridge!

There is no way that I could justify that expense.

Fast forward several weeks. I found some wild Coho salmon at Whole Foods at a price that I could accept. I had the idea to try another David Tanis recipe. He has a recipe in A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes for "Wild Salmon with Vietnamese Cucumbers".

I purchased all the ingredients to make this, but I got slightly distracted on the way.

Now I have started to think that I know best when it comes to cooking fish. I follow my mother's lead. High heat (400 to 450 degrees) for a short time (maybe 10 minutes, depending on the cut). This usually works brilliantly. Nine out of ten times the fish is moist and a little bit golden.

With salmon, I insist on medium rare. I really do not like it when it has been cooked all the way through. Medium rare and slightly custardy in the middle is perfect to my mind.

Well, believe me, I sure wish that I had used David Tanis' slower-and-lower method when I realized that I had cooked the salmon about two and a half minutes too long. The salmon was still delicious, but I hate overcooking fish. To many, it was probably cooked à point, but it was definitely not to me.

What I really want to share with you, though, are these lovely Vietnamese cucumbers. This is a great little recipe. Not fancy or complicated, yet quite refreshing and stunning with the fish ––probably with any fish, really.

Vibrant with lime juice and ginger, this cucumber relish would have been a perfect foil for the rich and oily black cod that I cooked two days later. Depending on your affinity for heat, these cucumbers can have quite a kick, especially if you use plenty of serrano chiles. I used two because I didn't want to overdo it for A. Next time I will probably crank up the heat –– I can't help myself.

The recipe calls for palm sugar. Tanis recommends Mexican piloncillo or raw brown sugar. I used standard golden brown sugar to good effect. I might, however, consider cutting back on the sugar ever so slightly.

I served the salmon with boiled new potatoes and sautéed escarole with garlic –– a very healthy and well-balanced meal (so says A!).

I can easily imagine serving these Vietnamese cucumbers with a roast chicken or a barbecued tri-tip. My sister and I gobbled up the rest the next day as a cooling, late-afternoon snack.

Vietnamese Cucumbers

4 large cucumbers

Salt and pepper

Vietnamese fish sauce (nuoc mam) or Thai fish sauce (nam pla)

1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into a fine julienne

Palm sugar

Serranos or jalapenos or fresh Thai chiles

2 or 3 limes

Mint sprigs

Basil sprils

Thinly sliced scallions or sweet onions

Peel the cucumbers, cut them lengthwise in half, and remove the seeds with a spoon if they are large (I used about 8 persian cucumbers and did not remove the seeds). Slice the cucumbers into thickish half-moons and put them in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle lightly with fish sauce, then add the ginger and a couple of tablespoons of palm sugar. Toss well, and let the cucumbers sit for 5 minutes or so.

Add a good spoonful of finely chopped serrano or jalapeno chiles (seeds removed to lessen spiciness, if desired) or finely slivered Thai chiles. Squeeze over the juice of 2 limes and toss again, then cover and refrigerate till serving.

Just before serving add a fistful of roughly chopped mint and basil leaves. Taste and adjust the seasoning with lime juice as well as salt and pepper. Garnish with thinly sliced scallions or paper-thin slices of sweet onion.

Serves 8-10

Carrot and Coriander Salad

For Mother's Day my sister Mo gave me A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes by David Tanis.

Tanis works for six months out of the year as head chef at Chez Panisse. He spends the rest of the year in Paris, where he hosts a private dining club.

Lucky dog! He's living at least part of my fantasy life.

The book is gorgeous, and immediately I want to try every recipe. They all seem to be my kind of cooking: seasonal, family-style, simple, and stunningly beautiful.

These are the kind of recipes that will impress your friends and family, but won't keep you away from your friends and family for too long. What pleases me is that I already have all the ingredients I need to make at least a couple of them.

I dive into the recipe for "Carrot and Coriander Salad" straightaway. Tanis is correct when he advises you to use a mandoline or a Benriner to julienne your carrots.

Turns out my Benriner is dull, and thus far too dangerous to use. I make a half-recipe and, given my knife skills are not what they ought to be, it takes me almost 30 minutes to julienne one pound of smallish carrots.

(Ssh. Don't tell anyone. I'm embarrassed!)

After the carrots have been tackled, everything else is a cinch.

You add lots of citrus, plus toasted cumin, coriander, garlic and shallots. Combine that with chopped fresh cilantro and a small blast of heat, and you have a bracing Moroccan salad that is actually good for you. (Figured it was time for something like this, after the carbonara and pot roast!)

Tanis garnishes the salad with green olives. I think this is fine, but not strictly necessary. He sprinkles the cilantro on top, and I mixed mine in. I think you can go either way. I do like and will definitely try his suggestion for a spicier version, adding slivered red onions and jalapeño chiles.

David Tanis' halibut with Indian spices and chilled pink borscht coming soon!

Carrot and Coriander Salad

2 pounds carrots, peeled

salt and pepper

1 large shallot, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, smashed to a paste with a little salt

2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted and ground

2 teaspoons coriander seeds, toasted and ground (You can toast and grind the spices together.)

red pepper flakes or cayenne (I used red pepper flakes.)

juice of 1 to 2 lemons

olive oil

limes

good green olives, such Picholine or Lucques (not pitted)

1 bunch cilantro

Julienne the carrots into long slivers, put them in a large bowl, sprinkle lightly with salt, and toss. Add the shallot, garlic, cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, and lemon juice. Toss well, and let soften a bit.

Add olive oil to coat, then adjust the seasoning with lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and red pepper. Cover and set aside at cool room temperature for up to several hours, or refrigerate and then return to room temperature to serve.

Toss the salad again to distribute the seasoning, and heap on a large platter.

Squeeze a little fresh lime juice over, and garish with green olives. Roughly chop some cilantro and scatter it over the salad. Strew sprigs of cilantro and lime wedges around the salad, if you like.