Feasting Friday- Surpise Thursday Edition Fourth of July Recipes

Hello, chickens! I hope you are well on your way to a fabulous holiday weekend. I know that this is an early post, but I figured that many of you might not be checking the computer tomorrow, and I wanted to get in a couple good 4th of July recipes for you!



I know that I am very much looking forward to a major BBQ bash with family and friends this weekend. But whether you are hosting or bringing something to a pal’s house for their feast, it is a weekend where you need to maybe make large amounts of family-friendly fare. Whomever is manning the grill can use their best recipe for burgers, dogs, ribs, or other stuff. Want to make them the happiest camper ever? Get them this uber-mega grill brush.

Steven Raichlen sent it along, and boy does this sucker work! Just don’t try it on your Smokey Joe, because the head is nearly wider than the whole surface of that little munchkin of the back porch grills. But if you or a loved one has a large grill, this is the last brush you will ever need.  Charming Suitor is madly in love with it. 

"This thing is like driving a Lexus.  Sure, a Kia will get you there eventually, but the Lexus will do it in a much superior and more comfortable fashion.  The one side gets the big junk out of the way so that the little side can really clean.  It hits all the little nooks and crannies.  And the leverage you get gives you serious torque so it only takes a few swipes to get the job done, and frankly, it is nice to have the extra-long handle so I can really get the grill clean without burning all the hair off my arms.  Mondo grill brush."
                  --Charming Suitor

Proteins are usually easy to decide upon for your backyard celebrations, but I often find that we fall down a bit on everything else.  So I’m here to save the day on side dishes. I know it is tempting to just buy cole slaw and potato salad. They are everywhere and very easy to just purchase. But I beg of you, give these a try. I promise they will elevate your party, or grace the table of any potluck you may attend.

And for a refreshing unexpected side, why not Cold Sesame Noodles?  These are your best friend if you have vegetarians coming over, especially since you can grill some thick slabs of firm tofu (marinate in equal parts soy and rice vinegar with a dash of toasted sesame oil for an hour, then brush with oil and grill 2 minutes per side) to place on top.


The slaw is my own original recipe, designed to balance rich fatty meats or spicy dishes with ease. And it is a nice change from the gloppy mayo-based slaw you may be used to.


Jade Slaw

(thanks to Farm1 for the pic)

I use this mandoline and this julienne mandoline for this slaw, both are very affordable and make a world of difference in making this a delicate and uniform slaw.  You can also use the Swissmar julienne peeler that comes in the set of three to help make this easier.




1 head green cabbage shredded as finely as possible on mandoline, (think angel hair pasta, not spaghetti!)
2 heads fennel, sliced paper thin
2 green apples, julienned fine
1 large jicama, julienned fine
2 hearts of celery, sliced fine
¼ c rice wine vinegar
2 T sugar
1 T soy sauce
1 T grated ginger
1/3 c canola oil
½ t ground pepper or grains of paradise
Pinch salt




Mix dressing ingredients together till well blended. Toss veggies and apples with dressing till thoroughly coated. Let sit a minimum of 1 hour for flavors to blend, then taste for seasoning and balance.


Keep well chilled until time to serve.


When CS and I attended a party hosted by our good friend, The King Of Pork, this was his potato salad, a classic version from our pals at Cooks Illustrated. I tweaked it just the tiniest bit, doubling the recipe for starters, and adding a couple little touches. But mostly it is just as they, and TKOP, made it, and it is quite simply the best potato salad I have ever had. Not gooey or soupy, tons of well-balanced flavor, and sure to be a hit for you as well!  My Dad is a true potato salad guru, and I made this for father's day and he loved it!




Potato Salad

(thanks to Times Union for the pic)

(adapted from Cooks Illustrated)


Serves 8-10



4 pounds russet potatoes (7-8 medium), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
table salt
4 tablespoons distilled white vinegar (can substitute white wine or rice vinegar)
1 c celery hearts, including tender leaves , chopped fine
4 tablespoons minced red onion or shallot (fine to sub a different onion flavor here, but the red onion or shallot offer a pretty little bit of color)
6 tablespoons sweet pickle relish (I drain mine for a moment so that it doesn’t add too much liquid)
1 cup mayonnaise (you can make your own, but I find Hellman’s to be the best. Light is fine here.)
1 1/2 teaspoon powdered mustard
1 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
4 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (I use ground grains of paradise)
4 large hard-cooked eggs , peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes (optional)


Place potatoes in large saucepan and add water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to boil over medium-high heat; add 1 tablespoon salt, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring once or twice, until potatoes are tender, about 8 minutes.


Drain potatoes and transfer to large bowl. Add vinegar and, using rubber spatula, toss gently to combine. Let stand until potatoes are just warm, about 20 minutes.


Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir together celery, onion, pickle relish, mayonnaise, mustard powder, celery seed, parsley, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Using rubber spatula, gently fold dressing and eggs, if using, into potatoes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour; serve. (Potato salad can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)

These sesame noodles are one of my desert island dishes, I crave them fortnightly.  Lovely Doug makes bowls them every year for his Christmas Party, and I can't get enough of them.  He was kind enough to share the recipe, and I made just a couple small alterations for my palate.

Chilled Sesame Noodles
(adapted from my dear friend Doug!)

1 lb. linguini

2 T peanut oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup rice vinegar
6 T smooth peanut butter
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
1 tsp sugar (optional)
6 T sesame seeds
3 garlic cloves (or more) finely minced
1 tsp hot red pepper flakes (I often halve this, use what you like depending on how hot you want it)


Chopped green onions and sliced seedless cucumber for garnish


Cook the noodles; toss with 2 T peanut oil; set aside.


Mix together soy sauce, vinegar, peanut butter, sesame oil, ginger, sugar.

Toast the sesame seeds in a large pot. Remove and set aside to cool. In the same pot, saute garlic in 2 T peanut oil; add red pepper flakes and sauté for a minute or two. Add the noodles and the soy mixture. Toss and mix over medium heat just until heated through, and the noodles are well coated with the mixture. Cool to room temperature. Garnish with chopped green onions and sliced, seeded cucumbers. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

(thanks to Recipe Girl for the pic)

I wish you and yours a terrific holiday weekend!  And don't forget, head over to Tuesday's post on Weeknight Entertaining, you have till midnight Monday to enter to win this cool set of serving bowls...

Yours in Good Taste,


The Polymath

Feasting Friday- Zucchini Pasta with Chicken

Finally it is summer. Well, sort of summer, the weather in Chicago cannot make up its mind, and I have yet to spend any time in a pool, which always seems the true harbinger of summer to me. But I am delighted to report that the official kick-off of summer cooking has hit me.

Gone (mostly) are my cravings for macaroni and cheese and roasted root vegetables and braised meats, and arrived is compelling desire for fresh veggies and fruits and lighter fare. Cherries, a favorite fruit, have begun to come in, as has watermelon. Asparagus is everywhere. And zucchini and other soft squashes are tender off the vine and utterly without the tough bitterness of the versions you get in the colder months.

Since Charming Suitor and I are both committed to eating reasonably healthy when we cook at home (so that we don’t have to worry as much when we eat out), it has been a time of experimentation and discovery. It is hard to believe we didn’t know each other last year at this time (or since birth), but CS didn’t come into my life till the Fall, so we are enjoying the revelations of our mutual love of summer cookery. CS is a grill master, a tamer of the flames, and is mostly in charge of proteins…a lovely stream of perfectly moist and juicy items have been coming off his Weber, well seasoned and delicious. I’ve been in charge of side dishes and salads, and between us, dinner is usually significantly above average. ( I will wax poetical in a future post about the ribs he made for our first jointly-hosted BBQ last weekend, but let me just say that if you do not have a pitmaster from Kentucky in your life, GO GET ONE RIGHT NOW! Yum.)

Sometimes, though, we just want a simple dish, no courses, minimal fussing, no coals. Dinner you can eat in one bowl with one utensil, preferably over your lap on the couch watching something mindless and fun.

When I was doing my intensive health program last Fall and Winter, this dish saved me. I made it at least two to three times a week. Since I will never give up carbs, especially pasta, it helped me get my fix without derailing my program. It is pretty simple, just pasta and chicken and zucchini in a light lemony sauce. But because there are equal amounts of pasta and zucchini cut into pasta-like strands, you get all the pleasure of twirling up large forkfuls with half the carbs. Plus, and this is really always the most important part, it is really freaking delectable!



(Thanks to gimmesomeoven.com for the photo)

It is a recipe I developed while working on GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT, the kind of dish the chef-heroine would be serving up at her healthy gourmet café. Whole grain or multi grain pastas work great here, as does Quinoa pasta for the gluten-free people. I use chicken breasts for maximum lightness, but boneless skinless thighs are great in this for deeper flavor, as is veal.

I made it a couple of weeks ago for the first time for Charming Suitor who did a massive euphoric eye roll and said “I just wanna stick my face in it and blow bubbles.” Which is pretty high praise for something that is actually good for you!

When it come to prepping the zucchini, you can certainly do it by hand, but I am less patient, so I love the Swissmar Julienne Peeler.  I got mine in a set of three, with a regular and a serrated peeler as well.  They are sharp as the dickens, the Y shape is very comfortable and easy to use, and they go right in the dishwasher.  For this dish it makes the zucchini "noodles" perfectly and in seconds.  They are very affordable, so I'm planning on getting another set for Charming Suitor's house!

What are your go-to healthy dishes that don’t feel like deprivation? Share with the class!

And because I am true and blue to my wonderful hometown…GO HAWKS!!!!


Zucchini Pasta with Chicken

3/4 pound dried linguini or spaghettini or other long strand pasta (I use whole grain or multi grain, but use what you like)
3/4 pound zucchini
1 T butter
2 T olive oil
1 small shallot, minced fine (opt)
¼ c dry white wine
½ lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips zest and juice of one lemon
¼ c chicken stock
S&P to taste
1 T coarsely chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 T fresh chive, chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. (plan to reserve ½ c cooking water)

While the water comes to a boil and the pasta cooks, cut the zucchini into long strands that mimic the pasta…Again, the Swissmar julienne peeler is ideal for this, just running it around the outside of the zucchini and not using the pulpy seed part. You can also do this on a mandolin, or make long julienne by hand. (The idea is to be able to twirl the zucchini up with the pasta, but if you don’t care, you can cut it into half moons, it will still be delicious!)

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the shallot, and cook till translucent. Add chicken and sauté briefly until light brown. Deglaze the pan with the wine and let reduce till almost gone. Add chicken stock, lemon juice and lemon zest. Swirl in butter. Taste for salt and pepper. Toss in zucchini strands and then immediately add cooked pasta and combine. Add the cheese and herbs and enough reserved pasta water to ensure the sauce is smooth, and toss to combine well. Taste again for seasoning and add salt and pepper, as needed. Grate about 2 more tablespoons Parmesan over the top and serve at once.

Yours in good taste,
The Polymath