Recipe Box: Pick a Pickled Pepper

Or carrots.  Or fennel.  Or grapes. On Monday night, I rushed home with vinegar in hand to prepare for the 18 Reasons Jam It event as well as create some down-home gifts for my relatives in Philadelphia.  It's Turkey Time people, and nothing says "thank you" on Thanksgiving like a jar of pickles.  Am I right?  I know I am.

Let me tell you this - sodium-free pickling is not only possible, it is easy and can be even more thrilling than your typically transformed cucumber.  Without salt, you become more creative with your seasonings and spices.  And if you are a nervous to create your own pickling blend, lucky for us, salt-free pickling spices already exist in cute little pre-packaged packages (available at your local Whole Foods).

So put your pot on the stove and get ready to infuse some veggies with sweet and sour tang.  Here are three zippy recipes for mind-blowing treats that can be equally impressive as an appetizer or as an accompaniment in salads, side dishes, and main courses.

Pickled Fennel 
"Licorice never tasted so good" - Me

1.  Take two bulbs of fennel, cut off stems, and slice in to crescent shaped spears

2.  Stuff fennel slices, some of the soft fennel fronds from the stem (packs extra flavor), three cloves of garlic, and two dried chili peppers into a small mason jar

3. Zest one orange and place in the mason jar with fennel

4.  Heat 2 cups of white wine vinegar, 1/2 a cup of sugar, juice from one orange, and a teaspoon of black peppercorns in a pot.  Remove from heat once it begins boiling

5.  Carefully (it's hot!) fill the mason jar with heated pickling liquid (step 4).  The heat tends to reduce the size of the fennel almost immediately, so if you have left over slices, stuff more into the jar

6.  For added punch, slice fresh ginger and put in jar as well.  Once lid is closed, shake it up, allow to cool, and stick it in the fridge.  In two days, it will be ready for munching.

Pickled Grapes 
"Not jam, not wine, just plain delicious" - Me 


As a quick disclaimer: I stole this recipe from Smitten Kitchen who was inspired by Orangette  and tweaked it according to my sodium girl needs.


1.  Pick up some plump, seedless back or red grapes and slice off the belly buttons - the top part where the stem was - of five or six handfuls.  By taking off their tops (get your mind out of the gutter) you will allow the pickling juices to seep into the fruit immediately.

2.  Fill a small mason jar with the grapes, 2 teaspoons of yellow mustard seed, and one stick of cinnamon- or, as in my case, three teaspoons of ground cinnamon because I forgot to buy cinnamon sticks

3.  Heat two cups of white wine or champagne vinegar (how fancy) in a pot with 1 teaspoon of black peppercorns.  Remove from heat once it boils

4.  Let the pickling liquid (step 3) fully cool before filling the mason jar.  This will keep the fruit from becoming too mushy

5.  Shake and shimmy your mason jar and put in refrigerator.  Will be good to go in two days.

BONUS TIP: on my quest to find a good substitute for olives, I realized that a savory grape pickle could do the trick.  I think they could act as a mischievous doppelganger in tapenade and Mediterranean salads, fooling any palate.  I can't wait to test out this theory in the weeks to come.

Pickled Carrots
"Curry in a hurry" - Me

1.  To make this as effortless as possible, buy some pre-washed, pre-peeled carrots.  I went with some beautiful yellow carrots and I think if I had more time, I may have even chosen to go with the more colorful  heirloom variety

2.  Stuff a small mason jar with carrots, three cloves of garlic, teaspoon of freshly sliced ginger, and two dried chili peppers, 1/2 a tablespoon of turmeric, 1/4 tablespoon of curry, and 1 tablespoon of salt-free pickling spices

3.  Heat 2 cups of distilled vinegar,1 cup of water, and 1/2 a cup of sugar.  Remove from heat once it is boiling

4.  Carefully fill jar with pickling liquid, wait until it is cool, and place in the fridge.  Wait 2 days before cracking open and noshing on some healthy and spicy carrot nuggets

Now wasn't that easy?  Just wait until you taste them!

Tips & Tricks, Good Eats, and Recipe Box: This Spud's For You

I think potatoes are (a) utterly delicious and (b) really confusing to spell.  I like them fried, baked, sliced, in soups and stews ... but mostly, I like them fried.  At first, I thought it would be impossible to find low-sodium or sodium-free versions of these beloved potato products - and I took to making my own sweet potato fries at home (which, if I say so myself, was not a bad substitute...recipe below).  But I had completely underestimated the possibilities of no-sodium/low-sodium snacking and in almost 6 years of searching for a salt-free French fry or a sodium-free bag of chips, I've compiled the following list of delicious salt-free options, which even have the salt freaks exclaiming snacking nirvana.'

For A Sit-Down French Fry Fix:

Hop into Frjtz - a Belgium fry and mussel palace located in the Mission and Hayes Valley.  Just ask the incredibly accommodating staff (yes, they know me by name) to hold the salt on your LARGE cone of fries.  Don't hesitate to explain your reason for salt shaker resistance - the more they understand your situation, the more serious they will take your request.

As for the sauces - for which they are famous - they are all heavy in sodium content.  So to be absolutely safe, ask for a wedge of lime to give it a zest of flavor.  Or douse the fries in pepper.  I've even recently seen malt vinegar available at the condiments counter - that has a nice kick too.  And if you're really craving something more substantive, I have been known to bring my own bottle of low-sodium mustard in my purse.  Don't be embarrassed.  It's totally cool and the people staring are just jealous. But if you're not up for social defiance, you can eat them sauce free.  These fries are so perfectly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside that they don't need any cover up.  They are natural beauties.

Added tip:  If you attempt ordering French fries at other restaurants, and I do, just remember to ask if they cut them fresh or if they come from a bag.  If they come from a bag (i.e. frozen) they most likely have sodium.  Also, make sure the potatoes are not blanched in salt water before being cooked.

For Out-Of-The-Bag Snacking:

My first experience with no-salt/low-sodium snacking was with Kettle Chips unsalted, proud spuds.

In 2007, during a crisp fall afternoon and a mostly unproductive work day, I spent an hour and half crafting a heartfelt letter to the Kettle Chips crew thanking them for their bravery and leadership in the production of a salt-free chip, which had filled a large void in my junk-food junkie soul...and would they be so kind as to create another innovative salt-free chip product to dazzle my taste buds (balsamic vinegar and rosemary anyone?).  The next day, I received a kind response, but no mention of any future salt-free lines and no shipment of a life-time supply of unsalted chips to my door.

While I continue to wait for my free box of Kettle Chips (wink wink), these other brands are also jumping on the salt-free train and making my no-sodium snacking dreams come true.

Utz has unsalted potato chips and no salt BBQ 

Terra Chips has unsalted potato chips, unsalted Hickory BBQ (so delicious!), and unsalted Sweet Potato chips for a totally wild taste experience.

Added tip: When I make my own tuna tartar - yeah, you've got some drool on the side of your lip - I line the plate with salt-free potato chips and use them to transport the dreamy, diced fish from the plate to my mouth. East meets west in a dazzling salt-free appetizer.

For A DIY, At-Home Adventure:

When Super Bowl Season rolls around, grab a few sweet potatoes and follow these instructions:


1.  Turn on oven, preferably to 400 degrees.

2.  Wash and scrub your spuds, but no need to peel.  I think the skin, when crisp, makes them extra delicious.

3.  Cut the sweet potato into fourths and then into thin strips - you want each fry to be about half and inch wide at the most (check out the picture here to get a good idea of size and length).  The thinner they are the crispier they will get.

4.  Put all of your potato sticks on a pre-greased or pre-sprayed baking sheet - you want most of them to be touching the bottom of the sheet so they all cook evenly - and sprinkle olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) and a mixture of the following spices:

For spicy - cumin, paprika, white pepper, and cayenne
For herby - rosemary (fresh or dried), white pepper, ground mustard, a pinch of cayenne
For special - use a flavored olive oil (like orange, avocado, or truffle!)

5.  Toss the potato sticks so they are evenly coated with the oil and spices.

6.  Bake for 20-30 minutes.  Watch the first batch carefully and from then on, you'll know how long it takes.

7.  Repeat until all the potatoes have been cooked and gobbled up - make sure you set a good handful (or ten) aside for yourself.

Recipe Box: Project Bacon - Update

Round one of Project Bacon is complete - but we are far from finished. Although the pork smelled like bacon and even looked like bacon, it did not cook up like bacon. I tried frying it, baking it, and frying and baking it - but to no avail. My hypothesis - my cut of pork was too fatty and there was not enough meat. In the weeks following, I compared my strips to those at Whole Foods and they look quite similar, but not as marbled.

With test round 1 done, it's on to round 2. There is no giving up here until we have a sodium-free bacon and egg sandwich on the table. For round two, I'm going for a meatier piece of meat and a similar seasoning blend - cumin, smoked paprika, bonito flakes, pepper, brown sugar, cayenne pepper - maybe a little lemon juice?

It may be impossible to cure meat without sodium as the salt plays a major role in preserving and protecting the meat from developing botulism (no one wants that). It also breaks down the protein which gives it its texture and color. However, I have read that acids - such as vinegars and citrus - have similar molecular capabilities. So we will try a combination of a wet soak and a dry rub for the next go. And remember, it isn't about creating an exact replica, but an approximation that is equally satisfying - and like the pickles I made this summer, sometimes even better than the salted version.

In the meantime, feast your eyes on the transformation of my pork blocks into beautiful slices of "could-be" bacon. I cannot wait until they taste as good as they look.


And to keep your appetite whet for other sodium-free, impossible possibilities, the recipe-box will feature the following how-to's before the close of 2009:

PICKLING (salt-free, majorly successful, and really fun - also make great gifts!)
CURING OLIVES (just have to find some uncured olives to start...but I think I have my guy)
SAUSAGE MAKING (we have the grinder! now we just need the casing)
SOY and TERIYAKI SAUCE (you better believe it - it exists and it is delicious)

Recipe Box: Project Bacon

I just bought $15 worth of pork belly from the amazing butchers at Prather Ranch Meat Co. housed in the SF Ferry Building. While it might be easier to braise large chunks of the monster or dice and fry the fatty parcels - I'm going whole hog on this project and spending the next five days curing my very own, sodium-free bacon. With little bit of time, creativity, and advice from meat professionals, it is possible to open culinary doors that seemed permanently closed.

After a brief chat with my bacon Sensei, we devised a salt-free curing plan as follows:

1. In a metal baking dish, set the pork belly (skin/fat side up)

2. Cover with approximately a 1/4 inch thick of the following dry rub mixture: brown sugar, course black pepper, smoked paprika, and some crushed Emerald Cove Organic Nori to help leach out the moisture. Refrigerate.

3. After a few days, drain the meat juices and cover with another coat of the rub. Return to the refrigerator.

4. Apparently it only takes 5 days for a proper cure but letting it sit for longer will produce stronger flavors and the bacon itself will last for two weeks instead of one.

5. As for slicing, I am hoping to take the cured belly to my local butcher, Drewes Bros Meats, to cut it into the familiar long strands.

Stay posted for the end result and the delicious, bacon, hand-made pasta that will enfold!

Recipe Box: Pea Soup

My mom, boy's mom, and I decided to meet for lunch one beautifully sunny afternoon and I wanted to treat them both to something light, bright, and delicious.

I was aiming to fix a meal that was quick to make, full of flavor, and of course, sodium-free. So, I settled on curried egg salad sandwiches and some cold pea soup - my cup of soup, of course, is the one topped with hot red chili flakes - it may have been chilled, but I am always hankering for some heat.

The recipes are simple and the tastes are just complex enough to wake up your palette but there is plenty of room for personal preferences and to make the flavors more robust. They also stay good in the fridge for a few days, so save some room for left-overs.

Curried Egg Salad Sandwiches - A Spicy Celebration on Two Pieces of Bread

Ingredient List:
Half a dozen eggs
1 Container of Creme Fraiche or WholeSoy & Co Plain Yogurt
1 bunch green onions
1/4 lb of currants
Curry Powder, turmeric, white pepper, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin
Ezekiel 4:9 Low-Sodium Bread
Flat leaf parsley (only if you want to really show off)

1. Boil eggs (6 eggs made for approximately 8 sandwiches)
Don't know how to boil eggs? Check this out!

2. Once your eggs have cooled, separate egg yolks from egg whites into two bowls.

3. Add 3 tablespoons of creme fraiche or half a container of WholeSoy & Co Plain Yogurt(25mg of sodium for one container) to your egg yolks and mash together until it becomes a yellow paste. It shouldn't be too gummy or thick - so you can always add more creme fraiche, yogurt, or some olive oil to loosen it a bit more.

4. Add 1 tablespoon of curry powder, 1 tablespoon of turmeric, 2 teaspoons of white pepper and 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika to the egg yolk paste. These are all estimated portions. Taste as you mix ingredients together and add more if you want stronger flavors - also feel free to add in some cumin and cayenne pepper for more spice.

4. Dice egg whites into little cubes.

5. Chop 3 stalks of green onions - the smaller the chop, the better!

6. Mix egg whites, onions, and currants (a few handfuls) with the egg yolk paste. You can also add chopped parsley to put more color and a fresh herb flavor in the mix.

7. Toast your bread
Don't have a toaster? Use the broiler in your oven! Just don't forget to flip the bread, to take out the bread, or turn off the oven - I speak from (in)experience.

8. Spread your egg salad onto the bread and cut into your favorite childhood shape - I prefer the triagonal (diagonal triangles) - but I'm sure a rectangle with the crusts cut off would taste just as a delicious.

9. Enjoy!

Cold Pea Soup - Green Never Looked So Good

Ingredient List:
1 shallot
5 cloves of garlic
1 small white onion
Olive Oil
1 bag of frozen peas (check the label for sodium content)
1 bag of frozen corn (check the label for sodium content)
Herb-Ox No Sodium Chicken Broth
White pepper
Creme Fraiche

1. In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons of oil.

2. Dice shallot, garlic and half of white onion - no need to dice too finely as everything will be blended later on.

3. When oil is hot, add shallot, garlic, and onion to pot and stir until shallot and onion look translucent.

4. Add bag of peas and half a bag of corn to pot. Stir and heat for about 5 minutes.

5. Mix 2 packets of Herb-Ox Low Sodium Chicken Broth with 2 cups of water, throw in pot, and bring to a boil.

6. After it has boiled for a few minutes, remove pot from heat to cool for 5 minutes. If you blend while still hot, your risk some serious splashage, so it is important to cool the soup down a bit before the next step. Patience here will result in less time scrubbing the counters and your face.

7. Transfer soup to blender OR for an incredibly easy and mess-free means of creaming ingredients, use an immersion blender. Possibly my favorite kitchen utensil - I have two.

8. Blend until smooth.
An optional step is to then sieve the soup which will make it incredibly silky in texture, but this is only if you are going for Michelin star perfection.

9. Reheat soup on low until it has reduced about a third - this thickens the soup. Add the white pepper and any other spices at this point.

10. Chill soup in fridge.

11. Ladel into small bowls and top soup with a dollop of creme fraiche.
Other optional crunch worthy toppers include: a few Unsalted Kettle Chips or a handful of Organic Just Peas or Just Corn.

12. Your soup is now ready to serve and ready to disappear.

Recipe Box: Fridge Frittata

First off - go see Food, Inc. I've read the books, I volunteer at the Ferry Building, I shop at Farmer's Markets whenever I can. But this movie, even for the most food-enlightened, is a huge wake up call. We truly are what we eat and our food industry is the cornerstone of our community's and our world's health, social, and environmental issues.

So I have to say, after I left the movie, I was glad to know that my fridge was full of locally produced, seasonal ingredients - all of which needed to be eaten right away if I was going to keep them from ending up in my compost bin. And yes, that was probably the most typical Northern Californian sentence I have ever written - sorry I'm not sorry.

My refrigerator had the following items to work with:

chard (grown from my own potted garden)
heirloom tomatoes (from my monthly Farm Fresh To You delivery- thank you Capay Farms)
potatoes
eggplant
half of a red onion (woopsies...a few weeks old)
one slice of Heidi's Hens no-salt turkey breast
and two eggs

What do you get when you combine all of those ingredients?
A delicious, oven-baked dinner frittata! Here's how:

1. Set oven to 360 degrees.

2. Heat oil in a pan. When hot add diced red onion and cook until translucent. I was low on olive oil and added a few dashes of champagne vinegar to help deglaze the pan and add some extra moisture to cook the onions. When softened and clearer in color, transfer onions to a bowl.

3. Slice one small eggplant into half-inch disks and wrap in paper towels. Find something heavy - I used a cutting board and a potted plant on top - to squish the water out of the eggplants. Most people sprinkle eggplants with salt to get out the extra moisture but this is my sodium-safe trick. It will allow you to brown the little nuggets more easily.

3. Add more oil to pan and reheat. When hot, add diced potatoes and eggplant and sauté until brown (because they are small, this should take about 5-10 min). I added a little curry powder and red wine towards the end to add some extra flavor. When cooked, take out potatoes and eggplant and put in bowl with onions.

4. Add oil to pan again and reheat. Take off stems of chard (keeping them on is also completely OK - they will soften in the oven - just dice more finely to help cooking process) and chop the chard into bite sized bits. Throw into hot pan for 3 min or so. I added some no-sodium mustard and a few dashes of balsamic vinegar towards the end.

5. In an oven safe dish, coat bottom with oil or salt-free (sweet) butter and add the onion, eggplant, potato mixture.

6. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs. I added some white pepper, cumin, and a little water and red wine.

7. Pour egg mixture over onion, eggplant, potato-ness.

8. Cover the top of onion, eggplant, potato, and now egg-ness with your softened chard - building a top layer.

9. Slice one heirloom tomato into 1/4 inch or smaller rounds.

10. Put tomato rounds on top of the chard and sprinkle some black pepper on top.

11. Bake in oven for 30 min (or until all egg is cooked).

12. Put under broiler on high for 2-3 minutes to crisp the chard and tomatoes.

13. Invite friends over to marvel your ingenious fridge-spiration...or eat it all yourself. This recipe will feed 2-4 and although the picture is a bit hideous, it is really delicious and works with any veggie combination!

And the next day...I used the leftover eggplant to make EGGPLANT CHILI! Sounds weird but seriously good. I cubed the eggplant - mimicking chunks of meat - and used all my other standard chili ingredients: tomatoes, black beans, peppers, cumin, cayenne pepper, a pinch of oregano, and paprika. After little it simmer for an hour, I topped it off with some arugula and avacado and even used some really old Matzoh crackers for dipping. It tasted chili-tastic and was full of good, healthy things. This seemed a little bit daring but I am glad I tried it and was successful in heroically saving the food in my fridge from going unused and transfered it safely to my belly. All in a day's work.

Tips & Tricks: Beef Cakes

Just a quick warning - the beginning of this story is sodium-heavy - but, I promise that the ending holds a savory surprise.

For the Boy's birthday, I decided to dive into a baking adventure and make MEAT CUPCAKES - inspired by my friend Gina's meat cookies and Mei's salmon cupcakes. So, at five a.m., I rolled out of bed to begin creating two delicious bite-sized tins of celebratory meat muffins: a bacon, beer, & chive cupcake with blue cheese "frosting" and a fig and prosciutto cupcake with goat cheese "frosting." I did not intend on making these sodium-girl friendly, but I soon realized that I had stumbled upon a new flavor-saving discovery.

As I was kneading and measuring and sprinkling and whisking, I was enjoying the delicious aroma's of the bacon sizzling in my cast-iron griddle (okay, it was a teflon pan, but I think the image is nice). I found myself thinking, wouldn't it be nice to have just one slice of bacon? But by definition, bacon is a long strip of meat from the back, side, or belly of a pig that has has been cured, smoked, and brined to perfection - which also translates to mean "high in sodium." I've considered making my own bacon - i.e. buying strips of pure pork from the butcher - but somehow, I just didn't think it would taste the same. But my, how did I misjudge the situation.

Out of curiosity, or maybe torture, I flipped the package of bacon over to the list of ingredients. And low and behold the angels did sing - 75mg of sodium per serving / 2 slices of bacon. Whaaat? Did I read that correctly? Yes, 75mg of sodium per serving! To put this in a more palatable context - two slices of pork heaven equals one egg. A completely safe and kidney-friendly amount if you are craving a bacon fix. Clearly, this is not an every-day diet item (for people with or without kidney problems). But if that pasta needs an extra hint of something naughty and crunchy or that piece of halibut could use a nice pork belt, then you have found the ingredient.

So, what kind of magical bacon product had I come upon? Turns out, Whole Foods's 365 brand makes uncured bacon with a very low amount of sodium. There are even internet rumors that they make a uncured turkey bacon with 0mg sodium - but I will need to do more detective work to verify.

To make the bacon flavor rival that of its cured / brined / smoked siblings, I sprinkled smoked paprika and a little cumin on the suckers before throwing them into the frying pan. None of my blind tasters had any idea that their bacon cupcakes lacked its most recognizable ingredient. On that point - smoked paprika is a wonderful substitution for adding a richer, "cured" flavor to any of your meat dishes. You can also buy liquid smoke or hickory flavoring to add a grilled taste without the grill - but there does seem to be some concern with the safety of using liquid smoke, so use sparingly and maybe stick to the smoked paprika for now!

And now another close up of the beauties and the official beef cake recipes, with sodium-free substitutions:

Cupcake base
Mix the following dry ingredients:

- 2 cups of flour

- 2 teaspoons of baking powder

- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup brown sugar

Add Wet Ingredients:

1 cup softened/melted butter
4 eggs beaten

I halved the above cupcake base into two separate bowls and then added the following ingredients:

Bacon, Beer, Chive Cupcake

1/2 cup of pale ale
Cut chives

1 whole package of bacon
- fried in pan with cumin, smoked paprika, and ancho chile poweder
- when cooled, crumbled and thrown into the oven for some extra crisp

Prosciutto and Fig
one package of prosciutto
one jar of fig jam

Baking
line mini muffin tin (should make around 30) and fill 3/4 of each tin with batter
bake at 375 for 25 min
let cool at room temp for 30 min

Frosting
For the bacon beef cake:
- mix mild blue cheese with some creme fraiche and spoon into a ziplock bag
- cut tip of edge and pipe onto cupcake
- sprinkle bacon and chive bits

For the prosciutto beef cake:
- mix goat cheese (herbed or plain) with some creme fraiche and spoon into a ziplock bag
- cut tip of edge and pipe onto cupcake
- cut bits of dried fig and make rosettes with prosciutto slices

For a sodium free version:
- Use the uncured bacon
- substitute Mascarpone for the cheese and add more herbs to increase flavor
- still working on a no-sodium prosciutto...but that may just have to be a fig cupcake...

Recipe Box: Eastover

What do you get when you have one kidney-failing Jew, a group of semi non-practicing Christian friends, and a knack for combining two words into one? EASTOVER! Sodium-free style.

I love nothing more than a good excuse to throw a food fest, so the culmination of these two fantastically treat-related holidays seemed like the perfect fit. Boy and I (with help from mom and dad - who are learning how to cook without salt!) whipped up a salt-free shmorg-borg of brunchy delights: Horoses and matzoh, deviled eggs, baba ganoush, two gorgeous fruit tarts care of Annie, slow-cooked scrambled eggs, macaroons, and an unbelievable fennel and sweet potato hash with spice-rubbed flank steak.

I'm opening up the recipe box for two of these recipes that are wonderful for brunch or even linner (lunch + dinner) entertaining...but if you're interested in any of the others or want advice on combining words, feel free to post a note!

Slow Cooked Scrambled Eggs - deadly and delicate, yet deceivingly easy to make
The most amazing part of this recipe is that to make it salt free requires the mere removal of well...the salt.

1. So you're ready when the time comes, beat 8 eggs (serves 5-6) in a large bowl. When smooth, mix in 1/2 cup of half and half.

2. Chop a bunch of chives. Sometimes cutting with scissors is easier than using a knife.

3. In a tall pot on medium heat melt 2 tablespoons of sweet butter.

4. Continuously stir the butter as it bubbles and browns - you do not want it to burn but instead turn into a nice caramel color - this will give the dish an extra nutty flavor

5. Pour in eggs and lower heat so its in between a low and medium flame - remember, you want to slowly cook the eggs. And MOST importantly, DO NOT STOP STIRRING.

6. When the mixture becomes smooth and thick, stir in 2 tablespoons of creme fraiche (or really, as much as you like - I find that the creamier the eggs the better) and the chives.

7. Serve immediately! Trust me, you won't want to wait one more minute to dig in.

Total time: 20-25 min and can be made while entertaining guests in the kitchen. It's a pretty flawless recipe.

Fennel and Sweet Potato Hash: buttery, beautiful, and better than brisket
This is a Boy original. A spice rub, brown butter, and creme fraiche topper really kick up the flavor profile in this dish and his plating isn't half bad either.

1. The day before (not totally necessary but will ensure more flavor), rub the flank steak (ask butcher for an appropriate amt for number of guests) with smoked paprika, Herbs de Provence, ancho chile powder, and rosemary

2. Prepare three bulbs of fennel by cutting off stems and and very bottom of bulb. Thinly slice fennel length wise so that the fennel slices look like palm frawn (see picture above).

3. Cut half of a white onion length wise to mimic the length of the fennel frawns.

4. Wash and cut 2 sweet potatoes into small rectangular chunks or cubes (your aesthetic taste).

5. Heat large pan over medium heat and brown 2 tablespoons of butter.

6. Add fennel to the pan and cook until slightly browned.

7. Add sweet potatoes to fennel and butter and cook until softened (not mushy, but edible).

8. While your veggies are cooking, grill meat on a grill, panini press, or George Foreman - whatever you got - for about 5-8 min so that meat is still a bit pink and tender on the inside. After cooking, let rest for five minutes before cutting 1/4 inch slabs of meaty goodness.

9. Layer meat over a pile of fennel and sweet potato hash.

10. For the topper, mix creme fraiche with a pinch of fennel seed and a pinch of ancho chile powder. Dollop away and enjoy.

Total time: 1 day (optional) and 50 min - worth every second

And for random food photos of the other delicious treats:

Recipe Box: Paneer is Here!

While at the amazing foodie wonderland that is the Berkeley Bowl (or the "Nerkeley Bowl" as some may call it) I discovered a new addition to my sodium-free arsenal:

PANEER

This delicious cheese is popular in South Asian and Persian cuisine - it is sturdy and can be grilled and fried and stays firm in a variety of delicious sauces. Although it is referred to sometimes as an "Indian cottage cheese," I think it tastes is much more like mozzarella (and goes well with a spectrum of flavors from spicey curry to a traditional tomato sauce). It is completely vegetarian, can be served hot, cold, in a salad, on rice, or just snakced upon on its own - its versatile, available in stores, and you can easily make it at home! All you need is whole milk, acid (lemon juice or vinegar), a cheese cloth, and this simple wiki how article.

Last night, I attempted a hybrid version of Paneer Masala and Kadai Paneer (I think...)

I have to apologize as I really do not use any sort of measurements when I cook (must be something I picked up from my grandmother), but here is a rather ad-hoc recipe from the dish I made last night and continue to eat well into the next day:

Step 1: Heat about 2 tbsp of sesame oil in a frying pan (medium-high heat).

Step 2: Cube paneer (for two people with big tummies, I had about 15-20 cubes) and when oil is ready (flick some drops of water in the oil, if it "spits" it is ready) throw in paneer. Be careful to move around with spatula so cheese does not stick to pan. After about 2-3min, flip over to other side. After 2-3 more min, take out paneer and put aside in another bowl

Step 3: Wash a bunch of spinach (2-3 fistfulls) and cut off stems. Roughly chop 6 cloves of garlic and dice half a medium size yellow onion. Open a can of salt-free tomatoes or roughly dice six medium sized red guys.

Step 4: Turn heat back on to frying pan with sesame oil (medium-high heat). When oil is ready again, throw in onions and garlic.

Step 5: When onions become transparent, put in spinach and tomatoes. Stir and sautee for about 5 minutes. Add some Indian spices to taste (curry, turmeric, cumin, white pepper, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika) and some chopped ginger.

Step 6 (optional): For a creamier sauce, transfer spinach/tomato/garlic/onion mixture to a separate bowl use an immersion blender (or regular blender if you're old school) to puree mixture. No need to make it completely smooth, blend until your desired texture is achieved. Put sauce back into frying pan and add about 3 tbsp of cream.

Step 7: Continue on medium-low heat and add back paneer cubes.

Step 8: Right before serving, for extra texture and color, dice one large pepper (red, green, yellow, or orange) and put into the peener/sauce pan.

Step 9: Serve paneer over a steaming bowl of white rice and garnish with parsley if desired.

*after-thought additions: As discussed last night with fellow test-eater, this simple dish would be extraordinary with some roasted eggplant, peas, and cubes lamb as well...

Get er done!