Tabbouleh (Bulgar Wheat Salad with Parsley and Mint)
I was recently reading up on sources of Omega-3s somewhere on the internet, and was surprised to see that bulgar wheat was on the list.
I’ve only ever had bulgar in tabbouleh, but I dislike the taste of parsley so much (and I LOVE cilantro… strange, right?) that I’d never made tabbouleh at home, even though my mom and sister both have, and both make it well. But because it’s so easy and healthy, and because it made such a nice accompaniment to the other Middle Eastern dishes I made last weekend (<– future blog posts), I decided to give tabbouleh another try.
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Eggs Benedict with Greek Yogurt Hollandaise Sauce
Are you afraid of poaching eggs? I’ve latched on to other people’s perfect-poached-egg methods in the past, only to never ever reproduce them. They just weren’t quite perfect (or simple) enough.
That all changed this morning. I discovered a super easy way to egg-poach (that’s a verb now!), thanks to Alice Waters’ “In the Green Kitchen” and its egg poaching tips, written by Angelo Garro (“a San Francisco Blacksmith”).
Before this, I was totally doing it wrong.
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Toasted Orzo with Kale, Feta, and Radishes
After making my first risotto last month, I was inspired to also make my first orzo. I like pasta, but it was unappealing to me to boil the dense grain-like orzo granules in water and drain them, pasta-style. Instead I chose a super tasty-sounding variation from a Cook’s Illustrated cookbook* that I had sitting around: Toasted Orzo!
First you toast the orzo in butter until it’s just started to brown… Sounding tasty yet? Then you pour in chicken or vegetable broth (and white wine), and cook it, risotto-style. Only it’s so much easier than risotto! No constant stirring! Just a little stirring here and there.
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Canning 101: Pickled Green Beans
I have grown accustomed to seeing (and eating) a wide variety of unexpectedly-pickled things while living in Japan and Korea, but it was tasting homemade pickled rhubarb (and other pickled things, like watermelon rind) at Resurrection Ale House in Philadelphia last summer that made me want to try it for myself. As if I could ever reproduce that rhubarb…
So last summer I took a canning and pickling class, and this post is Part 2.* You can read all about my strawberry jam-making adventures and what I learned about canning (just the basics) in my first Canning 101 installment here:
(Part 1) Canning 101: Strawberry Jam
The most exciting part of the class for me was the lesson in DIY pickles. Our group pickling project was pickled green beans. Crunchy, vinegary, and a little bit spicy, these pickled green beans make the perfect snack, or appetizer accompaniment (or gift!). They’re an awesome way to preserve green beans, too, if you find yourself with an excess of string beans and you want to make them last for months. I don’t have a garden or a green thumb, though, so I’m not in it for the preservation part, but for the tangy pickled homemade snacks.
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Strawberry Spinach Salad and a Blog Award
I am delighted to be nominated for the One Lovely Blog Award, thanks to Stephanie from It’s not just about the recipe…. It’s so nice to feel that all the time I put into Spontaneous Tomato is appreciated, particularly by other food bloggers. And while we’re on the subject of appreciation, please check out It’s not just about the recipe, for many appealing and varied recipe ideas, especially for breads and baked treats!
As for the One Lovely Blog Award, the rules of the award are: 1) Display the blog award; 2) Create a link to the site that nominated you; 3) Write 7 random facts about yourself; and 4) Create some links to blogs you love!
So here goes nothing…
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Kimchi Fried Rice (Bokkeumbap)
Do you like spicy food? Crave comfort food? Think those are two separate categories of edibles? This kimchi fried rice says otherwise.
If you’re not yet sure about kimchi (Korean spicy fermented cabbage) this dish could be just the right gateway drug for you. Once sautéed, kimchi loses some of its pungent harshness, but answers back with an addictive tangy spicy warmth that deepens with a little time spent sizzling.
Kimchi is so flavorful, it makes the perfect fried rice base. No need to mix in egg or smother it with soy sauce. You could probably dispense with every other ingredient; all you really need is kimchi, rice, and heat. It would still taste so good.
Garlic chives (buchu)
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Warm Goat Cheese Salad
What could possibly be better than a salad with goat cheese? A salad with warm goat cheese melted on bread. (Of course.)
After years of being inspired mainly by Asia in the kitchen, last summer I was inspired– much more than I’d expected to be– by the food in France. I will choose a hole-in-the-wall lunch counter serving spicy Korean soup or Vietnamese noodles over a fancy French restaurant any day, but that said, I love cheese and bread. (And cheese on bread.)
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