The Hakka Cookbook: Linda Finds her Roots

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

Growing up, I used to think that Chinese cuisine was one monolithic cuisine – the kind that we got at the local Chinese restaurant. If I had just considered the size of China, both geographically and by population, I would have realized what a myopic view that was. Since then, more restaurants have sprung up and more cookbooks have been written to familiarize us with the regional cuisines of China.

But when my friend Linda Lau Anusasananan first informed me that she was Hakka, and she was writing a Hakka cookbook, I had no frame of reference to digest this bit of news. I knew Linda was Chinese American and grew up in Paradise, California. So where did Hakka fit in?

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Fresh Tomato Sauce for Pasta

By Sandy Hu
A new video for Video Friday

Soon sweet and juicy tomatoes will be in bountiful supply. Funny gnarled heirlooms, dainty red and yellow cherry and pear varieties, and tomatoes of every conceivable shape and color will tempt us with their glorious taste of summer.

It’s time for bruschetta, BLTs, salsas and salads.

When selecting tomatoes of a single variety, pick the ones that have the most vibrant color. Store tomatoes at room temperature. I like to store mine in a single layer (so they don’t bruise) in several brown paper bags. Just don’t forget about them and let them spoil.

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The Secret to Getting your Kids to Eat Spinach

By Marilyn Hunter
For The Family Table, a blog for busy families

Want to know how to get your kids to eat spinach? Simple: add a little crispy bacon. I don’t know about you, but my boys literally vibrate when they can smell bacon cooking. They would eat just about anything with bacon crumbled on top. This old school salad is perfect for finicky kids and not bad for adults, too.

I stopped frying bacon in a pan years ago … now I bake it in the oven. For those of you who don’t know this trick, place a baking rack on top of a sheet pan, then arrange the bacon slices in rows on the rack and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F. The bacon won’t shrink as much as in a pan, the rack keeps the bacon from soaking in fat and most of all, there’s no splattering grease, making clean up so much easier.

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The Best-Ever Shortcake

By Lori Powell
For One or Two Bites, a blog for singles and couples

This past weekend, I had a bunch of people over to celebrate Father’s Day. I needed a delicious sweet to end the meal that I could make ahead, that was seasonal and most important, a home run for the dads in the group.

I had bought some local strawberries (they just started making an appearance in my market) and so I thought, strawberry shortcakes! The dough is super simple and luckily I had all of the ingredients, which meant not having to make another trip to the market.

Now I have had my share of shortcakes over the years, but this one takes the cake, literally! Maybe it’s because it contains a lovely amount of heavy cream and butter -- two ingredients that are not part of my everyday consumption or at least, not used with abandon these days.

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Salad for Summer Days

By Ben Mims
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

If there’s any dish that says summer, it’s a salad. Cold, crisp lettuce, fresh vegetables, a tart vinaigrette or cool, creamy dressing. They’re the perfect combination for a refreshing meal when no one wants to turn on the oven or even think of turning on the stove for one minute.

There are, obviously, limitless types of salads and things to throw in them, but my tactic when approaching salad is to keep it simple – no more than two or three types of vegetables, excluding the lettuce. And the dressing, whatever the type, should always be a little tart, never sweet or heavy.

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