Cooking
Crunchy, cool and refreshing, it’s the perfect foil for the season’s rich mains and sugary sweets.
Hi — Julia here, filling in for Sam.
In 2017, when a line cook at Superiority Burger taught me the classic Chinese technique for smashing cucumbers, I felt I’d finally been given the keys to the cucumber-salad kingdom. I had tried peeling and not peeling, thin slicing and large dicing, but never got the texture I was looking for until crushing, salting and chilling my cucumbers. A lesson like that is a real gift, and I hope you all get to give or receive something similar today.
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Chinese Smashed Cucumbers With Garlic and Sesame Oil
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If it’s Hanukkah at your place tonight and it’s too late to get your hands on some pot roast, make Joan Nathan’s super-schmaltzy kasha varnishkes — just as satisfying, because they have nearly as much umami and fat. Alongside, tumble Yasmin Fahr’s chicken thighs and sliced potatoes onto a sheet pan for an easy main dish.
Another excellent pairing is present in Ali Slagle’s roasted salmon, drizzled with a ruddy oil that’s crunchy with warm spices: coriander, fennel, paprika and chile flakes. Cucumbers return for a cooling contrast (because cucumbers and salmon are always friends) and feta makes the dish rich and tangy.
Eric Kim’s new caramelized kimchi baked potatoes would be great with the salmon, or on their own. Eric says the kimchi stands in for bacon, “cooked down in a hot pan with butter and sesame oil to mellow its sharp, tangy edges while concentrating its salty savoriness.” How can you not?
Lastly, I am a sucker for traditional flavors like ginger and nutmeg during the holidays — chocolate, strawberries and peanut butter have the rest of the year to rule. This rum-spiked cake from the spice maven Lior Lev Sercarz is richly fragrant and bathed in an orange glaze that reminds us of the pleasures of the season: Sure, winter is here, but so is citrus.
Julia Moskin covers everything related to restaurants, chefs, food and cooking for The Times. More about Julia Moskin