I need to make a few dairy-based meals I can prepare ahead of time and eat cold on Sunday and Monday during the holiday of Shavuot.  Anyone have any good recipes?  None of my usual ones are sounding too appealing right now.  Might do a pasta salad of some sort, I suppose, and maybe a gazpacho if I find a good recipe, but I'd love more ideas!  (Fish is ok, but no meat, please -- dairy is traditional for this holiday.)

Just made this for an early shabbos dinner before I go over to Harvard Square to see the amazing set my boyfriend built (and, of course, the show that will be performed on it.)  I don't know why it's called barbecued beef, it's not barbecued at all, but it is an amazingly tasty vaguely Cambodian flavor explosion, and a nice way to satisfy your meat cravings even when it's hot out.  Do read my notes before you start, some of the amounts are a little wonky.

Barbequed Beef Salad

3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 large garlic cloves -- minced

1 pound Sirloin or top round steak
2 tablespoons Vegetable oil
2 butter lettuce heads
3 tablespoons fresh mint -- chopped
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro -- chopped
Green onions
2 tablespoons unsalted peanuts -- chopped

Mix soy, lime juice, sugar, and garlic until sugar dissolves. Reserve 1/4 cup of the mixture. (This recipe actually only made about 1/4 cup to begin with -- I went back and made another double batch to marinate in.) Marinate the steak in the sauce mixture for about 30 minutes.

Broil steak to desired doneness, cut across the grain into thin strips.   (It doesn't say to let it rest after broiling, but of course we know to do that.)

Wash and drain the lettuce, cilantro, and mint. Tear the lettuce into bite-sized pieces and toss in a large bowl with the mint and cilantro.

Mix the reserved 1/4 cup sauce mix with the oil, shake or whisk to combine.

Pour over the lettuce and toss to coat. Turn out onto a serving plate and arrange the beef slices on top. Garnish with green onion tops and sprinkle with peanuts.

Serve immediately

I made this yesterday on asparagus, but it was so good we were dipping everything into it and practically licking the plates.  It would be fabulous as a marinade for fish, and I'm thinking of using some as salad dressing on baby spinach for dinner tonight, if I can bring myself to leave the house to get the spinach.

Lime-Soy Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons lime juice (from about 1 lime)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne (or less if you're me)
1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
5 tablespoons cooking oil
1/4 teaspoon salt

Whisk together the lime juice, cayenne, soy sauce, and salt. Add the oil slowly, whisking.

I made this Mediterranean Eggplant and Barley salad from Smitten Kitchen for a pot-luck on Saturday, and it was delicious. I don't like zucchini, so I left that out, and I roasted the halved cherry tomatoes along with the eggplant, because I love roasted tomatoes. It takes some time and some dishwashing, but it's not actually very difficult, and like I say, tasty! I might have to make another batch for myself soon.

Got to go on a tour of the Central Square farmer's market with Chef Chris Schlesinger of the East Coast Grill, thanks to the Mass Farmer's Market Facebook page.  I've never actually eaten at East Coast, but I'm thinking I might try their brunch some time now.

I ended up buying more than I normally do at a farmer's market, and more adventurously as well. My haul:

• Hen of the woods mushrooms
• Calabash squash
• Yellow carrots (very sweet!)
• Brussels sprouts
• Garlic
• Cortland apple (for baking with bleu cheese)
• Honeycrisp apple (for nomming)

They're trying to get Tony Maws, from Craigie St, to do a tour before market season ends -- man, would I love to be along for that one!

I discovered garlic scapes for the first time last year at a famer's market. Luckily, I also found a really easy and delicious recipe for them. While mine are simmering on the stove, I thought I'd share, in case anyone else is trying to figure out what the heck you do with them.

garlic scapes
1 t olive oil
soy sauce
2 T rice wine vinegar
sesame oil

Cut the scapes into 2 inch sections, trimming off any dried ends
Heat about 1 tsp olive oil in a skillet until almost smoking. [Yes, I know that's a useless instruction. Sorry. If that means nothing to you, just make it hot and don't burn the oil.]
Add the scapes to the pan and stir them around for a minute or so, then add a few dashes of soy sauce (basically to taste, however salty you'd want) and about 2 T rice wine vinegar.
Turn the heat to med-low, let this cook down until it starts to look caramelized.
Add water if you need it to prevent burning (as I use very little oil, I tend to use more water, which yeah, steams things, but oh well. In this case, it's good becase scapes can be chewy and this makes them softer while still retaining a bit of toothsomeness.)
When they approach a soft but still slightly chewy consistency (taste a few to see where they are), take them off the stove and mix in a dash or two of sesame oil and serve.
[The sauce is really tasty, it might be worth making up some brown rice or something to have them over.]

I happened to be on Mass Ave around Porter yesterday, and stumbled across Capone Foods, a fresh pasta etc store, not unlike Dave's Fresh Pasta. They had some different options from Dave's, though, so I bought a container of the Plum Tomato with Porcini sauce to try.

I licked the pot after I was done. Not just the plate... the pot.

So, yeah, consider this a recommendation. They've got lots of pasta (including shaped pastas, as well as flat and ravioli) and sauces, a bunch of frozen entrées that sound good (I obviously can't try the duck and squash lasagna, but I hope someone does!), useful charts and signage that suggest good pasta/sauce pairing, and very friendly and helpful staff. In addition to the Mass Ave location, they have another store in Union Square, where the production is done, so the Mass Ave one only has pre-packaged amounts whereas Union Sq is more flexible.

desireearmfeldt is out of town, so she let me have her farm share this week. surrealestate kindly picked it up with her own and let me take just the stuff I thought I'd actually use. So far, last night I used the green beans to make Stir-Fried Sichuan Green Beans, and right now I'm using the eggplant, some of the tomatoes, and some of the cilantro in a Grilled Eggplant Salad with Cilantro-Chile Dressing. I believe this is the first time I've ever actually cooked eggplant. I've still got two lovely tomatoes and a bunch of potatoes to use; I'm thinking I might try this Salsa Verde for Potatoes.

( The recipes, in case you're interested )

I got this recipe from Epicurious and daringly made it for a party today without trying it first. Luckily, it was absolutely delicious, and so I share it with you, my friends.

Cucumber and Watermelon Salad with Hoisin-Lime Dressing
Bon Appétit | July 2002

A Vietnamese-style salad that makes a refreshing accompaniment to any kind of barbecued meat.
Yield: Makes 6 servings

1 1/2 large English hothouse cucumbers, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
(I used regular cucumbers and it turned out just fine.)
3 cups 1/2-inch cubes seeded watermelon

3 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1/3 cup coarsely chopped lightly salted dry-roasted peanuts

Combine cucumbers and watermelon in medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 15 minutes and up to 4 hours. Drain; discard liquid.

Whisk lime juice and hoisin sauce in small bowl to blend. Pour dressing over cucumber-watermelon mixture and toss gently. Season salad to taste with pepper. Sprinkle salad with cilantro, mint, and then peanuts. Serve immediately.

Cedar-planked chicken thighs with soy-ginger glaze, sautéed garlic scapes, and port wine macerated strawberries (scapes and strawberries fresh from the Davis Sq farmer's market this afternoon.) Damn, I hope this all tastes half as good as it sounds!