Cold & Refreshing Korean Watermelon Soup (Hwachae)...

I`ve always been attracted to fruity Asian desserts and beverages that excite the senses-- flavourful, textural and beautifully presented. When the humidity of the summer air creates parched throats everywhere, Korean Hwachae`s refreshing soothing cold fruit soup is guaranteed to quench and quell! Asian cuisines often call this kind of dessert a soup-- a dessert you can eat and a beverage you can drink in one! I am amazed at the unlimited varieties you can make with a simple punch base-- water sweetened with honey or syrup, and any fruit(s) you wish. The consistency could be thin or chunky. Traditionally, Omija tea (known as the five-flavour berry) was used as the base sweetened with honey, added with in-season fruits, pine nuts and flower petals. These days, part of the base has since been commonly replaced with a simple punch base as above or fruit juices, carbonated beverages such as ginger ale, 7up or Korean carbonated milk beverage Milkis for its creamy taste, or regular, flavoured or condensed milk. Or make it truly an adult drink with alcohol-- soju, a Korean vodka will work perfectly or regular vodka is fine. The remaining base is concocted by the natural juice of fruits you add. Watermelon is by far the most popular fruit, offering up a lot of juice and bringing out the best of summer`s essence. Unless you are using a carbonated base, Hwachae should be prepared several hours in advance or overnight, and refrigerated to allow all the flavours to intermingle.

From top left clockwise: Traditional Omija with pear flowers and pine nuts, Mixed fruit medley Photo Credit: Galleria:
Korean Food WITH Flair Aug 2015 issue, Mixed fruit with milk, and Mixed fruit in carbonated juice (Galleria).

I read that a Korean celebrity introduced a different version of watermelon Hwachae by adding strawberry milk making it a huge hit... So I must give this a try-- I didn`t get a recipe-- but how hard is it to just mix up a few ingredients to my own taste... And since I am creating bowls with both halves of the hollowed out watermelon, I shall make two fruit punches-- YEAH!... But first let`s prepare the cool-looking punch bowls!

Take a whole watermelon, slice a piece off both ends to create a flat bottom (not too deep to puncture the flesh or it will leak), and cut fruit in half. With a large spoon, scoop out all the fruit and place into a container and pour out all it juice into a large bowl; use immediately or freeze for several hours (the pieces should be chunky with some small pieces). This is a perfect scooping activity for your little ones!

Take a small knife, cut triangles or alternating squares working your way around the melon rim (don`t worry about being perfect-- no one will notice or care). Remove the melon pieces from the freezer-- it should be slushy and icy but not frozen hard; if it is give an hour or so to thaw a bit. 

Cut alternating squares to resemble a castle or a fortress.

Which one do I like better?

Korean Watermelon and Strawberry Milk Soup 

1 hollowed watermelon half
watermelon pieces and juice
strawberries, washed and quartered (If not sweet enough, toss with some sugar and let sit for 1/2 hour)
strawberry milk
ice if desired

To serve, place the strawberries in the hollowed watermelon. Add the watermelon and pour in the milk. This should fill the watermelon if not top up with more strawberry milk. If not serving right away refrigerate. Add ice if desired upon serving.

Perfectly sweet with a creamy taste, bite and refreshing for a hot day!

I also wanted to try to make Pear Hwachae with watermelon as the base, and pears cut out into small shapes. My parents just picked a bag of bartlett pears from a pear tree in their backyard, so I was thrilled to use some in this cool soup. 

Korean Icy Watermelon and Pear Flower Soup 

1 hollowed watermelon half
watermelon pieces and juice, pulsed or blended to smooth
1 or 2 Korean or Asian pears or other firm pears, peeled
1 cup of ice

To serve, add the watermelon juice in the hollowed watermelon. Slice pears in 1/4" thin pieces. Cut into decorative shapes using a small cookie/pastry cutter. Stars and flowers are most popular. Add to watermelon as well as ice upon serving. Note: If the soup is not sweet enough add honey or sugar dissolved in water to taste.

What a great centrepiece punch bowl for a party to celebrate the rest of summer and to beat the summer heat. Pear, watermelon, strawberry, orange, a fruit medley, thin, chunky, with fruit juice, carbonated drink, milk or alcohol... What kind of Hwachae would you like to try?

Sautéed Rapini with Garlic and Chili Flakes...

How can something so simple taste so good? This is the case of bright green rapini, part of the broccoli family. Rapini is sometimes noted interchangeably with broccoli rabe, but rapini has fewer florets and a less bitter flavour similar to mustard greens. In this simple five-ingredient sauté, you can get a tasty spicy garlicky green side on the table in a flash, perfect for a meaty main... And tonight, I am grilling steaks!  Oh, it's also incredibly delicious topped in a sandwich!

Choose rapini that is firm with relatively few buds and flowers- avoid yellowed flowers and leaves or stalks that are heavily split at the bottom indicating age. Refrigerate unwashed rapini wrapped in a wet paper towel placed into a plastic bag in the crisper for four days. In Ontario, they are in season from July to October. Flavour affinities include: anchovy, balsamic vinegar, butter, cheese, chilies, garlic, lemon, chicken, beef, sausage and pasta.

Sautéed Rapini with Garlic and Chili Flakes

Makes 4 servings

1 bunch rapini
1 Tbsp. olive oil and 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped or thinly sliced
1/2 tsp. dried red chili flakes
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Bring large skillet with salted water to a boil. Trim and discard bottom 1/2-inch of rapini stems and remove wilted or yellowed stems and leaves. Add rapini to water. Blanch for one minute to soften and rid most of its bitterness. Drain in a colander.

Dry skillet. Heat oil over medium heat and add garlic and chili; cook for one minute. Add drained rapini, salt and pepper. Cover. Cook, tossing occasionally, until rapini is tender, about two minutes (If skillet is dry, add a splash of water). Serve hot.

Voilà! A cinch...

Perfect served with meaty grilled steaks, steamed sweet potatoes, grilled sweet peppers, butter-sautéed garlic mixed mushrooms, avocado slices with onions and lime. An alternative non-spicy side of stir-fried snow pea leaves with garlic also graced the meal.

Delicioso!! Now that's what I call a satisfying dinner to sit and unwind down to after a busy week!

Virtues of the Versatile Zucchini...

If there is one superstar vegetable in this household, I would crown the versatile zucchini. It is beautiful and mild tasting, and can virtually be shredded into most savoury dishes or baked goods-- blanched, poached, roasted, grilled, stuffed, deep-fried, and baked into bread and muffins. Also known as courgette and summer squash, there are many types of zucchini ranging in size from bite-sized to baseball bats. In Britain, huge zucchini known as vegetable marrow are grown and used for stuffing. When choosing, look for small to medium-sized vegetables with shiny, taut skin and solid flesh. Lightly scratched or slightly bruised are fine. Avoid overly large zucchini with pitted skin and spongy texture. Best used within two to three days and stored refrigerated in plastic.

Zucchini's flavour companions include basil, dill, oregano, chilies, marjoram, mint, thyme, corn, eggplant, feta, goat cheese, garlic, onion, olive oil and tomatoes. 

Zucchini stand in Belleville Farmer's Market

Beautiful chubby Japanese zucchini

Here are some of my family's favourite ways to enjoy zucchini. I hope these will inspire you to try something new with zucchini or get your picky eaters to eat more vegetables!

I came across this wonderful zucchini bread recipe in a health magazine that caught my eye. I recall in my formative years in the test kitchens at Kraft, when we used to brainstorm ideas for the ever in-demand topic of Picky Eaters-- time and time again, zucchini bread but with chocolate chips always came out on top. Here with two cups of shredded zucchini and carrots all tucked away in a cinnamon-nutmeg fragrant bread studded with kid-friendly dried cranberries and raisins, it's a hearty loaf everyone can enjoy!

Sneaky Zucchini Bread

Love 'em fritters! These zucchini fritters are definitely crowd-pleasers for the old and young alike! It's a great way to get in a lot of the nutritious vegetable (you use 3) in such a fun and tasty format, which can be attempted to win over a picky eater. Dipped in an Asian mild tangy savoury sweet sauce takes it to another umami delicious level.

Zucchini Fritters

Picture adorable short and chubby pale green Japanese zucchini all neatly tucked in rows in open crates. What to do with them? Japanese zucchini... Japanese style, and miso came foremost to mind. Blended with rice vinegar, sugar, garlic and sesame oil, grilling them brought out an incredible caramelized, charred, earthy umami aroma that penetrated the entire kitchen and one that fully satiated my family's taste buds. So-O darn good!

Grilled Miso Japanese Zucchini

I love grilling zucchini. Simply toss with good olive oil, chopped garlic and sea salt. Simply irresistible- the caramelized taste with aromatic garlic, slick fine olive oil and crunchy salt!

Simple Grilled Zucchini with Garlic

Take it a step further and compliment with grilling stars-- sweet peppers and eggplant in a Mediterranean flatbread sandwich. 

Mediterranean Flatbread Sandwich

Roasting zucchini transforms their flavour, making it more concentrated and sweeter. Made it more inviting to try as I had a bunch of mint on hand to use and it was a perfect veggie side to complement a Middle Eastern meal. Roasted Zucchini with Mint Salsa Verde's result was heavenly with tender sweet zucchini batons dressed in citrus mint and parsley sauce. It truly made my family's taste buds sing...

Roasted Zucchini with Mint Salsa Verde

For some quick cooking ideas with zucchini, try:

- shredded to add in your spaghetti sauce like spaghetti bolognese;

- shredded to add to savoury pancakes like Korean seafood pancakes;

- shredded to add to the meat mixture in tacos, meatballs, Asian noodle soups;

- cut into half moons and toss with pasta or goat cheese.

I would love to hear your ideas on cooking with zucchini. Drop me a note. Happy exploring this amazing vegetable's versatility!

Catering Fun for a Backyard Garden Wedding...

Catering was an avenue I aspired to in the early stages of my food career. I started out doing volunteer catering events from postings at George Brown College where I attended evening culinary classes, worked for a kosher catering company and catering for CIBC bank, and did some of my own gigs. Overtime, I realized the catering business was really hard work and ventured on with other culinary opportunities. My long time pal Chef Fred Oh approached me to partner in a catering venue-- a backyard garden wedding for 65 people. It's been 15 years since I cooked with Chef Oh in his previous cooking school and I happily obliged. His friend Heather's neighbours were getting married, and they planned to remove the fence between the homes so that the food would be prepared and stationed at hers, and the ceremony to take place at the couples. The couple were older, the groom is British from London and the bride Canadian of Hungarian descent. We wanted their friends and family to rejoice in their marriage with some foods from both their heritages, and to serve foods throughout the afternoon that were easy to eat off small plates. Well-regarded Chef Oh is spectacular in customary menu planning and what you'll see in this gallery is all of his ideas and creations. I was just his diligent sous chef :)...

The Kitchen brigade with Chef Frederick Oh, Yvonne and Tania

Two days of prepping ensued at Yvonne's immaculate spacious home and kitchen-- a chef's dream!

Tossing napa, carrots and celery root with malt vinegar in a slaw-- a crunchy tangy salad base for fish and chips and grilled calamari.

Multi-talented Chef Oh is a master fruit and vegetable carver. It took him less than an hour to carve this watermelon. I love this photo of you Chef!

Yvonne on right making long daikon radish curls from a machine. They need to soak in icy cold water for one hour
then removed to keep crisp.The base often served under sashimi in restaurants.

Tania and Yvonne carving up decorative leaves from banana leaves for dessert garnishing. 

Radishes and chili peppers turned into flowers and blossom overnight in cold water.

Awww-- was greeted by my kids with a bouquet of pipe cleaner flowers courtesy of my sis-in-law Yoko. Great photo opp with my veggie carvings!

Ready to rock and roll on the day of the wedding with a slight overcast which cleared up to blue skies as the day moved on. Fred was the King of the Q and the carving station, and I was the woman in charge of the kitchen!

Grilling veggies for a Mediterranean Antipasto Salad

Grilled calamari, pork and beef tenderloins hit the Q!

Susan barks, "get those cucumber slices dried or else!"

Getting appies ready! Baking up anchovy sticks-- anchovy fillets encased in puff pastry and thinly sliced-- to be served as a snack with beer and drinks at the bar. Sausage rolls is a fave with the English, Hungarian and Canadians-- these were served with a beet relish. And cute vegetarian quiches.

On bottom left-- a pot of mushy peas (an English pea mash) mixed with mint chiffonade to be served with fish & chips.

Ahh! Cabbage rolls made to the traditional recipe provided by the bride-- so good!

One of our dashing servers... 

Oh how lovely the shrimp cocktail centrepiece turned out with a head cabbage as the bowl base. Great job Tania!

A beautiful shrimp cocktail centrepiece with homemade cocktail sauce along Greek Salad.

Thinly sliced cucumber salad with sour cream and a sprinkle of paprika-- the bride's family recipe.

Our view of the going ons from the kitchen...

Taking a breather with most of the food and salad plated and ready for the guests...

Both pork and beef tenderloins are thinly sliced, atop crostini brushed with warmed butter and chopped pansies, a scoop of mashed potatoes, and guests' choice of sauces. Pan Seared Pork Tenderloin-- calvados sauce, spiked apple confit and Thai sweet and spicy glaze; Grilled Beef Tenderloin-- red wine sauce, horseradish Chantilly cream and pommery mustard.

The final hurrah of the foods before cake and sweets-- fish and chips!! Can't get any more British than that!

Talk about almost an hour of oil facial steam!!

Halibut fish-- beer battered and deep-fried on a stick served with kettle chips, napa slaw with malt vinegar, mushy peas (an English pea mash with mint chiffonade) and homemade tartar sauce all in an ice cream container. What a brilliant novelty idea by Chef Oh!

Cheese and fruit platters make their way out as we wind down the food part of the venue...

I learned there is such a knife as a Ripple Wave to cut cool ripple-ly cheese and veggies...

The opened area for guests to pass through from the marrying couple's home to the food...

A beautiful chocolate cake by sweet Heather!

Sweets table ready. Nine hours later-- we are ready to wrap up!! 

Intricate and gorgeous carving as always Chef Oh!

Yup, this was definitely a joint comraderie of friendly servers, bartender and kitchen staff!! Congratulations gang-- we totally rocked it! Thank you to Fred for giving me the opportunity to cook with you again after 15 years... I'm sure we'll be cooking together many more...