Ingredients on offer in Chiang Mai, Thailand

I love the flavor of Thai food, but it can be a little time consuming to prepare. This easy elegant wrap is simplified with bought roast beef.  These little lettuce cups make a great appetizer, served on a big, pretty platter, or a simple cold summer supper.  Choose a roast beef from the deli counter that is not highly seasoned or specially flavored and do not have it sliced paper thin. 

Easy Thai Beef Salad Cups

1/4 cup fish sauce

1/2 Tablespoon sesame oil

Juice of one lime

2 Tablespoons light brown sugar

1 scallion

1 small shallot

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 small red chile (optional)

4 mint leaves

4 basil leaves

2 sprigs cilantro leaves

4 ounces deli roast beef

1/2 cucumber

1 head butter lettuce

1/4 cup salted peanuts, chopped

In an airtight container with a lid, whisk together the fish sauce, sesame oil, lime juice and brown sugar until the sugar is dissolved.  Chop the scallion and shallot and add with the garlic to the marinade. (Chop the chile and add to the marinade if using). Chop the mint, basil and cilantro and add to the marinade.  Whisk to mix thoroughly.

Cut the roast beef into thin strips.  Drop into the marinade, place the lid on the container tightly and shake to coat.  Refrigerate several hours, shaking occasionally to keep covered.

When ready to serve, slice the cucumber into matchstick pieces or thin half moons. Remove the beef from the marinade – shake it off, but leaves some clinging to the meat.  Place in a bowl with the cucumbers and toss to combine.  Separate several leaves of lettuce and fill each one with the beef mixture.  Sprinkle with chopped peanuts.

Serves 4 – 6

I always offer to bring a dish when people invite me over, and when they take the offer up, I sometimes get a little flustered trying to come up with something new and different.  This salad has been my staple this summer, when I grill out or when asked to bring something along.  So next time it’s your turn to bring a salad or a side dish to a barbecue (or just doing it for your own), here’s a fun, colorful salad with a difference – a sweet and tangy Cuban-style dressing.

You can absolutely use fresh corn, lightly cooked and cut from the cob, but it takes quite a few ears of corn to get this quantity.  I usually make this for a crowd, so I go easy on the jalepeno in the dressing, but feel free to bump it up a bit.

Cuban Corn and Black Bean Salad with Citrus Mojo Dressing

Salad:

3 (16 ounce) cans black beans, thoroughly rinsed and well drained

1 (12 ounce) bag frozen yellow corn kernels

1 (12 ounce) bag frozen white corn kernels

1 red bell pepper

1 orange bell pepper

½ small red onion

A nice handful of fresh cilantro

Mojo Dressing:

Juice of one small orange

Juice of one lemon

Juice of one lime

¼  of  a small red onion

¼ of a medium jalepeno, deseeded

3 cloves garlic

¼ cup cilantro leaves

1 Tablespoon honey

2 ½ Tablespoons cider vinegar

½ teaspoon cumin

¾ cup

Salt to taste

For the salad:

Lightly steam the corn kernels in the microwave, either in the bag they came in or in a microwave safe dish covered with plastic wrap, for about three minutes.  Drain well. In a large bowl, combine the well drained beans and corn.  Finely dice the peppers and the onion and add to the bowl.  Finely mince the cilantro and add to the bowl.  Gently stir or toss the salad, being careful not to mash the beans.

For the dressing:

Pour the juices (you should have about ½ cup) into the carafe of a blender.  Drop in the onion, the jalapeno, the garlic cloves and the cilantro leaves.  Add the honey, vinegar and cumin and blend until smooth.  With the blender running, slowly drizzle in the oil.  Taste and add salt.

Pour 1 cup of the dressing over the salad slowly, gently stirring to coat.  Taste and add more salt if needed.  Refrigerate the salad for several hours, stirring occasionally to distribute the dressing.  Stir again right before serving.

Serves 10 – 12

Note:  The dressing makes about 2 cups which is more than needed for the salad, but it is great on romaine lettuce, as a dressing for coleslaw or a marinade for chicken or fish.  It will keep covered for a week in the fridge.