Grilled Salmon with Ponzu Sauce

A great spring way to fire up the old grill! Just baste the salmon fillets with the sauce while it grills and serve the rest of the sauce on the side for dipping. Fresh spring asparagus would be good with this.

Ponzu Sauce One

1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup sake
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons water
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

Combine orange juice, sake, sugar, soy sauce, lime juice, and red pepper in heavy small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil until mixture is reduced to 1 1/3 cups, about 5 minutes. Combine 2 teaspoons water and cornstarch in small bowl, stirring until cornstarch dissolves. Add cornstarch mixture to ponzu sauce and boil until sauce thickens and is clear, stirring frequently, about 1 minute. (Ponzu sauce can be prepared up to 1 day ahead of time. Cover and refrigerate.)

The Fog of War

If you are like the Chazman and me, you get frustrated by how hard it is to find those great animated films and documentaries that are nominated for Academy Awards. Well, the winner of the Best Documentary in March's Oscars is The Fog of War , just released on DVD and at your Blockbuster now. The Fog of War is subtitled Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. MacNamara. The film comprises interviews with MacNamara and newsreel footage. MacNamara is perhaps best known for his role as Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam War under John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson but his life threaded through many more historical moments. He was in China during the war with Japan. He was president of Ford Motor Company for many years after World War II. He was a key advisor to Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

This might be like an inkblot test: each of us will see something different depending on our political viewpoints. I came away with thoughts about how hard it is to wage war (leaving aside for the moment the question of whether the war is a "good" war like WWII or not) and how complex the thinking must be on the part of these top level decision makers.

Here is the trailer (QuickTime required). There are some very interesting discussion forums with some lively debates on the meaning of this film. Opinions about MacNamara range from him being a self-deluding sociopathic killer to a real American hero. Whatever your view, this film is extremely well-made, provocative and very interesting, especially for baby-boomers who lived through The Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam. Let me know your opinion! My rating: Five stars!

Awesome White Bean Dip

Just a fabulous white bean dip to serve with toasted pita chips or crunchy veggies. From Martha Stewart Living magazine. It calls for Greek-style yogurt and I was tempted to just use plain Dannon yogurt but I was really glad that I sought out the Greek-style. I found the Greek-style yogurt at Valli Produce on Golf Road near Arlington Heights Road. (Wonderful place! A topic for another post.) It is thick and creamy like sour cream and it has a great flavor unlike any yogurt I have ever tasted. Try this! Very easy.

White Bean, Yogurt and Feta Dip
Makes 2 cups

1 can (15 ounces) cannellini or navy beans, rinsed and drained
4 ounces feta cheese (I used about 7 ounces)
1 container (7 ounces) Greek-style yogurt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill plus more for garnish
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

In a food processor, puree beans, feta, yogurt and lemon juice until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in dill. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or store, covered, in refrigerator up to one week.

How to Post a Comment

Gosh it seems that there is a glitch in this blog when it comes to posting comments. Thanks very much, Nancy and Kandi, for pointing it out.
Could you try this?
Look at the end of the post and click on the tiny “comments” link below the post.
Click “Post a Comment”
Click “Or Post Anonymously” (Ignore that note that "This blog does not allow annonymous comments.” I don’t know why it says that. It is not true.)
Write a comment in the box, then click the blue “Publish Your Comment.”
It should work!
And I am also going to try to fix something here. It's a good way to learn.