Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have moved the Palestinian cooking class from March 27 to April 24. This is the third class this spring in my long-running Flavor Principles of Ethnic Cooking series at Urbana Park District. This semester, we have already visited France; Vietnam is next (sorry, this one is already sold out), and soon we will be visiting Palestine. On April 24, Fairouz Abu-Ghazaleh  will be our guest chef for this evening. Fairouz has a passion for building community and strengthening civic engagement through dialogue and reflection. She has worked with immigrants in Champaign County and in rural Colorado and as a women’s rights advocate, a journalist in the Middle East, a freelance writer, and a translator. She grew up in Jordan and learned to cook with her Palestinian mother and grandmother. Fairouz believes that good food crosses all boundaries and brings communities together.  Tonight's all-vegetarian mezze menu is a variety of small ...

   With the recent opening of H-Mart in Urbana, the food landscape of our little town has changed once again. Their food court was irresistible, and their French bakery rivals the quality of what you get in Paris (seriously!). But when I saw their seafood counter, I was floored. The incredible display of their offerings rivaled the largest fish markets I have seen, even in New York City's Chinatown. In fact, the closest thing I can compare this display to is the night market in Bangkok, where the fishmongers are nestled next to restaurants that serve the most incredible variety of the freshest seafood available.  In addition, next to the fish counter are shelves and shelves of pre-packaged seafood. But what attracted me was a selection of salmon trimmings and bones. Typically thrown out at other grocers, H-Mart has decided to sell these scraps for "pennies" and I couldn't resist. What can I make with "leftover salmon"? Salmon chowder, of course. Despi...