I recently joined WCIA’s afternoon magazine show with host Tommy Bickham to demonstrate a vibrant Russian Vinaigrette salad — a great winter salad made with root vegetables like beets, potatoes, and onions, plus pickles and sauerkraut. It’s colorful, zesty, and refreshingly healthy thanks to its mayo-free dressing. This recipe was taught to me by guest chef Maxim Krupskiy, a visiting scholar at the UI College of Law, who will be co-teaching a new class with me this spring. In our upcoming RUSSIAN HOME COOKING class, Maxim will share three of his favorite traditional dishes, including the famous Ukha (Fisherman’s Soup) — a rustic, rich, aromatic fish stew beloved across Russia. Our spring season of hands-on cooking classes begins February 12, and registration is now open for the full series: February 12:  Vietnamese Lunar New Year Celebration March 5:  Indian Delights April 2:  Russian Home Cooking These courses are pa...

Fresh seafood is always abundantly available in Thailand. In western restaurants, premium white fish like red snapper or cod is often featured. But the Thai prefer barramundi (Asian sea bass), carp, or catfish, which are much cheaper and more widely available. Asians prefer serving the whole fish complete with head and tail, but fish fillets will also work for this recipe. You can dust the fish with flour and deep-fry it in oil, which will get you a nice crispy skin. But I prefer steaming my fish since it is healthier. Either way, what makes this dish distinctively Thai is the use of hot chili peppers and fish sauce. Asian essentials like garlic, ginger, and scallions round out the flavors. Kick it up a notch by also adding a little sweet and a little sour, and now you’ve got the ultimate Thai main course. This video will show you the basic steps in about two minutes (turn on the helpful closed-caption subtitles). The full recipe will take about 20-30 minutes to make. We will be ...

Namura (aka Basbousa) is an eggless sweet cake that is found all over the Middle East, the Balkans, and North Africa under a variety of names. This Palestinian version from my friend Fairouz uses semolina flour and a sugar syrup enhanced with orange blossom water for a unique and irresistible dessert treat. This 2-minute video will show you the basic steps (turn on CC for helpful instructions), but the full recipe will take about 60 minutes to make. My goal is always to eat sooner rather than later, so these recipes have been streamlined and simplified without sacrificing flavor and quality. Here's the link to the full recipe: www.cooking-with-paul.com/recipes/palestinian-namoura.html Join us on April 24 when we will be making this dessert with guest chef Fairouz Abu-Ghazaleh in our hands-on Palestinian cooking class. As of this minute, there are still 3 seats left, so book soon . Full menu and details:  www.cooking-with-paul.com/classes My new Youtube Channel ...

   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...