It’s summer! We maintain this is so, even where it is cold. In fact, even where it is actually autumn, like South Africa, where we are writing this post. And when it is summer, it is crucial that we wear summer clothing, and eat summer things: ergo our summer-recipe contest. You sent us your recipes, which we are about to share, and we will pick a winner at random—and that person gets this adorable Cape Madras mini mini-skirt. Love it!

Now, the recipes. It’s not too late to share yours. Just send it to us! Easy peasy. If you want to skip ahead, click here for the next entry.

This recipe is from C.:

There is a restaurant here in SF called Millennium. It is unbelievable. It’s a bit pricey for me so sometimes instead of sitting down for a full meal I like to sit at their bar and order a martini and the fried oyster mushrooms. These oyster mushrooms are delicious!! I found the recipe online a while ago and have made this a number of times now. I highly recommend it as a spring/summer appetizer. (Oyster mushrooms are in season now! Pick em up at your local farmers market!) This is also a vegan dish—I’m thinking it has got to be a whole lot healthier than real fried calamari.

Sesame-Crusted Oyster Mushroom Calamari with Toasted Sesame Carrot Salad

Carrot Salad
Assemble this salad first as it can easily sit aside in its flavors while the mushrooms are being prepared. For speed in the kitchen, plate the salad so that the fried mushrooms can be easily transfered over, and the dish finished in a snap.

Using one 6-7 inch carrot per 2 servings, grate the carrots into a large mixing bowl, using the small holes on a typical box cutter (what you grate cheese with). Snip over the carrots some green onion, and sprinkle a Tbs or so of toasted white sesame seeds and some black sesame seeds for color and contrast. Drizzle the salad with toasted sesame oil, a splash of rice wine vinegar and a sprinkle of soy sauce: just like a vineaigrette (1part vinegar:2 parts oil).

To assemble the dry coating for our mushrooms, mix together in a bowl:

    * 1/4 cup rice flour
    * 1/4 cup finely ground corn meal
    * 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
    * 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
    * 1/2 tsp salt
    * 1 Tbs carefully toasted black sesame seeds

In a small sauce pan, bring 1 inch of canola oil up to heat. Have it hot enough to brown a chunk of white bread in 30 seconds.

To dredge the mushrooms, first dip them in a cup of soy milk to cover. Then transfer the mushrooms with a fork to the container of dry coating. Put the coated mushrooms in a metal strainer and tap the excess coating off .

Fry up the mushrooms in small batches till golden brown. Place clusters of the mushrooms onto the grated carrot salad and drizzle with a touch more of toasted sesame oil, and sprinkle with more black sesame seeds.

At top: the mini mini-skirt in question, $88

And click here for the next entry!