Birthday Dinner; Cooking from Susan Feniger's Street Food book.

Photographs: (1) Bblackboard in my kitchen. (2) Marinating Chicken Kebabs in Red Peppers, Currants, and Green Olives, (3) Corn Salad (4) Photographer Christopher Testani drinks an Emerald Palmer Gin cocktail. (5) Shrimp with Singapore Ginger Tomato Hot Sauce Dip, (6) Summer Veggie Salad with Basil Ginger Dressing. (7) Prop stylist Kaitlyn du Ross, (8) Peach, Prosciutto and Buffalo Mozzarella Salad in Honey Balsamic Dressing (9) Food Stylist Carrie Purcell (10) Tunisian Chicken Kebabs with Sweet Currants and Green Olives and the Moroccan Carrot Salad with Spicy Lemon Dressing. (11) Jerry Beersdorf, (12) (13) Claire Connors' Orange Infused Olive Oil Cake with fresh fruit. 

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On the occasion of my birthday, I nearly always cook for a crowd. I usually list the ingredients I want to use, and then match it to the amount of people I want to invite. Each ingredient added to the pot, acts as a symbolic "good luck charm" to the particular friend invited.

For the food this year, I was inspired by Susan Feniger's cookbook on Street Food. Susan Feniger is the owner (with co-partner of Mary Sue Milliken) of the well-known Border Grill restaurant in Santa Monica. Susan created this book, inspired by the food she'd eaten on the streets of Nth Africa, Thailand, and Malaysia, etc.

Thanks for all those who came to celebrate with me!

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THE MENU Boiled Shrimp with Singapore Ginger Tomato Hot Sauce Dip From Susan Feniger This was easily the best dish of the night! The sauce is to die for. It's Ketchup-based with brown sugar, Chinese Chile Bean Sauce and lots of fresh Ginger. Click here to get the recipe.  

Tunisian Chicken Kebabs with Sweet Currants and Green Olives From Susan Feniger The pepperdew red peppers combined with sweet currants give these marinated chicken skewers a sweet-n-tangy taste. The marinating process makes sure the chicken comes out really tender, (not dry at all!)    Click here to get the recipe.

Cold Soba Noodle Salad with Dried Shitake Dressing From Susan Feniger, made by food stylist Maggie Ruggiero This noodle salad is great for a crowd. It's not particulary spicy so if there are kids involved they'll happily gobble this one up. Click here to get the recipe.

Moroccan Carrot Salad with Spicy Lemon Dressing From Susan Feniger, made by food stylist Carrie Purcell. Click here to get the recipe.

Summer Veggie Salad with Ginger Basil Pesto Dressing Grilled yellow and green Zucchini, Carrots, Beets, sprinkle with fresh crunchy radishes, cherry Tomatoes and drizzle with a blend of fresh Basil leaves, Garlic, Olive Oil and fresh Ginger.

Peach, Prosciutto and Buffalo Mozzarella in Honey Balsamic Dressing

'No Mayonnaise' Potato Salad Click here to get the recipe.

Emerald Palmers. (Mint and Cucumber Gin Cocktails) From Susan Feniger. These vivid green drinks are best made last minute and handed out as guests arrive. The Gin packs a punch and gets the evening off to a great start. Click here to get the recipe.

Orange infused Olive Oil Cake Made by Claire Connors

------------ To check out the inspiration for the evening which was Susan Feniger's Street Food: Irresistibly Crispy, Creamy, Crunchy, Spicy, Sticky, Sweet Recipes click here.

(Pics Dimity Jones)

'No mayonnaise' Potato Salad (with Steak)

Looking for new heroes in an old kitchen; I spy a stick of chalk, that rolls off the counter and snaps clean in half, on the bare linoleum floor. Right next to a brown paper bag full of Potatoes. The Fingerling kind. Pale yellow, waxy, like the bulbous swollen fingers of a generous Great Aunt. I boil all of them. Then skin them, and dice, until they're all the size of a thick weighty coins. I wade the discs through a pool of herbaceous green sauce... swimming with Dijon, dotted with buoys of Cornichons, floating Dill Pickles and mashed, reedy Anchovies. Potato salad; upgraded. My new kitchen hero.

------- 'NO MAYONNAISE' POTATO SALAD: This potato salad contains plenty of thick Dijon Mustard, the best of Summer's herbs; fresh Dill, Basil and Cilantro, and the secret: a good glug of Dill Pickle juice. 

Take a big handful of fresh Dill, fresh Basil and fresh Cilantro and chop them all up finely. Plonk the herbs into a bowl. Add a heaped tablespoon of finely chopped Cornichons, (3 or 4 small ones), a heaped tablespoon of finely chopped Dill pickle spears (something like Kosher Dill Vlasic spears works well), and a good splash of dill pickle juice. Add 2 or 3 mashed Anchovies. A good teaspoon of kosher Salt and a grind of Pepper and a generous heaped tablespoon of Dijon Mustard. Pour in some good quality Olive Oil, and small amount of Red Wine Vinegar, (just under a tablespoon should do it). Mix.

Peel the skins off (about) a pound of still hot Fingerling potatoes that have been boiled till tender in salted water. Dice into quarter inch disks. Put the potatoes into the bowl with the sauce and mix through. Taste. These measurements are approximate. Add more Dijon, or Red Wine vinegar, to taste. Or Oil if it needs more lubrication.

Serve with a well seasoned Char grilled Steak. Some fresh grape tomatoes tossed in a little minced fresh garlic, Olive Oil and Salt and freshly ground pepper .

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NOTE: Use whatever potatoes you love. I like Fingerling but Yukon Gold is good, or plain yellow waxy potatoes will work just as well. The key is to make the potato pieces all the same size, and stick to the quarter-inch size rule. They need to be thin, some can even be mashed, so that the sauce really gets a chance to coat the potatoes. The salad is best made the day of, or even as close to eating it as possible. If your making it for a evening BBQ, make it late afternoon and then leave it out of the fridge until it's time to eat. Try not to refrigerate, unless you really need to... it really won't taste the same if you do. 

LEFTOVERS: Any leftover salad the next day can be chopped into finer pieces, and browned in a hot skillet with some butter to be made into a hash. Serve with a runny Fried Egg on top and some thick double smoked bacon on the side.