What Did You Eat for Dinner Last Night?

Christopher Becker, president of Southern California School of Culinary Arts, South Pasadena

“I had something I’ve been eating a lot of these days--salmon marinated with soy sauce, ginger, garlic, brown sugar and a little dry vermouth. I sear the salmon with the skin on, flip it onto a shallow roasting pan and finish it in a high oven for three or four minutes.

“With this I served a real simple salad of al dente cooked vegetables, shredded lettuce and daikon sprouts tossed with seasoned rice vinegar. The vegetables were broccoli florets, Chinese peas and julienned carrots, and I added some beautiful beets that I tossed separately. I’m really a fan of chilled cooked vegetables in vinaigrette, but if I don’t have a lot of time, I just use the seasoned vinegar and nothing else.

“Dessert was cookies from the supermarket. I love shortbread, and I love hard biscuits. I guess it’s my English blood.”