Cucumber kimchi, wild red shrimp, pasta and eggs, organic brown rice

KIMCHI WITH CRUNCH: Cucumber Kimchi is a seasonal item at Arirang, 1 Remsen Place in Ridgefield. A 2-pound package made with cucumbers from Korea was $12 at the source in the H&Y Marketplace shopping center.

NO MSG: Arirang kimchis are made by hand with no MSG and no artificial ingredients.

WILD AND RED: Jumbo Red Shrimp from Argentina are packed in 4.4-pound boxes and frozen. They were on sale last Sunday at H&Y, a Korean supermarket at 1 Remsen Place in Ridgefield, below. 

ON SALE: These shrimp are a good deal at the regular price of $28.99 and a great deal at $24.99.

IN THE SHELL: I prepared them in a wok with olive and sesame oils, sake and seasonings, including Chinese Five Spice Powder and ground Star Anise. They are ready to eat when they curl up, but next time we'll peel and devein them first.

COMING TO A HEAD: I boiled the heads for 20 minutes, producing a broth with a strong shrimp flavor that could be used in a noodle soup or to cook rice with seafood.

ORGANIC EGGS WITH ORGANIC PASTA: Two organic brown eggs from Costco Wholesale in Teterboro served over organic whole wheat spaghetti from Whole Foods Market prepared in marinara sauce with sardines, anchovies and pitted black olives, below.

DINNER AND LEFTOVERS: I used 1 pound of pasta, a 40-ounce jar of marinara, one can of anchovies, four cans of Moroccan sardines and a can of pitted olives, ensuring plenty of leftovers for other meals. You can add red wine and extra-virgin olive oil, plus seasonings, to the sauce.

ORGANIC BROWN RICE: Lundberg Organic Brown Long Grain Rice from California can be found on Amazon.com, and prepared in a rice cooker with organic diced tomatoes from Costco and organic black beans from ShopRite in Paramus, where a 15.5-ounce can was only 76 cents during the Summer Can-Can Sale. Here, I served an omelet stuffed with fresh herbs, salsa and reduced-fat cheese over brown rice for breakfast.

SAUTEED SPINACH: Sauteed baby spinach is a great side dish at breakfast with organic eggs sunny side up, grated cheese, 

chopped fresh herbs and ground Aleppo pepper.

GOING WILD FOR FRESH SALMON: This week and last, Fresh Wild Sockeye Salmon was $9.99 a pound at Costco Wholesale in Teterboro. Above, I baked a tray of  raw salmon, organic spinach, fresh tomatoes, string beans, pitted black olives and fresh herbs in a preheated 400-degree oven for 15 minutes. If you like your salmon medium to medium rare, reduce the cooking time to about 12 minutes.

PESTO AND HERBS: Tonight, I added Costco's Himalayan Pink Salt and fresh lime juice to six portions of wild sockeye salmon, then grilled them on the stove top for 7 minutes (4 minutes with the skin side down and flipping them for 3 minutes). I took the grill off the medium-high flame and added Costco's refrigerated Basil Pesto, Aleppo pepper, and fresh basil and mint from my garden.

FOREIGN GARLIC: On my wife's last two visits to Costco Wholesale in Teterboro, she couldn't find the 3-pound bag of Christopher Ranch peeled California Garlic we have been buying for more than a year. Instead, the warehouse had a 3-pound bag of peeled garlic from Garland Food in Miami, but she passed because many of the cloves appeared to be soft. Garland said the garlic sold at Costco comes from Mexico, Argentina and Spain. Bad move, Costco.

100% LACTOSE FREE: A half-gallon of ShopRite 100% Lactose Free Milk was on sale for $2.89 during the Summer Can-Can Sale in Paramus. That's a discount of 10 cents. Cans of ShopRite pitted black olives were 99 cents each.

GREEN IS GOOD: An Asian green called Yuchoy was on sale at H Mart, 25 Lafayette Place in Englewood, for 98 cents a pound ($1.49 a pound regularly). I cut the tough stems off and sauteed the leaves in olive oil and sake, seasoning them with red-pepper flakes, salt, black pepper and ground garlic as a side dish for breakfast this morning.

-- VICTOR E. SASSON

Eye opener: Organic eggs with parmigiano, pesto and fresh herbs

IN THE PAN: Cage-free organic eggs from Costco Wholesale with Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese and Basil Pesto, two other premium items from the warehouse store; chopped fresh herbs and a couple of pinches of Aleppo pepper. Make them butter free by using olive oil for frying.

ON THE PLATE: I ate them with garlicky mashed sweet potatoes prepared the night before. I boiled two cut-up, skin-on medium sweet potatoes with lots of peeled garlic cloves for about 50 minutes, and mashed them with extra-virgin olive oil and several seasonings, including curry, cinnamon , black pepper and red-pepper flakes.

--VICTOR E. SASSON

An H Mart in need of renovation makes small changes

Wild-caught sardines at H Mart in Little Ferry were from the United States. At Whole Foods Market in Paramus, Portuguese sardines go for $9.99 a pound.

On Sunday, H Mart slashed the price of bok choy, and sold seven bunches of scallions for only $1.

Editor's note: Today, I discuss the H Mart in Little Ferry, and a frittata made almost wholly from ingredients purchased at Costco Wholesale, including smoked wild Alaskan sockeye salmon.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
Editor

The H Mart in Little Ferry is part of a Korean supermarket chain with four other newer or brighter stores in Bergen County.

Fresh fish, a wide selection of Asian greens and low prices are among the lures.

The supermarket occupies a huge building near the Little Ferry Circle that is half-empty, and the parking lot is prone to flooding.

H Mart has opened stores in Fort Lee, and renovated its aging supermarket in Englewood, but the Little Ferry store only recently began making changes.

The store has a more open look after many high shelves were removed, and the sushi department was eliminated.

I once looked into the dingy lunchroom, but never actually sat down and ordered anything, and I'm not sure if it is even operating now.

On Sunday, I went there to buy fresh fish, and was torn between small, wild-caught whiting at $3.99 a pound and plump porgies at only $2.99 a pound.

We seasoned and breaded whole whiting from H Mart in Little Ferry.

Delicious fried

I bought eight whiting, which we fried. 

Whiting have a minimum of bones and sweet, flaky flesh that invite you to eat them with your hands -- think of them as chicken of the sea. 

I also picked up 2 pounds of Mini Sweet Peppers from Mexico for $1.99, and a 5-pound box of Israeli clementines for $7.99 ($2 off), more than I usually like to pay.

I weighed the fruit and cardboard box, and they totaled nearly 6.5 pounds. At home, we found them to be among the sweetest we've had.

It looks like clementines are destined to become a year-round fruit.

My other purchases were seven bunches of scallions for $1, and two packages of prepared Korean food, Stewed Tofu ($3.99) and Stewed Alaskan Pollock ($6.99). 

This H Mart also has low prices on California-grown rice, usually $8.99 for a 15-pound bag, and on Sunday, an employee made an announcement that the drought would be causing a price spike.

H Mart, 260 Bergen Turnpike, Little Ferry; 201-814-0400. 

Web site: www.hmart.com

Easy Costco frittata

The first step to a delicious frittata with smoked wild salmon is an egg mixture of whole eggs and egg whites; a little low-fat milk, shredded cheese and chopped garlic, all from Costco Wholesale. Pour the mixture into a hot, well-oiled 10-inch non-stick pan.

As the bottom sets over medium-high heat, add slices of smoked wild salmon and reduced fat Swiss cheese, both from Costco. With plenty of sodium in the fish and cheese, there is no need to add salt.

Before finishing the frittata under the broiler, I added a couple of pinches of Aleppo pepper and after I removed it from the oven, spooned on a little Genova Pesto from Trader Joe's, which isn't the equal of Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto from Costco.

A wedge of smoked wild-salmon frittata with Stewed Tofu and Stewed Pollock from H Mart in Little Ferry.

A baked sweet potato and frittata make a great breakfast.

A tablespoon of Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto in a bowl of Harry's Organic Vegetable Minestrone, a hearty soup from Costco.

Pesto is a terrific garnish for a baked sweet potato.

Costco coupons make good prices even better

Four-pound bags of Tru Roots Organic 100% Whole Grain Quinoa ($18.99) returned to the shelves of Costco Wholesale in Hackensack after an absence of a few months. The same 4-pound bag is available on Amazon.com for $27.99. This organic, non-GMO product has fewer carbohydrates than rice or pasta.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
Editor

As if Costco Wholesale's generally high quality and low prices aren't enough, store coupons sent to members in the mail make good deals even better.

On Monday afternoon, I bought several food and non-food products, got discounts of $2 to $3 at the register and earned cash rebates on my American Express Costco credit card.

A variety pack of 15 Chobani Non-Fat Greek Yogurt with fruit worked out to 63 cents for each 6-ounce cup with a $4 discount (normally $13.49).

Two 1-pound, 4-ounce containers of Kirkland Signature Lobster Bisque were about $4.12 each after a $2.75 discount (usually $10.99).

Three Champion-brand boxer briefs were $3 off the normal price of $12.99.

Ito En 100% Japanese Green Tea (100 bags) was $9.99 or $3 off.

And 3 1-liter bottles of Bolthouse Farms Organic 100% Carrot Juice were only $5.39 after a $2 discount.

Non-coupon purchases included Kirkland Signature Organic Diced Tomatoes (8 14.5-ounce cans for $5.99), which I use in rice, pasta and quinoa dishes.

Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto was $7.99 for a 22-ounce plastic jar, and 2 dozen Organic Brown Eggs were $6.99.

I still have unused coupons for Kirkland Signature Wild Caught Hake Loins (frozen, $4 off), Trident Seafoods All Natural Ultimate Fish Sticks ($3 off) and Glad 13-gallon ForceFlex Trash Bags ($3 off).

They expire on March 30. Coupons no longer need to be clipped and brought to the store, and signs in the warehouse show the savings on sale items.

Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto used as a garnish on leftover organic brown rice served with a broiled whole wild-caught sea bass from H Mart in Englewood ($4.99 a pound).

Mahi mahi with Aleppo pepper, pesto and lime

Wild-caught mahi mahi crowned with basil pesto, both from Costco Wholesale.

Editor's note: Today, I discuss home cooking using ingredients from Costco Wholesale, and ShopRite's Super Can-Can Sale.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
Editor

Wild-caught mahi mahi fillets are a welcome addition to the fresh-fish case at Costco Wholesale in Hackensack.

In recent years, shoppers who wanted wild fish could choose among haddock, cod and flounder, as well as sockeye, coho and king salmon from May to October.

The mahi mahi was a snap to prepare: 

I cut the three fillets into serving pieces and added fresh lime juice and a pinch of Aleppo pepper.

They went into a 375-degree oven. Thin pieces were done in 12 minutes, thicker ones in about 15 minutes.

Once they were out of the oven, I spooned on Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto, which I had removed from the refrigerator while the fish was cooking.

The ready to use pesto also makes a great sandwich spread or sauce for whole wheat pasta, such as the thick ribbons of Garofalo Pappardelle I enjoyed on New Year's Eve (they took 3 minutes longer than the 8-minute cooking time on the package).

A wedge of leftover smoked wild salmon frittata plated with slices of a Korean seaweed-and-rice roll, stewed tofu and a baked sweet potato from Costco Wholesale, and reheated in the microwave.

Leftover mahi mahi with Aleppo pepper, pesto and lime plated with a sweet potato.

Smoked wild salmon

The higher price isn't the only thing new about Kirkland Signature Wild Alaskan Smoked Sockeye Salmon from Costco Wholesale.

The sliced salmon is divided into two half-pound packages, as before, but now a plastic tray with a recycling symbol is used instead of glossy black cardboard.

The price jumped to $18.89 from $15.59 a month ago.

A baked sweet potato from Costco Wholesale stuffed with Jamaican ackee and salt fish, and served with two organic eggs.

The yolks are delicious eaten with the sweet potato.

At the Super Can-Can Sale in the Paramus ShopRite, 3-ounce Right Guard deodorant sticks were placed in a convenient standalone basket, but at 3 for $5 with a store card, they were more expensive than similar 3-ounce Right Guard sticks on a low shelf that were on sale for $1.49 each.

Sweet potato parmigiano and other delights

Leftover bottled marinara sauce and shredded Kirkland Signature Parmigiano Reggiano from Costco Wholesale transform a baked sweet potato, which was split and reheated in a microwave after the sauce and imported cheese were added.

Sweet potato parmigiano served for breakfast with two organic brown eggs from Costco, above; and with an egg-white omelet and stewed tofu from H Mart, top photo.

Editor's note: Today, I discuss substitutes for bread and pizza that won't put on weight, and a ShopRite special on imported pasta sauce.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
Editor

I never quite understood why all those chicken and veal parmigiano dishes listed on restaurant menus carried the name of one of Italy's great cheeses, but were covered in gooey mozzarella.

I guessed that the dishes were made in the style of Parma, where mozzarella cheese reigns.

But when I chose to dress up a leftover baked sweet potato for breakfast one morning, I used a little marinara sauce and reduced-fat Parmigiano Reggiano from Costco Wholesale, not full-fat mozzarella.

Not bad.

See: Invite the 'King of Cheeses' into your home

Lifting the lid on healthy organic whole-wheat fusilli from Trader Joe's with organic diced tomatoes, sardines and plenty of baby spinach, which was added to the hot pasta water just before the spirals were drained.

Two organic brown eggs got pinches of Aleppo pepper and grated Pecorino Romano, a sheep milk's cheese that I also add to whole wheat pasta. The cheese and eggs come from Costco.

Kirkland Signature Egg Whites and two organic brown eggs were mixed for a simple all-Costco frittata with grated Pecorino Romano cheese, Camapari Tomatoes and Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto, which I add after the thick no-flip dish finishes browning under the broiler.

Bottled pasta sauce

I couldn't find many bargains among the bottled pasta sauces at the Rochelle Park ShopRite on Friday afternoon, and had to read a lot of labels to find one without added sugar.

One sauce from Two Guys Food Group, made with famed Jersey tomatoes, was a pricey $5.49 for a 25-ounce bottle.

But the oddly named Dress Italian sauces were not only imported from Italy and on sale, but also were free of added sugar.

I picked up 26.5-ounce bottles of Classica (Tomato Basil), Arrabiatta (Angry Chili) and Siciliana (Sun Dried Tomato) for only $1.99 each or half price.

Two of the sauces contain red or white wine, and they are made from 61% or more Italian crushed tomatoes.

Does besto pesto come from a Costco Wholesale warehouse?

Costco Wholesale says the basil in its Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto comes from Italy.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

The blend of basil, cheese, olive oil, garlic and pine nuts called pesto adds a summer accent to dishes all year around.

After my first taste of pesto 40 years ago in Europe, I found a great blender recipe and enjoyed the basil-based sauce with pasta, fish and egg dishes.

The Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto "uses only Genovese Basil grown in the Liguria region of Italy, which is a narrow strip of mountainous land bordering the Mediterranean Sea and surrounding the city of Genoa [where pesto originated],"  according to the label.

A 22-ounce bottle, enough for 2 pounds of pasta, was $7.99.

A teaspoon of Costco pesto on an egg-white omelet.

The blender recipe from chef Marcella Hazan calls for 2 cups of fresh basil leaves -- packed -- and the result is a great-tasting pesto.

The Kirkland Signature pesto is fragrant and tastes good, but the first ingredient listed is a "basil blend" of leaves, oil and cheese.

I haven't tried Costco's pesto with the imported artisan egg tagliatelle noodles I found at my Hackensack warehouse store last week, but as of now, I give the edge to Hazan.

Of course, Costco's pesto will have to do until basil appears in the market or starts growing in my garden again.

Here is Hazan's recipe for making pesto in a blender, minus salt and butter.

She used two kinds of cheese, but I use only grated Pecorino Romano, a sheep's milk cheese.

I use the "Chop" setting on my blender -- a slow speed that allows me to push down the basil, garlic and other ingredients as the blender worked.

BLENDER PESTO

Enough for 1 pound or 6 servings of pasta

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons pine nuts

2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed with a heavy knife blade and peeled

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1. Put the pine nuts, garlic cloves, basil and extra-virgin olive oil in the blender and mix at slow speed.  Stop from time to time and scrape the ingredients down toward the bottom of the blender cup with a rubber spatula.  

2.  When the ingredients are evenly blended, pour into a bowl and beat in the two grated cheeses by hand. (This is not much work, and it results in more interesting texture and better flavor than you get when you mix in the cheese in the blender.)  If you do not want to use the pesto immediately, put it into a closed container and freeze it before you add the cheese.

3. Before spooning the pesto over the pasta, add to it a tablespoon or so of the hot water in which the pasta has boiled.  Do not heat the pesto before you add it to the pasta.

Note: The best pesto has a great deal of basil in it. I use leaves and stems, and pack a measuring cup with it. The more basil, the better. I've also added mint, rosemary, arugula, parsley and other herbs, but think basil makes the best pesto.