Archive for December, 2008
Black is always chic – Squid ink spaghetti with zucchini tagliatelle, shrimps, crab and sea scallops on spicy tomato base
Dec 20th
Il nero rimane sempre chic – Spaghetti al nero di seppia con tagliatelle di zucchine, gamberi, granchio, e capesante con sugo di pomodoro
Lucca Ravioli, the Italian grocery store, on Valencia do carry occasionally black ink in small little bags. This time, they didn’t have any in stock so I bought already made black ink spaghetti. The brand is called “Maestri Pastai” and the spaghetti are 21 inches long, so if you don’t know how to eat spaghetti, you’ll have a hard time trying to eat those.
In France, it was difficult to find this type of pasta; most of the time we would bring tons back from Italy. Probably because France is not the country of pasta and that was not known among the French about ten years ago, but now you can find it.
Ideally black ink pasta is served with seafood, the flavor of the black ink in pasta is subtle and very delicate, there is nothing better than seafood to enhance its natural flavor.
Black ink spaghetti with zucchini tagliatelle, shrimps, crab and sea scallops on spicy tomato base
Ingredients
- 150 g of black ink spaghetti or any other black ink pasta
- Crab
- Shrimps
- Small sea scallops
- 2 Tomatoes, diced and chopped
- 1 Medium size zucchini
- 1 Shallot, chopped
- 2 Garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 Tbs white wine
- 1 tbs Basil, chopped
- 1 tbs Parsley, chopped
- 1 tbs Chives, chopped
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Remove crab meat from its shell, peel the shrimps and set aside.
Peel the tomatoes, remove the skin and chop them. Set aside.
Heat olive oil in a pan and add the shallot, let the shallot soften and brown, add the garlic, stir to get the fragrance out, add the basil, stir for one minute or so, then add the tomatoes and the chili, the wine, salt and pepper.
Cook at high heat until the wine evaporates and the tomato is cooked, the sauce needs to remain juicy and not dry.
In the meantime, with a peeler or a mandoline, slice the zucchini lengthwise making thin slices. Cut those in two lengthwise. In a pan, boil salted water, and add the zucchini tagliatelle for about 30 seconds, they need to remain crunchy.
When the tomato sauce is almost cooked add the shrimps, then the scallops, do not overcook seafood or it will get rubbery, salt and pepper to taste, add the crab, stir for a few minutes, then add zucchini tagliatelle. Cook for another minute or so.
Boil salted water in a pot; cook the spaghetti al dente, they still need to be crunchy in the middle such as the regular spaghetti. Drain and serve with the seafood sauce. At the end, add the herbs and a sprinkle of olive oil, toss and serve.
Silvia and the King – Crab salad with grapefruit, belgian endives, avocado and citrus vinaigrette
Dec 20th
Silvia et le Roi – Salade de crabe, pamplemousse, endives, avocat et grenade avec vinaigrette d’agrumes
Lately I have been going crazy with all the beautiful king crab legs you can buy anywhere, it’s crab season and I am not going to miss this. I had crab about three times this week and I will not stop there. I think I am getting addicted to it. Crab is a delight for all seafood and crustacean lovers, besides it has a lot of proteins and vitamins. I bought a whole leg that weighted one pound, and was enough meat for 4 people. I have an original salad that I make quite often with grapefruit and smoke salmon and/or shrimps with a tangerine/chive vinaigrette. This time I used crab made a few changes in the dressing and it was just as delicious. The lady at the fish department seemed to be from China and could barely speak English but she knew certainly her crab, she was so excited to add that huge piece of the top meaty part (it’s the part where the leg starts) it looks like a huge joint and is filled with beautiful white meat.
In France “crab” is the global name of a category that regroups different species and the most popular kind we find is called “tourteau”. Tourteau is a type of crab that is very resistant when they’re kept out of water. When you go to the fish market, the crabs and lobsters are most of the time alive, you buy them alive and you cook them at home. I understand that for most people, it seems cruel to put a live crab in boiling water and watch it die. At least, you know it’s fresh. But when you think about the whole process, it is quite barbaric.
Ingredients for the salad – 4 people
- 1 lbs of crab meat
- 1 large pink grapefruit
- 1 large pomegranate
- 2 belgian endives
- handful of rucola
Ingredients for the vinaigrette
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 2 tbs cilantro
- juice of 1 lemon
- hot chili pepper
- 3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbs grapefruit juice or 1 tbs orange juice
- salt and pepper
Instructions
Remove the meat from the crab legs and set aside. Peel the grapefruit, removing the skin, keep the juice. Try not to break the quarters. Take the seeds out of the pomegranate. Wash the endives and cut them 5 mm thick (not lengthwise). Add all the ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl, add the ingredients for the vinaigrette and mix well. Add to the salad. Toss and serve.
Who came first? The fennel or the egg – Fennel and tomato stew with capers and egg
Dec 20th
Qui est arrive avant, le fenouil ou l’oeuf? Blanquette de fenouil et tomates aux capres et oeuf mollet
A lot of people are not very fond of vegetables because they only think about the traditional way of cooking them….steamed or sauté. Even though steaming is a very healthy way to cook, but it is quite boring on the long term, and I might feel the same way if I only ate steamed or sautéed vegetables. Vegetables are the most wonderful things to eat, and you can accommodate and cook them in so many delicious ways. So you can enjoy yourself and stay healthy, so that is everyone ultimate goal, isn’t it?
This Fennel dish reminds me of my mom’s recipe. It’s something she made often for me when I was a child, sometimes she would add some fresh fava beans, or fresh peas and it was delicious. I love fennel and anything that tastes like licorice. When I was about 10-12 years old, I remember all the kids would chew on that licorice stick (baton de reglisse) that you kept in your mouth for hours as if it was a cigarette, and we thought it was so cool.
In the the Mediterranean region, fennel is quite a popular vegetable, excellent as a fish accompaniment, or as a puree, or even with feta cheese and olives. Fennel’s fruits are also used to make liquors as Pastis or Sambuca, in desserts, in salami flavoring. Besides, the use in the food industry, it is also found in herbal remedies to treat upset stomach, flatulence, colitis and so on. So I think everyone should include it in a regular diet.
When you pick your fennel, make sure the bulb is nice and round like on the picture, and not flat and long, otherwise you will get a hard and unflavorful vegetable. You want a juicy, tender fennel.
Ingredients for 2 people as a main dish
- 2 Fennel bulbs, sliced (first cut in half, then slice removing at the bottom, the middle hard core)
- 5 small ripe tomatoes, diced and chopped
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 ½ tbs capers
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbs olive oil
- Parsley
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
In a pot, heat the olive oil, add the crushed garlic, stir for a few seconds, add the chopped tomatoes, cook for one minute or so, then add the fennel, the wine and the rinced capers. Cover and cook at low temperature until the fennel is cooked, it needs to be tender, for about ½ hour. When cooked break two eggs in the middle and cover until the eggs are hard. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with a slice of grilled country bread sprinkled with olive oil.
In Argentina, shrimps are queens – Shrimp canapes on grilled sweet potato toasts with chimichurri sauce
Dec 20th
En Argentine, les crevettes sont reines – Crevettes sur canapés de patates douces grillées et sauce chimichurri
It’s holiday season, therefore the perfect time for entertaining…I love that part of the year, have friends over, celebrating and making special treats for anyone who comes visit. Holidays does not necessarily means heavy and rich food, and over indulging oneself either. Since I am quite focus on nutrition and strongly believe that fitness is the second most important thing after a healthy diet, I am always looking for creating delicious and light appetizers than one can nibble with a glass of Champagne, without feeling guilty about ruining your workout or gaining weight.
I discovered sweet potatoes when I came to the US. In France or Italy we use, mainly regular potatoes. I have been trying to substitute regular potatoes with sweet potatoes in some dishes and sometimes, the result is quite satisfying.
Those canapés are very tasty, the sweetness of the potato, is like a match in heaven with the spicy mint/cilantro/garlic sauce topping the shrimps. This is my own version of the Chimichurri sauce from Argentina. If you have any leftovers, you can serve it with almost anything, grilled fish, grilled steak, I like to top it on a slice of grilled bread, and so on.
Ingredients for or about 12 canapés
- 1 large sweet potato (about 20 cm long and 5cm diameter wide)
- 12 uncooked medium size shrimps
- Olive oil
- Cider vinegar
- Salt and pepper
For the sauce
- half bunch mint
- half bunch cilantro
- 1/3 bunch Italian parsley
- ¼ tsp. chili pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp paprika
- 4 tbs olive oil
- 1 ½ tbs cider vinegar
- salt and pepper
Instructions
Peel the potato and slice in about 1 cm thick slices, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and place in the oven for broiling. Do not place too close from broiler or the potatoes will burn and not cook. Broil for about 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes and slightly grilled but tender from the inside.
Sauté the shrimps in olive oil for a few minutes, add salt and pepper and set aside.
For the sauce, place all the ingredients, in a mixer, and blend to a medium-fine consistency. You still need to see the fine pieces of the herbs.
In a serving plate, place slices of potatoes, add a shrimp and top with ½ tsp of the sauce. Serve the remaining sauce in a small dish
My yellow baby – Saffron baby basmati rice with tofu, red peppers and peas
Dec 20th
Mon bébé tout jaune – Riz basmati nain au saffran avec tofu, poivrons et petits pois
The first time I saw baby basmati rice, was at the wonderful San Francisco grocery store, the Rainbow. It is one of my favorite stores in the city, not because of all the imported and organic products, or spices, or vegetables but because of the variety of what they carry. You can get at least 20 different types of rice, flours, cereals, tons of imported cheeses, etc…The store has everything from fresh sauerkraut, foreign cheeses and coffees, fresh yeast, pans, containers, kitchen utensils, herbal remedies, everything you can think of…the only think they don ‘t sell is fish and meat, since the store is mainly vegetarian, but everything is organic. If you live in the city, and never been to the Rainbow, you have to stop there at least once.
So going back to Baby basmati rice, it’s called Kaljira, it’s a basmati rice that has not fully grown. It is grown in Bangladesh and is used in any dish like a regular basmati. Its flavor is subtler and more delicate than regular basmati and its size is smaller too so it cooks quicker.
This dish is perfect for vegans, and is a quite complete, due to tofu and vegetables. It’s a whole meal by itself. Thanks to the saffron you get a deep beautiful yellow color and delicate fragrance. You can also serve it as a side dish to any meat, vegetable or fish.
Ingredients for 4 people:
- 1 1/3 cup baby basmati rice
- Vegetable broth
- 2 tbs olive oil
- ½ cup Frozen peas
- ½ red bell pepper
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 ½ tbs cilantro
- Saffron
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
I used my Cuisinart Rice cooker, when I bought it; I thought another piece of equipment that I will never use. I was wrong; I use it all the time. Before my rice cooker, I cooked rice the old fashioned way, steaming it in a pot, soaking it first especially when using Basmati or Jasmine, then cooking it at very low heat for about 20-30 minutes. I saw my mom cook the rice in boiling water except when she was making risotto, and I will never do that to such a noble grain.
Soak the saffron strands in vegetable broth for about 15 minutes. Place the rice in a rice cooker, if you don’t have a rice cooker, use a regular pot. Add broth and start the cooking process.
In the meantime, heat oil in a pan and add the chopped onion, brown them well, then add the crushed garlic, stir for about 30 seconds. Add the tofu and brown on all the sides, then the vegetables, cover and cook at low heat until the peppers are tender.
When the rice is cooked, add to the pan and stir so that all flavors get mixed. Add cilantro and serve hot.
Did you just say green? – Asparagus velouté with king crab meat
Dec 20th
Vous avez dit vert? Velouté d’asperges au crabe
You can tell it’s crab season, many supermarkets in San Francisco are filled with the most beautiful crabs, Kings crab legs, full crabs. There is nothing better to eat than seasonal products, you get very “meaty” legs, full and flavorful. Since I was in the mood for crab for quite some time, I bought about 2 pounds of those beautiful legs.
Crab’s delicate flesh is delicious in fruity salads, seafood pasta, soups, etc…I had 2 bunches of asparagus left in the refrigerator that were just ready to be consumed, I figured, let’s combine the two and make it a creamy asparagus velouté topped with crab meat.
Velouté in French describes blended soups enriched with eggs and cream, mine does not contain any of those two. Sometime I like to keep it lighter, I still call it a velouté because of its velvety texture.
Besides the two ingredients are just a perfect match, the green topped with orange is an indescribable display of colors, not to mention the subtle and delicate texture of the asparagus combined with crab.
For 4 people:
- 1 ½ bunch asparagus, cut in 1 ½ inches pieces
- 2 King crab legs
- Vegetable broth, the quantity of broth needs to cover the asparagus/potato mixture by an inch.
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 medium potato, diced
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tbs olive oil
- Crème fraiche or heavy cream (optional)
- salt and pepper
Instructions
For the asparagus strips used for decoration, leave aside 2 or 3 asparagus, and using a peeler, slice lengthwise. Place in boiling water for a few seconds. Drain and place in cold water. The cold water will keep them crunchy and green.
In a pot, add olive oil, when oil is hot add the onions, brown for about 10 minutes, then add the crushed garlic, stir for about 30 seconds, then add the potatoes and asparagus. Mix well for about 5 minutes, then add broth, salt and pepper. Cover and let simmer at medium heat for about 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Remove crab meat from its shell and set aside.
When the soup is cooked, put in blender, and mix to a creamy consistence. Put back in the pan, and add some crab meat. Leave some for the decoration. Heat up. You add the cream at this point, if you’d like to. I didn’t put any cream in mine and kept it lighter, since the asparagus make a naturally think and velvety soup. Top with the remaining crab meat, add the asparagus strips and serve hot.
The squash that thinks it's a spaghetti – Spaghetti squash with a garlic tomato sauce and basil
Dec 20th
La courge qui se prend pour un spaghetti – Courge spaghetti à la tomate, ail et basilic
One day, there was a squash that was convinced it was a spaghetti and started to behave like one. The good think is, it had all the properties of a vegetable, because truly it was one, so very low in calories, but could be substitute to spaghetti dish being dressed like one.
What I like about this squash, it’s that it can be served in its own skin and makes quite an original presentation. This time I served this in a plate.
Squash is quite blend, so it needs to be spiced up a little, with chili, garlic or anything that will enhance its natural flavor.
For about 4 people as a side dish
- 1 medium size spaghetti squash
- 4-5 tomatoes chopped and diced
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 handful of basil
- 1 pinch of hot chili pepper
- ½ tbs olive oil
- 2 tbs grated parmigiano reggiano
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Pre-heat oven at 400F, cut the squash lengthwise and wrap in aluminum foil or parchment paper, make sure to wrap it with enough paper so no air gets into the squash. It needs to be well sealed.
Place squash in the oven for about one hour or so, turning it in both sides so it gets well cooked. Make sure not to over cook it either, it needs to be scooped out of his shell with spaghetti type of strings, if it’s over cooked, it will get all mushy and watery and you won’t be able to get spaghetti strands out of it. Besides you won’t be able to use the skin as a serving dish.
When the squash is cooked, remove from foil, remove the seeds, scoop the flesh and place in a mixing bow and set aside.
In the meantime, while the squash is cooking, heat a pan with olive oil, add crushed garlic, stir for one minute or so, add the basil, stir for another additional minute, making sure not to burn the garlic, then add the chopped tomatoes and chili powder, salt and pepper. Cook for about 20 minutes at low heat until the water has evaporated. When tomato sauce is cooked, pour over the squash and heat up, stirring in a pan at high heat for one minute or so to mix all the ingredients together. Place the squash in its shell, add parmesan, sprinkle with a little bit of olive oil, and some chopped basil. Serve hot.
For those who don't like spinach – Spicy spinach, mushrooms and feta pancakes topped with smoked salmon with yogurt chive sauce
Dec 20th
Pour ceux qui n’aiment pas les épinards – Galettes d’epinards, champignons et feta saumon fumé et sauce au yaourt, ciboulette
I know spinach is not the most popular vegetable among many French people. Maybe the way it’s prepared in France has left them with a bad childhood memory, many kids just hate “epinards a la crème” which is basically spinach with cream. I can understand how the consistency and color are not very appealing to a kid, or even to an adult as a matter of fact.
The little challenge was to make something with spinach that any spinach-hater would love and ask for more. When people tell me I don’t like a particular vegetable, like cauliflower, carrots, cabbage, I just challenge myself to prepare something with whatever item they don’t like, because I think there might always be a way to make them change their mind…
…and as we say in France il n’y a que les imbeciles qui ne changent pas d’avis which translates into only idiots never change their mind.
For 2 people, about 6-7 pancakes:
- 1/2 lb frozen or fresh spinach
- 1/2 shallot
- about 8 large cremini mushrooms
- 2 1/2 tbs crumbled Feta
- 1 Egg
- 3 tbs flour
- 1/2 tsp Baking powder
- 1/4 tsp Thyme
- one pinch chili pepper
for the yogurt sauce:
- Plain yogurt (I like to use the Straus) either low fat, non-fat or regular
- 2 tsp Chopped chives
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- salt and pepper
Instructions
Cook the spinach in water for 5 minutes. Drain well, using your hands, squeeze all the water out. Chop them. If you are using frozen spinach, defrost in microwave. When spinach are cooked, set aside (always squeezing the extra water). Heat olive oil in a pan and add the shallot, brown for about 3 minutes, then add the sliced mushrooms, cook until the water has evaporated.
In a mixing bowl, add the spinach and the mushrooms. Take another mixing bowl, add the eggs and flour. Mix well so that it becomes a thick mixture, add salt and pepper, then add to the spinach-mushroom bowl. Add feta, chili and thyme. Mix well.
In a non-stick pan add a little olive oil and using a tablespoon make little pancakes. When both sides are cooked, set aside. Keep warm.
For the yogurt sauce, mix all the ingredients.
For dressing the plate, put some salad at the bottom, then place 2 or 3 pancakes, top with stripes of salmon and at the end, spoon one tsp of yogurt sauce
Going back to childhood, the Yogurt Cake – Traditional French yogurt cake with apples
Dec 20th
De retour en enfance, le gâteau au yaourt
In France, yogurt cake is an institution, everyone has its own version of it and it’s the first cake kids learn how to bake in school. I seriously doubt there is one French person who doesn’t know how to bake this cake. I made my first yogurt cake when I was 12 in school during the “travaux pratiques” class, literally translated as “Applied work”, it was a class where kids learnt how to develop “manual skills”, learning how to bake, create all kinds of artistic activities. This is the cake for beginners because you cannot fail.
The base of this cake is eggs, sugar, yogurt, oil, and flour. Then you can flavor it the way you like it, with rum, fruits, vanilla, orange zest, coconut, etc…and yes, in France, they teach you how to bake in school, probably because food is quite an important part of French culture.
For this cake, I used non fat plain yogurt from Straus, it has a creamy and thick texture and tastes wonderful. You can get Straus yogurt almost in every supermarket that sells organic food in the Bay Area (I have not seen it in Safeway though not even in their organic section). Not that I am a complete “non-fat” food supporter, but because why use something heavier that taste as good as a its lighter version? Also, I added apples, now the pear version with almond meal is delicious too, but I only had one pear left.
Instructions
In 2 mixing bowls, separate the yolks from the whites. Add sugar to yolks and beat to a white and fluffy texture so that it doubles volume. Beat the whites to a stiff consistency and set aside.
Add the yogurt to the yolks/sugar mixture, and mix well. Add the oil, the flour, the baking powder and baking soda, vanilla extract, the cognac and the apples. At the end mix the egg whites carefully.
Pour mixture in a greased round pan, about 20 cm diameter wide and of 5 cm height. Place in the pre-heated oven at 370F for about 45 min or until the middle is cooked. Use a knife and check the middle is cooked.
Ingredients for about 6 to 8 people
- 3 eggs
- 200 gr sugar
- 200 gr plain unsweetened yogurt (can be non fat, low fat, etc…)
- 80 gr vegetable oil
- 250 gr white flour
- 2 apples
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbs Cognac or Rum
The cucumber and the snowball – Goat cheese chive ball on cucumber carpaccio and bed of frisée, balsamic vinegar vinaigrette
Dec 20th
Le concombre et la boule de neige – Carpaccio de concombre et sa frisée, boule de chèvre à la ciboulette, vinaigrette balsamique
This is a nice and fresh salad, it’s composed of a cucumber carpaccio, with frisee salad with balsamic vinaigrette and a chive goat cheese ball on top. I love the frisee kind, it’s tender, crunchy and looks pretty on a plate, especially due to it’s different shades of green. It’s a light start to a simple dinner. The cucumber carpaccio mixed with rice vinegar has a sweet taste and goes well with the frisee. You can serve a slice of Italian or country bread, grilled with a sprinkle of olive oil on top.
Ingredients for 2 people
- 1 English cucumber
- 3 tbs of goat cheese, like a buchette kind
- 2 handful of frisee salad
- 2 slices of country bread
- 1 1/2 tbs chopped chives
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1/2 tsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
To make the carpaccio, slice the cucumber with a mandoline or a slicer, add some coarse salt and let aside for about 30 minutes, to remove excess water. Rince very well and remove excess water by squeezing with your hands.
Prepare the goat cheese ball, cut chives and place in a mixing bowl, (set some aside for the end to roll the cheese ball in it). Add the goat cheese and mix with a fork, make a ball rolling with it with your hand and roll in the remaining chives.
Mix balsamic vinegar with olive oil, salt and pepper and pour on the salad, mix well.
Place cucumber slices at the bottom of a small plate, add a handful of frisee salad, then add the goat chesse ball in the middle. Serve with a slice of grilled country bread drizzled with some olive oil.
