Archive for May, 2009
In between a tart and a pizza – Tarpiz with grilled vegetables, feta and rucola
May 31st
Mi tarte, mi pizza – Tarpiz aux légumes du sud grillés, feta et roquette
Tra una torta e una pizza – Tarpiz con verdura mista del sud, feta e rucola
When you can decide what to make between a pizza and a tart, and you end up doing something in between those two, it would be inaccurate to call it either tart or pizza, that’s why it should get its own name. Entre les deux mon coeur balance (in between those two my heart can’t decide), like my heart has been balancing between France and Italy my whole life, so I might as well be a representation of this round and savory Tarpiz…really Tarpiz is really what it is…and I feel I am a Tarpiz myself.
Lately, I have been avoiding to use white refined flours in my pastries or other dishes where it requires flour. I have been going to the Rainbow and buying all those wonderful cereal flours, such as quinoa, kamut, buckwheat, spelt, etc…they’re wonderful for baking, very healthy since high in fibers and protein and most of all they taste absolutely amazing. I definitely stay away from white refined flour when possible.
Our modern society has been consuming too many refined and industrialized food, lacking nutrients and vitamins. We have forgotten natural and ancient grains used in the old time as far as Antiquity, such as spelt, kamut, millet, etc…and really wished that restaurants would also serve food that would be focused on nutrition rather than heavy in grease and sugar to make it more “flavorful”. Flavor is not linked to sugar and grease, but on quality of the ingredients.
Anyway, this Tarpiz is made out of whole wheat and kamut flours, topped with grilled vegetables, and rucola. I love pizza bianca (white pizza) with rucola they serve in Italy.
For about 4 people
For the dough
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup kamut flour
- fresh yeast dissolved in 1/2 cup lukewarm water or less
- 2 tbs olive oil
- salt
For the topping
- 1 red bell pepper, grilled
- 1 small size eggplant, sliced crosswise
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2 tbs feta, crumbled
- a few cherry tomatoes (5 or 6 cut in half)
- 1 tbs kalamata olives, chopped (optional)
- 1 handful of wild rucola
- salt and pepper
For the dough
Mix flours together. Dissolve one tsp of fresh yeast in 1/2 glass of lukewarm water. Stir well until the yeast has completely dissolved. Mix yeast, salt, olive oil with flours, making a dough. Knead the dough to make it into a nice and elastic texture. Let it rise for a couple of hours at medium temperature. It needs to double it size. Then fold again, make a ball, wrap in plastic and leave in the refrigerator for one about one hour.
For the topping
Broil the bell pepper under the broiler, until all sides are browned. Remove, let it cool and remove the skin and seeds. Cut in stripes.
Cut the eggplant crosswise, sprinkle with salt and olive oil and broil under the broiler on both sides. When nicely browned, cut in half or quarter depending on the size of the eggplant.
Cook the onions slowly in olive oil until they become soft almost like a jam.
Start spreading the dough, then top with onions, eggplants, cherry tomatoes, bell pepper stripes, olives, feta cheese, salt and pepper. Cook in a preheated oven at 375F for about 25 minutes. Remove and add rucola. Serve hot.
Tea in a muffin cup – Earl grey muffins with candied orange
May 30th
Thé dans un muffin – Muffins au thé earl grey, oranges confites et eau de fleur d’oranger
I think I am getting addicted to earl grey tea, I need to have earl grey at least once a day or my mind keep racing and keep obsessing about it. I think that is the beginning of addiction, I am not an addicted type of personality and never been addicted to anything, and always tried to kept a balance in my life, so I think I will have to do something about this earl grey obsession. It all started when I worked down town, the coffee shop close to my work had this very unusually strong and very flavorful earl grey tea, and by 10 am, I needed to have my large cup or I could not work.
I love its scent so much, this delicate bergamot flavor when it infuses is wonderful. It reminds me of the bergamot candies specialty we find in Nancy, my home town. They even make bergamot jam, and it has a very unusual and citrusy flavor. I had no idea that bergamot looked like a lemon until last year, walking down a craft fair in a village close to Nancy, I found a local farmer who made jams with bergamot and his jam was so popular that there was a huge line in front of its counter.
Those muffins are very light, they’re made out of whole wheat and quinoa flours so you get the nutty/hearty flavor of the unrefined flours. They are not very sweet either and are perfect for anyone controlling its weight and for the 4pm break with a cup of tea, it’s ideal. The sweet-tooth ones, might want to add extra sugar to makes that particular tooth happy. I tend to not sweeten my desserts too much, I think when there is too much sugar, you don’t taste the other ingredients. But that’s just my opinion.
Ingredients for 9 muffins
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cup quinoa flour
- 1/3 cup almond milk
- 2 earl grey tea bags
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 tsp vanilla powder
- 3 tbs candied oranges
- 1 tbs orange blossom water
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
Preparation
Infuse the tea by heating up the milk and boiling tea for five minutes. Let it cool.
Beat eggs and sugar, add oil, milk infused with tea, orange blossom water, and flours. Mix well to obtain a smooth mixture. Add vanilla, and candied oranges. Mix well, and add baking powder and baking soda. Mix again.
Pour 2 tbs of mixture into oiled muffin mold. Cook in a preheated oven at 375F for about 30 minutes.
Four cobs and a tomato – Corn and curry tomato soup
May 28th
Quatres épis et une tomate – Soupe de maïs et tomates au curry
Creamy soups are great for a light dinner…I had bought this fresh sweet corn on the cob a while ago. Needless to say Americans love corn, you find cobs everywhere in any supermarket, so no need to buy corn in cans, the fresh one is so much better. Summer is almost here, and it means Barbeque season, and corn and BBQ are inseparable. I am talking about summer but not really in San Francisco but outside the city it is, summer mainly means non stop fog in the city…that’s why most of the time, I go back home in July or August . Who wants to be fogged out for two months when you’re supposed to lay on the beach and eat ice cream?
Being a true Libra and faithful to myself, I could not decide if I wanted a corn soup with curry or a tomato corn soup with basil, so after many thoughts, I decided to combine both, except for the basil. I served this soup with the traditional Indian “tarka“, which is a mixture of onions and spices, served with Dahl, but I made my own mixture which is a little different from the traditional tarka.
The interesting and pretty thing about this soup is its color, it has a very bright orange color (I remember from my wheel of color that yellow and red make a nice orange) and it is beautiful to look at. I don’t know you, but I want to eat pretty food, if the food is not pretty, I don’t enjoy it as much, so the more color, the more exciting and the better.
Ingredients for 4
For the soup
- 4 corns on the cob
- 3 large tomatoes
- 1 leek
- 2 tbs curry powder
- vegetable broth
- olive oil
- 1 onion
For the tarka
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed in a mortar
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1/2 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 1 tbs coriander, chopped
- salt
Remove corn from its cob. Heat up some olive oil in a large pot, add corn and leeks, cook until leek is soft. Add curry powder. Stir well, cook for a few minutes and add tomatoes. Add broth, salt and pepper. Cook until the soup has reduced, and vegetables are soft. Mix in a blender but do not blend into a purée, leave some pieces to get a texture.
For the tarka, brown onions in olive oil, add mustard seeds, coriander seeds and jalapeno pepper, stir well. Add tomatoes and salt. Stir for a few minutes. Remove from stove and add cilantro. Serve a tbs of this mixture on top of the soup.
Light weight – Cauliflower flan with gorgonzola and thyme
May 27th
Poids plume – Flan de chou fleur gourmand au gorgonzola et thym
I don’t know what is going on with me lately, I just want to eat flan, sweet, savory anything that looks like a flan or tastes like a flan…and I am not even pregnant. I think it has to do with its consistency…anyway my life functions with waves as well as are my culinary tendencies. Flans don’t necessarily have to be sweet, they can be made with so many vegetables, such as asparagus, carrots, broccoli, leeks, etc… you just need the egg/milk and/or cream mixture. You could also substitute cream with silken tofu blended into a creamy texture.
For those who do not want to use cream, you can find a substitute cream made out of soy, it’s called Mimicreme, and is available now in California at the Rainbow. I was waiting for it to arrive in california, and here it is, la voilà qui est arrivée! In France we have many types of non dairy creams that are delicious, without the weird soy unpleasant taste at all, and the texture is as smooth as dairy cream.
These flans are a wonderful way to eat vegetables and for those who are just beginning to add more veggies into their diet and who don’t know how to prepare them.
Cauliflower has very little calories and is rich in fibers, magnesium, calcium and potassium. It’s one of the “kings” among light vegetables, so I would not worry about eating too much cauliflower. Vive le chou fleur!!
Ingredients for 4
- 1 cauliflower
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/8 cup cream
- 2 tbs gorgonzola
- 1 tsp thyme
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Steam the cauliflower cut in florets. You can also cut it in small pieces and boil it in water for about 20 minutes, or until cooked. Drain and mash with a potato masher.
In a mixing bowl, mix eggs, milk, cream, thyme, salt and pepper. When everything is well mixed, add crumbled gorgonzola.
Butter individual flan or souffle cups, and pour evenly the mixture.
Cook in a pre-heated oven for about 30 minutes or until flan is cooked. You can use a knife to slide in the flan and if it comes out dry, that means the flan is cooked. Sprinkle with fresh thyme.
You can serve flan in their individual molds or unmold them in a dish. You can serve this with a salad or as a side dish with some white broiled fish.
Extra green dinner for hot summer nights – Zucchini tagliatelle and edamame with ginger and sesame
May 26th
Diner extra vert pour les chaudes soirées d’été – Tagliatelles de courgettes et edamame au gingembre et sésame
Summer is around the corner and we just want more greens and lighter meals for those hot summer nights…I don’t know if you’re like me, but during summer I mainly eat salads, fruits and greens. I just had my first peach of the season tonight, it was still a little hard, and not very sweet…I can’t wait for summer to show up so I can live on peaches.
With six zucchini, you can make a huge quantity of those tagliatelle (tagliatelle is the Italian pasta, it’s flat and long and 1/2 inch thick, not sure how you call this in English). I really like the combination of zucchini and edamame, they both remain crunchy and full of texture. The interesting thing is that you feel like you are eating carbs but you’re just eating vegetables so you feel light and energized.
I try not to eat carbs at night, I tend to sleep better and I love to go to bed feeling light as a feather, and get up in the morning with a healthy hunger, avec le ventre qui gargouille.
I like those as a main vegetarian dish with nothing else, they’re so satisfying, but you can serve them with any grain or meat dish of your choice.
Ingredients for 4
- 6 zucchini
- 1/2 lb edamame
- 1 shallot
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp ginger, grated
- 1 tbs black sesame seeds
- olive oil
- rice vinegar
- salt and pepper
Preparation
First slice the zucchini with a potato peeler. Keep in a large container.
In a wok, heat up olive oil, add shallots, brown them. Add ginger and garlic, stir then add zucchini. Cook for a few minutes only, to keep them crunchy. Add edamame, vinegar, salt and pepper, sesame seeds. Stir carefully not to break the zucchini, mix all ingredients. Add cilantro at the end and serve hot.
Little artichoke, how I missed you!…Artichokes, shrimps, farro and rucola salad with avocado oil and basil vinaigrette
May 26th
Carciofino, come mi sei mancato!…insalata di carciofi, gamberi, farro e rucola
Beautiful artichokes are one of my favorite vegetables, especially the baby ones…they’re small, tender, and make beautiful and delicious dishes. The only draw back is the preparation, and trimming, since it can take some time to remove the hard leaves and trim them, some people prefer to use easier to prepare vegetables. In French we say, quand on aime on ne compte pas, when you love, you don’t count, which is somehow the way I go along withe life and cuisine in general. What count is the result, not really the time spent in the kitchen (obviously when you have time).
The great thing about California, is that you get many fruits and vegetable locally grown so that availability of fresh and organic produces is huge.
In France we have similar baby artichokes but they’re purple and are called artichauts poivrade, very popular in the South of France, Italy and Spain.
My mom always brings form Italy cases of artichokes from my uncle’s garden, she keeps them half-cooked in jars, filled with olive oil, garlic and herbs and uses them to put on top of pizza or to eat as is as antipasto, with prosciutto. Those can be preserved that way for over 6 months and are delicious, crunchy, full of flavors since they’re infused in olive oil and herbs.
The other wonderful ingredient in this recipe is the Farro (or spelt), it’s the Italian name of the grain, also used in English. In France it’s called épeautre and is one of the oldest grain, very rich in protein and cultivated in Italy at the foot of the Alps in a region called Garfagnana. It is a very robust plant that grows in tough climate and is resistant to cold, therefore, its culture does not need pesticides and other chemical such as wheat does, that’s why Italian farro is a part of organic agriculture.
Ingredients for 2
- 10 large uncooked shrimps
- 1/2 lb farro
- 2 hanful rucola
- 10 small baby artichokes
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 3 tbs dry white wine
- salt and pepper
For the vinaigrette
- 2 tbs avocado oil
- 1 tbs orange-champagne vinegar (or any other citrus vinegar)
- 1 tbs chopped basil
- 1 garlic crushed
Preparation
Cook farro in 3 times its quantity of water for about 20-25 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Trim the artichokes removing the outside leaves and cutting the tip of the heart to keep just the tender and yellowish heart. Cut in quarters and place in a bowled filled with water and lemon juice to prevent the artichokes from darkening.
Saute artichokes with garlic in olive oil, stir and add white wine, salt and pepper. Cover and cook until the artichokes are tender.
Saute shrimps in olive oil salt and pepper.
In a salad bowl, mix farro, artichokes, shrimps, let it cool a little, then add tomatoes and rucola.
For the vinaigrette, mix all ingredients together, mix well and add to the salad. Toss and serve.
When you think you ran out of ideas – sauté spicy beef with carrots
May 26th
Quand on pense qu’on n’a plus d’idées – Emincé de boeuf épicé aux carottes
I somehow like the combination of beef and carrots, the sweetness of the carrots blends quite well with the beef nutty taste, not that I am a big fan of beef nor any other meats but I don’t want to limit myself to cook only vegetarian food. I could but I like variety.
This beef has been marinated overnight with many spices and it’s now sauteed with carrots. You could use green beans as well, or any other vegetable that can remain crunchy.
I used a wok for the preparation and it’s the perfect utensil if you want to saute strips of meat, it cooks quickly without drying it and keeps its moisture. Those beef strips remained so tender, they are melting in your mouth. You can serve this dish with sesame rice noodles or coconut rice.
Ingredients for 2
- 1/2 lb sirloin beef, cut in thin strips
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 1 roma tomato, cut in quarters
- 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp fennugreek
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tsp ginger grated
- one pinch chili powder
- 2 scallions
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Cut beef in thin strips, place in a container with all the spices, onion, salt and pepper. Place in the refrigerator and marinate overnight or at east for 4 hours.
In a wok, heat some olive oil, and saute carrots and tomatoes. Mix well and set aside. Do not overcook the tomatoes, or they will get mushy.
Saute beef in small quantities in wok, adding a little olive oil if necessary. Add carrots, mix well and saute for a few more minutes. Add cilantro, and scallions at the end. Stir a little more and serve hot.
For a Sunday breakfast in bed – Light braided brioche
May 25th
Pour le petit-déjeûner du dimanche matin au lit – Brioche tressée façon pain au lait toute légère
One thing I miss about France is their croissants and brioches you can get at the boulanger (the backer) anytime of the day. They are crunchy, moist in the middle and so delicious. Again, San Francisco has quite a few decent French bakeries where you can go grab the Sunday morning croissants, pains au chocolat, or any other viennoiseries (pastries).
I do not consider myself a great baker, and eventhough I like to make desserts, it is not what I prefer to cook, probably because I prefer savory dishes than sweet ones. I wanted anyway to try to make a brioche, since I knew this Sunday morning, no croissants would be waiting on the table. Breakfast is sacred for me, and one morning without breakfast especially on weekends, is ruined. I made this brioche a few times and always turned out perfect. Don’t get intimidated to make it, you cannot fail with this one. Fresh yeast is not easy to find in the US, in France you can buy it at any boulangerie (bakery). In San Francisco, the Rainbow has it, it’s sold in solid cubes and is quite inexpensive but that’s the only location, I have seen it. If you cannot find any fresh yeast, you can use the dry one sold in jar or individual bags. I prefer to use fresh yeast when I make pizza dough, brioches or any pastry, just because I think it rise better or tastes better, which might not necessarily be true.
I know brioches and croissants are filled with butter and quite heavy, so I wanted to make one with little butter, and little sugar, this brioche is in between a traditional brioche and a pain au lait (milk rolls). You can keep it for a few days, you just have to wrap a fabric towel around to keep its moisture. You can also serve this brioche with a fruit salad and ice cream as a dessert.
Ingredients for 8 people
- 1 lb unbleached white flour (or 500 g)
- 1/2 lb milk
- 1/4 cup soft butter
- 1 egg (+ 1 for the outside of the brioche)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp fresh yeast dissolved in 6 tbs lukewarm water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- 1 tsp salt
Preparation
Mix all ingredients together except for the butter. Add butter at the end when you already have a nice dough consistency. Incorporate butter but do not mix too much. If the dough is too sticky add some flour but do not make it to hard or it will not rise. The dough should be somehow elastic.
Let the dough rise for about 1h30 hours. Knead the dough again and place in the refrigerator overnight.
Knead the dough once more, and cut it in theree equal pieces. Roll them to form three stickes and start braiding them. Place in a flat tray, and let rise for another 1h30 hrs.
Using a brush, baste egg all around the brioche and cook in pre-heated oven for 30 minutes at 370F.
Let cool and enjoy with jam and butter.
Artichoke heart – Artichoke and sundried tomato velouté with herbed ricotta tartine
May 24th
Un coeur d’artichaut – Velouté d’artichauts aux tomates séchées et ail avec sa tartine de ricotta aux fines herbes
I bought too many artichokes so we are going to have an Artichoke fiesta for the next few coming days. Artichokes are wonderful in soups, salad, pasta, side dishes, they can be braised, stuffed, sliced, or any way you like it.
Artichokes have the same calories per servings as carrots and contains a lot of potassium and phosphorus, so don’t hesitate to eat them as often as you can.
We have a French expression “avoir un coeur d’artichaut” which means to have an artichoke heart, that refers to people who fall in love easily. The heart corresponds to the heart of the vegetable, and the leaves are easily detached for always a different person. Coeur d’artichaut, une feuille pour tout le monde, Artichoke heart, a leaf for everyone.
This velouté is extremely delicate, it’s texture is so smooth, that it seems like there is cream in it to to its velvety consistency. It’s a low calorie soup, with lots of nutrients.
Ingredients for 4
- 1/2 lb baby artichokes
- 1 sweet potato
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1 tbs sundried tomatoes
- 1 tbs olive oil
- vegetable broth
- salt and pepper
For the ricotta tartine
- 8 tbs ricotta
- 4 slices of country bread
- 5 garlic cloves, sliced
- mixed herbs, such as thyme, basil chives, etc…
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Start trimming the artichokes. Cut the stem, and remove the dark leaves all around the heart. With a knife, trim the hardest part of the top of the leaves, cut the heart in halves or quarters. Place in a container of water with juice of one lemon. This will prevent the artichokes from darkening. Leave in the water until time of cooking.
Heat olive oil in a pot, add garlic and sundried tomatoes, stir for a few seconds making sure not to burn the garlic. Add potato and artichokes. Cover with broth, add salt and pepper. Cook until the artichokes and potato are cooked. Blend in a mixer in a purée type of consistency, if too thick add a little water.
For the tartine, mix ricotta with mixed herbs and crushed garlic, add salt and pepper. Toast a slice of country bread and spread ricotta on top, garnish with some thyme leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.
It's time for spring crumble – Mixed curry vegetable crumble
May 21st
C’est le bon moment pour un crumble printanier – Crumble de légumes au curry
Another delicious crumble for the pleasure of everyone, adults and kids. For people intimidated by cooking vegetables that taste good, try this one, no one will be disappointed.
The world of crumble is infinite…start imagining all kinds of beautiful things and then start making them real. The interesting thing about this crumble is that it’s made with half butter, half olive oil, whole wheat flour and parmesan cheese. Sometimes, instead of the parmesan, I substitute almond powder which gives it a nice twist. You can make it and serve it in individual molds when you have guests, for a nicer presentation.
Ingredients for 4
- 1 broccoli head
- 2 carrots, cut in medium chunks (1 inch)
- 1 leek, cut in medium chunks (1 inch)
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tbs curry powder
- 1 tbs cilantro
- 1 tbs parsley
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
For the crumble crust
- 4 tbs whole wheat flour
- 25 g butter
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 3 tbs plain breadcrumbs
- 4 tbs parmigiano reggiano cheese, grated
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Saute onions in olive oil, add garlic, stir the mixture to get the flavors out. Add the curry powder, stir for a few minutes to combine the ingredients. Add the vegetables and cook until not completely cooked and still crunchy. Add cilantro and parsley, salt and pepper. Mix well.
In the meantime, prepare the crumble crust. Mix all the ingredients and mix with tips of your fingers, forming some nuggets.
In an oven tray, add the vegetables.Place crumble crust on top and cook in a pre-heated oven at 375F for about 25 min or until the top is golden brown.
