Archive for May, 2010
I am in love again – Vegetable and haloumi skewers on mâche salad with fava beans – roasted bell pepper, capers and lemon vinaigrette
May 30th
Je suis encore tombée amoureuse – Brochettes de haloumi et courgettes sur salade de mâche aux fèves – vinaigrette de poivrons grillés, citron et câpres
Have you ever felt this strong chemistry with someone you just meet for the first few seconds, without even talking just by the energy that this person emits? It can be a man or a woman, just anyone. There is something out there, as if your energy “captures” the energy of the other person and something magical happens…Now between a man and a woman, it can be more of a sexual chemistry (well among same sex people too, if you are gay). It happened to me with a lady I met (I am not gay) and the first three seconds I saw her, I just liked her. I felt so comfortable and at ease, that I thought I knew her. Not sure how it’s called, maybe the pheromones (between two people from opposite sex), the chemistry, I don’t know. It is a strange feeling when this happens. Things feel just right.
Well this happened to me today with…this salad. I am just in love. In this particular case it has to do with the flavors, my palate met those “magical flavors and we are in love (well at least me). I have been eating this three days in a row and cannot get enough of it. I am hooked, the only problem is that that beautiful haloumi has too many calories for a every day consumption, so I just added a few pieces here and there, among the other vegetables. This whole composition matches what I love best and what I enjoy eating most, light, fragrant, nutritious, dishes that make you feel good after you eat them. I am very health conscious (sometimes I tend to be a freak in that area, I am aware of it), since I work out two hours a day and I do pay a lot of attention to what I eat. The good thing is that I am against all kinds of diets, which I think most of them deprive your body from many nutrients, and I cannot eat blend food, it needs to be exciting, fragrant, and most of all stimulate my sense. So yes I am deeply in love, and here is the “heureux élu“, the lucky one, that makes my palate race. Et ça, c’est l’amour!!!!!
This type of dressing can be used in many ways, I just like it on grilled vegetables, the sweetness of the grill pepper combined with capers and lemon results in a wonderful and magical blend.
Now my other little weakness is the mâche salad, I have always been going crazy for it, we grew it in the garden and it’s a very common salad in France. I have some strong memories of huge quantities of mâche prepared just for me when I came home from High school (I was lucky enough to come and have lunch with my parents when going to school)…and those memories will not fade away.
Ingredients for 4 (2 skewers each)
- 3 small zucchini, cut crosswise (about 3/4 inch thick)
- 1/2 red onion
- 16 cherry tomatoes
- 1 piece haloumi
- mâche salad
- 1 cup fava beans
- 1/3 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp lemon
- salt and pepper
For the vinaigrette
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tbs basil, chopped finely
- 1 tsp capers, chopped finely
- zest of 1 lemon (keep some for decoration)
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper
Preparation
In a mixing container, combine zucchini, tomatoes, onions, then add cumin, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Cover, marinate and refrigerate for a few hours.
After they marinate, using a bamboo skewer, take a zucchini slice, an onion piece, a piece of haloumi, onion and proceed with all the ingredients. Grill on a grill pan until all the sides are golden brown. Serve hot on a bed of fava bean/mâche salad, and spoon vinaigrette on top.
For the vinaigrette
Roast pepper in the oven under broiler. When the skin is all charred, take pepper out from oven, let it cool, then remove skin and seeds. Cut in small dices.
In a bowl, combine peppers, capers, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, basil, garlic, cayenne, salt and pepper. Mix well.
For the salad
Remove fava beans from their pod. Bring a pot of boiling water to a boil, then add fava beans. Cook for about 3 minutes (less if the beans are small and tender), drain and peel. Set aside.
Let the fava bean cool. Mix with mache salad, and drizzle with a little oil, lemon juice and a little bit of salt.
For pineapple lovers – Coconut-pineapple yogurt bouchées with pineapple-rum compote
May 28th
Très ananas pour les fans d’ananas – Bouchées à l’ananas et noix de coco, compote d’ananas et rhum
These last couple of days have been a little on the chaotic side, driving to one side of town to see my doctor, then rushing to the other part of town for a court appearance for a ticket that I thought was so unjustified. It seems like the city of San Francisco needs money, and the police is distributing tickets left and right. I will not contest a ticket for something I did wrong but when it’s not justified, I feel I need to explain myself. Maybe the libra in me who is always looking for justice and balance. Anyway I had never been to court before and that was a strange experience. We were greeted by a Police officer who instructed us to be silent or we would been thrown out of the room. That type of order and authority petrifies me, so I was sitting still without even moving a finger and barely blinking.
Basically after my entertaining day in court, I had very little time to do anything…
I’ve had a pineapple and a whole coconut sitting in the kitchen, screaming for attention…I love those two they’re inseparable, so having a stock of Greek yogurt in addition to this, there was no other option that using everything in a traditional French yogurt cake. The base of the cake had been modified quite a bit, adding chestnut flour (which is one of my favorites flour for baking, it has a delightful sweet nutty flavor). Yogurt cake is to the French as maybe cupcake is to Americans…we learn how to bake it while in school as early as 10 years old. This recipe is not a traditional gâteau au yaourt, It’s been twisted around and is more of a cousin, I have a traditional recipe for gâteau au yaourt here.
I made a pineapple sauce with coconut to be served chilled on the side and complement these little cakes very well, so if you like pineapple, you will love those ones. The yogurt makes the cake very moist and gives that particular lactic after taste that I love.
Ingredients for about 14 individual cakes (or one large)
- 3 eggs
- 6.34 oz (or 180 g) sugar
- 7 oz (or 200 g, or about 4 large tsp) Fage Greek yogurt
- 4 tbs coconut oil melted
- 1 cup flour
- 4 tsp chestnut flour
- 3.5 oz (or 100 g) fresh coconut, grated
- 1/2 fresh pineapple (1/4 diced and 1/4 crushed)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
For the pineapple-coconut sauce
- 1/4 pineapple
- 3 tbs coconut milk
- 1 tsp rum
- 2 tsp agave nectar
Preparation
For the cakes
In a mixing container, beat eggs with sugar. Add yogurt, keep mixing, then add oil.
Add flours and mix well to obtain a smooth consistency. Add vanilla extract, baking powder and baking soda.
Add coconut and diced pineapple carefully blending everything together.
Pour batter in individual molds and cook in a pre-heated oven at 365-379F for about 30 minutes or until cooked all the way through.
Let it cool and remove from molds, preferably silicon molds.
For the sauce
Blend all ingredients in a mixer and refrigerate.
Are you ready for summer? – Ricotta terrine with roasted peppers and mint
May 25th
Êtes-vous prêts pour l’été? – Terrine de ricotta aux poivrons grillés et menthe
I wanted to feature a vegetarian terrine for those interested in a new and French cuisine and demystify the world of French food and some wrong concepts associated with it. When talking about terrines, usually we tend to think about meat or fish dishes such as duck terrine, rabbit or game terrines that are part of the French culinary traditions, which are the most common types of terrines…Like many other traditional dishes, terrines can take a wonderful light and fresh twist.
Yes there was a time, when French food was considered heavy and rich with the use of butter and creams, game and lots of animal products. There is still this side of French food if you go to France and want to explore traditions but for those interested in a lighter and more health conscious French cuisine, we do have a lot of wonderful restaurant, trends and recipes that emphasize on a nouvelle cuisine.
This particular cuisine among the best chefs (even the traditional ones) has emerged, fresher, healthier and lighter in many aspects, a more modern and contemporary cuisine, based on fresh ingredients and flavors. That’s what I am interested in bringing to people’s attention with this dish.
I had a lot of ricotta left so what’s a better use of it than in this terrine? It’s delightful with a green salad, served with toasted country bread, or as a buffet item, it’s light, fresh and flavorful, combining Mediterranean flavors.
I used a mini loaf pan for this terrine, so usually it’s enough for 3 people, and I serve two slices each. You can adapt ingredient quantity accordingly if you want to make one regular size terrine for a buffet. This is a very easy terrine to prepare and that does not require extra culinary skills or experience.
For a terrine for 3
- 10.58 oz (or 300 g) ricotta
- 4 tbs fromage blanc
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 large garlic clove, crushed
- about 20 mint leaves
- 3 gelatin leaves or agar agar
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Roast peppers by putting them under broiler until their skin turns black. Remove from the oven, place in a plastic container and let them cool. Remove skin and seeds. Cut in strips.
In a blender mix ricotta, fromage blanc, garlic, mint, salt and pepper. Blend into a smooth consistency.
Soak gelatin sheets or agar agar in cold water, then dissolve in a little hot water. Add to the ricotta mixture.
In a small loaf pan, add one layer of peppers, add half of the ricotta mixture, then add another layer of peppers. Proceed with another ricotta layer.
Refrigerate for at least six hours or overnight.
Carefully remove from the mold and cut in slices. Serve with toasted country bread.
Do you know how to play the guitar? – Farro Spaghetti “alla chitarra” with vegetable ragù and ricotta
May 24th
Sai suonare la chitarra? – Spaghetti di farro alla chitarra con salsa all’ortolana e ricotta
I am going back to my roots with this dish. Once in a while, it feels good to go back to old and traditional ways of cooking even if it it can be time consuming. Cooking being therapeutic for me (like for most people who love cooking), when I am stressed, I cook, and the longer, the better. Sundays are perfect for these rituals.
I am in love with my new pasta cutting tool called chitarra. Eventhough it produces a different kind of music, it’s just wonderful lyrics to my ears. Due to its shape and strings it has the same name as the musical instrument guitar (chitarra in Italian means guitar) due it its strings. Spaghetti alla chitarra is my favorite pasta, anytime I am in Italy I buy it and eat them during a whole week. Those are a specialty from Abruzzi and the neighboring regions further South. Basically the strings of the chitarra are the cutting tool. You can either use the rolling pin or your hands to press the pasta sheet on the strings. The two particularities of this pasta is first, you need to have a pasta thickness, similar to the width of the guitar strings, second it’s an egg based pasta.
When using a chitarra, the texture of the pasta is really different, more rugged and thicker since the width of spaghetti is supposed to be the same size as the depth, basically you get square spaghetti.
Chitarra is available in the US at Sur La Table, so for those who are passionate about pasta and want to experiment old ways of making and cutting it, I suggest you try it out.
The dough has 80% farro (or spelt) that’s why you get a darker and golden color and the sauce is vegetarian. The traditional spaghetti alla chitarra from Abruzzi region is made out of a lamb ragù. Of course, you can use your creativity and taste as far as the sauce is concerned. I am still on some vegetarian funk lately, so this worked beautifully for me.
Ingredients for 4
For the pasta dough
- 100 g white flour
- 200 g farro flour
- 3 eggs
- water
For the sauce
- 6 medium size tomatoes on the vine, well ripe, peeled, seedless and chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and sliced
- 2 zucchini, diced
- 1 small eggplant, diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 small yellow onion
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 2 tbs olive oil
- hot chili pepper (peperoncino)
- basil or oregano
- 4 tbs ricotta
- 1 tbs chopped olives (optional)
- salt and pepper
Preparation
For the pasta
In a working surface mix flours together, add eggs, and gradually incorporate flour. Add a little water if necessary (if dough is too hard) and knead for about 15-20 min to obtain a round and smooth ball. Wrap in a plastic film and let it rest for about 30 min.
In a flat surface (preferably wood, such as a spianatoia, the Italian flat wooden board to roll the pasta dough), using a large and not tapered rolling pin, roll dough to obtain a thin sheet. You can use a pasta machine if you have not mastered the art of rolling dough. The sheet should be thin but not overly thin, something like 2 mm thick.
When the sheet is ready, take chitarra to cut strings. Place sheet on top of strings and using the rolling pin, roll it from top to bottom of the pasta sheet. The spaghetti will fall into the chitarra, and you just have to remove them. Proceed until you have finished with the sheets.
For the sauce
In a pan, heat olive oil. Add onions and brown them. Add the rest of the vegetables, salt and pepper. Cover with lid and let cook until tender but still firm.
In another pot, heat olive oil. Add garlic and stir to get flavors out. Add oregano (or basil) and tomatoes, and cook until the tomatoes are starting to form a thick sauce (about 10-15 minutes). Add chili peppers, salt and pepper.
When the vegetables are cooked, add to the tomato sauce and mix well. If you decide to add olives, add at this point. Add extra olive oil.
Bring a pot of salted boiling water to a boil, add spaghetti. Cook for a few minutes, or until spaghetti come at the surface. Remove from stove and drain.
Place spaghetti in a large pasta dish, pour sauce on top. Serve in dishes with ricotta on top and sprinkle with either oregano or basil. Serve hot.
The no-guilt fish – Brioche toasts with smoke marinated herrings, grilled onions and egg, avocado sauce
May 22nd
Le poisson qui ne rend pas coupable – Toasts de brioche, aux filets de harengs marines, oignons grillés, oeuf et sauce à l’avocat
Thanks so much to everyone who shared its experience with bad hair cuts the other day, not that I felt better when looking at myself in the mirror but at least I know I am not the only one, and that I am not overly picky. It makes me feel like opening a real hair salon with talented stylists. Oh well, one of those things you cannot dwell on for too long, besides hair grows back, and in the meantime, there are always wigs!
I don’t know why but lately I have been losing weight and not eating much…I somehow lost my appetite, j‘ai perdu mon appétit! that does not prevent me from cooking but I eat with less enthusiasm.
I remember my mom preparing herring the French way with potatoes and onions in some sort of a warm salad and I loved it…Herring is very consumed in Germany and Scandinavian countries, but in Northern France too. The great thing about herring is that unlike tuna, it’s not an endangered specie, so you can eat it without any guilt.
I love dishes combining many different textures, but not too many strong flavors or it tends to be chaotic for your palate. This one is among my favorite “egg” dish, just because it has a lot of fresh and crunchy ingredients allied with smooth textures and is a full meal in itself. You don’t need to have anything else…
Its preparation si fairly simple, and does not require to spend an infinite time in the kitchen. Lately, due to my lack of appetite, I haven’t felt like spending hours in complex dishes, and I try to remain “simple”. For those of you who are in the same type of mood, I suggest you give it a try.
You can substitute smoke herring with marinated salmon, it just happened that I saw a familiar herring brand at the store, the same kind I would find in France, and I bought just to read the packaging and felt closer to home.
The herring comes just smoke, you need to marinate it in mixed herbs and olive oil for a few hours or overnight to infuse it in some aromatic scent and decrease its smokiness.
Ingredients for 2
- 2 eggs
- 2 brioche slices
- 2 smoke herring fillets (marinated in olive oil, lemon juice and mixed herbs such as dill, thyme, parsley, etc…)
- 1 red onion slice cut crosswise
- 1 carrot, shaved in ribbons
- 1 Belgian endive, cut crosswise in thin strips
- 1/2 radicchio, cut in strips
- 1 scallion, chopped
For the avocado cream
- 1 avocado
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/3 cup vegetable broth
- 1 tbs plain yogurt
- 1 pinch cayenne
- salt and pepper
For the vinaigrette
- 2 tbs olive oil
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 1/2 tsp extra strong Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Marinate herring with herbs, lemon juice and olive oil overnight or at least for a few hours.
In a grill pan or skillet, grill onions. Set aside. Start preparing the avocado sauce by mixing all the ingredients with an immersion blender, adjusting broth quantity if the sauce is too thick.
Using a ring mold, cut brioche in circles and grill each side on a grill pan.
Combine endives, radicchio, carrot ribbons with vinaigrette. Toss well.
Cook egg sunny side up, and using the same ring mold where you cut the brioche, cut egg in a round circle. Add salt and pepper.
Place salad at the bottom of a plate, add brioche toast, herring some onions, top it with egg, some onions and scallions. Serve with avocado cream on the side, or sprinkle some on top of the egg (before adding scallions), and serve.
Rolls with a Greek touch – Red mustard, kasseri cheese and olives rolls with red beet vinaigrette
May 20th
Rouleaux avec un petit air grec – Rouleaux de fanes de moutarde rouge, kasseri, olives noires et vinaigrette de betterave
I tried a new hair salon today, I think by now I went to almost all the hair salons in San Francisco and I haven’t found a stylist that knows how to cut short hair. I like my hair very short and it seems that most women in the US wear long hair, therefore most hair salons don’t know how to cut short hair. They know how to color and cut long hair, but as far as short is concerned, they just have one hair cut that they do on everyone. So I tried a new salon down town, and I got assigned to a hair stylist. I don’t know if this was me or her, but she did not talk at all, so I tried to make some conversation, nothing really philosophical, but to somehow tuer le temps as we say (kill time), and nothing really seemed to interest her, so I just kept quiet, thinking maybe she was having a bad day…everyone is allowed to have one. Anyway, my hair is short and I still don’t like the cut, nothing different than usual, but on top of it, the hair stylist was not pleasant.
Well, one good thing about today are my lovely rolls…
I love bittery greens, and the bitter the better! Doing my regular grocery shopping I found those gorgeous purple red mustard leaves, they seemed so young and tender, that it would have been silly not to buy them. I always have some spring roll wraps, that I buy thinking I will use them, but never do, which is a shame. So I promised to myself that no matter what, I will prepare something with those wraps. Of course, you can just imagine what happened to the wraps and red mustard leaves…they got married and that was a match from heaven.
The other highlight of this dish is really the beet vinaigrette. The sweetness of the beets was incredibly delicious combined with the bitterness of the greens and melting kasseri cheese. Kasseri cheese is Greek and is made out of sheep milk with a touch of goat milk. Its consistency is similar to mozzarella, and tends to melt easily. You can mix the cheese with the greens, I added the cheese at the end, that’s the reason why it’s barely noticeable on the picture, but you can mix it with the greens. This is a fairly quick dish to prepare and is delicious as a main dish with a salad or as an appetizer.
Ingredients for 6 rolls
- 1 bunch mustard leaves
- 6 spring roll wraps
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tbs kalamata olives chopped
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tbs olive oil (+1 for the pan)
- 5 tbs kasseri cheese
For the beet vinaigrette
- 5 small baby beets
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp raspberry vinegar
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Wash mustard leaves thoroughly. Bring a large of salted pot of water to a boil, and cook mustard leaves for about 5 minutes or until tender. Drain, let cool and squeeze extra water using your hands. Chop finely. Heat olive oil in a pan, add garlic, stir for a few minutes, then add chopped mustard leaves. Adjust with salt and pepper (don’t add to much salt since the cheese and olives are already salted). Add lemon zest and stir for another minute or so. Remove from stove and set aside. Add olives. At this point, you can add cheese to the mixture or add it at then end, like I did.
Place on wrap on a flat surface and add greens and cheese. Roll like a cigar (not that I have ever rolled a cigar). Proceed the same way with all the rolls.
Heat olive oil in a pan, and add each rolls, watch them carefully, they burn easily, turn them around to brown all sides. Remove from the pan and drain extra oil in a paper towel. Serve with arugula leaves and beet vinaigrette on the side.
For the vinaigrette
Cook beets until tender in water. Peel and let cool. Blend in a mixer with the rest of the ingredients.
The cat lost its tongue – Grilled apricots with goat milk yogurt, figs, cardamom, honey and “langues de chat”
May 18th
Le chat a perdu sa langue – Abricots grillés au yaourt de chêvre, cardamome, figues, miel et langues de chat
One of the best meals I have ever had was in Biarritz, for those who have traveled to France and who went to Pays Basque, must know Biarritz. It’s located in the Southern part of France on the Atlantic coast, close to the Spanish border. I remember this rustic restaurant that looked more like a chic cabin with dark wood decor and an amazing menu. The dessert I ordered was quite simple, just the way I like it. It was a long glass filled with a sheep milk yogurt type of mixture, a cherry compote and topped with honey but it was so good that I still vividly remember at this time the sensation of pleasure I got at the first spoonful.
In the Basque region, you can find wonderful cheeses made with sheep milk since the Pyrénées Mountains are close by, where lots of sheeps are raised.
It’s been a while, I felt like having this particular combination of grilled fruit and goat milk yogurt. I adore grilled fruits, the grilling makes the flavors and sweetness stand out but I find sheep milk yogurt to be stronger and goat yogurt suits my taste buds better. This can be a snack, a dessert or something you make anytime because you have some cravings.
After seeing some beautiful juicy and sweet apricots at my Greek barn, next door, I decided that apricots were part of the game…Summer fruits are out, maybe not at their best quality yet, since it’s still the beginning of the season but Mr. Greek grocer found delicious and sweet ones. He picks himself his fruits and vegetables and gets up at 2am to go to the market, so he always get gorgeous produce.
Langues de chat is literally translated into Cat’s tongues, just because those flat cookies do have that long shape resembling a tiny tongue. They’re usually longer and narrower than the ones I have made.
Their origin is traced back to the XVII century, and their deliciousness kept their popularity through the times. They’re traditional French cookies, and very easy to make, you cannot fail making langue de chat, I promise. Even the beginner bakers will make great langues de chat.
Ingredients for 2
- 3 apricots
- 1 goat milk yogurt
- 2 tbs lavender honey
- 2 figs
- cardamom powder
- 1 tbs pistachios, chopped
For the langues de chat
- 2.64 oz (or 75 g) butter
- 3 egg whites
- 3.52 oz (or 100 g) flour
- 3.52 oz (or 100 g) powder sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Preparation
For the langues de chat
Take the butter out of the refrigerator to room temperature about 30 minutes before using it. In a mixing container, mix butter and sugar together, add vanilla extract. Beat the white slightly (don’t whip them), and add to the butter/sugar mixture. Add flour and mix again.
Using a piping bag (douille) lay a small amount of batter on a silicon sheet (silpat) or parchment paper. Leave some space in between each cookie, they tend to spread when cooking. Cook in a pre-heated oven at 355-360F for about 10-15 minutes until the langues de chat are slightly golden from the sides. Let them cool and set aside.
Grill apricot halves in a grill pan or grid, on each side. Sprinkle some honey on top. Mix cardamom with yogurt.
In a bowl, place 3 apricots halves in the bottom. Add yogurt, top it off with remaining honey, figs and pistachios. Serve with 2 or 3 langues de chat.
As cute as caviar – Black quinoa, adzuki beans salad with fennel, carrots and mushrooms
May 16th
Aussi mignon que le caviar – Salade de quinoa et haricots adzuki, fenouil, carottes et champignons
I had bought some adzuki beans a while ago, yes I know there are so many kinds of beans, and this one is one among many others. It’s a bean mainly grown in the Himalayas and used in Asia in sweet preparations, they’re mostly known as red beans. Of course, I am not Asian, therefore in my culture beans are prepared in savory dishes and I wanted to try to prepare them in a more Western way, because after all a bean is a bean. I love black quinoa, it tends to be more flavorful and earthy than white quinoa and its nuttiness in this dish allied with the sweetness of fennel and red beans make it a palate pleasing combination.
Honestly, I was not sure I would post this because I thought it will be another quinoa/bean dish which is not the first on on my blog. After the first bite, I definitely thought it was blog-worthy, the colors were so contrasting all together and it resulted in a delicious and harmonious blend of flavors.
After yesterday delicious snapper with kumquat sauce I had shot, which for whatever reason my camera decided to not “save”, and after I ate everything, realized that not even one shot was there. I was wondering if this would happen again with this red bean dish…It seemed like my Canon was in a good mood today, and decided to keep this one. It happened a few times before and tends to be frustrating, especially after the terrible week I had.
Sometimes to speed up the cooking process of beans that have not been previously soaked, I add a little baking soda, it does reduce cooking time.
You can eat this salad warm or cold, either way it’s delicious.
Ingredients for 4
- 1 cup black quinoa
- 1 cup adzuki beans
- broth (1/2 onion, 1/2 carrot, 1 celery stick, 1 bay leaf, thyme)
- 1 shallot, diced
- 2 carrots, sliced in half lengthwise then crosswise
- 1 fennel bulb, diced
- 1 cup cremini mushrooms, diced
- 1 garlic clove
- 3 tbs cilantro, finely chopped
- salt and pepper
For the vinaigrette
- 2 tbs olive oil
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1/4 tsp cumin powder
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Cook beans in water with all carrot, onion, celery, bay leaf, thyme. Cook for about 45 minutes until the beans are soft. Drain and rinse.
Steam quinoa like you would do with rice.
In a pan, heat olive oil. Add shallot and let brown, add garlic and cook for another minute. Add carrots and fennel. Cover and let cook for about 10 minutes. When the vegetables are half cooked, add mushrooms, salt and pepper. Stir well and cook until the mushroom water evaporates.
Combine quinoa with beans, then add the vegetables. Let it cool.
For the vinaigrette, add all ingredients together mix well. Pour vinaigrette on the vegetable/quinoa mixture. Add cilantro, toss and serve.
I like it upside down -Tart tatin with artichokes, caramelized onions and manchego cheese
May 14th
Je l’aime à l’envers – Tarte tatin aux artichauts, oignons caramélisés, et manchego
Who said tarte tatin is made with apples and is a dessert? Even though tarte tatin IS a traditional French dessert made with apples (most French restaurants do serve it on their menu with a scoop of vanille ice cream), we have tons of savory versions as well. Traditional tarte tatin comes from Sologne region where Caroline Tatin and a few nuns owned a restaurant in early 1900 (which still exists and is still called Restaurant Tatin). Their main clients were hunters, and a Sunday during hunting season while making an apple-based dessert, Caroline let the dessert burn, so she had the wonderful idea to add some extra dough and put it back in the oven…needless to say that was a huge success among hunters, and since then became a famous dessert. Out of a mistake, came out a wonderful dessert!
Basically tarte tatin is an upside down tart, now of course, you can play around with its ingredients and the savory versions are really a wonderful alternative to regular tarts.
The toppings and in this case, the artichokes are caramelized due to the juices of the ingredients falling down on the bottom of the dish. For the puff pastry, you can either make it, or buy sheets. I found some decent puff pastry that is not too greasy and remains fluffy and crunchy, so if you have time (about extra 2 hours) and have well mastered the art of puff pastry making, you can make it. In my case, it really depends on the time I have. Today I had little time to make it, so hello Whole Foods. The ingredients for the crust are for about 2 tarts, usually when I make puff pastry, I keep extra and use it when I have lots of guests.
For the ingredients you can use your imagination, this combination is well balanced and delivers a nice harmony of flavors. The sweetness of the onions allied with manchego and artichokes texture make it a delicious tart.
Ingredients for 3-4
For the puff pastry
- 8.8 oz (or 250 g) flour
- 6.5 oz (or 185 g) butter
- 4.4 oz (or 125 g) water
- 0.17 oz (or 5 g) salt
For the toppings
- 3-4 medium size artichokes
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 3 tbs dry white wine
- 2 onions, sliced
- manchego cheese, sliced (enough to cover the surface of your dish)
- 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
- salt and pepper
Preparation
For the puff pastry
In a working surface, place flour in the middle, add salt, then add water gradually, mixing with the flour to form a ball. Cross top of the ball with a knife and place in a plastic wrap to rest for about 30 minutes. Remove wrap and lay in a flat surface, spread it out with your hands to form a cross shape dough. With a rolling pin roll it flat and place soft butter in the middle. Bring sides of the dough towards the middle and flatten out with rolling pin. Fold again using same procedure about 6 times. Place in the refrigerator for 30-45 min after the second round and again after the fourth round.
For the tart
Start trimming the artichokes. Heat olive oil in a pan, add garlic, stir and add artichokes. Add wine, salt and pepper and cover with a lid, cook at medium heat until the artichokes are tender. Remove from pan and set aside.
In the same pan, heat olive oil, add onions. Cook at medium heat and let them caramelized. It will take about 15-20 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar, and let it reduce for about 1 minute. Add thyme, salt and pepper.
In a deep dish pan, place artichokes in the bottom to cover the surface of the pan. Add onions, then add manchego covering the surface of the onions.
Roll the puff pastry and place it on top of the ingredients. There will need extra pastry about 2 inches extra (your sheet will be 2 inches larger than the dish, the puff pastry tends to shrink while cooking). Make sure your ingredients are holding into place and using your hand firmly press on the puff pastry.
Cook in a pre-heated oven at 370-375F until the top of the puff pastry is nicely golden. Remove from the oven and turn upside down using a plate and serve immediately.
Another way to cook pasta – Pasta "risottata" with fava beans, zucchini and cherry tomatoes
May 12th
Un’altro modo per cucinare la pasta – Pasta risottata con fave, zucchine e pomodorini
After this weekend ordeal, I needed to eat something to soothe my mind…Pasta especially pasta in bianco (with burro e parmigiano, butter and parmesan) is a dish that always remind me of when I was a child and sick, my mom would cook this dish for me who supposedly helped to cure whatever sickness one may have. It did not but, it’s sometimes good to believe it.
You cannot tell an Italian how to cook pasta, it’s ingrained in their DNA…Like the Swiss and skying, it seems like they’re born with skies on.
There are indeed many ways to cook pasta, one less known method is called “risottata“, meaning like a risotto where broth is added gradually. I did not come up with it, it’s a very old Italian method of cooking pasta! so, no pasta is not always boiled in salted water, drained and served topped with sauce. There is an interesting and funny article in English about the different cooking methods and cooking time of pasta on Identità Golose.
My father loves pasta overcooked…well at least well cooked, my mom and I, if it’s not VERY al dente, we don’t eat it, so usually the al dente eaters, take the pasta out of the pot first while the other ones can wait a while longer. He always looks at us horrified, mà come potate mangiare la pasta così cruda???? (how can you eat pasta that raw), well we can.
Pasta risottata being cooked a long time, takes longer than the usual way of boiling it in water. The risottata method allows it to keep its starch, therefore develop a particular creaminess (I wanted to show that creaminess on that second photo even it’s a screaming, right in your face type of a picture!)…can you just imagine the deliciousness of the pasta while having absorbed all that flavorful broth? It’s really my favorite way to cook and eat pasta. You need to try to believe it. For this cooking method, you need short pasta (pasta corta) such as small penne, or anything that size.
The recipe is quite simple, the greatness of the pasta comes first from the risottata method, then the combination of the ingredients make it a real treat.
Ingredients for 2
- 160 g short pasta
- 100 g fresh fava bean, pod removed
- 2 zucchini, diced in small cubes
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
- vegetable broth
- 1 shallot
- 1 garlic clove
- Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Heat olive oil in a pan and add garlic, stir for a few minutes, then add zucchini, cover and let cook until the zucchini start to be cooked but firm, then add tomatoes, salt and pepper. Let cook until the tomatoes start to soften. Set aside.
In the meantime, blanch fava bean grains in boiling water for about 2 minutes depending on the size of the grains. IF the grains are small and tender, one minute is enough. Drain and peel beans. Add to the pan with the other vegetables.
In a pot, heat olive oil, add shallots and brown them. Add pasta and proceed like you would for a risotto, adding gradually broth to cook it. When the pasta has reached the desired consistency (it will need to be slightly creamy), add vegetables and parmesan. Stir well and serve hot.
