Salads
Life is full of contrasts – Lentil and marinated smoked salmon salad
Sep 25th
La vie est pleine de contrastes – Salade de lentilles et saumon fumé
It’s quite a fun way to eat lentils…lentils are very versatile and I think not popular enough especially since they’re highly nutritious. I have rarely seen them in restaurants other than in soups. In France they’re considered rustic, something you would eat during winter and with smoked sausage or meat. I like them with smoked fish like salmon or trout, it tones down the smokiness of the fish (if the fish is too smokey like my salmon, actually this salmon was too smokey and salty). Here I like the combination of a hearty rustic ingredient with a more elegant and refined one. I have always loved contrasts. They’re unexpected, interesting and always leave you a feeling of wanting more.
Lentils and spinach are among the ingredients French kids have a hard time eating, if you ask any kid in France what they don’t like to eat, they’ll probably say, j’aime pas les lentiles et j’aime pas les épinards! but obviously I don’t want to make this a generality.
You can also combine fresh salmon with smoked salmon, then you would need to cut both salmon in cubes. Here I striped the salmon since I only used the smoked kind.
Ingredients for 4
For the lentils
- 200 g lentils du Puy
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 carrot
- 1/2 onion
- 1 celery stick
- 1 clove
- salt
For the lentil vinaigrette
- 1 tbs hazelnut or walnut oil
- 1 tsp cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp whole grain mustard
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 tbs parsley, finely chopped
- salt and pepper
For the salmon marinade
- 4 large slices of good quality smoked salmon, cut in strips
- 1 orange
- zest of 1/2 orange
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp dill, chopped
- 1/4 tsp fennel pollen
- 1 tsp capers, chopped
- Piment d’Espelette
- Pepper
Preparation
In a pot of water cook lentils with clove, onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf and salt and cook until lentil are tender but not mushy. Drain and remove the cooked vegetables from the lentils and set aside. In a mixing bowl, prepare vinaigrette mixing all ingredients together.
Cut salmon in stripes, mix all ingredients of the marinade and pour over the salmon. Mix well to coat the salmon. Let it marinade in the refrigerator for about one to two hours.
Place a small amount of lentil salad in the middle of a plate (you can use a rind to mount the salad) and top with some salmon stripes. Drizzle some extra marinade on top.
It’s not Paul, the octopus- Grilled octopus salad with fennel, peppers and olives
May 12th
Ce n’est pas Paul le poulpe – Salade de poulpe grillé au fenouil, poivrons et olives
Has anyone heard the story of Paul le poulpe, or Paul the octopus? Well my cousin came to visit a few months ago and he told me about this octopus story. Paul was a French octopus whose life lasted from 2008 to 2010, quite a short life…maybe that’s a lifespan for an octopus.
Paul was very famous, simply because he could predict the winner of the soccer games. He predicted 12 out of 14 games during the world cup. For French people, soccer is the national sport, getting to know in advance which team would win, and most of all getting scores from a mollusk whose destiny is to be in a pan along with tomatoes and onions, rather on TV with sports commentator, is something linked to the divine. I have no idea how an octopus could predict such scores, but it did, doesn’t this sound odd?
I have not met Paul, and I am sure he was quite a smart animal…now I have to admit that I love octopus in any form, shape and recipe. I do feel a little guilty to eat it, but when I eat it, I simply don’t think about this and I enjoy every bite of it.
Animals are amazing and teach us humility and kindness. My life changed since I had my dog and my parrot…all they want is to be with me, cuddle and eat. Maybe one day, I will buy an octopus to cuddle with, and will stop eating it, but in the meantime, I think I will still enjoy it. Doesn’t this sound cruel? I wish one day, I will stop eating any animal form…
Ingredients for 4
- 600 g octopus
- 1 fennel bulb, sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced
- 1/2 red onion, sliced
- 1 cup small creamer potatoes
- 3 tbs celery leaves, chopped
- 2 tbs kalamata olives
for the vinaigrette
- 3 tbs olive oil
- zest of 1 lemon
- juice of 1 lemon
- 2 pinches paprika
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Cook octopus in water for about 2 hours or until tender. Slice in small thin pieces. Set aside in a mixing bowl. Grill fennel, peppers, onions on a skillet. Add to the octopus. Add all other ingredients and mix well.
Cook potatoes in salted water, and cook until tender, cut in half and add to the octopus.
For the vinaigrette, mix all ingredients together. Add to the octopus mixture and toss. Serve lukewarm with toasted bread.
Spring, here we are – Grilled beets, sweet potato and haloumi kebabs with arugula-lime dipping sauce
Mar 30th
Printemps, nous voilà – Brochettes grillées de betteraves, patates douces et haloumi, sauce de roquette et citron vert
Who said kekabs have to be with meat? you can do anything you usually do with meat using vegetables, some vegetables are more adapted to certain cooking methods, but are incredibly versatile.
I haven’t used haloumi in a long time, and really felt like grilling cheese, and especially haloumi with its delicate texture and pungent flavor. You can find some other haloumi recipe here and here. I bought some pomegranate molasses at my favorite Greek grocery store (called the Fruit Barn), and had to find a way to use it. Sometimes I can get a little obsessive, when I buy a new ingredient, I won’t stop thinking until I find a recipe to use it.
Pomegranate molasses is widely used in Lebanese and Iranian cuisine not really in French or Italian cuisines, but is definitely a Mediterranean ingredient. I loved the pomegranate juices you get in Israel, in those fruit juice joints in any street, they’re so refreshing and healthy. So pomegranate molasses is produced by reducing pomegranate juice, you get some syrupy texture, half sweet, half acidic.
Basically the natural sweetness of those kebabs produced by beets and sweet potatoes is a very pleasant sensation for your palate. It’s enhanced by the bitterness of arugula and acidity of pomegranate molasses, so you’ll see how delightful these kebabs are. The stars of this dish are definitely the haloumi and the pomegranate molasses.
Ingredients for 6 kebabs
For the kebabs
- 3 medium size beets, peeled and cut in 1 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut in 1 1/2 cubes
- 1 piece haloumi, cut in cubes (similar sizes than beets and potatoes)
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper
For the arugula-lime sauce
- 1.5 cups arugula
- 1 tbs pomegranade molasses
- juice of 1 lime
- 2 tbs raw cashews
- 1 garlic clove
- 3 tbs olive oil
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Start preparing the arugula dipping sauce. Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend, until obtained a paste, but not too thin.
Start first by roasting beets. Place cut beets in a sheet, coat them with oil and vinegar, salt and pepper and broil in a 375F oven for about 20 minutes or until just tender. Remove from heat and keep warm.
Proceed using the same method with potatoes. Keep warm.
Using a wooden skewer, add one beet cube, then one potato cube, haloumi, another beet, and potato.
Heat a skillet or a grill pan, and grill each skewer, until the haloumi is grilled on all sides. Add some dipping sauce, and serve hot. You can serve the sauce on the side.
For lazy days – Quinoa, grilled zucchini, chickpeas en verrine with almond pesto and goat cheese
Dec 7th
Pour les jours paresseux – Quinoa, courgettes grillées, pois chiches en verrine en couches de chèvre et pesto
Yes, this is definitely a dish for one of those lazy days, not lazy “like sitting on the sofa”, but lazy “like not feeling to cook” but with a desire to eat something good.
After waiting for a while after for people all day, first to come check out some windows for replacement (and not showing up), for phone calls unreturned, you get into a strange mood and wondering what is wrong. Is it the muggy weather? Is there something up in the air that makes people unreliable? I have no idea. I guess some days are just like that. Well so for one of those days, this is the perfect little thing to do, that will not leave your kitchen messy.
Verrines have been quite popular in France, you just fill them with whatever you like for a fun presentation. Basically, the glass is filled with layers of quinoa, pesto, goat cheese. It can be served lukewarm or cold as a salad or appetizer.
Ingredients for 4
- 250 g quinoa
- vegetable broth
- 6 tbs chick peas (soaked in water or canned)
- 3 zucchini, sliced crosswise
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 4 tbs goat cheese
For the pesto
- 70 g peeled almonds
- 1 garlic clove
- 40 g parmigiano Reggiano, grated
- 50 g basil
- zest of 1 lemon
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Steam quinoa in vegetable broth by adding enough broth to cover the quinoa by 1/2 inch. Bring broth to a boil, then cover with a lid and reduce heat to the minimum. Cook for about 20 minutes or until the quinoa has absorbed all the liquid. The other and quicker alternative is to cook quinoa in a rice cooker. When quinoa is cooked remove pot from the heat and let it cool a little.
Add chick peas to the quinoa and mix well. Grill zucchini in a grill pan and add to the quinoa-chick pea mixture. Add lemon juice, drizzle with olive oil and adjust with salt and pepper.
For the pesto, combine all ingredients together in a mixer to obtain a semi fine paste.
In a glass, add one layer of quinoa, add a layer of pesto, then a layer of goat cheese. Start over with a layer of quinoa. Top it off with some goat cheese, a slice of grilled zucchini and a basil leaf.
A thought for Boby – Mâche salad with shrimps on corn purée and truffle oil
Aug 6th
Une pensée pour Boby – Salade de Mâche aux crevettes sur purée de maïs et huile de truffe
Don’t you guys love truffles? I grew up eating them, since my father himself grew up in Italy in a region producing lots of truffles, so when he moved to France he brought with him a dog called Boby, whom he trained to smell truffles and find them. Boby died when I was about 10 and it was the only dog we had. My father has always been a truffle “hunter”, wild mushroom “picker” and unfortunately a bird hunter too (which I hate) and anytime I go home, I have to argue with him about this. In France, there are unfortunately lots of hunters (in Italy too, to the point where there are barely any wild birds left). The argument of hunters is, oh well they are destroying the crops of the farmers (talking about the wild boars), well they don’t realize that humans have invaded all animal habitat and have left no space for animals to live.
My dad’s aunt, in Italy used a pig to find those rare mushrooms, so did most people in the countryside. I remember after days of truffles hunting with Boby, my dad would come home with bags filled with them…and of course, my mom would make tagliatelle with a ragu and truffle sauce. Now the ones I bought were not as good as the ones I am used to eating, they barely had flavor, so if you can find great truffles, you’ll be the lucky one. Truffe means truffle in French, but it also means the nose of the dog. Yes, every dog has a truffe…I am wondering if it has to do with his sense of smell finding truffles.
I love the sweetness and creaminess of the corn combined with the shrimps, then the truffle adds such an elegant and refined final touch. It’ s a little unconventional salad due to the corn purée, but all the elements work perfectly well together.
Ingredients for 4
- 16 shrimps
- 1 large black truffle
- 2 cups mâche salad
- 1 tbs olive oil
- salt and pepper
For the corn purée
- 1/2 lb fresh corn
- 2 tbs heavy cream
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- salt and pepper
For the truffle vinaigrette
- 3 cl truffle oil
- Sherry vinegar
- fleur de sel
Preparation
In a pot, combine corn, cream and broth and bring to a boil, let it cook slowly for about 10 minutes until the liquid has evaporated, adjust with salt and pepper. Blend in a mixer, and pass through a sieve to obtain a smooth cream. Keep warm and set aside.
Saute shrimps in olive oil, salt and pepper until cooked.
Prepare the vinaigrette by combining truffle oil and sherry vinegar gradually.
Place corn in the middle of a plate, top it with the shrimps, shave some truffle on top of the shrimps. Sprinkle with the vinaigrette and fleur de sel, then decorate with the salad sprinkled with additional vinaigrette.
Salad or not salad? – Salad of grain medley with cannellini, shrimps, artichokes in a herb-lemon dressing
Jul 12th
Salade ou pas salade? – Salade tiède de céréales et mélange aux haricots blancs, crevettes, artichauts, vinaigrette aux citron et herbes
Lately I have not been too well, that’s why I haven’t been posting any recipe on a regular basis like I used to, and my desire and energy for cooking has gone down, hopefully it will pick up at some point. I have no motivation for sitting in front of my computer either, but I sincerely miss everyone, people I met through this blog have been incredibly supportive, kind and generous. Thanks so much for anyone who reads my blogs and leaves genuine comments, they mean a lot to me. I apologize if I have had a difficult time to catch up with everyone, I have had very low energy level and some health issues, but hopefully will get back to my regular routine soon.
I started writing this recipe about three weeks ago and never managed to finish it, it took me forever…so here it is after such a long time. This salad is composed with a well balanced mixture of grains, vegetables, and proteins, such a nutritious and flavorful dish.
I call this a salad since it has a dressing but it can be called anything you like, and can be consumed lukewarm or cold. The particularity of this dish is that I mixed eight varieties of grains and seeds such as brown rice, oats, lentils, pumpkin seeds, etc… for a mixed variety of textures. Maybe you’ll think this look more like a bird meal to you than a gourmet salad. It is definitely questionable, but after you taste it, you will think bird ingredients can taste incredibly tasty.
The grains have been enhanced with vegetables, and seafood which complement the grains quite well. This is nothing complicated, you just need various grains in your pantry.
Ingredients for 2-3
- 200 g of mixed grains such as:
- brown rice
- wheat flakes
- sorghum rice
- buckwheat
- pearl barley
- black rice
- pearl rice
- red lentil
- 1 tbs roasted pumpkin seeds
- 10 large shrimps
- 4 medium artichokes
- 3 tbs dry white wine
- 70 g cannellini beans cooked (either dried or canned)
Ingredients for the herb-lemon vinaigrette
- 3 tbs avocado oil
- juice of one lemon
- zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp tarragon, chopped
- 1 tsp parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp chives, chopped
- 1 tbs red onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- one pinch cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Mix all grains together and steam them. You can steam them the same way you would steam rice, even if there are many varities of grains, some of them cook a little faster than others but it does not make a big difference cooking them all together. You can use a rice cooker or use the regular technique using a simple pot.
Trim artichokes, removing the hard leaves around, and cutting off the top of the artichoke. Cut in quarters and place in a container filled with water and lemon juice to prevent the artichokes from darkening.
In a pan, heat olive oil, add 1 garlic clove, then drain artichokes and add to the pan, stir for a few minutes, coating the artichokes with garlic and oil, then add wine, salt and pepper. Stir well. Cover with a lid and cook at medium heat until artichokes are tender. Remove from heat and set aside.
Saute shrimps in olive oil, add salt and pepper and set aside.
In a large container, mix steamed grains with artichokes, cannellini beans, shrimps, pumpkin seeds. Pour vinaigrette on top by mixing all ingredients together. Stir well and serve. You can serve at room temperature or cold.
A table with a view – Grilled baby cuttlefish with crushed herb potato and tapenade salad – Garlic vinaigrette
Jun 9th
Une table avec vue – Salade de seiches grillées avec pommes de terres à la tapenade et vinaigrette à l’ail
This one will be among my favorite seafood salads…When you are in love with so many dishes, it’s hard to just pick one, so I have a list of dishes, and this one is a part of the “killer list” or “la liste qui tue“.
Saturday after a delicious dinner at a famous San Francisco seafood restaurant, located at the Embarcadero facing the Bay Bridge called the Waterbar, I met again with octopus. If you ever end up in San Francisco and want to stay away from the touristy seafood restaurants on the Pier 39, try the Waterbar. I think it’s a little pricey but if you want to spend a nice romantic evening “déguster” (savor) amazing fish and seafood, the Waterbar is a great choice. Nothing is fried like in many restaurants, every dish has been carefully prepared and cooked with refinement to enhance its natural texture and flavor. You get the most amazing seafood dishes staring at the gorgeous Bay, so nothing to complain about.
This salad has been inspired by the octopus dish I ordered. The octopus was sliced and topped with an abundant and garlic chutney, arugola, and some potatoes topped with tapenade. I fell in love all of the sudden. I saw it, my heart melted. You must think that I do fall in love quite easily, if you give me grilled seafood (looks like I am back eating fish and seafood) with fresh herbs, garlic , I just cannot help myself.
I found this cute cuttlefish at the store that reminded me of Italy, cuttlefish is very popular in Southern France and Italy where they use its ink to make risotto al nero di seppia (squid ink risotto), seppia means cuttlefish, but squid and octopus ink is also used in gastronomy. So cuttlefish has replaced octopus here and I felt a little closer to home. Cuttlefish is thicker than squid, so it require a little more cooking time.
I made extra tapenade which is a traditional spread from Provence (Tapena means capers in Provencal language) made out of olives crushed into a purée. It can be stored for days in the refrigerator and be used in so many other ways.
Ingredients for 2
- 8-10 baby cuttlefish
- cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
- some arugula or other greens leaves
For the potatoes
- 6 medium yukon potatoes
- 1 tbs tarragon, chopped
- 1 tbs parsley chopped
- 2 tbs extra fruity cold pressed olive oil
- salt and fresh cracked pepper
For the tapenade
- 1/2 lb (or 250 g) kalamata olives
- 1 garlic clove
- 2.11 oz (or 60 g) capers
- 1.41 oz (or 40 g) anchovies
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 3.38 fl oz (or 100 ml) olive oil
- pepper
For the garlic vinaigrette
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs walnut oil
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- 1.5 tsp orange champagne vinegar
- 1.5 tsp pomegranate glaze
- 1 tsp chives, chopped
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Cook potatoes in water until cooked. Peel and let them lukewarm. Crush roughly with a fork leaving some big chunks and incoporate herbs, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix carefully.
Grill cuttlefish on a grill pan, turning them around until cooked, about 7-8 minutes or less, depending on the size of the cuttlefish.
For the tapenade, place ingredients in a mortar, and crush all ingredients into a paste, except for olive oil, lemon juice and pepper. Add olive oil gradually at the end like you would proceed for a mayonnaise while stirring. Add lemon juice and pepper when tapenade is ready.
For the vinaigrette, mix all ingredients together, mix well.
Place a small amount of potatoes in a plate, top it with a tsp or more of tapenade. Place cuttlefish and cherry tomato halves around the potatoes and drizzle with vinaigrette.
Eat your carrots! – Carrot and almond galettes stuffed with gorgonzola on cucumber salad
Jun 3rd
Mange tes carottes! – Galettes de carottes et amandes au coeur de gorgonzola sur salade de concombre
Carrots are in the same category as broccoli…they’re all over the place, therefore lost their appeal and excitement.
Once in a while, I like to feature one of those “ordinary” vegetables” and give them a make over. When you really look at the different ways to prepare them, and the amount of vitamin A they contain, they’re not that ordinary after all. Besides, I think it’s a great way to have kids eat their vegetables if they’re not very inclined to. I have been thinking about a recipe to combine gorgonzola and carrots, but I was not quite sure how to combine it all together, first a savory cake crossed my mind or as we call them cake sale, then, I wanted something lighter with less carbs and since I love vegetables galettes of all kinds, here it is.
In France we say, that carrots make you pleasant, les carottes ca rend aimable, so I guess with all the carrots I ate today, I must be a pure delight to be around.
I really need this, San Francisco is entering the terrible summer season, with the fog rolling in, I thought that would be postponed to July-August and unfortunately, it seems like this year it’s happening sooner. I will probably end up eating carrots all summer!
The carrot-almond-cumin-gorgonzola combination worked very well together. The sweeteness of the carrots is a little toned down by the pungent gorgonzola and you get soft after taste of the almonds. The cucumber salad is quite simple and balances the whole dish.
The galettes tend to be tender because they do not contain egg, you might want to add extra almond flour. They need to be handled carefully.
Ingredients for about 6-7 galettes
For the galettes
- 3 large carrots, peeled and cut in halves crosswise
- 5 tbs almond flour or almond meal
- 1/2 ts cumin seeds roasted and crushed
- 1 tbs sliced almonds
- 6 small pieces gorgonzola, diced
- salt and pepper
For the salad
- 3 Persian cucumbers, peeled
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbs chives, chopped
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Steam carrots. When cooked mash with a potato masher into a fine consistency. Add almond flour, and cumin seeds, salt and pepper. Mix well and form little patties. Add one piece of gorgonzola in the middle of each pattie and close it to “seal” the cheese inside. Add extra almond flour on to coat each side of the patties. top it with sliced almonds. Place on a parchement paper and cook in a pre-heated oven at 375F for about 15 minutes until the top is slightly golden and cheese has melted.
For the salad, slice cucumber very finely using a mandoline. Squeeze excess water using your hands. Add all ingredients and mix well. If you get too much water, squeeze cucumbers again.
Serve on a small plate with a small portion of cucumber salad and carrot galettes on top.
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.
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.
