Les artichauts sont de retour – Tagine d’artichauts, pois chiches, pommes de terre, poivrons, et olives vertes

It looks like artichoke season is starting and you see them come out on the shelves, one of the largest producer being close to the Bay Area in Castroville (they claim to be the artichoke capital of the world, which is quite a big statement, but they certainly do produce a lot of them), we have in San Francisco, lots of beautiful artichokes, the babies, the medium, the large, you pick which one you want. I even planted some in the garden, but seems like it takes over 300 days for them to grow, so I cannot count on my own crops this year!

I had some fresh chick peas left from last week and I just wanted to use them in a tagine. They remain green and taste so good but cook very quickly so when using them in a dish, they only need to cook for 15 minutes or so, therefore add them at the end. I love tagines, I could eat them every day. The flavors of all the spices infusing with all those wonderful vegetables is a pure pleasure to cook (and to eat of course too). After 10 minutes of placing the tagine in the oven, the house starts to be filled with incredibly aromas. It’s like a pure perfume. Ca embaume.

As in the majority of my tagines, I used Ras el hanout which is a traditional mix of Moroccan spices and literally means “the roof of the grocery store” in arabic. A few common spices included in Ras el hanout are cardamom, mace, cloves, nutmeg, pepper, lavender, ginger, nigella, turmeric, etc..but so many more. It’s used in Middle Eastern cuisine to enhance many dishes such as couscous, meat dishes, etc…

The composition of Ras el hanout can vary from 24 to 21 spices but can go as far as 40 spices, so there are so many variations of Ras el hanout as there are cooks, manufacturers and tastes. I bought a big bag of spices in a Moroccan grocery store in France that will last me my lifetime, and that is a very nice blend, not one spice overpowering the mix, and a very well balanced combination. Unfortunately the manufacturer did not include the list of the spices he used, so I am afraid I won’t be able to know what has been used and to what quantity. In France we have a huge Arabic population, probably the biggest among all other European countries, which means a lot of stores with great products and very inexpensive.

Anyone who loves artichokes and spices, will really enjoy this dish, besides the beauty of tagines is that it might take you a while to clean the artichokes, and peel the potatoes, but then you just put it in the oven and cooks by itself, comme une grande fille!

Ingredients for 4

• 2 large potatoes, peeled and cut in big squares
• 8 medium size artichokes, trimmed
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 large red bell pepper, cut in big square
• 1 cup fresh chick peas
• 1.5 tbs Ras el hanout
• 1 preserved lemon, cut in 4 quarters
• 1/2 cup green olives, cut in halves
• chili powder
• salt and pepper

Preparation

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients together except for the chick peas and using your hands mix well.

Place the vegetables in your tagine pot, cover and cook in a pre-heated oven at 390F for about one 1h30 min. Add chick peas 20 minutes before removing tagine from the oven. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve as a side dish or as a main dish, with a quinoa or couscous accompaniment.

Side Dish, Vegan, Vegetables artichokes, chick peas, moroccan, potatoes, ras el hanout, red peppers, tagine, Vegan, Vegetables

Simple salade de salsifis

You probably don’t care about salsifis and there is nothing extraordinary about the recipe. It’s all about the salsifi. Sometimes I like to feature some unpopular vegetables like this one, it’s a root vegetable that people tend to forget like cardoon, so I thought to bring it back from the deads.

I have not had those for such a long time, I have been eating salsifis when I was a child, their consumption is quite common in France but nowadays even there people tend to forget them.

I have just seen some of those at the store today and it just reminded me that I had forgotten to post those while in France.

Basically, they are a long root and have a thick brown skin, their flesh is quite white and they taste like artichoke to me, but some people say it tastes more like oysters so that’s how they got their name from. Honestly I have seen no similarities between an oyster and a salsifi.

You would need to wear gloves when peeling it since its flesh tends to stain hands and the flesh and skin are quite sticky, somehow like a glue. So I’m sure you wondering then, why even bother. Well, there is a good reason to include salsifi in your diet, they contain a lot of minerals and vitamins and are a wonderful vegetable with low calories and lots of fibers, so I think we should re-introduce it in our diet. You can make gratins with them, quiches, I have aslo tasted them in stew and are quite delicious. When preparing them simply like this, you need top quality olive oil, and the juice of a fragrant lemon such as meyer lemons.

Ingredients

• one bunch of salsifis (maybe 10)
• 1.5 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of one lemon
• freshly ground pepper
• Fleur de sel
• Parsley, finely chopped (optional)

Preparation

Peel salsifis. Cook in boiling water for about 7 min, or until cooked but not mushy. Drain and sprinkle with vinaigrette, top with pepper and fleur de sel.

Side Dish, Vegan, Vegetables oyster plant, rot vegetable, salad, salsifi, Vegan, Vegetables

Gratin fantaisie et pas Dauphinois! – Gratin de pommes de terre, courgettes et roquefort

There is the traditional gratin Dauphinois (from the Dauphiné region) where the potatoes are cooked in milk, then placed in the oven with butter (NO cheese) the real gratin Dauphinois has no cheese! Even though most people add cheese, the purists will scream and pull their hair when hearing a gratin Dauphinois recipe with cheese, then you have to remove the “dauphinois” in front of the “gratin” to be accurate. I tend to be lenient as far as cuisine is concerned but I really don’t like to give a inaccurate name to a recipe. It’s like people calling me Cynthia instead of Silvia (which they often do).

Then you have less traditional gratins like this one, very delicious but with Roquefort cheese and other additions of vegetables such as mushrooms, etc… This is a one meal dish and perfect with a green salad but I would not call it a light dish due to the potato-cheese content. It should probably be listed on the category “comfort food” to use the American terminology, even though I don’t like the idea that food can be comforting, I would prefer to use the word “simple” instead. I would call a friend “comforting” but not food. Eating too much heavy food, does not leave me comforted, rather the opposite.

You need to slice the potatoes very thin with a mandoline otherwise it takes a little too long to cook them especially if you are using a large dish instead of small individual ramequins. You could also avoid the pre-cooking process of the potatoes, then the cooking time needs to be increased at low temperature. When pre-cooking the potatoes in milk, make sure not to overcook them, and you need a kind that will remain firm, otherwise the potatoes will break and become mushy.

Ingredients for 4

• 2 large potatoes OR 14.10 oz (400 g) of potatoes, sliced thin
• 2 zucchini, sliced thin
• 4 tbs Roquefort cheese, crumbled
• 2 tbs crème fraîche
• 2 tbs Greek yogurt
• about 2 cups milk
• thyme
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Add potatoes in a pot and pour enough milk to cover the potatoes, let cook for about 5 minutes but still need to be firm. Add zucchini and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove from stove and drain. Place potatoes/zucchini in a deep dish and add salt and pepper.

In a bowl combine Roquefort cheese, yogurt and cream, thyme. Adjust with salt and pepper. Roquefort is somehow salty, taste the mixture before add extra salt.

In ramequins place some potatoes/zucchini, then add 1 tbs of Roquefort/cream mixture, proceed with another layer of potatoes and top with Roquefort mixture.

Cook in a pre-heated oven at 375F for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and potatoes cooked all the way through.

Appetizers, Side Dish, Vegetarian - dairy Appetizer, blue cheese, gratin, potatoes, roquefort, Side Dish, vegetarian, zucchini

Du côté léger – Moussaka rapide aux lentilles

This post is overdue, I started it before I went to Tel Aviv, but never managed to finish it, so after days of wonderful fresh food, I came back to France where the bad weather conditions made me want to go back to sunny Israel. There is definitely a Greek flair to Tel Aviv, probably the Mediterranean climate and fresh produce you find all over the markets. So Moussaka here we come.

What if you feel like moussaka without meat? People might tell you, then it’s not moussaka. So not to upset anyone, I just decided to use the word fake, even though it is prepared in the same “spirit” as a moussaka.

Since I arrived at my parents, meat, prosciutto, pâté, fois gras and other ingredients have been around the table for the holidays, and I don’t know now how I have to explain my mom that I do not enjoy to eat meat THAT much. Seems like she doesn’t believe me, or doesn’t want to believe me. So I had to somehow cook something for them today, to make them believe that vegetarian dishes are quite tasty and enjoyable. France is certainly not the country for vegetarians, and Italians are not vegetarian either, so I am just wondering if you are a vegan how you will survive here.

We went shopping to a wonderful organic supermarket with so many amazing products called “La Vie Saine” (healthy life) and came back with tons of great healthy products, I am trying to make them eat less animal based products but it’s quite a challenge to change people’s habits in their late 60s. I don’t want to change anything nor anyone but at least make them enjoy other cuisines. My parents are quite open in trying new cuisines and a lot more open minded than some other French or Italians of their generation.

So I found a lentil mix of red, green, and beluga lentils that I absolutely wanted to use, then I had eggplants, so I figured that a vegetarian moussaka would be perfect…and they really enjoyed it. So I will make this dish more often.

I am not sure there is a morale in this story, probably not but I was very happy that my vegetarian moussaka was successful in a traditional Italian and French table!

Ingredients for 4-5

• 1/2 lb (or 250 g) green lentils
• 1 yellow onion, cut in half
• 3 cloves
• 1 carrot
• 1 celery stick
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 eggplants, sliced crosswise
• 5 medium size tomatoes, seedless, peeled and chopped
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 7 oz (or 200 g) gruyère cheese, grated
• 3 tbs parsley, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 1 tbs olive oil
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Cook lentils in water and add carrot, celery, bay leaf and onion with cloves stuck in it. Cook until lentils are cooked but not mushy. Drain water and remove carrot, onion, bay leaf and celeri. Set aside.

Start with grilling the eggplants using either a grill pan or broiling them under the broiler, after sprinkling them with olive oil, salt and pepper. Set them aside.

Heat olive oil in a pan, add onion and brown them. Add tomatoes and cook until water is evaporated for about 10 minutes.

In a mixing container, add lentils, garlic, tomato mixture, parsley, egg and egg white, chili, salt and pepper.

In small ramequins, add a little olive oil, add one layer of eggplant and one layer of lentils. Sprinkle with cheese and proceed with another layer of eggplants, then lentils and cheese.

Cook for about 20 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 375F until the cheese has melted.

Side Dish, Vegetables, Vegetarian - dairy eggplants, greek, moussaka, side dishes, tomatoes, Vegetables, vegetarian moussaka

Est-ce vraiment Israélien? – Matfoul aux légumes et curry

I discovered this type of couscous in the US. I had never seen it before, so I started experimenting with it when I had some Israeli clients. I was so happy I found something “Israeli” to cook for them, but when they told me it was not Israeli, I was somehow confused and disappointed. I had no idea about what Israeli cuisine tasted like, I thought due to their geographical location it would have some Middle Eastern flair. In Paris, in the Marais quarter, the historic Jewish area has one of the most popular Felafel joint, called “L’As du Felafel”, so I my mind Felafel and spicy food was common in Israel and I figured that something called “Israeli” should at least be coming from Israel. Apparently not. It’s like the French manicure of French cleaner, not sure why they call it French but we are no specialists in nails nor cleaning!

So Israeli or not Israeli, I like this couscous variety, it’s fun to prepare and great to eat. Couscous is consumed in all Middle East, so I guess it must be coming from that side of the continent. In France it’s called Matfoul which I think is its original Arabic name. I am not Jewish and obviously not kosher but maybe in my previous life I was. I started cooking by not mixing dairy and meat and I have to say that I like it.

This is a great side dish that can be an alternative to rice, or some other carbohydrate dishes. I like to spice it up a little with curry and spices and add vegetables to it, to make it a little more exciting. I have a few cookbooks about Jewish cuisine and I like the simplicity of the recipes and influences coming from so many different countries.

I certainly know that this blog lacks meat recipes but I think the most important thing is to enjoy and take pleasure in whatever you do, cook or eat, no matter what it is. Otherwise there is no point in posting something just for the sake of posting it. I usually serve this couscous with sumac chicken tenders, that has been one of my most requested dish in the “Middle Eastern” category.

Ingredients for 3-4 as a side dish

• 4.2 oz (or 120 g) Israeli couscous
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 small eggplant, diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 3 tbs cherry tomatoes, cut in quarters
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1/2 cup cooked chick peas
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 tbs cilantro, chopped
• 1 tbs mint, chopped

Preparation

First start cooking couscous. Heat olive oil in a pot, add couscous and let it brown and get coated by olive oil like you would proceed for a risotto. Add broth and cook until couscous is tender but not too soft. Drain and set aside.

In a pan, brown shallots, then add the rest of the vegetables except for the chick peas. Add salt and pepper and let it cook until vegetables tender. Add chick peas. Add curry powder. Stir well and cook for about 5 minutes, then add tomatoes. Add couscous and mix well all ingredients together. Adjust with salt and pepper. Add mint and cilantro and serve hot.

Grains, Side Dish, Vegan carrots, chick peas, curry, eggplant, israeli couscous, Side Dish, Vegan

Due amici in padella – Radicchio di Chioggia e carciofi in teglia

Radicchio al forno is a typical Northern Italian dish. I somehow added a little touch to it, by adding artichokes and topping it all with breadcrumbs, garlic and parsley. Artichokes and radicchio go perfectly well together, the sweetness of the artichoke blends beautifully with the bitterness of radicchio, and you get a wonderful side dish, or if you’re like me, just forget the “side” it’s just a dish in itself since I can eat the whole plate.

There are many different types of radicchio, the round and red one like this one is called radicchio di Chioggia which is mainly grown all year around. My parents would grow the green kind with long leaves that was really bitter much bitter than this one, and my mom made it with anchovies and garlic as a salad and even as a young child, I loved it. The bitter, the better. No wonder why I love Fernet, Cynar and anything that has a bitter taste.

Our neighbor when I was growing up was from Udine (Friuli region), Giovanni drove a Vespa and was speaking so so loud that we would wake up the whole neighborhood with his loud voice and Vespa honks, everyone called him “petrolette” because of his “honk honk”. Such a funny and sweet character with a huge heart and a terrible French. His French was terrible, and his Italian too, since he spoke mainly Friulan dialect, so even my parents had a tough time understanding him. Every Sunday, he would bring us so many bags of radicchio from his garden. Friulans eat an incredible amount of radicchio, it’s hard to keep up with them unless you’re a rabbit!

He moved back to Friuli with his wife when he retired, he must be around 80 now and anytime we go visit him, radicchio is always on the table twice a day and seven days a week. Let’s not forget the white polenta sliced and eaten along salame e radicchio!

Ingredients for 3-4

• 1 large head of radicchio, cut in thick slices
• 1 lb artichokes (baby ones or medium)
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbs parsley, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1 lemon
• 3 tbs olive oil
• salt and pepper

Preparation

First start trimming the artichokes. Remove the tough green leaves, the with a knife, trim to top of the leaves and cut the green part around the bottom, close to the stem. You can either slice them if you are using the medium ones, or cut them in half if using the baby ones. Place in a bowl of water with the juice of one lemon, which will prevent the artichokes from discoloring.

Cut radicchio in half, then in slices of about 1 inch think.

In a pan, heat olive oil, crush one garlic clove and let the flavors out. Drain artichokes and add to the pan, stir for a few minutes, then add wine. Add salt and pepper and cover with a lid. Cook at medium heat until the wine has evaporated and the artichokes are cooked all the way through.

Add salt, pepper to the radicchio slices, and drizzle with olive oil. Grill in a grill pan, until radicchio changes color and is cooked but not mushy.

Add radicchio to artichokes pan and mix well.

In a small container, prepare the topping. Mix breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Place radicchio/artichokes mixture in a oven dish and top with breadcrumb mixture. Cook in a pre-heated oven at 375F for about 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Side Dish, Vegan, Vegetables artichokes, radicchio, Side Dish, Vegan, Vegetables

On ne se lasse pas des galettes de légumes – Galettes de courgettes à la feta, piment et thym

I have been thinking lately about Thanksgiving menu and I am not sure what to make yet. Last year was mainly a “French” Thanksgiving with of course a Turkey but prepared the French way since the guests were French, and the traditional kind of French, and I wanted to make something different this year since the guests will be the same.

I love to make those vegetable galettes, they’re quick to make, original and delicious…so I might keep this for some side dishes, but not yet sure. You’ll probably think that those have nothing to do in a Thanksgiving menu, but I think it is allowed on my table since I did not grow up here. So that is my lame excuse. For years, I have been invited at friends’ house for Thanksgiving, so I never got to organize one, it’s been three years in a row that I am actually having friends over and it’s been quite fun.

I made those zucchini galettes gluten-free for some gluten allergic guests. I usually make them with regular flour but for those who cannot tolerate gluten, rice flour works fine. The flour I bought was a little more grainy than wheat flour but was not really a problem. I thought cooking without gluten would be tricky and it’s actually not. There are tons of alternative to wheat and it tastes great too.

Ingredients for about 8 galettes

• 5 zucchini, very thinly sliced
• 2 eggs
• 5 tbs or more brown rice flour or regular flour
• 1 tsp chopped thyme
• 3 tbs feta, roughly crumbled
• chili flakes
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Using a mandoline, slice zucchini very finely. Place in a drainer, and sprinkle with 1 tbs coarse salt for about 30 min. to let the water come out. Rinse under running water to remove the salt and squeeze tightly with your hands to remove excess water. Place in a mixing container.

In a large bowl, beat eggs with flour to make a thick paste. If paste is liquid, add extra flour. Mix well to obtain a homogenous mixture. Pour on top of zucchini. Mix well so that the zucchini get coated with egg mixture

Add thyme, chili flakes and adjust with salt and pepper, (don’t add too much salt, since the mixture is usually salty enough due to the feta cheese and salt remaining in the zucchini). Add feta, mix carefully not to break it, you want to incorporate feta pieces in the mixture.

Heat large pan, and spoon about 2 tbs of mixture forming some regular galettes. Cook until both sides are golden brown.

Serve hot as an appetizer with smoked salmon, or with a salad, or as a side dish.

Appetizers, Side Dish, Vegetarian - dairy chili, feta, galettes, pancakes, Side Dish, thyme, Vegetables, zucchini

Un côté sauvage – Riz sauvage à la forestière aux champignons, carottes et noix

I haven’t realized Thanksgiving is coming soon, then I am leaving to visit my family in France shortly after, not sure I will have time to make it to Italy but we’ll see. It’s been one year I did not go home, and I am starting to have the one year “itch”. I remember I made this rice for Christmas for my parents guests, many years ago as a side dish to stuffed quails with ris de veau (sweatbreads) and everyone loved the whole thing. It was the time I still could eat a bird.

My mom would always invite this longtime Italian girlfriend (from the same town in Italy) with her French husband and son for Christmas and I was not looking forward to it. Those guys were the snobbiest, uptight and annoying people I have ever seen, always criticizing and making fun of others. But every year, my mom would feel so guilty to let them spend Christmas by themselves, so she invited them at home, and we would spend January 1st in their home. That was like a punishment to me! So the first time I made this rice was for them as a side dish. At least something came out of those Christmases. My mom always had this sense of “duty” or “obligation” to take care of people and sometimes it can be overwhelming. I bet everyone has those memories of some family dinners and having to deal with some unpleasant parents’ friends.

It’s a very simple dish but quite tasty and always a beautiful and refined accompaniment to a fish or meat. What is called “à la forestière” in French is mainly a dish that has mushrooms, “forestière” meaning from the forrest (forêt = forrest). Rice à la forestière is a French classic, so this one has been modified and made it into a more modern and light version with a twist. The nutty flavor of wild rice enhanced by walnuts is delightful.

Ingredients for 4

• 300 g wild rice
• 2 carrots
• 2 shallots
• 1.5 cups cremini or wild mushrooms
• 1.5 tbs walnut, chopped
• 1/5 tbs parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tbs olive oil

Preparation

Cook rice for about 40 minutes until cooked. You can either use a rice cooker or cook it in a pot the traditional way.

In a pan, heat olive oil, add shallot and carrots. Cover with a lid and let the mixture cook, then after 10 min add mushrooms, cool for an additional 10 min or until the water has evaporated. Add cooked rice, stir and adjust with salt and pepper. Add walnuts and parsley. Mix well and serve.

Rice, Side Dish, Vegan carrots, forestiere, mushrooms, Rice, shallots, Side Dish, walnuts, wild rice

La Fregola è gelosa del risotto – Fregola allo zafferano con zucchine e funghi

I adore Fregola’s texture…those little round balls that are similar to couscous but are really not…It’s a pasta specialty from Sardinia and when cooked they remain somehow chewy and al dente at the same time.

This fregola has been prepared like risotto with a saffron broth then enhanced at the end with grilled vegetables and parmesan. I think you can find Fregola at any Italian grocery store or specialty store. We have a Sardinian restaurant in San Francisco called La Ciccia, they serve traditional Sardinian cuisine, which is really good (you can find fregola dishes, octopus in umido, pane carasau, etc… lots of traditional Sardinian products) and not really the typical Italian-American you see very often in many Italian restaurants, which I think is a mixture of different cuisines and influences. It might have been traditional 150 years ago, then with time, it became a modified cuisine mixed with local influences and ingredients.

Fregola is an authentic Sardinian pasta product and I have never seen it served in any other Italian restaurant other than at La Ciccia. As a matter of fact, I have never seen it in other parts of Italy either because it is a very regional product mainly consumed in Sardinia. So if you can find it, try it out.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not saying Italian-American is not good food, I’m just saying it’s just not real traditional Italian cuisine. For example Cioppino, that tomato seafood stew you can find in many restaurants in San Francisco, even though it sounds Italian, it is not. It’s something that was created in San Francisco. Isn’t that funny? A well-made cioppino is excellent, but it’s not really Italian even though you can find some similar dishes in Italy, I have never seen Cioppino.

I would be very curious to see the cuisine in Australia, if it went through the same trends and if it evolved like cuisine in the US did. Australia being also a new country, it might have had a similar phenomenon. A friend of mine gave me an Australian cook book she bought over there, and I have to say that the cuisine is very interesting with lots of influences too but put together differently.

Anyway, going back to Fregola, which is somehow the topic of this post, it can be cooked like risotto, or like pasta, or used in soups, or like couscous. It is a very versatile little ball and really delicious.

Ingredients for 3-4

• 1 cup fregola
• 2 zucchini, sliced crosswise
• 10 medium size mushrooms
• 1 shallot
• 1 saffron dose
• 2 cups or more vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• Fresh parmigiano reggiano, grated
• 1 tbs olive oil
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Infuse broth with saffron for about 20 minutes.

In a medium pot, heat olive oil, add shallots and brown them. Add fregola and coat it with olive oil as you would do for risotto. Add saffron broth and wine gradually. Adjust with salt and pepper.

Grill zucchini in a grill pan and cut in smaller pieces. Set aside. Saute mushrooms in 1 tsp olive oil, and cook until the water evaporates.  Mix with zucchini.

When fregola is cooked. Add vegetables, and stir well. Add parmiggiano and serve hot.

Grains, Side Dish, Vegetarian - dairy fregola, mushrooms, risotto, saffron, Side Dish, zucchini

La jolie Madeleine et Stanislas – Madeleines aux olives, origan et gruyère

After a sunny and perfect weekend, not too much breeze, not too hot, just perfect day of hanging out with a friend, I realized that when people drop by, I never have snacks to offer them. I rarely snack or buy snacks, so when you have nothing to offer people other than wine, or apéritif, they tend to get buzzed a little too fast. So having little bites would be something to think about.

As every Sunday, I speak with my mom who keeps me updated on what is going on over there. So she had guests and made mini savory olive madeleines in her fancy silicon molds. I don’t know why I never of think of making those. They are perfect for an apéritif, snack or whatever, you can even even freeze them…so I figured I would make some too, and if no guests show up, I will give them to my neighbor. Which is what happened.

They’re fun to make and they don’t have to be the regular boring ones. In France, savory madeleines are common, it’s somehow trendy, and they’re great to nibble on. Not that I particularly love to follow a trend, because sometimes they don’t make any sense, but if you taste those, a lot of sense is in there. I can assure you.

Here is for the little story….Madeleines de Commercy are born in Lorraine that’s why I am bringing this up (yes again, it’s a rainy region, but lots of stuff happened there! and Commercy is a small town – when it’s rainy, people stay inside, and lots of stuff happen in rainy regions). In 1755, King Stanislas (he was a Polish King who was a also Duke of Lorraine and ruled it for years; we have a gorgeous square called Place Stanislas with all Golden painted doors with the statue of the King in the middle) had an argument with his pastry chef, who quit “il a rendu son tablier“, he gave his apron back! Soon after, the King with his sweet tooth, got introduced to a pretty young lady whose name was Madeleine Paulmier, a servant at some marquise estate. She made those beautiful little bites for the King who became addicted to them and probably to her too, since he was known to like the ladies. She then became his personal supplier. Those little oval golden nuggets with the shape of a shell were then named after our pretty baker. Since then, Commercy has been famous for its madeleine fabrication.

Now the madeleine has evolved into a savory one and can be fun to make and to eat too. I think I will post more madeleines recipes…don’t even know why I didn’t think about it sooner. So much clutter in my mind lately, too many recipes and too little time.

For those savory madeleines, I used olive oil, the sweet ones need butter. Whenever I can substitute butter with olive oil, I do it. You can use butter too if you prefer in this recipe. My recipes are lenient, when you use the base quantities, you can flavor the rest with your ingredients.

Ingredients for 16 madeleines

• 5.30 oz (or 150 g) flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1. 35 fl oz (or 4 cl) olive oil
• 1 fl oz (or 3 cl) milk
• 1 tbs fresh oregano, chopped
• 2. 16 oz (or 60 g) gruyère cheese, grated
• 2 tbs kalamata olives, chopped
• salt and pepper

Preparation

In a container, mix flour and baking powder. In another container, mix eggs and milk, then add to the flour. Gradually add olive oil and mix well to obtain a smooth but sticky dough. Add gruyère, oregano, olives, and mix well to combine all ingredients together. Add salt and pepper. I add more salt than I would to a savory dough, I like them to be on the salty side, but you might not. I always taste the dough before adjusting with salt.

Place in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

Butter madeleine molds, and fill each with with dough but not up to the top, only 3/4 filled. Place in a pre-heated oven at 375F for about 10-15 min, or until the madeleines have risen and became golden.

Breads, Side Dish gruyere, madeleine, olives, oregano, savory madeleine, Side Dish, snack