Vegetables
Thank you Antoine – French vegetarian shepherd’s pie with mushrooms, taleggio and three purées
Jan 7th
Merci Antoine – Hachis parmentier végétarien aux champignons, taleggio et aux trois purées
In France Hachis parmentier is something eaten quite frequently and that kids love, due to its combination of potato puree and ground meet. My mom being Italian, she never really prepared this, but when I went to my friend’s houses, hachis parmentier was a dish served quite often. I remember my mom saying that she didn’t like it because it was made with leftover meats therefore not something too exciting (actually people do use meat they had left from pot-au-feu or boiled meats, etc…). A “hachis” is a dish where all the ingredients are ground, chopped alltogether. Haché means ground, viande hachée, ground meat.
Parmentier comes from Antoine Parmentier, a pharmacist and chemist born in the 18e century. After a trip to Ireland, he discovered the health benefits of potatoes and became convinced that potatoes would help treat problems of poor blood circulation, intestinal problems, etc…He introduced potato to Louis XVI to cure starvation and as a result this dish was born. I think the Irish or English version is called Shepherd’s Pie.
I have been wanting to make a vegetarien hachis parmentier and have been thinking about this recipe for quite some time, without really succeeding in finalizing it. Not being a huge fan of potatoes, I wanted to use something “more” than potatoes, so here is a purée of carrots, yams and sweet potatoes and I honestly loved every bite of this hachis parmentier. I cooked the carrots and potatoes in milk so they absorbed a good amount of it while cooking. The hachis is made of wild mushrooms, leeks and celeri…the sweet flavor of the potatoes combined with the nutty mushrooms and melted taleggio is simply fantastic (Taleggio is an Italian soft cheese with a fragrant and strong nutty flavor). Funny, how you can see on the picture some smoke coming up from the hachis, since it came straight out of the oven. I wouldn’t think the smoke would show on a picture.
You can add more mushroom mixture, and play around with the layers, in my version I added a thicker layer of potato mixture, it’s all about how you want it to be. I served this in individual ramequins with a small salad, you can serve hachis parmentier in a large dish and serve it as a meal by itself, it’s a very satisfying meal and really don’t need anything else on the side.
Ingredients for 4 individual hachis
For the mushroom-leek mixture
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, finely diced
- 1/2 lb mixed mushrooms (cremini, shiitake, chanterelles, etc….) cut in small pieces
- 1 leek, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- thyme
- Taleggio, sliced
- Panko bread crumbs for topping
For the potato-carrot mixture
- 2 large carrots, peeled and cut about 1 inch trunks
- 1 small yam, peeled and cut in about 1 inch pieces
- 1 small sweet potato and cut in about 1 inch pieces
- milk (enough to cover the vegetables)
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Start by preparing the potato-carrot purée. Cook carrots, sweet potatoes, yams in milk at medium heat. When cooked remove from stove, drain milk and keep aside and mash vegetables. Adjust with salt and pepper. If too thick add milk set aside.
Heat olive oil in a pan, add shallots and celery and cook until tender and slightly browned. Add leeks and let them cook covered until tender. Remove from pan and set aside. Add some extra olive oil, and cook mushrooms until water evaporates. When cooked, add leeks and mix well. Add garlic and let cook for a few minutes more. Add thyme, salt and pepper.
In four deep individual dishes or ramequins, place one layer of mushrooms, top it with taleggio, then finish with carrot-potato purée. Sprinkle with panko breadcrumbs. Cook in a pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes, then broil top until it turns golden brown. Serve immediately.
We dressed up the beets – Beets stuffed with goat cheese, walnuts and garlic on a bed of kale vinaigrette
Dec 15th
On a habillé les betteraves – Betteraves farcies au chèvre, ail et noix sur lit de chou vert vinaigrette
I am not used to eating beets in hot preparations, and I wanted to explore this further. Sometimes, you are so used to eating things in a certain way, that the thought of changing ways makes you uncomfortable. It’s funny how we, humans are creatures of habits. In France, beets are eaten either raw or cooked but in salads, but rarely hot. At least, I never did. I have roasted them a few times in the oven, and I liked them, but that’s it. Ca s’arrête là. It stops there. Beets being roots, I figured that like potatoes, turnips or any other root vegetable, you can accommodate them in many different ways, one of which being stuffed.
I tried those with Roquefort cheese instead of goat cheese and it was delicious. You can play around a bit with the recipe and I prefer Roquefort than goat cheese, but goat cheese and beets are a perfect combination. You can use smaller beets and serve two instead of one. It really depends on how many number of courses you have. Also, you can serve it on a bed of arugula salad, endives, etc…any kind of greens you like. As you can see this dish is quite versatile, and playful.
As for the color of beets, there is not much difference between red beets and golden beets, other than the golden ones tends to be a tiny sweeter and have a more fragrant flavor, but the difference is really not that big.
Ingredients for 4
For the beets
- 4 medium sized beets
- 4 tbs soft goat cheese (or more to be adjusted according to beet size)
- 4 tsp, chopped walnuts
- 1 large garlic clove, crushed
- 1 bunch kale
- salt and pepper
For the vinaigrette
- 3 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs sherry vinegar
- 1.5 tsp pomegranate molasses
- 1 tbs chives, finely chopped
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Cook beets in water until tender. Drain, let it cool and peel. Cut a bit of the bottom to make it flat so the beet can stand sill, then cut the top and scoop the inside of the beet to make room for the cheese. Scoop about one third, not the whole beet.
In a small bowl, using a fork mix cheese, garlic and walnuts previously toasted. Stuff beets with the cheese mixture.
Blanch kale and when cooked, squeeze excess water.
Place stuffed beets in a tray and broil until the top turns golden brown.
Pour 2/3 of the vinaigrette on top of kale and toss well. Divide kale in plates, add one beet on top and pour the rest of the vinaigrette on top of beets. Serve warm.
Treadmill thoughts with Laurent – Lentils, roasted red pepper and kale salad with Labne tartine and eggplant purée
Dec 1st
Recettes du tapis roulant avec Laurent – Salade de lentilles, aux poivrons grillés et chou vert – tartine de labne et purée d’aubergines
My friend Laurent is French but he grew up in Tunis ( we keep each other company on the treadmill in the mornings), always shares with me his childhood memories about Tunisian cuisine and his culinary experiments (he is a fabulous cook and strangely enough we have the same culinary tastes). Yesterday morning he brought me some delicious molokhia he prepared (which is a typical Middle Eastern dish whose recipe varies from one country to another), and while eating it, It reminded me about my trip to Egypt and cruise on the Nile (the first Middle Eastern country I visited). When you start using some spices, you keep craving for more, and here I am, completely hooked on those exotic ingredients.
Thanks to Laurent, I discovered a wonderful Middle Eastern store Samirami in San Francisco, selling so many spices and Oriental products that became my supplier anytime I am in the mood for Middle Eastern flavors.
These days I have been hooked on Labne, which is a Kefir Cheese, similar to Greek yogurt but thicker, creamier and with a little salty flavor. It’s usually eaten with grilled pita, sprinkled with olive oil and za’atar (mixture of oregano, thyme, savory, sumac, sesame seeds and other middle eastern spices). Labne is delicious, and has little calories. I used toasted baguette, it might not be the most authentic bread to use, but it worked fine since I had no pita. The eggplant purée adds a smooth and velvety touch to this combination of textures. I added some green leafs to the lentils and roasted peppers for a little more robust flavor to the naturally nutty lentils and it was a very nice balance.
Labne, How did I manage to live all these years without you???? I have no idea…My life must have been so incomplete and I didn’t even know…
Ingredients for 2
For the lentils
- 150 g green lentils
- 1 carrot
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 onion
- 2 cloves
- 1 celery stick
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 bunch green cabbage, chards or any greens
- 3 tbs olive oil
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp pomegranate molasses
- 2 scallion, chopped
- 2 tbs cilantro, chopped
- salt and pepper
For the eggplant purée
- 1 large eggplant
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- thyme
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tsp olive oil
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- salt and pepper
For the labne tartine
- 2 slices toasted country bread
- 4 tbs labne
- za’atar to taste
- olive oil
Preparation
For the lentil salad
Cook lentils in water with carrot, onion, celery and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and let cook until the lentils are soft but not mushy. Drain and remove all the vegetables from the lentils and set aside
Cook cabbage in salted water. Drain and squeeze excess water. Chop in small pieces and set aside.
Roast red bell pepper under broiler on all sides, until the skin darkens. Remove from oven, let it cool in a plastic bag, peel and remove seeds. Dice in small pieces.
Mix greens, and red pepper with lentils.
Prepare dressing with mixing olive oil, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, salt and pepper. Pour on lentils and add cilantro and scallions. Toss well.
For the eggplant purée
Cut eggplants in two lengthwise. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Add onions on top, sprinkle with thyme and cook in a pre-heated oven at 400F. When soft, remove from the oven, let it cool and scoop out the pulp of the eggplant.
In a mixer mix pulp, add lemon juice, garlic, olive oil and adjust with salt and pepper.
For the labne tartine
Grill each slices of country bread. Spread Labne, add za’atar and sprinkle with olive oil.
Why not? – Spaghetti squash with artichoke pesto
Jun 8th
Perchè no? – Zucca spaghetti con pesto ai carciofini
Crushing these gorgeous baby artichokes into a pesto broke my heart. I have always wanted to make artichoke pesto but never really managed to turn the artichokes into a paste. They’re so cute and delicious as hearts that really putting them through a mixer, is something I hate to do. Today, I got the courage to do it. Here, we got something different and quite delicious. Honestly, I am not sure I will have the courage to to this again. I simply love to bite into an artichoke heart, I love the crunchy bite, it’s that simple. You could use this pesto on pasta of course, or as a sauce for grilled meats…or even to spread it on some country bread.
When you’re eating spaghetti squash prepared this way, you almost forgot, it’s not pasta. I undercooked the squash to get a crunchy bite, to get the “al dente” feeling. I loved this pesto. Now for the vegan crowd, you can omit the parmesan and add more walnuts. I use very little parmesan to enhance this pesto a tiny bit. You don’t want to add too much cheese either and overpower the natural delicious flavor of the artichokes.
This pesto tends to be lighter than regular basil/pine nuts pesto, its texture is more dense too, so I added a few tablespoons of water to make it creamier.
I am flying tomorrow for France, to go see my father who had a stroke last December, so I will try to post a few local recipes, in the meantime, have a nice and colorful June.
Ingredients for 2 as a main course
- 1 large spaghetti squash
- 1 lb artichokes, trimmed and cleaned
- 1/2 cup parsley
- 1/2 cup basil
- 2 tbs raw unsalted walnuts
- 1 garlic clove, crushed + 1 chopped
- 2 tbs parmesan (optional)
- 3 tbs olive oil
- water
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Cut the squash lengthwise, wrap in parchment paper and cook in a pre-heated oven at 400F for about 45 minutes to an hour.
Remove seeds first, then the spaghetti pulp. Set aside and keep warm. Save eight artichokes quarters for decoration
Heat up a pan, add the crushed garlic, stir and add baby artichokes cut in quarters. Adjust with salt and pepper, add 2 tbs white wine, and cover, decrease heat and let cook until tender. Let it cool.
For the pesto, mix artichokes with all other ingredients a mixer. Adjust with water if the pesto is too thick.
Add pesto to the spaghetti squash and mix well using your hands, to coat the squash with the pesto. Serve with an extra tablespoon of pesto on top and four artichokes quarters on each plate.
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.
Kale is in fashion – Spicy kale and chick peas with tzatziki
Mar 18th
La mode du chou frisé – Chou frisé aux pois chiches épices et tzatziki
Originally I wanted to keep this vegan, then I could not resist to use that beautiful Greek yogurt I had in the refrigerator. Kale is quite THE popular vegetable these days, at least in California, and everyone talks about its health benefits, and how everyone should use it in its diet. It’s even used in juices along with other fruits and vegetables when doing a detox, I tried it in a “Green juice” and I have to admit that I tasted it and really liked it. It seems like juicing is quite in fashion too in California but its real health benefits have been questioned among experts.
I often ate kale growing up, it was regularly found on our table, since my grandfather grew it in the garden. I consider myself lucky enough that my parents always made me eat what they were eating, and there was no special “meal” for the kids. People might criticize this upbringing, and think it’s a little strict, but in retrospective, I think it helped me to develop a palate and tastes opened to so many different flavors and textures.
Kale and chick peas are a wonderful combination, their respective textures complement each other quite well. Tempeh is also a great alternative to chick peas in this dish.
Tzatziki is always a delicious appetizer dish (or meze), I like to serve it as a side dish sometimes like here, it’s always refreshing. Tzatziki is mainly a Greek specialty but often found in Turkey too. It’s made with goat milk yogurt, thinly sliced cucumbers, olive oil, mint, garlic. I would think that everyone has its own specific recipe. I do not consider myself to be an expert in Greek cuisine, and only been to Greece once, but this version of tzatziki is more than delicious. I will have to go and check at my Greek grocer if he has a family recipe to share with me…but I guess if it’s a family recipe, he won’t.
Ingredients for 2 as a side dish
- 1 bunch kale
- 1 cup cooked chick peas
- 2 tbs soy sauce
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
- 1 tsp ginger, grated
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 red chili, seeded and sliced
- 1 tbs olive oil
For the tzatziki
- 1 cup Greek sheep yogurt
- 2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 1tbs mint
- olive oil
- salt
Preparation
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, cook kale for 2 minutes, drain and squeeze excess water.
Warm olive oil in a pan, add onions, stir for a few minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients except for the kale and chick peas. Stir well. Add vegetables and cook until fragrant.
Serve in small plates with tzatziki on the side.
For the tzatziki
Squeeze extra water using your hands from the cucumber. Add to the yogurt, then add remaining ingredients and let it rest for about 15-30 minutes.
Surprise, surprise – Artichoke and potatoes papillote Provençale
Mar 8th
Surprise, surprise – Papillotes d’artichauts et pommes de terre à la Provençale
If you like a light and healthy cuisine and yet very easy to prepare, well papillotes are for you. This cooking technique can accommodate any ingredient, fish, meat, fruits, vegetables, etc… and papillotes can be prepared in advance and are cooked at the last minute, so you don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen when the guest are having fun.
Even though easy to prepare, there are some basic rules that need to be followed when preparing a papillote, such as cutting finely and regularly the fruits or vegetables to reduce cooking time and keep the flavors. Also marinating some fishes, seafood, or poultry to enhance the dish. Aren’t those a delightful way to serve your side dish when you have guests? It’s like a little present on your plate, you open it like a candy et voilà, surprise!
You can play with the folding of the papillote, as a rectangle, triangle, as a candy shape, or even heart shape and be creative with it.
Today I found those gorgeous and fresh baby artichokes at my favorite market, and I gave them a provençal makover. You need small creamer potatoes that will remain firm when cooked and you get a delicious dish avec un petit air de Provence. These papillotes would be perfect served with a white fish or poultry. I ate mine as a main meal and it was perfect.
While in France I searched all the new products such as salts, peppers, etc…I found this amazing salt and I fall madly in love with it. It’s a sel gris de Guérande (Grey Guérande salt) with Piment d’Espelette (a fragrant Basque pepper), I love it so much that I just add it in any dish. You could make this yourself, if you buy Piment d’Espelette and Sel gris de Guérande, then mix them together and keep them in an air-tight container for a while to get the salt infused.
You can add sun dried tomatoes and onions to give a little more character to the dish. Also, both aluminum foil or parchment paper can be used, so have fun with your papillotes!
Ingredients for 2
- 1/2 lb baby artichokes, trimmed and cut in halves
- 1/2 lb creamer potatoes, cut in halves
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tbs dry white wine
- 1 tsp herbes de Provence
- about 10 kalamata olives
- Sel de Guérande au Piment d’Espelette (optional)
- 1 tbs olive oil
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Heat olive oil in a pan, add garlic and stir for a few seconds, then add artichokes and potatoes. Coat the vegetables with the olive oil, then add wine. Decrease heat and cover with lid. Cook for about 5 minutes. In a mixing container, add vegetables to herbes de Provence, olives, sun dried tomatoes (if using them), Piment d’Espelette salt and pepper. Mix well.
In a aluminum foil, add a little olive oil, place vegetables on top and close papillote very tightly so no air can get through it.
Cook in a pre-heated oven at 370F for about 15 minutes. remove from the oven and serve.
My little volcano – Egg nests in a green crater
Sep 15th
Mon petit volcan – Nids d’oeufs en cratère vert
I got inspired by a very popular Turkish dish called “Mthlama” made out of Swiss chards, onions, mint and eggs. I used kale in this dish, simply because I love the texture of a thicker green leaf.
Turkish cuisine has combined flavors of Mediterranean and Arabic cuisine, of course Ottoman Empire was so powerful and rich in culture and arts, that left a huge trace in a large part of the Asian continent. Turkish cuisine is high in colors and flavors, it has evolved during centuries into a very refined cuisine. Due to their geographical location, the seven Turkish regions have various specialties all sharing a common point of having powerful flavors. I would like to visit Turkey some day, not only for their gastronomy but for their designers as well.
When you’re in the mood for some greens, this is a very fragrant and light recipe that will satisfy you without leaving you hungry. I would not call this a very elegant nor sophisticated dish, it’s definitely a rustic dish that sits in your plate with an imperfect shape. But when the yolks starts dripping on the minty greens, and you dip your “mouillette” (toasted bread sticks for dipping) in it, it is pure pleasure…you know, one of those simple pleasure, such as smelling a rose, or biting on a crunchy and fresh piece of baguette (that’s the French in me).
So if you have a bunch of greens but have no idea on how to prepare them, this is perfect. It does not need advanced culinary skills, just a few eggs, mint, et voilà c’est prêt!
Ingredients for 4
- 2 bunches kale
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1/3 cup vegetable broth
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 3 tbs mint
- 4 eggs
- 4 slices country bread sticks, toasted
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Blanch kale for 5 minutes in salted boiling water. Drain and chop in small strips, removing the stem which tends to be hard.
Heat olive oil in a pan, add onions and brown then them. Add Kale and broth, cover and let the kale cook and soften. Adjust with salt and pepper. Add paprika and mint and stir for another 5 minutes until the water and juices evaporates.
In a baking and deep dish, form little nests and break an egg in the middle. Add salt and pepper on top of the egg and drizzle with olive oil.
Cook in a pre-heated oven at 375F for 10 minutes, ensuring the egg is not over-cooked. Serve with toasted bread.
A crunchy bite – Cauliflower beignets with hot chili tomato sauce
Sep 8th
Ca croustille sous la dent – Beignets de chou fleur et sauce tomate piquante
I only have one or two recipe involving frying, I almost never fry food…and this for many reasons, first of all for health and calories issues and last but not least for the disgraceful smell of the house that has been subject to oil particles and fumes. That smell can remain in the house for weeks and it’s not a pleasant fragrance.
I ended up with a case of 9 large cauliflowers and really needed to find different ways to prepare them…After soups, gratins, salads, taboule, roasted…I finally gave in and decided to fry this last one…and to be real honest, I loved it. It can be quite addictive…I like a airy, thin and crunchy crust and that’s just the way those beignets turned out. It took them a while to get golden brown, probably because the oil was not that hot.
You can of course serve those beignets with a different dipping sauce, such as a spicy tartare or garlic tofu, or any sauce you like. To keep those vegan, do not add egg white, and they’ll be just as delicious.
Beignets in France are the equivalent of donuts, but I would certainly not call these donuts. The most traditional beignets are made during carnival (les beignets de carnaval) and are sweet…and of course fried in oil. The other savory versions are made with vegetables. You dip vegetables in a liquid batter, then you fry them.
The origin of beignets goes back to Roman times, when Romans had various ways of celebrating the awakening of nature with all kinds of rituals and meals. They were then consumed before the period of fasting that lasted 40 days, when Catholics were eating greasy food “Mardi Gras” (fat Tuesday) to get ready for their fast. Beignets have somehow a religious historical trace, like most ancient food.
Nowadays we eat donuts simply because they’re delicious, and that’s a good enough reason.
Ingredients for about 3-4
- 1 large cauliflower
- 4 tbs flour
- 4 tbs corn starch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbs chives, chopped
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 egg white, beaten (optional)
- 10 basil leaves
- vegetable oil
- salt and pepper
For the hot chili sauce
- 3 large tomatoes, peeled, seedless and crushed
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- tabasco (to taste)
- cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Start cutting the cauliflower in florets. Cook them in boiling water for three minutes. Drain and let cool.
For the batter, in a mixing bowl, beat egg white to a thick texture, then in another bowl, combine all other ingredients together. Incorporate egg white.
Heat oil in a wok. Dip each cauliflower floret into the batter and add to the oil. Let each floret turn golden brown. remove from oil and drain in a paper towel. Add each basil leaf to the wok and fry for about 30 seconds until crunchy (do not overcook or the leaves will break).
For the tomato sauce, heat olive oil in a pot, add 2 garlic clovess, stir for a few minutes, then add tomatoes. Let the tomatoes cook for about 10-15 minutes until the water evaporates. Remove from stove, let it cool and add all other ingredients.
Serve cauliflower hot with dipping sauce on the side and basil leaves.
Piperade revisited – Pipérade with polenta crostino and quail egg
Aug 1st
Pipérade revisitée – Pipérade avec crostino de Polenta et oeuf de caille
This “Pipérade Revisited” is a colorful dish, simply because it really represents what Citron et Vanille is all about…French, Italian, Mediterranean cuisine with a contemporary twist, using local ingredients.
Pipérade is a traditional Basque recipe (piper meaning pepper in Occitan language) made with Basque peppers, Piment d’Espelette, onions and tomatoes. I twisted it a little to adapt the whole dish with local ingredients and make it a little less traditional with the quail egg. I also used poblano peppers that are a great alternative to Basque peppers and widely available in California.
Usually the egg is added at the end of the cooking process inside the pipérade, I added mine on top of the polenta crostino. The Jambon de Bayonne (a basque cured ham) is also traditionally cooked and added inside the pipérade. I used Serrano ham, but prosciutto di parma works perfectly fine too. In this version, I grilled the ham and added on the side.
For the crostino, polenta has been cooked in a broth infused with thyme and finished with Basque sheep cheese such as Etorki, but Petit Basque can be a fair alternative if you cannot find Etorki. I topped it all with the cutest of all the eggs, quail egg. I love to substitute quail eggs to regular eggs, they do add an elegant finish to a small bite. This is a very versatile dish, you can serve it as a canape, an appetizer, then you need about 2 per person or make bigger crostoni and serve it as a main course. On fait comme on veut! we do as we please! Now knowing how much I adore making small bites, that’s how I serve mine.
For the polenta, you can use the express polenta, or the regular one which takes over one hour to prepare. It’s up to you, if you have time or not. The express polenta is an alternative when the focus of a dish is not on polenta like this one, and is an add-on.
Ingredients for 4
For the pipérade
- 1 large onion, minced
- 3 poblano peppers, sliced thin lengthwise
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced thin lengthwise
- 4 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeds removed
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tbs fresh thyme, chopped
- Piment d’Espelette
- 4 slices cured ham such as Jambon de Bayonne, Serrano ham or Prosciutto di Parma
- 4 quail eggs
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
For the polenta crostino
- 7 oz (or 200 g) polenta
- 3 cups (or 700 ml) vegetable broth
- 1 tbs thyme, chopped finely
- 2 tbs Etorki, grated + some for the shavings
- salt and pepper
- one pinch of sugar
Preparation
For the Pipérade
Heat olive oil in a pan and add onions. When onions are soft and golden brown, add peppers. Cook for out 10 minutes, then add tomates, garlic and herbs, salt and pepper. Adjust with sugar since the tomatoes tend to add a little acidity. Cover and cook slowly for about 30-45 minutes until the pipérade has reached a thick consistency and all the water has evaporated.
For the polenta crostino
Bring broth to a boil, add thyme. Let it boil for a few minutes, then add polenta. Keep stirring until the polenta has absorbed the broth (depending on which type polenta you used). When the polenta is cooked, adjust with salt and add cheese, stir until the cheese has melted and is well incorporated into the polenta.
Pour polenta in a flat tray, the polenta needs to be 1.5 cm thick. Let it cool. When cooled cut with cookie ring of about 6 cm diameter. Grill polenta in a grill pan. Grill each ham slice.
Heat olive oil in a pan, and cook quail eggs, sunny side up. Add salt and pepper.
Using a Ring, form a small tower with tapenade, top it with polenta crostino, add a quail egg, shave some cheese on top, and serve it with a slice of cured ham.
