Posts tagged Appetizer
I got my purse stolen – Purses filled with crayfish, leeks and cherry tomatoes, curry cream sauce
Feb 8th
Aumonières aux écrevisses, poireaux et tomates cerises, sauce curry
I am back in the US and I did not post anything while in France, simply because I had no time to cook – I think I prepared lunch for my parents twice, the rest of my stay my mom cooked and we had guests so no time to shot anything…and to be honest, I had no motivation to cook. What a shame!!!! I always think, I will have time to shot the old town, la vieille ville or our gorgeous Place Stanislas (the most beautiful square in Europe) painted in gold, or our beautiful architecture. But no, I get there and I get caught in family stuff, my life changes completely, and this time I even left my camera in the suitcase! Oh well, c’est comme ca, et tant pis!
These purses are made with feuilles de brick (also called brick dough or brick pastry in the US) that I bought while I was in France (they’re more popular over there than filo dough) , they’re mainly used in middle eastern cuisine and really hard to find in the US, so far I have not found yet a store that carry them, except Amazon, but they’re too expensive. I paid only 0.90 Euros for a pack of 10. You can substitute filo dough sheets, but I prefer the texture of feuilles de brick, they’re more resistant and not as fragile.
Aumonières were an old type of purse that people use to carry on their belt so that no one would steal the money. In the food world they refer to any dough (crêpe, filo dough, feuilles de brick) filled with anything, it can be fish, vegetables, meat, etc.. basically it’s a eatable purse filled with food instead of money.
Sometimes I like to substitute crème fraîche with fromage blanc. If you are using fromage blanc instead of the heavy cream for the sauce, you won’t be able to boil it, not cook it, so you’ll have a cold sauce instead of hot. In this case, a hot sauce goes much better with the whole dish since the purses are hot.
You can use shrimps or scallops instead of crayfish, and use your creativity for the filling, it’s all about what you like!
Ingredients for 4 people
- 8 feuilles de brick
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 leek, chopped
- 1/2 lb crayfish tales (already cooked)
- about 16 cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- salt and pepper
For the sauce
- Crème fraîche or fromage blanc
- Curry to taste
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
Preparation
Heat olive oil in a pan. Add leeks and cook until tender. Adjust with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Cut two circles of about 2.5 inches 4 brick sheets. Then take a whole sheet, brush the surface with olive oil, and place two of the small circles in the middle. Divide the leeks in the center of these circles, add six tomato halves on top of the leeks and top it off with the crayfish, Sprinkle with sesame seeds, salt and pepper. Proceed the same way for the other purses.
Close the purses by bringing the sides to the front forming a purse. Tie it up with cooking thread. Bake in a pre heated oven at 370 F for about 15 minutes, make sure the purses don’t burn or become too dark.
For the sauce, bring the cream, lemon juice and curry to a light boil, then add salt and pepper.
Serve the purses hot with the sauce on the side.
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.
Oeuf cocotte with spinach, shiitake, prosciutto and truffle oil
Nov 13th
Oeufs cocotte aux épinards, shiitake, jambon de parme et huile de truffe noire
I cooked a dinner last week for a lovely couple who wanted their dinner theme to be white Alba truffles. Out of six courses, three had truffles in it. The smell brought me back to my childhood….My father used to go look for truffles with his dog and brought home a lot of those delicious mushrooms. He was often complaining that his dog Bobi, would find the truffles, but then would eat them too. Italians are crazy for truffles and of course enjoy them as often as they can. In France the most popular truffle is the black truffle from Périgord region.
The French say their black truffles from Périgord are the best and Italians claim their white truffle from Alba in Piedmont are the absolute best…so one thing I know is that in the US white Alba truffles are as expensive as gold. Their price fluctuates daily and the price per ounce is outrageous, but what makes the price is supply and demand, so I guess they’re just high in demand and according to the weather conditions in their flavor changes dramatically.
I bought fleur de sel with black truffle that enhances many dishes, and go perfectly with egg, creamy dishes, pasta, etc…
These oeufs cocotte are fairly easy, do not require specific culinary skills, and are quick to make, so they’re perfect for a light elegant lunch. Here there are two eggs for a more substantial meal or as a main course.
Ingredients for 2 people
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 1 cup of cooked spinach
- 1 cup shiitake
- 2 tbs crème fraîche
- 4 eggs (2 each)
- 2 slices prosciutto, roughly diced
- truffle salt
- truffle oil
- pepper
Preparation
Saute shallot in olive oil. Add cooked chopped spinach, add a little salt and pepper. Stir well for a few minutes, then set aside. In the same pan, saute shiitake until the water evaporates, and mushrooms are soft. Set aside. In two individual ramequins, divide spinach, then shiitake. Add 1 tbs crème fraîche on each ramequin. Add prosciutto, then eggs and sprinkle with truffle salt and a little truffle oil, then pepper.
Cook for about 7 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 380F. Don’t over cook the eggs, remove them from the oven when the whites are still a little runny, they will continue cooking when out of the oven. Serve hot with some toasted baguette.
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.
Cocotte of rainy days – Oeuf cocotte with endives and morbier cheese
Jul 28th
La cocotte des jours pluvieux – Oeuf cocotte aux endives et morbier
I made these oeufs cocotte while I was back in France last June, the days were long, day light lasted until 10:30 pm. I love the month of June, it’s the longest and the most exciting of all the months where people have not left on vacation yet, unlike July or August when most large Northern cities are empty, everyone goes dans le midi! and we celebrate summer with Music Festival, music bands play all over the country on June 21, the streets are filled with happiness and excitement. June is always so vibrant and colorful with such a special ambiance.
June is over now, and August is around the corner…so it’s about time for another oeuf cocotte!
When I feel like eating eggs, most of the time they come in this cocotte form. You break the yolk and you dig further down the little cocotte to find more exciting bites. In France we call those containers cocotte, in this case, it’s a mini cocotte.
I used morbier cheese, made with raw milk and has a line of black ashes in the center of the cheese, it has a sweet taste and somehow a creamy texture. Its fabrication has been traced back to 1795 where documents found describe a round cheese from 8 kilos to 10 kilos and called “Petit Morbier“. The great news is that you can find Morbier in the US!
The combination of the bitterness of endives and sweetness of Morbier complement each other to perfection. I also used crème allégée, which is a “light” heavy cream with 5% fat. I haven’t found anything similar in the US, so just use heavy cream or regular crème fraîche.
Not only oeufs cocotte are delicious but they’re fun to eat, so just play with ingredients and have fun! But do not overcook the yolks or they’ll be ruined.
Ingredients for 4 cocottes
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 3 small endives, finely sliced crosswise
- 4 tbs crème fraîche, or heavy cream
- 1 tbs olive oil or butter
- 150 g morbier cheese sliced
- 4 eggs
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Heat olive oil in a pan and brown shallots. Add endives, salt and pepper and cover with a lid. Cook at medium heat until the endives are soft. Divide the endives in mini cocottes or ramequins. Add 1 tbs crème fraîche on each ramequin and top with a few pieces of morbier cheese. Break the egg, adjust with salt and pepper and add the rest of the cheese.
Cook in a pre-heated oven at 370F for about 7 minutes. The egg whites need the be slightly runny when you remove the eggs from the oven, they will keep cooking when outside of the oven. Serve immediately.
Vincent and his “lait ribot” – Wild mushrooms, rutabagas quiche with farmer’s cheese and buttermilk
Mar 4th
Vincent et son lait Ribot – Quiche aux champignons sauvages, rutabagas, fromage frais et lait ribot
I made this post, essentially for Vincent (oui rien que pour toi!), our dear friend from Bretagne (Brittany) and originally from a small town of Malestroit who introduced me to lait ribot very recently. I had no idea what lait ribot was before that night. He was making something très Breton, like crunchy buckwheat galettes soaked in lait ribot, and I was so skeptical and curious at the same time. I thought “Lait quoi??” “lait ribot? c’est quoi ca?” (lait ribot, what’s that?). He said, “c’est breton, en Bretagne ca se mange comme ca”. So let’s eat it the Breton way!
When I tasted it, I loved it. It was love at first bite! Lait Ribot is a specialty milk from Bretagne, that’s why I never heard of it (in France, outside of Bretagne, it’s almost impossible to find) and is wildly used there to make crêpes, galettes and so many other dishes but it’s also consumed as a refreshing drink. It’s basically a fermented milk that you get after the fabrication of the butter (in French you can also call it petit lait, or babeurre, literally meaning beating the butter, or beated milk) and its consumption is retraced back to the Gauls! Every country has its own version of fermented milk, and in the US it’s called buttermilk.
If it was not for Vincent, I would not have bought buttermilk…so I owe him this one.
Call me ignorant but I had no idea lait Ribot was similar to buttermilk. I had no idea about the existence of lait ribot, and I had no idea what buttermilk was either. So pardon my ignorance…Usually when I see the word “butter” on a bottle, I don’t bother. I stay away from butter.
After drinking lait ribot and thinking about its use, I decided to try it in a quiche and substitute it to cream which would probably make the quiche less rich and of course lighter.
I made an olive oil wholewheat crust instead of a traditional pâte brisée which gave the quiche a wholesome and hearty flavor and texture. I usually love root vegetables with wild mushrooms, they complement each other very well.
The farmer’s cheese comes from my Greek grocery store, Taki the owner sells the most unique and unexpected products, this cheese looks similar to ricotta but is not salty, more tangy and lighter in calories. So needless to say that this quiche is very light…and so delicious! Ils sont forts ces bretons!
MERCI VINCENT!
Ingredients for 6 people
For the crust
- 4.23 oz (or 110 g) wholewheat flour
- water
- 4 tbs olive oil
- salt
For the filling
- 1 large shallot, chopped
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 lb mixed wild mushrooms such as chanterelles, shiitake, oyster’s mushrooms, etc…
- 4 medium size rutabagas
- 5 large tbs farmer’s cheese (or ricotta)
- 1 tbs mixed herbs (chives, parsley, thyme, etc…)
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 3 eggs
- 1 2/3 cups buttermilk
- 3 tbs Gruyère cheese, grated
- salt and pepper
Preparation
For the crust
Place flour in a mixing container, add olive oil, water and salt and mix to form an homogeneous dough. Add enough water to allow the dough to form a ball, non sticky and smooth.
For the filling
Wash rutabagas and peel them. Boil them in water until tender. Cut in 8 mm slices crosswise. Set aside.
Clean and wash the mushrooms, Cut them in medium size pieces. Heat olive oil in a pan, add shallots and brown them. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cook until the water evaporates. Set aside.
In a bowl, mix farmer’s cheese with herbs, salt and pepper using a fork.
Roll the dough and place in a non stick round tart pan. Spread the cheese mixture on the bottom. Add a layer of rutabagas on top of the cheese, then mushrooms.
In another mixing container, beat eggs and buttermilk, salt and pepper. Pour on top of the vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with gruyère cheese and cook in the oven for about 35-40 min at 370F or until the top is golden. Serve hot with an endive salad.
Addicted to octopus – Chards with octopus and ginger orange dressing
Oct 26th
Accro au poulpe – Blettes et poulpe à la vinaigrette de gingembre et citron
Well after about one month of no blogging, and taking a break from it, I had to come back to my old life simply because I am starting to miss it. I apologize for disappearing this way, without really no explanation. I want to send a big thanks to everyone who sent me wonderful little message asking how I was doing. That really brightened my dark days. There are truly wonderful bloggers out there whose kindness really touched me. One more time, Merci infiniment to all of you who got in touch with me and to all of you who kept reading my old posts.
I hope no one thought I was some kind of lunatic (in French lunatique, means moody) who just disappears without leaving any trace. I felt somehow overwhelmed and unmotivated and busy with some other projects and just wanted to take a little break from the blog world.
I hope everyone out there is doing marvelously, happy and in good spirit!
I have always loved octopus, but it seems like little by little, I am really getting addicted to it. Isn’t this a weird addiction? Oh well, I think we all have a weird attachment to something in particular, don’t you think?
I got somehow inspired by the Japanese cooked spinach dish, I believe it’s called ohitashi, but here I used chards instead. Chards have a stronger flavor than spinach but I really like them with octopus. The dense octopus meat goes perfectly well with the leafy texture and flavor of the chards. The whole dish being enhanced with a citrussy and ginger dressing. This is a simple dish, with true flavors that would be perfect as a seafood tapas.
The Chinese market I go to sometimes, have cut and pre-cooked octopus, so you don’t have to buy a whole one, that is perfect for small portions.
Ingredients for 4
- 400 g octopus
- 4 bunches chards
For the vinaigrette
- 1 tsp ginger, grated
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp shoyu
- 1 tbs orange juice
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot. Remove stems from chards. Add chards to boiling water. Cook for about 7 minutes, then drain and let it cool. When completely cooled, squeeze extra water with your hands and form a small oval shape ball.
Cook octopus until soft (about one and a half hours) or if you use pre-cooked octopus, just place it in boiling water and let it cook for about 15 minutes. Slice each tentacle in about 2mm thick slice and place it on top of each chard ball.
Combine all the vinaigrette ingredients together, mix well and spoon some of it on top of the octopus and around the spinach.
An Asian twist – Coconut crêpes stuffed with shrimps, wood ear mushrooms and spinach
Sep 18th
Un petit air asiatique – Crêpes à la noix de coco farcies aux crevettes, champignons noirs et épinards
What I love most about those crêpes is the color, and no it’s not a corn pancake, the deep yellow color comes from turmeric. I ate something similar at a friend’s house from Cambodia a long time ago, except that pork and crab were replacing the shrimps. I also wanted to use the rice flour and wood ear mushrooms I had bought and that I never use. So I decided to give it a try…crêpes with an Asian twist. I think those crêpe have more than an Asian twist.
The crêpe batter tends to be on the soft side, so you need to cook each side really well, until almost crunchy. I used a combination of brown rice and Khorasan wheat flours which even though does contain gluten, is easier to digest than regular flour and has a higher protein content.
You can find fresh wood ear mushrooms at the Asian market, I used the dry kind. I would have used shitakee if I had some, but the wood ear mushrooms were perfectly fine, beside, since I cook with shiitake a lot, I figured those mushrooms would be a little more original. They’re firm with a thick skin and interesting texture resembling jelly. Their texture has a crunchy bite which I find very pleasant.
For the stuffing, you can certainly use what you like, the crepes have a subtle coconut flavor, so ground meat would also work.
Ingredients for about 5-6 small crêpes
For the batter
- 2.82 oz (or 80 g) brown rice flour
- 1.41 oz (or 40 g) khorasan wheat flour
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup coconut milk
- 3/4 cup water
- salt
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
For the filling
- 1.5 cup wood ear mushrooms, soaked and finely cut
- 24 medium sized shrimps, peeled and deveined
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tbs fish sauce
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 1 cup cooked spinach
- 2 scallions, chopped
Preparation
For the batter
Mix flours together, then add egg, water, coconut milk, turmeric and salt. Mix well to obtain a smooth batter. If too thick add a little water. Let it rest for about 30 min.
For the filling
Soak mushrooms in hot water until they become soft, about 30-45 minutes. Cut in small strips. Set aside.
Marinate mushrooms strips with shrimps, fish sauce, sugar, garlic for about one hour.
Saute spinach in 1 garlic clove chopped and olive oil.
Heat olive oil in a wok, add mushrooms and shrimp mixture and saute until shrimps are cooked and liquid has evaporated.
Start making crêpes. Using a small pan of about 12 cm diameter, add some batter and proceed as you would make regular crêpes, spreading the batter all over the pan. Let it cook until one side of the crêpe, has become golden brown and crunchy. Add some of the filling on one half of the crêpe, add spinach and scallions. Fold the other half on top and let it cook for a few more minutes.
Remove from the pan and serve with mint and lettuce leaves.
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.
