Posts tagged olives
When you have too much dough – Mini quiches with zucchini, olives, feta and mint, wholewheat crust with herbes de Provence
Jul 29th
Quand on a des restes de pâte – Mini quiches aux courgettes, olives, feta et menthe, pâte brisée complète aux herbes de Provence
I made a large quiche just like those mini ones for a dinner party, and I had leftover dough…which I did not want to throw away. Why throw away food that you enjoyed making and put time into it? I love to play with crusts, quiches and tarts, after all, they’re the basics of French cuisine. For savory tarts, I love to use olive oil instead of butter in the crust, and make it wholesome. Olive oil adds a wonderful flavor to crusts and cakes and make them lighter. Of course traditional French cuisine uses more butter, but this blog is not about traditional French food.
I love the combination of zucchini, feta and mint, they pair so well in almost anything such as in savory cakes, flans, couscous, etc…The crust and its herbes de Provence flavor, gives you a kick of Southern French cuisine, with all its aromas, and fragrant scents. Yes indeed, these quiches will bring some warmth and will brighten your day, as Southern French food does, it’s filled with flavors, colors and freshness…so isn’t this a bit of happiness too?
I am one of those crazy people that get affected by the weather, and a bright day with natural light gives me so much happiness. If I could chose the perfect weather it would be a sunny day with 80F temperature, with a light breeze. If anyone of you live in that particular climate, please let me know and I will just move there!
(no humidity please). There is a French expression that most old people would respond to when asked, comment allez-vous? “How are you doing?” most of them respond, oh comme le temps!, meaning “like the weather”, which really can show you how much the French are truly “doing” like the weather! so if it’s raining, you can just imagine how they’re doing! Ask no more…
Ingredients for 4 mini quiches
For the crust
- 4.4 oz (or 125 g) wholewheat flour
- 1.69 fl oz (or 50 ml) olive oil
- 1 tsp herbes de Provence
- water
- a pinch of salt
For the filling
- 2 tbs kalamata olives, chopped
- 2 small zucchini, thinly sliced with a mandoline
- 2 tbs feta, crumbled
- 1 tbs mint, chiffonade
- 2 eggs
- 4 tbs heavy cream
- 4 tbs milk
- cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper
Preparation
For the crust
Place flour in a mixing bowl, then add herbes de Provence, salt, oil, and start mixing, add water gradually enough to make the dough elastic and not crumbly. Mix well to form a ball. Wrap in a plastic film and place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
Divide dough in four parts and using a rolling pin, roll into 4 round sheets. Lay flat inside four tart molds.
For the filling
Place sliced zucchini in a bowl and sprinkle with coarse salt, mix well to coat. Let it sit for 15 minutes. Rinse under cold water, squeeze extra water using your hands and pat dry using a paper towel. Cut roughly.
Place olives on top of crust. Mix zucchini, feta and mint and put mixture on top of olives.
Beat eggs with cream and milk, a little salt (not too much since the feta is salty and the zucchini have absorbed some salt too), and cayenne pepper. Pour on top of zucchini mixture.
Cook in a pre-heated oven at 375F for about 20-30 minutes until the top is golden brown and the crust is cooked on the bottom.
Guest post – Green tea soba noodles with baby octopus, sundried tomatoes, seaweed and olives
May 1st
Guest post – Soba au thé vert avec petits poulpes, tomates séchées, algues et olives
One of the greatest gentleman in the food blogsphere, Lazaro Bernal form Lazaro Cooks kindly requested me if I could guest post on his blog. Of course, I accepted with great enthusiasm and excitement. I think it’s an honor to be a guest post on someone’s blog. Usually, it doesn’t take me forever to find a recipe to post, but this time I wanted to find the perfect recipe that would fit Lazaro Cooks and that would be a combination of creativity, flavors, colors and that represents exactly what I love, and what Lazaro’s blog is all about.
I love all kinds of cuisines but I tend to go towards light and flavorful tastes with a Mediterranean flair. Here they’re combined with Asian flavors (because I do love Asian cuisine too, did not have the time to become an expert in it, but I do love to combine Asian ingredients to more Western ones) and the result is a perfectly balanced soba dish with amazing flavors and textures.
For this dish, I got inspired by one of Alain Ducasse‘s recipe, people who have been reading my blog, must know that I am a huge Ducasse fan. I changed a few items and twisted it around but the theme of combining Eastern and Western flavors is there and since Lazaro is a huge “connaisseur” of French cuisine, I knew he would approve my choice.
Fresh is so fresh – Eggplant caviar on tomato tartare and olive balsamic vinaigrette
Apr 4th
Caviar d’aubergine sur tartare de tomates, vinaigrette d’olives noires et balsamique
Caviar d’aubergine is a typical French dish, but it does not mean it includes caviar in its ingredient list, it’s basically a vegan dish if you don’t add the parmesan on top. Eggplant caviar is made out of eggplants roasted in the oven and reduced into a purée with herbs and garlic. Of course there are various variations of eggplant caviar. You can add herbes de Provence instead of just thyme, or lavender. I’ve had close friends who don’t like eggplants and loved this dish, so I guess it’s a way to initiate the non eggplant lovers to this wonderful vegetable.
Tartare describes a way of preparing ingredients, like you have tuna tartar, and salmon tartar where the fishes have been cut in tiny cubes, then marinated. In this case, the tomato is peeled, cut in small cubes, marinated with herbs and olives and finally placed in the refrigerator for about an hour. So that is called a tartare.
You can make nice presentations with the contrasts of colors, the red, the green, the white and light brown, it looks very summery and fresh. Being such a light and pretty dish, with contrasts of flavors and textures, you can serve it as a light appetizer, it will put you or your guests en appétit (in appetite) for the next courses, it’s screaming, I’m hungry now and I want more! I love this dish, it’s fresh, light, full of flavors and textures and so far everyone who tasted loved it too. Ca sent les vacances!
Ingredients for 4
- 5 medium size tomatoes
- 1 large size eggplant
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- juice of 1 small meyer lemon
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- pepper
- arugula and shaved parmesan for garnish
For the vinaigrette
- 1 tbs kalamata olives, chopped
- 1 tsp capers, chopped (optional)
- 1 tsb parsley, finely chopped
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Cut eggplants in two lenghtwise. Using a knife, make three incisions from top to bottom of eggplant. Sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper. Place on top of parchment paper, placing the flat surface down. Cook in a pre-heated oven at 390F for about 30 minutes or until eggplants are soft. Remove from oven and let cool.
Using a spoon, remove eggplant flesh making sure to drain the water and remove the peel. Place in a mixing bowl. Using a blender, blend eggplant with garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Let it cool.
Bring a pot of water to a boil, and add tomatoes for about 10 seconds, drain, peel, remove the seeds and cut tomatoes in small cubes. Remove excess water.
Refrigerate tomatoes for about 30 minutes.
Mix vinaigrette ingredients all together and add to tomatoes. Spare some vinaigrette to add at the end. Mix well.
Using a rind, place tomatoes layer on your plate, then spoon one tbs of eggplant caviar on top, add shaved parmesan and arugula.
A "déjà vu" cake – Traditional French gruyère, green olives and ham cake
Dec 24th
Un cake déjà vu – Cake traditionnel au gruyère, olives et jambon
Savory cakes are very popular in France, everyone has its own version and makes them for appetizers with drinks when you have a guests over. You cut them in small bites and pass them along with drinks. Usually, I don’t like to post too many traditional French or Italian dishes, I somehow love to explore new ideas, flavors and shapes but once in a while, it makes me feel closer to home like with this cake salé. You can flavor it with what you like, such as feta, mint and zucchini, or sundried tomatoes and thyme, or just use your creativity. You only need the basic proportions of flour, olive oil or butter, and eggs, then the rest is up to you.
Nothing too fancy or original in this post, just maybe the most traditional cake salé that every French person who cooks and entertains, knows how to make, it’s a great one, always appreciated and quite delicious combining three main ingredients. Usually savory cakes contain butter, but I like to use olive oil, it gives it a really fruity and fragrant flavor.
Savory cakes are another one of those things I don’t make very often, I tried a few with shrimps, and other ingredients but as far as entertaining menu is concerned, I tend to make other types of snacks or canapés. This is a great item when you have guests pour l’apéro, a lot quicker to make than a savory tart or quiche. Tonight I have a little time to cook, so cake is on the menu among other little bites. It’s healthier than serving chips and other pre-packed junk food. Even though I love thick and salty potato chips! One of those items I cannot have in the house, or I will just not stop thinking about them until I ate them all.
Ingredients for about 6 people
- 6.34 oz (or 180 g) unbleached flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 eggs
- 3 fl oz (or 90 ml) olive oil
- 3.38 oz (or 100 ml) milk
- 7 oz (or 200 g) ham, cut in cubes
- 5.64 oz (or 160 g) gruyère cheese or cantal grated
- 3.5 oz (or 100 g) green olives, roughly chopped
- a pinch of salt and pepper
Preparation
In a mixing container, mix flour and baking powder. In another container, mix eggs, milk, olive oil. Mix well and add to the four/baking powder mixture. Add salt and pepper. Add ham, gruyère and olives. Mix carefully.
Bake in a non-stick loaf pan in a 370F pre-heated oven for about 45 minutes.
No I did not miss you – Roasted chicken thighs with lemon, herbs, olives and sunburst squash
Nov 17th
Non, tu ne m’as pas manqué - Cuisses de poulet rôties aux herbes, citron et olives à la courge
Since I don’t really eat meat, I know my blog lacks meat recipes, I figured that when I cook for some non-vegetarian people who do eat meat, I take the opportunity for putting up the recipe on the blog. I look at those chicken thighs and it reminds me of my cute and sweet parakeet and I really have to think about something else or I won’t be able to cook them. Sometimes, I have to detach myself from things that bother me, or I won’t be able to do anything.
I love fresh herbs, all of them! When I first moved to California, I was amazed to see tons of houses with bushes of rosemary as a decoration plant. I thought that was funny, I was wondering if people used it for cooking or if it was just as a decoration…and still I have no answer to that. I used to live on a street where almost all houses had huge rosemary plants bordering them and coming all the way on the sidewalk. Sometimes, when I was out of rosemary, I would help myself. I know it’s not very appropriate but at the time, I thought it was not a big deal especially considering the size of the rosemary spreading in a public zone.
This chicken is very flavorful and mainly due to the tons of herbs I use in it. Sometimes I marinate it overnight so it gets infused with herbs and you get a wonderful roasted chicken. You can also use pearl onions instead of yellow onions.
Squash being in season, I figured I would use it, but some other vegetables like potatoes, carrots, turnips, etc…would work as well. If you have guests over, and want to spend time with them rather in your kitchen, roasted chicken is the key, you just need to baste it once in a while and that’s it. It’s like the kid that doesn’t need any attention, you just give him a toy and he keeps himself busy.
You might need to cover the dish with some aluminum foil for about 20-30 minutes, depending on how your oven cooks, then removing the foil to let the chicken brown. I am still trying to figure out how my oven works with the circular heat.
Ingredients for 4 people
- 4 chicken legs
- 1 whole butternut squash, cut in large pieces
- 2 tbs green olives
- 1 tbs strong Dijon mustard
- 3 rosemary sprigs and chopped
- 3 thyme, sprigs and chopped
- 3 tarragon sprigs and chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1/2 yellow onion, sliced
- 1 tbs lemon juice
- 5 lemon slices
- 4 tbs chicken broth
- chili flakes
- salt and pepper
Preparation
You can marinated the chicken overnight with herbs, garlic, mustard and onion, but it’s optional. You can get a fragrant chicken even if you don’t marinate it.
Keep some herb sprigs, chop some of it. Mix all ingredients together in a mixing container except chicken broth and mustard. Place chicken in a oven tray, add herb mixture on top of chicken and coat chicken with it. Spread mustard on both sides of legs.
Cook in a pre-heated oven at 370F for about 30 min, then add broth and regularly baste chicken with it.
Add squash, salt and pepper, and cook until chicken is well roasted and squash tender.
Snapper or not snapper ? – Red snapper kebabs with orange and olive vinaigrette on fennel fondue
Oct 9th
Vous avez dit Vivaneau?- Brochettes de vivaneau grillé à la vinaigrette d’orange et olives sur fondue de fenouil
I went grocery shopping yesterday and again I went crazy with fish and seafood. I have always thought I knew what red snapper was in French…in my mind I had no doubt it was “rougets” because of the red connotation (rouge = red) and rougets are red and very trendy nowadays in France, they’re served in many new and hype restaurants. Snapper looked a lot bigger but I though, oh well, anything American is bigger anyway. Yesterday I could feel I was wrong for all those years and when looking closely at the fish, I started having doubts. You might think, ok what’s the big deal, if she doesn’t know the translation. The thing is that I like to know what I eat and find out more about the fish and what it’s called in my mother tongue, wouldn’t you? Some people might think I am weird, and maybe I am.
For a while I was just staring at the fish and could not make up my mind if I was going to buy it or not. I was somehow worried that snapper would be perche du Nil which I refuse to eat. It’s been exported in France from countries like Kenya, and other African countries and it’s one of the most invasive specie you can find; it destroys every other specie around and is somehow like a parasite. Since its introduction in some African lakes, the other species that lived there, are all extinct and it created many environmental issues in those regions. I am not sure if perche du Nil is grown or sold in the US, and would hope not.
After searching all over the place, I was releaved that Snapper is not perche du Nil, but it’s called Vivaneau. Honestly I have never heard that name before yesterday. Don’t you think it’s such a cute name? sounds like the name of a kid with rosy cheeks from the 18 th century, “hello, my name is Vivaneau, nice to meet you”. First I could not believe a fish would be called Vivaneau, then I had to come to the conclusion that it was its proper name, even though there are a lot of different species in that category.
Anyway, that mysterious snapper ended up in a skewer and I was glad I learnt Vivaneau is living among many in the ocean. Snapper tends to have a fragile texture, so if you overcook it, it will break.
Fennel, orange and white fish are some of my favorite ingredients, they blend beautifully together. This dish is so simple and quick but still delicious and flavorful, let’s not forget healthy.
Ingredients for 3 kebabs
- 1 lb red snapper fillets, cut in large cubes (about 2.5 inches)
- 1/2 red bell pepper, cut in large cubes
- 1 large fennel bulb, shredded
- 1/2 onion, sliced
For the marinade
- juice of 1 small lemon
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbs olive oil
- Szechuan pepper
For the vinaigrette
- 1 tbs dill, chopped
- 2 tbs olive oil
- juice of 1/2 large orange
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 1 tbs kalamata olives, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- salt and pepper
Preparation
In a mixing container mix snapper pieces with marinade ingredients, place in the refrigerator and marinate for about 2 hours.
In a pan, add olive oil and brown onions. Add fennel and cook at low heat until the fennel is tender, almost melting. Add salt and pepper.
Prepare vinaigrette, by mixing all ingredients together.
Start making kebabs using bamboo skewers, (previously soaked in water to prevent them from burning). Alternate a piece of fish with a piece of bell pepper. Sprinkle with Szechuan pepper and salt and broil under broiler. Do not over cook, fish is very tender and might break.
Serve with fennel fondue and kebabs on top. Drizzle with orange-olive vinaigrette.
Alain Ducasse's dumplings – Steamed tomato and olive dumplings with soy-balsamic dipping sauce
Sep 30th
Les ravioles d’Alain Ducasse – Ravioles de tomate et olives vapeur, sauce soja et balsamique
Since I have been talking about alain Ducasse and that he is one of my favorite chefs, and one of the most prestigious in France with its 14 Michelin stars, I thought to present one of his recipes that combines the flavors of Western cuisine with the technique of Asian cooking. His cuisine uses an abundance the freshest seasonal ingredients and harmony of flavors. I think I will throw some of his recipes occasionally, because they deserve to be more exposed among the general public. In the US, obviously, people are more familiar with American or British chefs, and Alain is one my favorite chefs of all.
As much as I love to make traditional Italian ravioli, or French ravioles, Asians ravioli have their own particular personality and character. I did not change anything to its original recipe. I have been looking at this one for a while and never tried making it. Usually I like to create things on my own and experiment new recipes but when it has to do with Alain Ducasse, his style of cuisine “me parle” speaks to me in a way that I completely feel in symbiosis with it, and if I use his recipes, I leave them the way they are.
Actually, Alain is not longer French, he became Monégasque, which means citizen of Monaco, and gave up his citizenship but we do love him anyway.
The particularity of this recipe is that the ravioli stuffing is using Western ingredients but are steamed, often used in Asian cuisine and dipped in a pungent balsamic-soy sauce. It’s quite an easy and simple dish but with the right ingredient combination to get that exotic-but-not-so-exotic-touch. Besides, unlike Italian ravioli, you can use wonton wrappers and don’t have to make your own pasta dough. That cuts the preparation time and is the secret to this wonderful but yet quick dish.
Ingredients for 14 dumplings
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbs cornstarch
- 8 square wonton wrappers
- 2 to 3 large cabbage leaves, for steaming
- 1 tbs sweet black soy sauce
- 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
- Lettuce to garnish
Filling
- 2 fresh medium tomatoes (about 4 oz or 125 g), blanched, peeled and deseeded, flesh diced
- 4 shallots, minced
- 3 to 4 tbs sundried tomatoes, diced
- 12 pitted black olives, diced
- 3 tbs minced spring onions
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
Preparation
Start making the filling. In a bowl, mix tomatoes, olives, shallots, spring onions, sundried tomatoes, salt and pepper.
Mix egg and cornstarch.
Using a wonton wrapper, place 1 tsp or 1 small tbs of filling in the middle of the wonton. Use egg and cornstarch mixture around the dumpling. Place another wrapper on top and using your hand, press firmly on the edges to seal wonton. The egg and cornstarch will seal the wonton.
Mix balsamic vinegar with soy sauce.
Using a bamboo steamer, place cabbage leaves on bottom, place wontons on top of leaves and steam for 3 minutes. Serve with lettuce and add some dipping sauce on top.
Pretty Madeleine and Stanislas – Savory madeleines with oregano, gruyère and olives
Sep 21st
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.
The fake crêpe readjusted – Socca stuffed with peppery greens, olives and goat cheese
Sep 19th
La fausse crêpe réajustée – Socca farcie à la roquette, chicorée, olives et chèvre frais
It looks like a crêpe, but is not one. It’s made out of chick pea flour and quite a popular little snack in the South of France. Actually there is an Italian version of it called “Farinata” or “Cecina” (ceci = chick peas) and eaten in the bordering regions of Nice. I think Socca came originally from Italy and was spread out in the South of France. Chick pea flour is used a lot in Middle Eastern cuisine and probably was introduced to Southern Europe during Arabic invasions…
There are different versions of it, actually the traditional one has only chick pea flour, no egg, no milk and is cooked in the oven. I adjusted mine a little, I placed it in the oven after I stuffed it. The real socca Niçoise is served with just cracked pepper and has to be eaten very hot, or it tends to harden quickly. Street vendors do sell it and it’s mainly eaten on the spot. I somehow like its texture, it’s softer and a little thicker than a crepe but the chick pea flour gives a specific unusual flavor. My version is a little different from the traditional socca, I combined two flours and I stuffed it. You can serve this socca with a tomato concassée (concassée de tomates). Also, you can use spinach, chards, and other types of greens, but I like the rucola because of its peppery taste, it goes perfectly with chick pea sweet flavor.
Actually, I don’t know the South of France that well (been there twice), since we always went to Italy visit the family during Easter, Summer and Christmas. My parents never went anywhere else on vacation, only to their hometown in Italy and at some point, I really wanted to visit other cities, but that was not an option, so I am much more familiar with Italian cuisine, Marchiggiano style than traditional Southern French cuisine.
Besides anytime, my mom wanted to go home, she always used all kinds of excuses, nonno Bruno being sick, zio Tonino being depressed with some kind of unexplained disease, freshen up the house, etc…so whatever reason was good to take a trip to Isola di Fano (her village). Besides Nancy-Isola is only 9-10 hour drive, so not that big of a deal. You can hop on the car, cross Switzerland and get to Italy (mainly in Chiasso, the Italian Border) in about 5 hours.
The thing is with my dad, he hates stopping when he goes from point A to point B, so he would drive non-stop from Nancy to Isola (about 1000 km) and was not happy to let the girls out not even for the “pause pipi“ Peepee break? and would tell us, not to think about it, as if you stop thinking you want to urinate, then everything is fine, the urge is gone. Yes, my father has always been a character…
Ingredients for 4-5 socca
For the socca
- 1/2 cup (a little more) Chick pea flour
- 1/2 cup white flour
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup milk
- water (enough so that it forms a creamy batter)
- 1 tbs olive oil + 1 tbs for the pan
- salt
- coarse black pepper
For the filling
- 1/2 head of radicchio, chopped
- 1 bag rucola or 2 bunches
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 tbs kalamata olives, chopped
- 3 tbs goat cheese
- 1 tbs olive + extra for drizzling
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Mix the two flours together. Add egg and gradually milk, water and olive oil. If the batter is too thick add water. Add salt and mix well to obtain a creamy and smooth consistency. Set aside.
In the meantime, prepare the greens. In a pan, heat olive oil chopped garlic. Let the flavor of the garlic come out without burning it, then add greens. Adjust with salt and pepper, and stir to wilt them (about 5 minutes), when cooked, set aside and keep warm.
Heat olive oil in a pan, add one small ladle of batter and proceed like you would for a crepe, spreading the batter all over the pan and evenly spread it. Cook and turn on the other side. Proceed the same way until all the batter has been used.
Fill half of the socca with some greens, goat cheese and olives, fold the other half on top and fold once more in a quarter, in order to have a little triangle. Place in a pre-heated oven at 380F for 5-7 minutes. Crack a good quantity of black pepper on top. You can serve this with a tomato concassée.
Just for fun – Zucchini flans with olives, feta and mint in a heirloom tomato vinaigrette
Sep 14th
Juste pour s’amuser – Flan de courgettes, aux olives, feta et menthe à la vinaigrette de tomates anciennes
You can make those just for the fun of it because they’re so easy and quick to make. Those cute flans have been always a favorite of mine and whoever tried them too. They are addictive and once you’ve made them, you will keeping making them over and over again just because they’re so quick to make and for such a fasted prepared meal, the result is worth the effort. Sometimes, it happens you spent so many hours cooking and then when it’s time to eat, you realize that all that time cooking was not worth it, because the result ended up just ordinary. This is not the case.
I did some research to find out what was the right translation for the word heirloom in French since I have never seen them over there, and weirdly enough, it’s literally translated by “ancient tomatoes” or tomates anciennes. I have never seen them in France in supermarkets but seems like they do exist, so I would imagine it’s something that had been introduced recently to the market.
Anyway, I bought one giant yellow tomato that weighted 1 lb, it was huge and was enough to use in a few recipes. You might want to use a red tomato instead of a yellow one, the contrasts will be much prettier since the flans are already on the yellowish tone, here it looks like yellow on yellow. I have always learnt that you just don’t wear the same tones of colors together…and what works for clothes, works for food too. Colors and just colors after all.
The tomato vinaigrette is a great and refreshing way to accompany this kinds of dishes, and I use it quite often.
Ingredients for 6 flans
For the flans
- 3 small zucchini, grated
- 6 tbs feta
- 12 mint leaves, roughly chopped
- about 8 kalamata olives, roughly chopped
- 2 eggs
- 3 tbs heavy cream
- 4 tbs milk
- salt and pepper
For the heirloom tomato vinaigrette
- 3 medium heirloom tomatoes, grated
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper
Preparation
For the zucchini flans
Grate zucchini. Squeeze water with your hands and place in a container. In small silicon molds (you can get any shape you want) place about 1 tps zucchini, then add feta, olives and mint. Proceed with zucchini and with the other ingredients for a second layer.
In a mixing bowl, beat eggs with milk and cream, salt and pepper.
Pour on top of the zucchini layers filling all molds equally.
Cook in a pre-heated oven at 375F for about 30 min or until the flans are slightly browned and cooked in the middle.
For the tomato vinaigrette
Cut the tomatoes crosswise and remove seeds. Using a cheese grater, grate tomato halves and place in a container. Add olive oil, cayenne pepper, vinegar, salt and pepper.
Place one flan per plate and spoon about 1 tbs of tomato vinaigrette around it.
