Posts tagged tomatoes
Back to Provence – Tian Provencal and tapenade tartine
Jul 24th
De retour en Provence – Tian Provençal et tartine de tapenade
Tian is a traditional dish from Provence, and should be made in a clay dish…since I just broke mine, I had to use a Pyrex one. The vegetables are sliced thinly, placed upright and cooked in the oven for a long time. You can add goat cheese as well, but I wanted to keep it vegan and light, so to get additional Mediterranean flavors, I served it with a tapenade tartine. This is a very simple dish to make yet delicious due to the slow cooking of the vegetables and all the herbs that have infused in it.
Of course, there are various recipes for tian, some people don’t add onions, but fennel, or potatoes, but tomatoes, zucchini and eggplants should always be around. You can play around with herbs, cheese, etc…but I wanted to keep it simple. Sometimes I like simple flavors and don’t want to add too many intricate and complex flavors into a dish. The slow cooking turned the vegetable almost “confits” in the herbs and own juices.
Usually tians are served with grilled meats or fishes, they add wonderful aromas to a dish. I have to admit that I ate the whole tian by myself and was still hungry. Usually this would be sufficient for four, if you serve it with a fish or meat, or also rice in case you want to keep it vegetarian. It really depends on how much vegetables your guests can eat. Quand on aime, on ne compte pas, that’s what the French say, when you love, you don’t count…which is true for many things. The tapenade tartine is a nice element if you want to keep your meal vegan, that olive spread is simply divine with this tian.
Ingredients for 3-4
- 3 large tomatoes, sliced crosswise
- 3 zucchini, sliced crosswise
- 2 medium eggplants, sliced crosswise
- 1 onion,
- lavender salt
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
- 1 tsp basil, chopped finely
- 2 tbs olive oil
- pepper
For the tapenade, see recipe here
Preparation
Spread some olive oil, all over the dish, preferably a clay dish.
Place all vegetables upright in the dish, alternating between a slice of tomato, two slices of zucchini (since the zucchini tend to be smaller), one slice of eggplant, and onion. The vegetables need to be tightly arranged so they stand still.
Add herbs and garlic, sprinkle with lavender salt and pepper. Add olive oil all over the vegetables.
Cover with aluminium foil and cook in a pre heated oven at 365-370 for about 40-45 minutes. Remove the foil and let the vegetables get golden brown.
I can play the mandoline – Zucchini tagliatelle with spicy chick pea tomato sauce
May 7th
Posso suonare il mandolino – Tagliatelle di zucchine con salsa al pomodoro, ceci e origano
I bought a new mandoline before I would slice a few of my fingers, one day I cut the tip of my index while shaving fennel and had to go to the emergency room, so my new mandoline is much better and safer, and in the kitchen safety is somehow an important part of the whole game.
With my new De Buyer (being faithful to European made utensils because I know them better, I had to buy a French one, actually I have Japanese knives that are incredible) and one of the great feature of this mandoline is that you can adjust the thickness of the cut by twisting the handle from left to right or right to left. The blade is lightly dented so you can get a very thin and sharp cut, or a thick (and still sharp) cut, even on soft fruits and vegetables like very ripe kiwis or oranges.
So to try out my new mandoline, I wanted to make a whole dish with sliced vegetables because I just felt like playing with it. I’m sure I am not the only one who loves to play with a brand new toy. When I buy new clothes, I have to wear them right away, even if I have to run to the store buy salt, I can wear a brand new silk shirt just for the simple pleasure to wear something new. When it comes to kitchen utensils, it’s the same. What to do with 12 zucchini and a mandoline? well you just go crazy and slice them to make tagliatelle. So here they are…
My mom makes an traditional Italian dish made with pasta and chick peas so I used her tomato sauce twisting it around a little and used it on the zucchini tagliatelle. I really loved this dish, it’s savory, fragrant due to the oregano, light and nutritious, so how can you say no to that? This is a fairly simple dish, with a few ingredients which most of the time, if you have great quality ingredients, turns out delicious. You can taste all the ingredients in one bite and it all blends in a beautiful symphony of flavors.
For the tomato purée, I used the imported Italian tomato sauce from Parmalat, it’s just crushed tomatoes with nothing else added, they have quite a un-acidic flavor unlike some other tomatoes. Parmalat is a very famous brand in Italy and I knew them for their dairy products and mainly milk that was sold in card board like here they would sell orange juice, which healthier to use than canned tomatoes. I was excited to be able to find the Parmalat tomatoes. Grazie Parmalat! You can use fresh tomatoes too, but they need to be of good quality or the sauce will not be as good.
Ingredients for 2-3 as a side dish
- 6 zucchini sliced lengthwise
- 7 oz (or 200 g) cooked chick peas
- 10 oz (or 300 g) good quality crushed tomato or fresh tomatoes
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 1 garlic clove
- cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper
- fresh shaved parmesan for garnish
Preparation
Start preparing the sauce. In a small pot, heat olive oil, add garlic, stir for about 30 seconds, then oregano. After about 1 minutes (watch out not to burn the garlic) add 1 cup tomatoes, salt, pepper and cayenne. Add wine. Let the sauce cook until the water has evaporated, add chick peas and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
Using the mandoline, slice zucchini lenghtwise in about 2mm ribbons. Bring salted water to a boil, add zucchini and cook for about 30 seconds. Drain, and carefull pat dry with a towel, making sure not to break the zucchini. Add to the tomato sauce, stir carefully. Add extra oregano, and serve with sahved parmesan on top.
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.
The tartine for busy days – Tartine with sauté dandelions, grilled tomatoes, poached egg, olive vinaigrette
Apr 1st
Une tartine pour les jours chargés – Tartine aux pissenlits, tomates grillées et oeuf poché, vinaigrette aux olives
What do you do when you have dandelions in the refrigerator, no time to cook and a huge craving for dandelions? Well, you can make this lovely tartine. I did not feel like having just a plate of sauté dandelions, so tartines are always a great way to combine greens and other vegetables, and top it off with a poached egg.
Ah my beloved dandelions, did you know that the word dandelions came from the French “dent de lion” or “Lion tooth” because of the dented sides of the leaves that look like lion’s teeth? so “dent de lion” became dandelion!
I loved the wild ones, and I used to go pick them up in the field with my parents and eat tons of them when I was still living at home. I think that time of ramasser les pissenlits et les manger (dandelions pick up and eating) is part of my best memories. If I start doing that here, people would think either I am homeless or insane. My neighbor’s garden has tons of dandelions, and I have been staring at them for a while but obviously I don’t see myself going there with a knife and start digging their garden. The farmed dandelions are not as bitter and the leaves are a lot longer, so I prefer from far the wild ones.
I could not find the exact English for word tartine, it is typically French, basically a slice of bread with a bunch of different things on top, or a simple tartine de beurre, which can be a delight if you have great bread and salted butter. Tartine cannot be translated by toast which is mostly made with American style bread (loaves style). So I will leave tartine as being a tartine.
When grilling the tomatoes, do not over-grill them or they’ll get mushy, just one or two minutes each side. The olive vinaigrette adds a final delicious touch to the tartine.
For 3 tartines
- 3 slices of country bread
- 1 bunch dandelion
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 3 tomatoes, sliced
- 3 eggs
- lavender salt
- sea salt and pepper
For the vinaigrette
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbs kalamata olives, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tbs parsley, chopped
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Wash dandelions. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add dandelions and cook for 5-7 minutes until tender. Remove from stove and drain. Let it cool and squeeze with your hands extra water.
Heat olive oil in a pan, add 1 garlic clove, stir well and add dandelions, adjust with salt and pepper, and sauté to coat dandelions with oil and garlic.
In a grill pan, grill tomatoes. Remove from the grill and sprinkle with lavender salt and pepper.
Poach egg in water.
Grill each side of bread and top with dandelions, then add tomatoes, and egg. Add vinaigrette on top.
On the light side – Quick and fake vegetable moussaka
Jan 13th
Du côté léger – Moussaka rapide aux lentilles
This post is overdue, I started it before I went to Tel Aviv, but never managed to finish it, so after days of wonderful fresh food, I came back to France where the bad weather conditions made me want to go back to sunny Israel. There is definitely a Greek flair to Tel Aviv, probably the Mediterranean climate and fresh produce you find all over the markets. So Moussaka here we come.
What if you feel like moussaka without meat? People might tell you, then it’s not moussaka. So not to upset anyone, I just decided to use the word fake, even though it is prepared in the same “spirit” as a moussaka.
Since I arrived at my parents, meat, prosciutto, pâté, fois gras and other ingredients have been around the table for the holidays, and I don’t know now how I have to explain my mom that I do not enjoy to eat meat THAT much. Seems like she doesn’t believe me, or doesn’t want to believe me. So I had to somehow cook something for them today, to make them believe that vegetarian dishes are quite tasty and enjoyable. France is certainly not the country for vegetarians, and Italians are not vegetarian either, so I am just wondering if you are a vegan how you will survive here.
We went shopping to a wonderful organic supermarket with so many amazing products called “La Vie Saine” (healthy life) and came back with tons of great healthy products, I am trying to make them eat less animal based products but it’s quite a challenge to change people’s habits in their late 60s. I don’t want to change anything nor anyone but at least make them enjoy other cuisines. My parents are quite open in trying new cuisines and a lot more open minded than some other French or Italians of their generation.
So I found a lentil mix of red, green, and beluga lentils that I absolutely wanted to use, then I had eggplants, so I figured that a vegetarian moussaka would be perfect…and they really enjoyed it. So I will make this dish more often.
I am not sure there is a morale in this story, probably not but I was very happy that my vegetarian moussaka was successful in a traditional Italian and French table!
Ingredients for 4-5
- 1/2 lb (or 250 g) green lentils
- 1 yellow onion, cut in half
- 3 cloves
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery stick
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 eggplants, sliced crosswise
- 5 medium size tomatoes, seedless, peeled and chopped
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 7 oz (or 200 g) gruyère cheese, grated
- 3 tbs parsley, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 egg
- 1 egg white
- 1 tbs olive oil
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Cook lentils in water and add carrot, celery, bay leaf and onion with cloves stuck in it. Cook until lentils are cooked but not mushy. Drain water and remove carrot, onion, bay leaf and celeri. Set aside.
Start with grilling the eggplants using either a grill pan or broiling them under the broiler, after sprinkling them with olive oil, salt and pepper. Set them aside.
Heat olive oil in a pan, add onion and brown them. Add tomatoes and cook until water is evaporated for about 10 minutes.
In a mixing container, add lentils, garlic, tomato mixture, parsley, egg and egg white, chili, salt and pepper.
In small ramequins, add a little olive oil, add one layer of eggplant and one layer of lentils. Sprinkle with cheese and proceed with another layer of eggplants, then lentils and cheese.
Cook for about 20 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 375F until the cheese has melted.
Mother duck just laid some eggs! – Duck egg omelette with onions, tomatoes, goat cheese and herbs
Nov 12th
Mère canard a aussi pondu – Omelette aux oeufs de canard, onions, tomates, chèvre et herbes
I found those beautiful duck eggs at Whole Foods a couple of days ago, among quail and ostrich eggs! I bought six and just two were left so I figured that was going to be my lunch. First I wasn’t sure if I was going to post it or not, then I decided it would all depend on the final look. Pretty and tasty was going to be posted. Just pretty could have been, but just tasty was not. Obviously it was both.
I am not a huge fan of Whole Foods but some of my clients want only organic products and the only place I can find them is Whole Foods, since the Rainbow does not have any animal-based products. So, I have been shopping there for myself digging for some interesting products as well and I have to admit that they do carry some unusual and local products which makes the shopping quite fun.
I haven’t had duck eggs for such a long time, my mom used to make homemade pasta with them and it makes a beautiful yellow dough. They contain more fat and are tastier than regular eggs. You can use them instead of using regular eggs, but they’re heavier and bigger, and the yolk has a deep orange color. When using duck eggs in recipes, you might need to change proportions, since they’re bigger than regular eggs.
You might wonder what’s the big deal of eating duck eggs? They make great pastries, and do have a special flavorful taste. So those are good enough reasons.
Omelette is the French word for frittata but not sure how to call it in English, I think Americans use the Italian word if I’m not mistaken. This omelette is really delightful, enhanced by herbs and goat cheese combined with the sweetness of caramelized onions, it all makes a great brunch dish.
I love omelettes, but never make them. Don’t you have something you love but never think of making it? In my case, that’s omelette…
Ingredients for 2 omelettes
- 4 duck eggs
- 2 tomatoes, seedless and peeled, roughly chopped
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced
- 2 tbs mixed herbs (basil, chives, parsley, etc..), finely chopped
- 3 tbs goat cheese, crumbled
- 2 tbs olive oil
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Heat olive oil in a pan, add onions and brown them. Add tomatoes, cook for a few minutes, but do not let it turn mushy. Add salt and pepper.
In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs with herbs salt and pepper. Pour on top of onion mixture. Cover with a lid and cookd until the bottom part is golden brown, and top of omelette is cooked. Add goat cheese on half the side of the omelette and fold the other half on top. Cook for a few more minutes and serve with a green salad.
Focaccia or Schiacciata? – Stuffed schiacciata with onions, zucchini, mushrooms and fontina
Oct 28th
Focaccia o schiacciata? – Schiacciata ripiena con cipolle, zucchine, funghi e fontina
Even though this week is a crazy week, I think I am even crazier to be cooking, when I should be either packing or painting or working on some menus and certainly not working on my blog. I am just a little obsessive when food is concerned and I just wanted to make this schiacciata for such a long time, that I decided to stop postponing and make it in a little rush!
Another Italian little stuffed bread, it can be called focaccia ripiena (ripiena = stuffed, filled), torta ripiena or schiacciata…the dough is somehow the same, then it’s stuffed with vegetables and melting cheese.
Schiacciare means to crush, so schiacciata means crushed. Basically the dough is crushed flat so you get a great filling in between the two sheets. You have different types of schiacciata, in Florence, they also have schiacciata con l’uva which is a sweet version of this one but made with black grapes. In the South, in the Catania region (Sicily), they have schiacciata catanese which is a savory schiacciata stuffed with sausages, cheese and cauliflower. I have seen schiacciata mainly stuffed with vegetables and never tried any other version.
This is perfect for a little aperitivo, you can cut it in small squares and serve it with some olives and cold cuts when you have guests over with a little cup of Champagne. The melting fontina on top of vegetables in the middle of a deliciously crunchy, salty and “herby” crust is delightful. The rosemary is my favorite herb on focaccia, its scent infuses in the crust and your house smells like a bakery from heaven. You can use caciocavallo cheese if you can find it, but the cheese needs to be a melting one.
You don’t need to work the dough as much as I did, I let it rest overnight. When I have time, I let it rest a long time, then knead it again, the whole process taking 12 hours, I get a wonderful dough, light and airy and crunchy on the outside. If you don’t have time, you can just let it rest for one hour, knead it again and let it rest for another hour, and it should be fine.
Ingredients
For the dough
- 500 g white flour
- Beer yeast dissolved in a glass of water (or more)
- 4 tbs olive oil (+ 1)
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- rock salt for topping
- 1 rosemary sprig for topping, roughly chopped
- 1 thyme branch for topping, roughly chopped
For the stuffing
- 2 zucchini, thinly sliced
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced
- 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
- Italian fontina cheese
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 + 1 tbs olive oil
- salt and pepper
Preparation
In a mixing container, place flour. In a glass dissolve about 1 tsp beer yeast in a lukewarm glass of water. Mix with flour and add olive oil and salt. Gradually mix all ingredients together and knead the dough with your hand. You want a soft consistency almost sticky but very elastic dough, so if the dough tends to be hard, add water. Knead for about 10 minutes. Place in a container, cover with a cloth and let it rise for about one hour. It should double its volume. Knead the dough again and let rise for another 2 hours. Repeat the process twice.
While the dough is rising, start melting onions. Heat olive oil in a pan, then add sliced onions. Let them brown at medium temperature, then decrease heat, cover with a lid and let it cook slowly until they turn soft and caramelized. Remove from the pan. In the same pan, heat 1 tbs olive oil, then add mushrooms and zucchini, salt and pepper, and cook until the vegetables are soft and water has evaporated.
Cut the dough in two pieces. One should be a little bigger than the other one. Using a rolling pin or your hands, roll the dough in two sheets, one slightly larger than the other one. The dough should not be too thick, about 7 mm thick.
Using an oven tray, or a large rectangular dish, place larger dough in the greased dish, add one layer of onions, then add mushroom/zucchini mixture. Add slices of fontina on top and cover with the other dough sheet, using the extra dough from the bottom sheet to seal the sciacciata.
Place rock salt all over the top, spread olive oil all over the surface and add rosemary and thyme. Using a fork, make a few holes on top to prevent the dough from inflating. Cook in a pre-heated oven at 375F – 380F. When the top is lightly golden brown, remove from the oven. Serve hot.
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.
One unexpected gratin – Gratin with spaghetti squash, potatoes, tomatoes, gruyère, parmesan and basil
Aug 19th
Un gratin inattendu – gratin de courge spaghetti, tomates, pommes de terre, gruyère, parmesan et basilic
Now I know that this might be a little too much of spaghetti squash in just a couple of days. I was not planning on writing a blog about it, I took the pictures, just in case…then after eating almost all of it by myself, I figured it was definitley blog “worthy” and I have to say it’s my favorite spaghetti squash recipe. I had quite a lot of extra squash left from the pancakes, and certainly did not want to throw anything away. I was taught not to throw food growing up, and I rarely do. I still have some squash left, but I promised I will not write another blog about it.
Vegetable gratin are every French basics. They come in all colors, shapes and form. One thing in common they have cheese in it, actually almost all of them, the real potato gratin, le gratin dauphinois has no cheese in it (although a lot of people do put cheese, but the “purists” will grind their teeth at the though of cheese in gratin dauphinois).
I absolutely love this gratin, and I recommend it to anyone who likes spaghetti squash.
Ingredients for 2
- 300 g cooked squash (approximately)
- 3 riped tomatoes, peeled, seedless and cut in small cubes
- 3 medium size potatoes
- 2 tbs basil chopped
- 2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1/2 onion (optional)*
- 4 tbs Gruyere cheese, grated
- 4 tbs Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbs olive oil
Preparation
Cook potatoes in boiling water until tender but do not overcook them, they will cook more in the oven.
Add a little oil at the bottom of a deep dish, slice potatoes and lay them flat in the dish, add salt and pepper. Add another layer of spaghetti squash using half of the squash. Add garlic, basil thyme, tomatoes and cheeses, salt and pepper. Sprinkle with olive oil. Proceed with another layer of the same ingredients, ending with cheeses at the end.
*You can add onion fondue and add the onions after the potato layer. You have to cook onion at medium heat in olive oil until they’re translucent. Add a tsp of balsamic vinegar.
When you’re done layering the gratin, press firmly with your hand on the surface to remove any air in between the layers. That way, when it’s cooked it will stand and not collapse.
Cook in a pre-heated oven at 370-375F for 30-40 minutes until the top is golden brown. Serve hot as a side dish or as is with a green salad.
For a Sunday brunch…or not – Mouillettes with heirloom tomato salad, rucola and pancetta wrapped yellow carrots
Aug 17th
Pour le brunch du dimanche…ou pas – mouillettes avec salade de tomates, roquette, et carottes jaunes roulées à la pancetta
In France we don’t have something called brunch, we either have breakfast or lunch. Brunch is an Anglo-saxon concept, and I like it.
There is a restaurant in Sausalito (San Francisco North Bay), called Le Garage where I really like to have my brunches on Sunday, it’s facing the marina and has a huge outside patio, they serve really good mouillettes with prosciutto and asparagus.
Mouillette in French means a small and long piece of bread you dip in oeuf à la coque. Oeuf à la coque literally means Egg in its shell, implying with soft yolk. If the yolk is hard, then it becomes oeuf dur (hard egg). The English translation I found for oeuf à la coque is boiled egg, but I don’t think it’s really that accurate. Oeuf à la coque is a part of every French kid childhood and I remember mine with those two eggs waiting for me on the kitchen table before I would leave for school in the morning.
What’s great about mouillettes is that you can add any side dish you like and make a great brunch with all kinds of combination you like.
I found the cutest mini yellow carrots at the Berkeley Bowl and had to buy them, so then ended up wrapped in pancetta, not a bad way to end. You can also use asparagus instead of carrots, they’re great too, or serve it with thinly sliced prosciutto, you can use your imagination and combine ingredients you like.
Ingredients for 2
- 4 eggs
- 2 heirloom tomato
- 2 cups rucola
- 6 small yellow carrots
- 6 slices pancetta
- rock salt
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- parmigiano reggiano shaved
- Grilled baguette cut in 3 inches long sticks
Preparation
For the eggs
Place eggs in a pot of water, start counting 3 minutes from the time the water starts boiling. Remove from pot (it’s better to cook the eggs at the end).
For the carrots
Boil carrots in water, when cooked wrap one slice of pancetta around, add pepper and place under broiler until all sides are grilled.
For the tomatoes
Cut tomatoes in small cubes, add olive oil, toss and sprinkle with rock salt and pepper
For the salad
Sprinkle rucola with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, a little salt, and shave some parmesan on top.
Serve each item in a large plate, dip your mouillettes in the egg and enjoy!
