January 24, 2012
Curried Butternut Squash Pasta
Only recently did it occur to me that winter squash could be welcome in a dish of pasta. Before that, I'd always vaguely considered the two ingredients were too similar and might cancel each other out, the same way I wouldn't make a potato sandwich*, for instance.
But then one day, wanting to fix myself a quick bowl of pasta for lunch and hunting down a leftover piece of butternut squash in the vegetable drawer, a light went up (in my brain, n...
"Curried Butternut Squash Pasta" continues »
December 6, 2011
Spaghetti with Crushed Sardine and Tomato Sauce
In ELLE à table, a French cooking magazine I contribute to, one of the longest-running sections is one called La Cuisine du placard (literally, cuisine from the cabinet or cupboard) that presents a picture of common pantry items, and offers recipes that make use of those, requiring as little fresh shopping as possible.
I consider myself a fresh ingredient cook, chiefly inspired by seasonal produce and market stalls, yet I get a special kind of...
"Spaghetti with Crushed Sardine and Tomato Sauce" continues »
May 24, 2011
Zucchini Pasta with Almonds and Lemon Zest
Our spring has been so warm and sunny for so many weeks, it feels like we're living a perpetual July.
Although this is terrible news for farmers, who need a wet spring for their crop, Parisians have been enjoying this gift of a weather obliviously. Drinks and meals out on sidewalk terraces have become a daily pleasure, as have light dresses and strappy sandals.
Produce stalls bear witness to this meteorological oddity as well: we already have...
"Zucchini Pasta with Almonds and Lemon Zest" continues »
December 8, 2010
Homemade Pasta
When I was little, when my sister and I felt desultory and bored, my mother would sometimes make us a batch of salt dough for modelling. We would sit at the small folding table in the kitchen and squeeze and roll and pinch to our hearts' content. And although my sister's creations were invariably more delicate and life-like than my own, I remember I once proudly produced a full range of miniature fruits and vegetables that tasted shockingly sal...
June 22, 2010
Pasta with Tetragon (New Zealand Spinach)
My first brush with tetragon -- a.k.a. New Zealand spinach, warrigal greens, sea spinach, and a few assorted nicknames -- took place six years ago: Nicolas Vagnon, the chef of the now long defunct La Table de Lucullus, had invited me to join him on his Saturday morning market run at the marché des Batignolles and hang out in his teeny kitchen afterward, watching him cook for the handful of customers who had come to lunch that day.
Among the th...
"Pasta with Tetragon (New Zealand Spinach)" continues »
October 12, 2009
Fregola Sarda with Zucchini and Parmesan
The funny thing about a food blog, especially one that has been around for a long time, is that it doesn't really reflect the frequency with which each featured dish is cooked: if you look at an archived post from years ago, how do you know whether it was just a one-time experiment, or if it has made weekly appearances at the author's table since then?
After a recipe has been given the spotlight once, most bloggers are reluctant to write about...
"Fregola Sarda with Zucchini and Parmesan" continues »
June 9, 2009
Potato Gnocchi
I have recently found myself with a bit of a potato glut, a rather unusual state of affairs for me. It being spring, all the potatoes wanted to do was sprout, however careful I was to keep them in a cool, dark place. Unable to temper their enthusiasm, I did what any responsible cook would do: I embraced the potato theme and cooked them in all sorts of different ways over a few weeks.
With the baking potatoes (the floury ones that fall apart wh...
November 10, 2008
Meat and Vegetable Lasagna
A few weeks ago, I received an email from a reader named Pamela, who said she was working her way through the C&Z archives -- I am so heartened when people do that -- and had noticed, in this older-than-salt post, a reference to the lasagna our friend Zoe made for us when we visited her in London. Did I ever end up sharing that recipe? Pamela asked.
The short answer is: no. The long answer is: I've thought about Zoe's lasagna on a regular basi...
"Meat and Vegetable Lasagna" continues »
September 4, 2007
Elbow Macaroni with Comté Cheese and Baby Spinach
[Coquillettes au Comté et Pousses d'Epinard]
A lot can be learned about your cooking self by considering what you eat when you're on your own. I have friends who are simply not hungry when they're alone, who forget to eat (say what?), who don't consider it a real meal if there's no dining companion, or -- and I am not making this up -- who just eat a Kinder Surprise, build the little toy and call it dinner.
What's most surprising to me is th...
"Elbow Macaroni with Comté Cheese and Baby Spinach" continues »
March 20, 2007
Green Tea Buckwheat Noodles with Cucumber and Tofu
[Green Tea Buckwheat Noodles with Cucumber and Tofu]
So verdant is this dish that it could have been my contribution to Saint Patrick's Day. But because the French don't really celebrate it (unless they happen to find themselves at one of the Irish pubs on boulevard de Clichy) and because my father's name is Patrick, March 17th is simply that: my father's fête. He usually receives a gift of pâtes de fruits, we get to help him gobble them up be...
"Green Tea Buckwheat Noodles with Cucumber and Tofu" continues »
March 2, 2007
Pasta Gratin with Hazelnuts and Lardons
[Pasta Gratin with Hazelnuts and Lardons]
Inspiration came from a recent meal at Le Caméléon, during which one of my dining companions ordered a jumbo foie de veau (veal liver). It appeared, a stately Pasha in a mantle of reduced vinegar, with a side of gratin de macaroni au Parmesan served in one of those miniature cast-iron cocottes that are all the rage these days and that you just might be able to afford with a ten-year payment plan.
The ...
"Pasta Gratin with Hazelnuts and Lardons" continues »
May 28, 2006
Cacao & Zucchini Absorption Pasta
Chose promise, chose due*, here is my take on absorption pasta, or risotto-style pasta. The idea of this technique is to coat the pasta with a little olive oil, add just enough liquids to cover, and cook until desired tenderness. According to Virka -- who read it in the Italian paper La Reppublica so it simply must be true -- this cooking technique dates back from the early 13th century, and was in fact the only one that was used before it was ...
"Cacao & Zucchini Absorption Pasta" continues »
October 5, 2004
Fregola Sarda with Zucchini and Pinenuts
On a night of ravenous hunger, decide that what you want is something warm soft and tasty with a little crunch, to be eaten in a bowl with a spoon, curled up on the couch and reading a magazine.
No need to forage through your kitchen cabinets, you know precisely what will hit the spot.
Wash and slice three zucchini thinly with your magnificent mandoline. Sauté in a bit of olive oil, with lots of herbs and just enough salt to bring out the zu...
"Fregola Sarda with Zucchini and Pinenuts" continues »
January 2, 2004
Pasta Shells Stuffed with Ricotta and Tapenade
[Pasta Shells Stuffed with Ricotta and Tapenade]
Last Tuesday, my sister Céline and I met for lunch. The plan was to eat at Rose Bakery, but it was closed for the holidays, so we went down the rue des Martyrs to Fuxia instead, a really nice Italian restaurant, hip yet friendly, where we had truly excellent salads. After that, we spent the afternoon strolling around the neighborhood, enjoying the unexpectedly sunny weather, and running various ...
"Pasta Shells Stuffed with Ricotta and Tapenade" continues »