May 12, 2011
Lentil and Kohlrabi Salad
This is the salad I made for lunch the day I moved out of my apartment and into my next-door neighbor's.
It's not what you think. Maxence and I have decided that our kitchen and living room -- which are, in fact, in the same room -- needed a facelift, and after months of imagining, planning, and gathering our strength, it looks like it is finally happening.
It's anybody's guess how long it's all going to take -- you know how it is -- but at t...
"Lentil and Kohlrabi Salad" continues »
January 12, 2011
Roasted Squash and Einkorn Wheat Salad
Today's salad could be seen as a winter alter ego to this tomato and einkorn wheat salad from half a year ago, and it is proof that my love story with einkorn wheat wasn't just a summer crush.
Today's salad mixes the ancient grain (see my previous post for more on the back story) with chunks of spiced and roasted potimarron (a.k.a. Hokkaido squash, my very favorite of all winter squashes), shallots, chopped fresh herbs, and walnuts.
It's the ...
"Roasted Squash and Einkorn Wheat Salad" continues »
December 14, 2010
Black Radish and Potato Salad
The black radish is the Parisian locavore's nemesis: during the winter, the raphanus sativus var. niger pops up regularly in AMAP* subscribers' vegetable baskets, and it can be a challenge to put it to good use.
An ancient variety that dates back to antiquity, this mega-radish has a black, coarse skin and a white, almost translucent flesh that's quite pungent in flavor. It is this characteristic sharpness that earned it the nickname of raifort...
"Black Radish and Potato Salad" continues »
July 27, 2010
Tomato and Einkorn Wheat (or Spelt) Salad
My weekday lunches revolve around salads like this one, built on grains, fresh vegetables, some sort of protein element, and fresh herbs. I prepare a few servings at a time, and that conveniently takes care of lunch for the next couple of days.
I do try to mix things up so as not eat the same thing all the time, but I admit I've become a little fixated on this particular one lately: it is full of flavor, refreshing and filling, with a satisfyi...
"Tomato and Einkorn Wheat (or Spelt) Salad" continues »
May 11, 2010
Chicken and Radish Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing
I used to be someone who liked the white meat best in a roast chicken.
This worked out nicely at dinner with my parents when I was growing up, as they would each get a chicken leg while we girls ate the breast happily: it was mild in flavor, there were no bones to wrestle with, and it came with plenty of pan juices that our mother spooned on after we'd cut criss-cross indentations in the meat for optimal absorption.
My preference made for a u...
"Chicken and Radish Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing" continues »
March 3, 2010
Rice and Bean Salad
I hardly ever eat meat or fish when I'm alone. I may have a bit of ham or chicken on occasion if there is some left over from another meal, but other than that, my solo appetite favors a plant-based diet, with a few dairy products (yogurt, cheese) and eggs thrown in.
And because I eat most of my weekday lunches at home, in my own company (I admit I've become frightfully attached to the quiet and solitude of my workdays) and as an accidental ve...
"Rice and Bean Salad" continues »
July 21, 2009
Herbed Couscous Salad
[Salade de semoule aux herbes]
My sister and I went through a pretty intense couscous* phase when we were teenagers: my mother kept a kitchen cabinet stocked with little pre-portioned pouches of semoule that barely needed a minute and a half of boiling before we could snip them open, pour their contents into a bowl, add a bit of salt and butter, and call it lunch. We loved the stuff.
I remember suggesting this very menu to Maxence once, early...
"Herbed Couscous Salad" continues »
March 12, 2008
Carottes et Betteraves Râpées
[Grated Carrots and Beets]
I used to think winter produce was drab, and that the cook's only option was to wait the cold months out, squinting into the distance, longing for asparagus and strawberries to appear ("Anne, Sister Anne, do you see nothing coming?").
Now I can't imagine how I could ever be so blind: what of mâche and winter squash, what of flower cabbage and broccoli, what of endives and leeks and chard, what of carrots and beets? ...
"Carottes et Betteraves Râpées" continues »
February 6, 2008
Salade Tiède de Potimarron et Haricots Blancs
[Warm Hokkaido Squash and White Bean Salad]
I write this from a café where I like to go and get some work done when I find it difficult to concentrate at home. Today, however, an unforeseen challenge has materialized on my path. Sitting a few tables from mine are two living clichés: a blond, middle-aged, French casting director and a young, craggy-bearded, khaki-vested film director from LA. They are in deep conversation about finding the perf...
"Salade Tiède de Potimarron et Haricots Blancs" continues »
July 3, 2007
Salade de Quinoa Rouge, Poivrons et Pignons
[Red Quinoa Salad with Bell Peppers and Pine Nuts]
I am just a few days -- three, to be terrifyingly exact -- away from delivering the manuscript for my second book*, and although it is nowhere near as stressful a time as it was for my first (why do I sound like a young mother all of a sudden?), it is still a time of waking up bright and early and working intently through the day, with a few necessary breaks to shower, lunch, and take a few st...
"Salade de Quinoa Rouge, Poivrons et Pignons" continues »
April 5, 2007
Carottes Rapées à l'Avocat
[Grated Carrot Salad with Avocado]
As subscribers to the Chocolate & Zucchini newsletter already know, a French publisher has purchased the rights to my very-soon-to-be-published cookbook. And because the tone of writing is very personal, I've asked to translate my own words: the recipes themselves are taken care of by a pro, while I translate -- and often rewrite -- the stories that accompany them and structure the book.
I'm fortunate that m...
"Carottes Rapées à l'Avocat" continues »
March 12, 2007
Mâche Salad with Endives and Beets
As the weather in Paris becomes increasingly springlike -- hello daffodils! come sit by me on the kitchen counter! -- I thought it was high time I illustrate the point I recently made about salads and the ones that carry us through to the end of winter (however mild ours has been).
The original motive for this one was to try and vanquish my dislike of endives, one of the very last bastions of my childhood aversions. It is going to require more...
"Mâche Salad with Endives and Beets" continues »
January 8, 2007
Salade de Pomme de Terre au Paprika Fumé
[Smoked Paprika Potato Salad]
Although bread is without a doubt the carb I'd have the most trouble giving up, the potato is a close second. You can fry it mash it boil it roast it broil it stuff it, and be quite certain you'll get my vote.
The preparations I most enjoy are sautéed potatoes, especially my mother's (which, before you ask, don't have any special ingredient other than her love and dexterity), and potato salads. I like a creamy po...
"Salade de Pomme de Terre au Paprika Fumé" continues »
October 7, 2005
Salade Tiède de Poireaux aux Noix Fraîches
[Warm Leek Salad with Fresh Walnuts]
There is a special kind of grace in the simple combination of a few ingredients that you have on hand. The resulting dish has an air of spontaneity, a certain modesty, that makes it easy to love: you didn't put much time or thought into it, there is little pressure on its shoulders to be successful, and this allows it to shine even brighter.
I was standing in the kitchen, thinking that something had to be ...
"Salade Tiède de Poireaux aux Noix Fraîches" continues »
July 28, 2005
Salade de Courgette et Poulet au Vinaigre de Framboise
[Zucchini and Chicken Salad with Raspberry Vinegar]
Ever since I served raw zucchini sticks with my anchoïade a few weeks ago and experienced a private tastebud epiphany, I have felt it my personal mission to let the world know how incredibly delicious and subtly sweet zucchini tastes in its most natural simple naked state.
It is best to keep this treatment for the freshest zucchini, slender young things with smooth skin and firm flesh that f...
"Salade de Courgette et Poulet au Vinaigre de Framboise" continues »
July 25, 2005
Panzanella
Authenticity can be a fine line to tread when it comes to cooking. Dishes and recipes originate in certain parts of the world and are often deeply rooted in local traditions. But then people emigrate, they travel, they adopt, they adapt, they improvise, and the same dish gets recreated in a different kitchen at a different time, with the same name but a completely different face.
Naturally, food and recipes are meant to be played with and buil...
July 15, 2005
Salade de Blé Tendre, Courgette et Abricot
[Soft Wheatberry Salad with Zucchini and Apricots]
I am a great lover of all things grain. Quinoa, bulgur, kamut, buckwheat, barley, amaranth, millet -- each of them nutritious, filling and tasty in its own personal way (although they all seem to be indifferently described as "nutty" on the package, or un goût de noisette in French). I also love that most of them can be traced all the way back to ancient civilisations -- you know, way before i...
"Salade de Blé Tendre, Courgette et Abricot" continues »
May 30, 2005
Salade de Concombre au Crabe
[Crab and Cucumber Salad]
Paris went through a miniature heatwave last week -- it certainly felt nice to take the skirts, tank tops and strappy sandals out of their winter residence -- and lunchtime on Saturday found me craving for something easy and fresh.
The refrigerator was in dire need of replenishing, not exactly empty but certainly devoid of exciting things. I considered going out to buy a few things, but quickly decided against it. M...
"Salade de Concombre au Crabe" continues »
March 21, 2005
Salade de Roquette, Vinaigrette d'Echalote et Amandes Toastées
[Rucola Salad, Shallot Vinaigrette and Toasted Almonds]
Last week I had lunch (at the Café Fusion, where else?) with someone who, incidentally, told me about a cooking class she had attended. It was one of those conversations between two persons who don't know each other too well, who suspect they are in the company of a fellow food enthusiast, but are still trying to determine how deeply infected the other person is, and just how much detail ...
"Salade de Roquette, Vinaigrette d'Echalote et Amandes Toastées" continues »
March 10, 2005
Salade de Pleurotes, Pomme et Bergamote
[Oyster Mushroom Salad with Apple and Bergamot]
Pleurotes, also known as oyster mushrooms or tree oysters, are these large greyish beige mushrooms with a round funnel-shaped hat, that grow in clusters on the trunk of trees -- they don't care much if said tree is dead or alive, if you must know. The flesh underneath the hat (and that part is called the hymenophore, aren't you glad you came) has deep white gills that go all the way down the curv...
"Salade de Pleurotes, Pomme et Bergamote" continues »
January 23, 2005
Salade Tiède de Haricots Tarbais à l'Huile de Noix (IMBB11)
[Warm Tarbais Bean Salad with Walnut Oil]
The 11th edition of Is My Blog Burning?, the world-famous collaborative food blogging event, is hosted by Cathy and her theme of choice is Beans!
For my contribution, it seemed only fitting that I use the prince of beans, a.k.a Le Haricot Tarbais. Originally brought back from the New World in the 16th century, this white kidney-shaped bean is now grown specifically in the region of Tarbes, a town in t...
"Salade Tiède de Haricots Tarbais à l'Huile de Noix (IMBB11)" continues »
October 14, 2004
Salade de Sarrasin au Pain d'Epice
[Buckwheat and Gingerbread Salad]
Buckwheat (sarrasin in French) has always occupied a very special place in the "cereal" section of my heart -- no doubt because of the fabulous galettes de sarrasin (savory crepes) we used to eat in Brittany.
It is a cereal that's seldom used in France (except in its flour form for said galettes), possibly because its alternate name blé noir (black wheat) makes it sound like a not-so-royal counterpart to its...
"Salade de Sarrasin au Pain d'Epice" continues »
May 27, 2004
The Pasta Salad That Rhymed With O
[a.k.a. Tomato Chorizo Pistachio Pasta Salad]
Pasta salads are one of these things I start to crave all of a sudden, when the weather gets warmer. As I've mentioned before, I usually bring my own food to work, and pasta salads are great portable lunches : they're quick to make, they get better as they sit, and they are an easy way to fill up on starch, protein and veggies in one tasty dish.
They're also an excellent companion for lunch on a ...
"The Pasta Salad That Rhymed With O" continues »
May 20, 2004
Semoule de Chou-Fleur aux Fruits Secs
[Cauliflower Semolina with Dried Fruits]
Forenote : in the US, the term couscous is used to mean the North-African wheat pasta, shaped like very small beads. The actual name for this is, in fact, semolina -- "semoule" in French. Couscous is the typical North-African dish which includes steamed semolina, as well as vegetables and grilled meat.
I made this recipe using a head of cauliflower I got in my Campanier basket. The poor thing had been ...
"Semoule de Chou-Fleur aux Fruits Secs" continues »
March 30, 2004
Salade de Lentilles Pomme et Cumin
[Apple and Cumin Lentil Salad]
This past Saturday, our dear friends Laurence and Jean-Christophe threw a housewarming party (pendaison de crémaillère if you remember) in their cool new apartment, just off Bastille. Laurence had asked if we could bring a little something and I had gathered from reliable sources that Marie-Laure and Ludo were going to bring Ludo's famous cheesecake. I felt that the sweet ground was thus amply covered and decided...
"Salade de Lentilles Pomme et Cumin" continues »
March 22, 2004
Salade de Chou Rouge aux Figues Séchées
[Red Cabbage and Dried Figs Salad]
If you look for recipes to use up a head of red cabbage before it applies for permanent residence in your vegetable drawer, you will find that the general agreement is "red cabbage shall be sublimated by fruit" : popular uses include braising it with apples or chestnuts, cooking it with pears, or pairing it with apricots or raisins in a salad.
Although the Cook's Thesaurus dismisses it as tasting just like ...
"Salade de Chou Rouge aux Figues Séchées" continues »
March 1, 2004
Salade Tiède de Charlottes
[Warm Potato Salad]
The other day, when my Campanier basket included a bag of Charlottes, Jackie mentioned that her favorite use for these small potatoes, tender-fleshed and sweet, was a warm potato salad. This stuck in my mind so much that I couldn't think, for the life of me, what else any one could possibly choose to make with these beauties.
I made this salad using the leftover ham and parsley I had on hand, and threw in some toasted haz...
"Salade Tiède de Charlottes" continues »
February 5, 2004
Salade Figue et Poire à la Bresaola
[Fig and Pear Salad with Bresaola]
While planning the menu for our Saturday night dinner party, I realized I hardly ever serve salad as a first course. I'll often use salad to accompany the star item, like a tartlet or a bruschetta or a mousse or a slice of terrine or what-have-you, but it is rarely a salad in its own right. I'm sorry.
I guess this is because salads don't sound like they'll be much fun to prepare : they're pretty easy, it's j...
"Salade Figue et Poire à la Bresaola" continues »
January 4, 2004
Salade de Pois Gourmands aux Lardons et aux Noix
Veggie lover that I am, our new year's eve party buffet had to include something green. Maxence and I love snow peas, because of the taste and the crunch and the look, but they're seldom served in France, so I'm always happy to give them the space in the sun that they rightfully deserve. I think they're perfect in salads, and this is what struck my fancy this time : a scrumptious combination that went surprisingly well with the terrine.
Terrin...
"Salade de Pois Gourmands aux Lardons et aux Noix" continues »
October 21, 2003
Salade de Pois Gourmands aux Trois Sésames
[Triple Sesame Snow Pea Salad]
In French, snow peas (or sugar snap peas, apparently the difference is that snow peas are a lighter green) are called Pois Gourmands (Gourmand Peas) or Haricots Mangetout (Eat-Everything Beans). The reason for that, I just found out, is that unlike regular peas, you eat the pod as well, so you "eat everything". And eating everything makes you a qualified gourmand, hence the alternate name. Cute, huh?
I love the ...
"Salade de Pois Gourmands aux Trois Sésames" continues »