Source: live-classy.tumblr.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Shrooms

Fresh Chanterelle (ou Girolles en Francais) Mushrooms from the market in Fontainebleau. They have a distinct rich flavor with a woody or  earthy aroma. There are many ways to cook chanterelles. Most of the flavorful compounds in chanterelles are fat-soluble, making them good mushrooms to sauté in butter, oil or cream.

 

Though records of chanterelles being eaten date back to the 1500s, they first gained widespread recognition as a culinary delicacy with the spreading influence of French cuisine in the 1700s, where they began appearing in palace kitchens. For many years, they remained notable for being served at the tables of nobility. Nowadays, the usage of chanterelles in the kitchen is common throughout Europe and North America.

 

I had a plate of sautéed Chanterelle mushrooms as a  starter dish in a local restaurant in Barbizon which I decided to recreate served with spätzle (traditional Alsacian egg noodles) for our dinner.

 

First I washed and brushed the chanterelle mushrooms, then  sauté  in  butter in a pan with garlic and shallots. At the end add a bit of fresh chopped parsley.
The spätzle, since I didn’t have fresh, I cooked in water according to the directions. Then in a pan sautéed with butter and a bit of cream fresh, bread crumbs, salt and pepper to taste.


.

 

And Voila…dinner is served.  

Beaucoup du tomates !

Our friend Deloisy just dropped off 4kg (aprox. 8.8 lbs) vine ripe yellow tomatoes yesterday morning. So what do I do with this windfall…


Sliced tomato salad with goat cheese and a fresh baguette for lunch,with the tomatoes that are in really good shape and beautiful.

The really ripe tomatoes and those with spotty skin, I will make a Blond Tomato Crumble or Crumble Tomates Oignons et Parmesan. Last weekend Blandine made this for us and it was so good I decided to give it a whirl. I didn’t get the recipe so I looked one up on the internet that seemed the most similar to the one Blandine made. I have gotten fairly good at reading recipe’s in French but I also look at the Bing translation just to be sure I am not missing something (see below).

Crumble tomates oignons et parmesan

Cuisson, cooking time : 35 min
Ingrédients (pour 6 personnes) :

• 200 g d'oignons grelots, 4  medium onions
• 1 cuillère à soupe d'huile d'olive, 1 T olive oil
• 2 cuillères à soupe de sucre roux, 2 T. sugar
• 15-18 tomates olivettes ou 4 grosses tomates bien mûres, 15-18 small to  meduim tomatoes or 4+ large tomatoes (I used 18 in mine)
•  2 gousses d'ail, 2  cloves of garlic
• 1 cuillère à café de thym, 1 tsp. dried thyme or I used small handful fresh thyme from our garden.

Pour la pâte à crumble, for the crumble I used a French measuring cup for the amounts in grams but here is the conversions (not tested) I looked up. :

• 120 g de parmesan, 1 cup finely grated parmesan
• 120 g de farine, 1 cup flour
• 100 g de beurre, 8 T butter softened
• salt and pepper to taste

Préparation :
Préparez la pâte à crumble : râpez le parmesan à la grosse grille, mélangez-le à la farine puis ajoutez le beurre bien mou en morceaux.
Mélangez du bout des doigts jusqu'à obtention d'une pâte granuleuse. Réservez.
Prepare the dough to crumble: In a bowl combine grated parmesan, flour, softened butter and salt/pepper to taste. Combine with fork until small grains in texture. Set this aside.

Epluchez les oignons et les tomates. Coupez les oignons en 2, faite-sles compoter dans un sauteuse dans l'huile d'olive et le sucre à couvert 10 minutes.
Peel onions and tomatoes. I used a mandolin to slice the onions. The tomatoes I roughly chopped after they were peeled. btw to peel a tomato put tomatoes in a pot of boiling water until the skins split then remove immediately. Once they are cool enough to handle the skins will slip right off.  
In a dutch oven over medium heat add olive oil followed by the  onions and sugar. Cover and cook 10 minutes. The onions should soften but not get colored.

Ajoutez les tomates coupées en morceaux ainsi que l'ail écrasé et le thym, laissez cuire à feux doux encore 10 minutes.
Add the peeled, chopped tomatoes, crushed garlic and thyme to the pot. Cook another 10 minutes until fragrant.

Versez ce mélange dans un plat beurré, recouvrez de la pâte à crumble et enfournez dans le four préchauffé à 200°C (thermostat 6-7) pendant 35 minutes.
La pâte doit prendre une belle couleur dorée. Servez tiède.
Pour this mixture into a flat buttered casserole dish, cover generously with crumble and bake in preheated oven 400F for 30 minutes or until bubbly and top is golden brown. Serve Warm or also great leftover cold!

Bon appetit ! This goes well with grilled pork chops or chicken or all by itself, LOL!

Penne Pasta with Chicken, Lemon, Garlic and Fresh Tomatoes

This is my adaptation of the Angele Hair Pasta with Lemon and Garlic from “IN THE KITCHEN WITH ROSIE”  by Rosie Daley cookbook. It is a perfect fresh and easy  Spring dinner!
Servings 4 or 2 with leftovers

Ingredients:
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3-4 T pesto sauce
1/2 lime juice
2 c dry penne pasta
Black pepper; to taste
A couple handfuls of arugula
1 med. to large lemon juiced
2 c  Fresh Tomatoes; 3-4 medium, chopped
1/4 c. Freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 T olive oil
1/4 c Fresh basil; chopped
2 cloves Garlic; peel and mince
1/2 c Dry white wine
Method:

• Marinade boneless skinless chicken breast in pesto sauce for a couple of hours. I usually do it in the morning and let it sit all day in the pesto.
• Add pesto used to marinade to small stick proof skillet pan; no need to add any oil if using a stick proof skillet pesto already has enough; sauté stovetop.
• After the chicken is lightly browned on both sides cut into bit sized chunks and return to skillet to finish. Stirring to coat all sides of chicken in pesto sauce, set aside.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and maintain at a boil.
• Put the olive oil and garlic in a sauté pan and cook over medium heat just until the garlic begins to brown.
• Remove the sauté pan from the heat and pour in the wine. Return it to the heat. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the wine has been reduced by half.
• Stir in the lemon juice and tomato.
• Remove the pan from the heat.
• Place the pasta in the boiling water and cook to desired doneness, with a bite, al dente.
• Add the basil, a couple of handfuls of arugula, cooked chicken, black pepper, and parmesan cheese,  along with the tomato mixture. Toss and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Spring in Barbizon, France…

…planting the first flower pots…



…red, orange and yellow buttercups…



…adding new herbs to garden outside the kitchen with citrus thyme, rosemary, thyme and coaxing back the existing parsley and thyme from last year…



…adding basil and parsley to the bed in the back to go with the chives…



…watching the first flowers of spring bloom in the yard…



…enjoying the sunshine!!!

Soupy Black Beans & Rice with Blackened Chicken

Spring is finally coming to Barbizon, with the sun shining on my face I am remembering Miami, FL. This is my shout out to Miami flavor, and bringing all my memories of South Beach to France!!!  Hint: soak the dried black beans the night before you want to serve this meal.



Blackened Chicken Recipe

I am still looking for the perfect blackened chicken recipe but this one is defiantly in the runner up!  At first I thought the mayo based mop for basting was  weird but it really worked to keep the boneless skinless chicken breasts moist while cooking. I did this under the broiler (it started to rain) vs. the grill but it would defiantly lend itself to grilling. 

Rub Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 4 teaspoons sugar, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 clove fresh garlic (through salt in mortar and pestle) or 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• zest of one lemon & 10 turns of freshly ground black pepper ( add to fresh garlic and grind then add to the rest of the rub mix) or 1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper, divided
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Basting Mop Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 large green onion, chopped
• sprinkle of cayenne pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp. cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp. oregano

Method:

1. In a small bowl, combine dry rub ingredients and add wet rub ingedients (garlic & lemomn zest) mix will and sprinkle over both sides of chicken. Set aside.
2.  In another bowl, combine Basting Mop Ingredients; cover and chill 1 cup for serving. Save remaining sauce for basting.

Cooking:

1. Grill chicken, covered, over indirect medium heat for 4-6 minutes on each side or until juices run clear, basting frequently with remaining sauce. Serve with reserved sauce.
2. OR put broiler close to the heating element and cook chicken until the top is looking done and the spices have set, flip and do the other side.  Then put the rack down one from the broiler element and continue cooking and basting on each side until chicken is done in the middle, approx. another 3 min. per side.  The basting mop will bubble and blacken and that is what you are looking for in the final product.

Soupy Black Beans ( my favorite recipe from the Miami Spice Cookbook)


Initial Black Bean Cook

• 1 pound black beans, picked through and washed
• 1 small onion, peeled and cut in half
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 green bell pepper, cored and seeded
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. dried oregano

SOFRITO

• quarter pound country thick cut bacon, cut into slivers or 150 grams smoked lardon
• 1/2 onion, chopped fine
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 green pepper , cored, seeded and finely chopped
• 3 scallions,trimmed and finely chopped

SEASONINGS

• 2 T dry white wine or white wine vinegar to taste
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

• Rinse and pick through beans, pull out any foreign matter. Put beans in pot and cover with 3 inches of water.  Soak overnight.
• The next day drain beans and put back in pot. Cover with 3 inches of water. Add halved onion, garlic cloves, bay leaves, bell pepper, cumin and oregano to the pot. Bring to a boil over high heat and skim off any foam that rises to the surface.
• Reduce heat, cover, and gently simmer beans, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Add water as necessary to keep beans submerged. Remove onion, garlic, bay leaves and bell pepper with a slotted spoon and discard. 
• Meanwhile: Prepare Sofrito.
• Brown bacon in a heavy frying pan over medium heat.
• Add remaining sofrito ingredients. Cook over medium heat until just beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Stir the sofrito into the beans along with the wine, vinegar sugar and salt and pepper. Cover and continue simmering bean, until very soft, about 20 mins.
• Just before serving correct the seasonings, adding salt,pepper, cumin, oregano, or vinegar. The mixture should be highly seasoned. Spoon the soupy black beans over rice.

Enjoy…

Four Cheese Macaroni with Bacon…hang onto your girdles girls cause this is the ONE!

Mac & Cheese has always been one of my favorite comfort foods. Kraft will do in a pinch but the best mac & cheese was one I had one Sunday afternoon made by a friend’s Southern grandma but now this updated version may take the cake. WARNING: This is not low fat by any stretch of the imagination but totally worth the extra workout session, LOL.



I have been trying to explain the American  mac & cheese experience to Stephane.  We tried Kraft when I found it in an American grocery store here in France but I told him that was not real mac & cheese. Real mac & cheese is creamy, bubbly, cheesy goodness NOT orange. So now of course he has been asking me to put my money where my mouth is and make him some. I had a recipe from my above mentioned friend’s grandmother but my cookbooks are still in storage so I was really excited by this recipe* which is an updated twist on an old favorite,  found in the January issue of INSTYLE magazine. It is not a recipe for beginners as you need to make the cheese sauce with no lumps (actually not that hard once you get the hang of it) and does dirty a lot of pots and pans but I think you will find it worth the trouble. I know I did.  * I made a few changes/additions but this is pretty much the recipe from the magazine.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter (divided)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
•  1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• A couple twirls of freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 cups Panko style bread crumbs (used a mixture of store bought and my own from old baguettes that I smashed)
• 6 cups whole milk
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
• 2 T apple cider vinegar
• 5-6 slices of thin sliced  Prosciutto or similarly spiced meat such as Sopressata, Bresaola or Grisons meat. (see topping)
• 1/2 lb. thick sliced bacon (I used lardon which is like a thick sliced smoked bacon) (see filling)
• 1 lb. dried shell pasta (I used one box of Barilla trumpet shaped pasta)
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups grated whole milk mozzarella cheese (reserve 1/2 cup for topping)
• 1 cup grated aged cheddar cheese
• 1 1/4 cups grated smoked Gouda Cheese (reserve 1/4 cup for topping)
• 1 1/4 cups grated Havarti cheese (reserve 1/4 cup for topping)

Method:

Topping:
1. In a large saucepan melt 3 tsp. butter (first1/2 of the butter) over medium heat. Add Garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook until garlic is soft and fragrant but not brown (1-2 min.) . Add bread crumbs and quickly mix to combine. Remove mixture to a bowl.

2. Place sliced Prosciutto on parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake in 350° oven until crisp.  Then crumble and mix into bowl of seasoned bread crumbs above. Topping done! Set bowl aside for later.

Filling:
1. In a large saucepan combine milk and onion over medium heat. Bring milk to a low simmer. Cook for 20 minutes stirring occasionally (you do not want burnt milk at the bottom). The 20 minutes is only a suggestion you do not want the milk to reduce too much but do want the onion to infuse flavor gently into the milk. Set aside when done (see sauce).

2. While the milk is simmering…In a large frying pan, cook bacon (or lardon) until the edges are crispy. Keep the grease in the pan but remove the bacon with a slotted spoon. Cut bacon into 1/2 inch pieces, I find kitchen scissors are the easiest to do this with and set aside.
 
3. Add apples to the hot bacon fat in the pan, sautèing until soft. Add bacon pieces back to pan; add vinegar and toss to coat. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions. When pasta is done drain and set aside for assembly.

Sauce:
1. As pasta cooks, melt 1/4 cup butter (second half of butter) in a large sauce pan. Sprinkle with flour (a tablespoon at a time) over butter and whisk together to form paste. Cook over medium low heat 1-2 minutes but do not let pan get too hot or you will get lumps and scorch your milk. (This I have learned by trial and error, uggg!)

2. Slowly one ladle at a time (or approx. 1/2 cup) add your milk mixture whisking each addition until smooth. Raise heat and slowly bring to a gentle boil stirring constantly. Once it is boiling reduce the heat so that you have a gentle simmer continue to stir and add nutmeg and pepper to taste. Let sauce thicken until it coats the back of a spoon. Maybe 5 minutes (but feels like longer as you stand there stirring, LOL)

3. Slowly add (while stirring constantly) 1 cup of each of your grated  cheeses until cheese melts. Your sauce is done, turn off the heat and prepare for assembly.

Assembly:
1. Add pasta from strainer back to the large pan you used to cook the pasta, add apple/bacon mixture and mix well. Then fold your cheese sauce mixture into the pasta.

2. Pour above into a lightly greased 13” x 9” backing dish.

3. Mix your remaining cheeses with the bread crumb topping in a bowl and then sprinkle on top of your pasta in the baking dish.

4. Broil until bread crumbs are golden and cheese is bubbly (about 4-5 min).
 Serve immediately.

Yield: 6 big old serving!

My first Raclette

Have you ever heard of Raclette??? I hadn’t but melted cheese over potatoes with ham…what’s not to love! This is how it works: An electric raclonette is placed on the table which has individual cups that fit under the grill. 

The guests grill a slice of cheese, which may be topped with a raw quail egg in individual cups then pour the now melted cheese and cooked egg over sliced potatoes on their plate.

This is eaten with charcuterie, assorted pickled vegies and a simple green salad.

This was absolutely delicious; however, I will defiantly have to add another day to my workout schedule to combat the calories consumed, LOL. Totally worth it thought!!!

Tomato & Apple Soup…an old favorite all grown up

I just got the January issue of INSTYLE magazine (and in English - oh joy!) and found some updated “comfort food” recipes. Today is a typical cold and rainy January day so I decided to try out this new recipe for tomato soup. The reason I am calling this version of tomato soup "all grown up" is because the apple cider I have found so far in France is the alcoholic kind. It is not too potent only 4% alcohol but in addition to the wine in this recipe I thought this may not be for kids, LOL. 

I have to say I usually do not enjoy fruit in savory dishes or really fruit in general; however,  in addition to apples this recipe’s ingredients also include Dijon mustard and chili paste so I figured that would balance it out without making it too fruity. 

I couldn’t find my chili paste so I used 3 small red chili peppers, chopped and a dab of Harissa.  I like the warmth the chili’s give to this recipe and the sweetness of the apples cut the acidity of the tomatoes. Now I just need a grilled cheese sandwich, a good book and I am all set!

Ingredients:

2 T butter
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
3 tart apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 T Dijon mustard
1 tsp. sambal (chili paste available at Asian markets)
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 16oz. cans whole peeled tomatoes and juice (I used diced tomatoes and their juice)
4 cups apple cider
3/4 cup liquid crème fresh (or heavy cream), divided in half

Method:

• In a large soup pot, melt butter over medium/low  heat. Add onions, garlic and a pinch of salt. Sauté 10 minutes until pale and tender.
• Add apples, tomato paste, mustard, chili paste and white wine. Let reduce by half (5-7 minutes).
• Add tomatoes and cider; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer (partially covered to let steam vent) for an hour stirring occasionally.
• Pour half of soup in blender. Purée with one part of cream until smooth. Repeat with the second batch and combine it all together. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Lentils with Wine-Glazed Winter Vegetables…what is for dinner tonight…

I found this recipe on the Cooking Light website and decided to try this instead of making lentil soup with the dried lentils I have purchased for this week's menu. I substituted turnips for the parsnips in this recipe because I like the flavor better and also parsnips are not a local produce for France and therefore more expensive per kg. The result was fab. and I will definitely add this to my winter lineup. Tonight I am serving this with roasted pork studded with garlic and rubbed with Herbs de Provence but I think it could also stand alone and be served as a vegetarian meal over bulgur.



My winter vegetables  are cooked separately, glazed with tomato paste and red wine, and then added to the lentils. Any lentils will work, but I like black or French green lentils for this recipe; they make for the most dramatic presentation and have a great flavor.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients

• 3 cups water 1 1/2 cups dried lentils
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided 
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil 
• 2 cups chopped onion 
• 1 1/2 cups chopped peeled celeriac (celery root)
• 1 cup (about 4 small) diced turnip
• 1 cup (about 4 med. to large) diced carrot 
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon, divided
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 garlic clove, minced 
• 2/3 cup dry red wine
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon butter 
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 

Preparation

• Combine water, lentils, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and bay leaf in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes. Remove lentils from heat, and set aside.
• Heat olive oil in a medium cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celeriac, turnip, carrot, and 1 1/2 teaspoons tarragon, and sauté 10 minutes or until browned.

• Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, tomato paste, and garlic; cook mixture 1 minute.
• Stir in wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

• Stir in mustard.
• Add lentil mixture, and cook 2 minutes.

• Remove from heat; discard bay leaf, and stir in butter, 1 1/2 teaspoons tarragon, and pepper.

Cooking Light
MARCH 2000

What I am working on now....Spring Line Sneak Peek

I have really been in the groove lately working on my Body Armour Spring Line. It was actually really hard to stop working on new pieces I am designing to take some pics. of some of the completed designs but here are two of them at least. Hundreds of stainless steel rings have been opened and closed by hand to make the chainmaille and chains in these two pieces. All of the chains in both pieces are handmade. When I come up for air again I will price these and list them in both my Etsy and Art Fire Shop.

Euro 4-in-1 weave Harness/Necklace/Sash

Byzantine Lace Collar with Detachable Shoulder Harness

Soup of the week…Chou vert Frisé (Cabbage) with Artichoke, Giant White Bean and Sausage Soup

Even though I am just cooking for two, I love to make a big pot of soup every week. I purposefully make enough to last for one dinner and several lunches. This way I am not cooking every day but have something easy and delicious for us to eat and in the winter I could eat soup everyday . Planned laziness…gotta love it!
This recipe is adapted from “Tuscan Kale Soup with Artichoke and Chicken Sausage”  found on Taste With The Eyes blog that I  follow.  Artichokes are one of my very favorite vegetables so this immediately attracted me to this recipe. While familiarizing myself with the different foods available at our local Carrefour (French version of a Walmart Super Store) I found large bags of frozen artichoke hearts. Very exciting (for me at least)!  I have yet to be able to find kale so I am using Chou Vert Frisé  (curly leaf green cabbage) that is available here during the winter months.  I added some leftover giant white beans I cooked for another meal to this but I have also made it without them.

Ingredients:

1 small head of Chou Vert Frisé (curly leaf green cabbage) or kale
1 lb. ( 500kg) Toulouse sausage (mild sausage)
1 med. onion diced
1 tsp. fennel seed (crushed)
2 red chili peppers finely chopped or 1 tsp. chili flakes
6-8 frozen artichoke hearts (sliced)
1/2 of a lemon
3 quarts chicken stock

Method:

• Wash cabbage leaves and drain. Remove tough middle stem from leaves and cut into 1-2 inch pieces. Do not worry if they seem too big the cabbage will cook down.  I used about one heaping colander full of torn cabbage leaves for my soup. 
• Remove sausage from casings and crumble into bite size pieces while browning in a large stock pot. When sausage is done remove and drain in a bowl lined with paper towels.
• While this is cooking crush fennel seed in a mortar and pestle.
• Remove excess grease from pot and in same pot Add onion, garlic, chili and crushed fennel and sauté until onion is translucent but not brown.
• If using frozen artichoke heart. Thaw before hand, then slice. Squeeze juice from 1/2 a lemon over the artichoke hearts, add zest if desired
• Return browned sausage to pot. Add artichoke hearts, chicken broth and cabbage leaves to pot.
• Continue cooking stirring occasionally 30 minutes or until  cabbage and artichoke hearts are tender. Adjust seasoning as necessary adding salt and pepper.

Serve with fresh bread and cheese or try a little grated parmesan cheese on top.
Yields: 6+ adult size servings

Coconut Chicken Curry Soup

We are spending the winter in the country house in Barbizon France, which is about an hour outside of Paris. One of the benefits of this is enjoying a big kitchen. So since it has gotten cold outside I have been making a different soup every week. This week I thought I would try something different. This recipe is easy to make, doesn’t take a lot of prep or cooking time and the exotic flavors really appealed to me. Served over white basmati rice this makes a perfect winter dinner for three adults (who all had second helpings) with no leftovers (unfortunately… LOL…I guess I will have to do another soup this week).  I have adapted this recipe from another blog “Cooking for seven”.

Ingredients:

• vegetable or  olive oil
• 4 chicken breasts, sliced thinly
• 1/2 of a large onion, chopped fine
• 1 small green bell pepper, sliced very thin and cut in bit size pieces
• 1 large carrot, peeled and very thinly sliced (with a mandoline)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 2 Tablespoons dried crushed lemon grass (I am sure the fresh would be better but oh well)
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 can (14 ounces) unsweetened coconut milk, full fat
• 2 Tablespoons curry powder
• 1 jalapeño, seeded, minced
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• zest from 1 lime
• 1/2 cup* chopped fresh cilantro, plus extra for garnish
• 1/2 cup unsweetened chipped coconut for garnish
• a couple sliced red chili peppers ** (can be served on the side)
• Freshly cooked basmati rice (optional)

* I have to admit I am a cilantro lover so I chopped some extra and sprinkled it on the sliced chicken as it cooked.

** If you are not afraid of a little heat add one or two of the sliced chili pepper in with the jalapeño

Directions:

1) Heat the  oil in a medium sized soup pot over medium heat. Add the sliced chicken* to the oil, season lightly with salt and pepper. Sauté until cooked through and golden. Remove chicken and set aside.

2) Sauté the onion and carrot rounds, adding more oil if necessary, until tender.

2) Return the chicken to the pot with the onions. Add the ginger, lemongrass and lime zest; cook for 1 minute.

3) Add chicken broth, coconut milk, curry powder, chili pepper **and jalapeno. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

4) Add bell pepper and cilantro and simmer an additional 3 minutes. Stir in lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3) Optional: Spoon rice into 3 bowls. Top with a ladle or two of soup. Garnish with additional cilantro and a sprinkling of shredded coconut. Serve with sliced red chili pepper on the side.

Makes approximately 6 servings

Split Pea Soup

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups dried split peas

1 piece of Collet Fume approx. .7 kg. ( American translation: a little over a pound of fatty  smoked ham. I am not sure if this cut is available in the US but a fatty piece of smoked ham with some meat on it would do it)

1 quart (4 cups) water

1 quart (4 cups) chicken stock

2 onions, diced med. to small pieces

 3 stalks celery, chopped to roughly the same size as the onion

2 – 3 carrots, peeled and chopped same size as onion and celery

4 small red potatoes (washed but not peeled), chopped roughly the same size as veggies above

1 clove garlic, minced

1 – 2 T olive oil

4-5  stalks of fresh thyme (roughly 1 1/2 tsp. if using dried)

2 Bay leaves

1 T dried rosemary

2 – 3 T freshly chopped parsley

black pepper to taste

Method:

1. Rinse peas several times in cold water; pick out any funky pieces that rise to the top.  Soak peas in cold water after last rinse for 1 1/2 hours then drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile…prep veggies. The onion, celery and garlic together with the carrot and potato together but separated in a separate bowl.
3. Quickly sear the ham in large stock pot.  Stir in chopped onion, celery and garlic; add olive oil as necessary to sauté until onion softens and starts to turn translucent. Add chopped carrot , potato  and reserved peas. Stir to combine and continue to sauté for a couple of minutes; then add chicken broth, water and herbs.  Stir, cover and bring to a boil; then reduce to simmer and continue cooking for 1 1/2 hours. Stir occasionally to avoid hot spots but keep covered.
4. Remove ham, pick out stems from the thyme and bay leaves. Cut ham into bit size pieces approx. the same size as the original veggies and return them to the pot.  Add pepper to taste. I did not add salt because the smoked ham I used was already very salty but add salt to taste if desired. Continue to cook uncovered for 20 or so minutes to let the soup thicken  up.

Garnish with croutons and shredded parmesan cheese.

Yields a bit over 2 quarts, serves 6-8.

Hearty “Everyday” Chickpea Salad

I have gained weight and have a little belly which is unacceptable to me! Rich or poor I have always been thin DAMMIT, so why is it every time I am in a relationship I gain 10-15 pounds...Ugggg! I am attributing this to the “Freshman 15”  with a slight variation of a new relationship vs. college. Most associate the term "Freshman 15" with the phenomenon of how college students gain weight their first semester attending a college or university. College freshmen seem to be the most susceptible to gaining weight their first semester (or year) at college, mostly attributed to a severe lifestyle change. While my collage days are long behind me (we won’t go into how long, LOL). I know I have gone through a very severe lifestyle change (for the better). Before meeting S, I was a retired “club/party girl” and single for many years, living the life of a starving artist creating and designing jewelry for several years since I gave up my day job (catering sales manager) . I pretty much ate and slept when I wanted to and only when my body demanded it. I met S and moved to Vietnam to be with him and now we live in France. I LOVE food (actually we both do) and experiencing all the different foods during our travels (Vietnam, Singapore, Bangkok & Paris), not having to work, having the money to really cook  nice dinners again, being rather isolated due to language barriers and therefore marking the time of day with meals and  a more regular sleep schedule; I realized just how out of control this has gotten when S jokingly said I looked a little pregnant. So I am starting a new diet regimen of fresh veggies, whole grains and lean meats. We just walked (burn those calories!) back from the green market (beautiful fresh veggies) and a local Lebanese grocery (dried beans, bulgur and brown rice) and now I am now planning what to do with the treasures we purchased.

Our dinner tonight will be this “Everyday Chickpea Salad” recipe I got from Shutterbean, one of the blogs I am following They in turn adapted it from  Appetite for Reduction, by Isa Moskowitz.  One of the reasons this recipe appealed to me was the fact that no oil is used in the dressing. I have no issue with olive oil but using cashews as a substitute intrigued me and it turns out the oil is not even missed. The other attraction to this recipe is that this seemed like a guilt free “hearty” salad that would fill you up without the eggs, cheese or meat I would normally associate with a "dinner" salad. Diets make me grouchy (just ask S!) and I am doing this diet without any diet pills or any of my old fallback remedies. So I am happy to say that we just finished dinner and my stomach is full, my taste buds satisfied and I am content.  I made a couple of substitutions to the original recipe based on the seasonal fresh produce that I randomly picked up today at the green market and what was in my cupboard, see notes at bottom.

Hearty “Everyday” Chickpea Salad

Makes 2-3 large dinner size servings
For the dressing:

• 1/4 cup cashew pieces
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onion
• 1/2 cup white wine or water
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 teaspoon natural brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• freshly ground pepper to taste

Place the cashew pieces & shallot in a food processor and pulse until totally chopped (chunks are still visible) . Then add the rest of the ingredients. Blend for at least 5 minutes, and scrape the sides with a rubber spatula. Now blend until completely smooth.

For the salad:

• 1 cup Fine Bulgur cooked & cooled
• 1-2 large green onion (including green part), thinly chopped
• 1-15oz. can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
• 1 pepper, sliced (I used 1/2 red and 1/2 green)
• several cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 4 cups mixed mache & roquette lettuce (Mache is otherwise known as Lamb’s lettuce or Corn lettuce and Roquette is Arugula)

In a large mixing bowl, mix all but the greens together. Add the dressing (reserve a bit for the greens later) and toss to coat. Keep chilled in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days. I tossed the greens with the reserved dressing and then added to the rest right before serving.

My Notes:
-Shutterbean's recipe calls for:

• Couscous instead of Cracked Bulgur
• Spinach instead of Mixed Greens
• Shallots instead of Spring Onions
• Water instead of White Wine.
• Agave nectar vs. natural brown sugar ( gee, I was fresh out of Agave LOL…but really many Vegan’s use this as a sugar substitute)
• Original recipe included cucumber and a couple fat cherry tomatoes  that were sitting in my veggie drawer was my addition.

-Shutterbean suggests other possible fixins: avocado, sprouts, sunflower seeds, walnuts, roasted bell pepper, artichoke hearts...whatever your heart desires!

A day at the Parc

We got a bit of am late start today partly due to being on holiday schedule (sleeping in) and partly due to the holiday post office schedule. I just had my first two sales since I moved to Paris and reopened my Etsy shop. Yea!!! After finding a post office that was open in the afternoon we decided to take advantage of the warmer (and dryer…no rain today) weather and go to the park.  In our haste to get out the door we forgot the camera and a picnic lunch but we were able to purchase sandwiches at a small concession stand in the park and I actually got some ok pictures using my new HTC Windows phone. (This shout out is in honor of “S”, a devoted Microsoftee)

I was amazed to see peacocks loose in the parc and they were quite friendly. The white one actually took food from my hand and sat with us for a moment.

As we walked through the park we saw other peacocks but only one like the white one who shared our picnic. As the sun was going down you could hear them calling to one another…mayo…mayo. Very cool!

This parc is also a botanical garden with beautiful gardens wild to formal.





It was getting dark by the time we got to the rose garden but it was spectacular with hundreds of varieties of roses in bloom.



As we were leaving we found this little guy…I think he was tuckered out too.