My Petite Paris Kitchen: Pork Chops w/ Moroccan Spice Rub, Ratatouille & Couscous

It has been almost a month since we moved to Paris from Hanoi.  Our charming (and by that I do mean small, lol) temporary apartment is  a second floor walk up on Rue de la Tour in the 16th District.  We have been exploring our new neighborhood with S giving me direction (as I do not speak French - yet!) to and from the nearest weekly green markets, grocery stores, butchery, cheesery (love that place!) etc. I now feel comfortable enough to try a home cooked meal…now the challenging part…our kitchen. I have had many small and functionally challenged  studio apartments when I lived in  Atlanta, Ga. and this kitchen certainly brings me back to those days. This kitchen is tucked under the eves between the living room and bedroom and features: a 2 burner cook top (no oven), a microwave and a little refrigerator which sits under the counter top between the sink and the bar.  Recently I of been following a cooking blog “Big Girls, Small Kitchen” and have found a lot of inspiration there so I am putting on my “big girl pants” trying out this new kitchen.  Note: I have noticed that prep time takes a bit longer than normal since I have a hard time finding a spot to put chopped up ingredients, being organized and working in steps is how I am going to go at this.  These recipes are my own and are easy to make with seasonal produce in addition to things I found in my cupboard.

Step 1: Spice Rub on the chops

4 pork chops
Apply your favorite Spice Rub, sea salt and freshly ground pepper to both sides of meat, I used  Ras el Hanout which includes: red chili, cinnamon, grey pepper, garlic, ginger, mustard, nutmeg, cloves, paprika 
Rewrap in butchers paper and let rest in the refrigerator while you are assembling everything else.
We (that is a royal we as in I asked  S to actually cook the chops, he he) cooked the chops last after everything else was finished .
Place chops in a dry non-stick skillet on high heat to begin with to brown both sides then continue cooking on medium heat until the centers are no longer pink. Approximately 10-15 min. depending on the thickness of the chops.

Step 2: Home made salad dressing

Make my favorite “go to” summer Lemon Caper Salad Dressing …. light garlicky citrus based with some capers thrown in. I am making this second so the flavors will have time to blend before serving.

2 cloves of garlic mashed through sea salt with mortar and pestle 
Add zest and juice of one good sized lemon and olive oil to the same bowl you used to crush the garlic
Throw in a couple of teaspoons of capers
Pour into a small jar and let sit until ready to use
This dressing will keep for a week in the refrigerator.

Step 3: The Ratatouille

Ingredients:

• 2 medium eggplants
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 green bell pepper
• 2 medium shallots
• 4-5 cloves garlic
• sea salt
• 3-4 T olive oil
• fresh basil
• fresh Italian parsley
• splash of white wine
• 2 cans of diced tomatoes w/ juices
• additional salt and pepper to taste
• freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional topping on finished Ratatouilli)

Method:

Slice and dice eggplant sprinkle with sea salt and let sit of to the side while you prep the rest of the veggies. I read somewhere that the salt draws out any bitterness that the eggplant may have. I pat the water that is extracted from the eggplant with a paper towel before adding it to the pot.
De-seed, slice and chop red and green peppers and put aside (separate from the eggplant)

Roughly chop shallots, I do not worry about making them into perfect pieces but slice and then chop to roughly even sized pieces. Peel slice and chop the garlic in the same way. An easy way to peel garlic is to place a clove on your cutting board then using the broad side of your chopping knife smash it with the palm of your hand. The papery skin pops right off the garlic and any little bits are easily removed with your fingers. I have always had fun with this slightly brutal method for peeling garlic and find it therapeutic, lol!

Add 3-4 T olive oil to a large enough pan to hold all ingredients over medium heat. Sauté garlic and shallots until they are translucent and soft. Add your chopped peppers and continue to sauté. Using a paper towel pat any moister off the diced eggplant and add to the pot. Stir and cook over medium heat until the veggies begin to soften. Add the two cans of tomatoes with juice. Cover, turn down the heat to low and simmer stirring occasionally until the veggies have cooked down, approx. 20 min.

Chop basil and parsley and add to pot during the last few minutes of cooking along with a splash of wine (I love to have a glass of wine while I cook so I usually add a splash of whatever I happen to be drinking). Salt and pepper to taste.  Stir,  cover,  taste (just to make sure it’s really good) turn off the heat and let rest on the back burner until you are ready to serve. 

In my petite kitchen I am now washing all the dishes I used putting this together while I make the couscous.

As I mentioned before I asked S to cook the pork chops which are ready to go since I did the spice rub in Step 1 and sitting in the refrigerator.

I have a glass of wine, toss the salad and relax while he is doing this… Voila….dinner is served!

Cider Braised Sausages with Sage

I am moving from Hanoi, Vietnam to Paris in 8 days and OMG am I excited!!!  That being said, I am trying to clean out my cupboard and eliminate some of the dry goods I have on hand before the movers get here to pack. This recipe caught my eye because it looked fairly simple plus I had an onion and polenta that need to be used. I am also sure that although cider may be better, I can defiantly find apple juice and  sausage here. There are many kinds of sausages available here; however, being that I cannot read Vietnamese I am going to use  klobasa sausage because it is familiar to me. This is going to change the way I prepare the sausage for this recipe by adding another step but I am willing and able. My extra step is outlined below but the recipe below was posted by Blake Royer on Serious Eats.com with my other additions/substitutions in italic.
ADDED STEP: Klobasa which has some course fat pieces in it vs. regular sausage which I want to melt rather than get hard so in a small pot I braised the links in 1 can of beef broth, 1/2 C apple juice, 2 T dried diced onion, 1 tsp ground sage. Low heat, cook covered for about 30 min. Then continue to cook uncovered until liquid is almost gone (save the remaining liquid to add to the water or chicken broth for the polenta).  This successfully melted the pieces of fat within the links making a tender (you can cut with a spoon) sausage.
Ingredients
serves makes 4 servings, active time 20 minutes, total time 45 minutes (it took me longer but then I did add an extra step)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium yellow onions, cut into 1-inch wedges (I sliced in thinner rings)
• 1.5 pounds mild sausages, pork or turkey or chicken (Klobasa)
• 10 fresh sage leaves (2 tsp. dried sage,1 tsp. dried thyme, 1/2 tsp. dried Rosemary)
• 2 cups apple cider (1 1/2 apple juice)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup polenta
• 5 cups water (plus remaining beef broth liquid used to braise sausage in my added step)
• 1 can chicken broth
• 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar

Procedures

• In a large (12-inch) skillet large enough to hold the sausages comfortably, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add sausages and cook, turning once, until they are a deep golden brown. Halfway through cooking, add onions to pan and toss to coat them in the oil.
• Add cider, sage leaves, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer quite rapidly until cider reduces into a glaze and coats the back of a spoon, about 30 minutes.

• In the meantime, bring water to boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Whisk in polenta in a slow stream, season with salt and pepper, and return to a boil. Turn heat to low and cook until water is absorbed and polenta is very soft. I added remaining braising liquid from my added step to the 5 cups of water for polenta, also added 1 can chicken broth as I was stirring polenta to thin it down when it got too thick. Recipe doesn’t mention but constantly stir polenta for about 30 min. to prevent sticking on bottom!

• Stir in cheddar and season to taste.
• Divide polenta among bowls and top with sausages and onion. Spoon the pan liquid on top of the sausages and serve immediately.

Enjoy…we sure did! ツ

Bún chả…my ongoing addiction

Bun cha (Vietnamese: Bún chả) is a Vietnamese dish, which is thought to be originated from Hanoi, north Vietnam.^[1] Bun cha is served with a plate of white rice noodle (bún) and a bowl of sauce that contains grilled meat pork and slices of green papaya. Accompanying foods include nem (fried spring rolls) and different kinds of herd like lettuce and tia to (Perilla).  - Wikipedia

Bún chả

I have been living in Hanoi now for about 8 months after moving here from Atlanta, Georgia USA to say this was a  big change would be an understatement! One of the biggest differences is the food. I live close to downtown Hanoi on Tong Duy Tan commonly referred to as “Food Street”. Food street is open pretty much 24/7 and is lined with street food vendors, restaurants, café’s  and a couple other random shops.

Tong Duy Tan, Hanoi, Vietnam

In the beginning , I was hesitant to experience street food and concerned about stomach issues but soon I “maned up” and tried a couple  dishes like Pho Bo (typical breakfast noodle soup with beef) & mixed rice (stir fried veggies may include small bits of beef, chicken and or seafood) . Then it happened, I came across a Bun cha stand…the lightning bolt struck...clouds parted, the sun came out and I was in love! Two women run this stand on Tong Duy Tan and are open for lunch daily until about 3 ish, I usually try to get there between 12-1pm just to make sure they don’t run out of Nem, which is an essential part in my opinion to the bun cha experience. 

My favorite Bún chả stand

 One of the woman man’s the grill; cooking the tiny pork patties to perfection (for me this is very well done) and frying the Nem in a small pot on the same grill. The other woman brings me a small plate of bun (rice noodle), a bowl of broth with about half a dozen of the pork patties fresh off the grill with thin slices of green papaya floating on top and a basket of salad which varies by the day but usually consists of several kinds of Vietnamese mint, cilantro and butter lettuce. A small side order of Nem is the perfect compliment to this delicious lunch.

Side order of Nem

This is how I enjoy my bun cha. First I add some of the freshly chopped garlic and up to 3 slices fresh of chili pepper to  my bowl of broth, sliced green papaya and meat patties. Then I add some veggies and herbs from my salad basket and enjoy a couple bits of the sweet delicate flavors.

Add garlic, chili, herbs and veggies!

Next I dip a bit of the Nem into the broth while the Nem is still hot; enjoying  the crispiness of the wrapper while the juicy broth seeps out of the roll and into my mouth. Now I add more mint from the basket and add a bit of the bun to my bowl and enjoy. This step can be messy with chopsticks as you slurp up the noodles but who cares, I’m in heaven! Last but not least I add more herbs and lettuce and try to get the perfect bit of the meat patty with that bit of crunch. Repeat all steps over and over again until done.

Regards to the chef!

As you can see I have this down to a science and I should, my longest running bun cha streak so far is 14 days in a row of bun cha for lunch! I have tried bun cha at another stand when I was across town but it was no where near as good…if you are ever in Hanoi, you have got to try the bun cha on “food street” as part of your experience! Enjoy!!

For another intertaining bun cha story follow this link: http://www.thingsasian.com/stories-photos/1031