feeling raw

In less than two months, I have worked on different recipes that included raw beets. The first one was a root vegetable salad, using parsnips, turnips,celery root,beets etc all finely julienned into a revelation of sweet, crunchy, colorful twist on some winter, more uncommon vegetables.
This time, it was a simpler translation of just carrots and red beets ( for the other recipe, I had used 3 kind of beets, which made it kinetic looking with the hot pink concentric lined chiogga ).
Make a simple vinaigrette of orange juice, salt pepper, minced ginger and olive oil.mix each vegetable separately.plate side by side, sprinkle some fresh scissored mint.So healthy and tasty....

comal

At a cooking class in Oaxaca, I discovered and bought my" simple" comal. It lingered below the oven for a while stuck between tart pans and pie shells.What do to with this comal? how different from my cooking pans ? wrong ! I have started using it like mad, and it is wonderful. I love mexican food, and my hand made tortillas ( form Primavera), get all blistery and a tad smoky when warmed on the comal. My pimentos del padron, or baby poblanos get a nice tinge of fire( after having been rubbed with olive oil) and get very tasty when sprinkled with kosher salt.

summer apps

for a July 4th alfresco dinner on a friend's terrace overlooking the Berkeley hills that looked like an Italian village at sunset ( all siennas, muddied yellows and ocres, pink tile roofs and cypress borders), I served( I am always the one to bring appetizers...): a brochette of armenian cucumber, watermelon, mint sprig, and marinated feta in mint olive oil, fennel seeds, pink peppercorns and oregano. more of that tuscan flavored oil to pour before eating.
Ode to a French summer:the pissaladiere of Nice on the French Riviera.I saw it made as many different ways as you can spot a French bakery in France, where the pissalladieres were usually sold.The dough varied from a foccacia like to a pate brisee,to a thin pizza crsut or a puff pastry square.
I made a rosemary pizza dough,I very slowly sauteed 2 huge onions in olive oil ( 45 minutes on low until they turned golden and marmelady),added thyme,cut up olives and anchovies.drizzled some olive oil to make it extra juicy and sweet.Voila !