parsley root soup

It is spring on the calendar and leaves are unfurling in the garden, but the wind is still chilly and a soup was in order.
I had seen those parsley roots for years, languishing on the shelf next to baby turnips and yellow carrots, but i had walked by, suffering from a case of ignorance and non curiosity.Then, the other day, they caught my eyes: a little like parsnips, but with a fluffy collar of parsley leaves.Another customer closed up on me to ask" have you cooked these before ? I bought some last week, but haven't cooked them yet.there was a recipe for soup by Deborah Madison bla, bla....."That was it.
so today, I prepared them into a soup with leeks, green garlic,chicken broth, milk.The roots were starchy like potatoes, but with a subtle,rooty taste.It was resembling a vichyssoise, but one where the flavors stood out. I recommend it.

parsley root soup

1 bunch parsley roots
1 tbsp butter
2 medium leeks
3 green garlic stems
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups water
1/2 cup whole milk
parsley for garnish

peel and cut parsley roots.clean leeks well and cut in slices.cut green garlic in slices





melt the butter and throw in the cut leeks.let them melt down, throw the cut roots and green garlic, let it cook for a minute or two, add the broth and water and cook until soft.





blend, add milk, salt and pepper. garnish with leaves.

salade de crudites

What is this ?
Before giving an answer, I will tell you a story. As a true Californian, significant has always been a fan of salads, more than a fan, a craver.When we met in Paris, even though he was enjoying the tastings of many new dishes,, he would still want a salad , even when we would go out to a cafe for a lovely afternoon date .As students, we would eat at the government sponsored student cafeterias, and even though it was fairly decent fare ( for a dollar a meal ) , fresh salads were lacking.As I was drinking my tea with lemon, he would order a salade de crudites.

So, if you happen to go to France, and find yourself in need of a salad, you will invariably see on any cafe or restaurant menu:the aforementioned " salade de crudites"( salad of raw ingredients).Usually the French, like their salads fairly plain and simple, so having a medley on a plate is a way to taste different vegetables, but in keeping with their own personality and dressings.

Since we are still in winter ( at least in terms of produce), i served this plate for lunch as a first course.
grated carrots in a simple vinaigrette, sliced radishes for color and crunch,baby white beets with salt and....celery remoulade !


Just back from the Farmer's market, where the bulbous root of the celery looked so fresh, I decided to prepare the famous French salad, always for sale at any charcuterie.


1 head of celery root, grated ( I use the grating disk,medium of my cuisinart),salt, white pepper,1 tablespoon of Dijon musrtard.1 teaspoon of mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon of cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon of good olive oil.

winter salad

My absolute favorite way to eat kale: raw !
Julienne a bunch very thinly and toss into a lusty vinaigrette of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt pepper, crushed garlic,grated parmesan and toasted pinenuts.simple.tasty.healthy.so good!

vegetarian couscous with a twist

With many North Africans living in France, a number of restaurants serving the traditional couscous opened all over back in the 70's.It was a novelty, a discovery of new spices,an opening of a new culinary frontier. I tasted my first couscous in a vegetarian restaurant and it was love at first bite. Something about the taste of turnips with garbanzos, a broth redolant of cumin, fennel and saffran, the smear of Harissa  paste on the side and the mellowness of the grain soaking up all the flavors.

It used to be a staple dinner at our house and I decided to bring it back after a missed absence. This time I substituted millet to the couscous since C is gluten intolerant. The key to this dish is to have enough flavorful broth to soak up  whichever grain you use. you need:

1 onion

2 garlic cloves

fennel seeds,  pinch of saffron, cumin, salt , pepper, dry thyme, 1 bay leaf

chicken broth ( Swanson Organic) 3 cups

a bunch of baby turnips

3 small carrots

2 cups of garbanzos ( I had soaked mine and cooked them  for one hour ), but use a can if you need

you can add zucchini if in season ( it is part of the traditional recipe)

1 tube of harissa( or your favorite spice paste)

saute the minced onion and garlic in some olive oil until caramelized

add the spices and cook for a minute, add the veggies and beans,let it cook for another minute, pour the broth and let it simmer until the vegetables are soft.

cook your grain separately. serve with harissa.

apple dessert

I was back from Ireland, at the end of one of my linguistic summers, at the tender age of 17, where I learned to make apple pie......
In France, we ate tarts. savory ( quiches) and sweet with all the seasonal fruits. Basic crust of flour, butter, and water. The kitchen smelt so good.Anyway, upon my return, I proposed to make my newly accomplished recipe of the apple pie.similar in most ways,but for a top crust. The big difference was in the introduction of vegetable shortening in the dough.Miraculous, crumbly like a sable,melt in your mouth sweetness.I didn't know then, how bad it is for you but I remember how impressed my parents were.
I have to admit that in the end, I prefer tarts.better ratio of fruit to dough,a thickening of juices, and sometimes a slight caramelization of the fruit, you can add almondy custards and it is so pretty... .forward many years to today and I find myself making a tart without dough for gluten sensitive husband.You call it a crisp or crumble. without the bready or cookie crumbs

gluten free apple crisp


5 apples peeled and sliced thinly
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of lemon juice

mix those three ingredients
prepare topping:
mix
1 cup almond meal
3 tablespoon of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 tablespoon of butter
2 tablespoon of raw almonds chopped up

cover topping over apples, bake in a 425o oven for about 35 minutes.

is it cocktail time yet ?

In France, you hardly drink the "mixed type" cocktails. a champagne flute, an extra glass of wine, may be a sherry or a sweet French version like Pineau des Charentes. but the mixed drink remains the privilege of hotel bars and clubs. At least when I lived there, which as you know was quite some time back, so, maybe things have changed. My friend G.indulges in a Campari, due to her repeated Italian vacations that she feels like prolonging, the time of an evening drink at home. and my mother's neighbor admits to liking a classic whisky and coke ( oops, mixed cocktail after all )...
For significant and I, it was only wine for many years. Partly it was cheaper and I had no idea or taste for hard alcohol, (beside the bottle of kirsch to finish off a cheese fondue: that was the extent of our liquor cabinet). Then, one fateful night, we went for dinner at some good friend's house , and while both our toddlers were banging on the piano, they offered us a gin and tonic. Whaoo ! revelation of the decade !It was refreshing,tasty ( they claim lots of lime juice is what makes the difference.. so I use one lime per drink now) I looved it. It was the beginning of a new phase in our life: parenting and cocktail hour.... since then, I have tried to play a little, adding syrups from my friend Juneor some more obscure bottles like Aperol,which resembles Campari with its citrusy notes and red color. So, from the house mixologist, here is my absolute favorite new mixed cocktail:
2 oz tequila
1 oz Aperol
juice of one lime
1/2 oz of agave nectar

rosemary branch for swizzling


put liquids in shaker with ice, shake and serve in glass with ice, add rosemary if you like for garnish and extra swizzling...

gratin de cotes de blettes-Swiss chard stems gratin

First let me give you a little bit of personal history before I move to the recipe itself. A lot of you know of my childhood summers spent in Switzerland, a place of deep nostalgia for a time of bliss, freedom, close to nature,with time for never ending pleasures. Close to the "heidi house" where we lived for 3 months every year , was a small dairy farm where the farmer's wife would have a bountiful vegetable garden. Periodically, my grand mother would put an order for, guess what :SWISS chard. The leaves were elephantines, and the stems gargantuans. The interesting bit is that growing up, I never ate green leaf vegetables. The beets were sold already boiled and without their leaves, spinach was seldom seen on the market stalls,and it was not the tender baby kind we know now ,  but actually, now, I remember that my mother would cook some escarole in the winter and drop it in a soup, but that was all. When we would get the famous order of chard, it would be stripped of leaves. I guess that was the way it was expected to be sold, may be they knew we were making a gratin, may be they knew better and cooked the leaves for themselves.....

which brings me to the recipe, one of my total favorites of all times.

Of course, the day before, use the leaves for a nice italian style saute with garlic and pepper flakes and olive oil. But the next day, instead of composting the stems, use them to make this delicious  dish that would go well with a grain, or whole grain pasta.

I only knew the white stem chard, but now, look at this beautiful display of vibrant colors !

-cut the stems in 2 " pieces

-blanch them in salted water. They lose their vibrancy but gain a soft pastel

-make a simple bechamel.I love that word. As you say it, the tongue seems to wrap around the word in a gentle caress.

1oz butter, melted,add 1 tbsp flour all at once, and wisk to get a nice golden ribbon.out of the heat, add all at once 1/3 cup of cold milk, keep wisking  and put back under low heat until desired consistency. be liberal with good pepper and salt.

-put bechamel on top of cooled chard

-sprinkle grated cave aged Gruyere cheeese

-cook at 400 degrees for 15 mn with foil, remove foil, and broil for 5 minutes for a golden crust.

Voila, no waste, only more pleasure !