It looks like artichokes are back, so hard to resist. This crumble is composed of five different kinds of vegetables that have a different kind of textures and colors. The more colors the better. I am not “kale obsessed”, it’s just that I bought a huge bag of it, so I need to use it before it turns bad. Spinach or chards would have worked as well.

I kept the crust vegan using olive oil instead of butter, but using butter is fine too. As far as recipes are concerned I am flexible and not a “food nazi”. Sometimes I like to keep dishes vegan, even if I am not a vegan. I love wild mushrooms of any kind, I found this bag of a nice medley and that was perfect.

If you have a bunch of root vegetables, leafy greens and mushrooms and don’t know what to do with them, this crumble would be the solution. You get to eat your five vegetables in a delicious combo.

This can be served with a green salad. I used endives for their slight bitterness which definitely balances out the sweetness of the carrots and yams.

Let’s go green! It’s the color of the future.

For the yams purée

• 1.5 large yams, peeled and cubed
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• vegetable broth
• 1 tbs coconut cream
• salt and pepper

For the mushrooms/kale

• 2 tbs chopped onion
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 pack mixed wild mushrooms
• 3 cups baby kale
• 3 tbs vegetable broth
• salt and pepper

For the artichokes

• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1lb baby artichokes
• 2 tbs white wine
• salt and pepper

For the crumble topping

• 60 g (or 1/2 cup) oat flour
• 4 tbs finely chopped walnuts
• 4 tbs oats
• 1/3 cup, olive oil (or butter)
• 1 tsp thyme
• salt and pepper

Preparation

For the yams purée

In a pan, cook yams and carrots with broth at medium heat until the vegetables are tender, have absorbed the liquid and cooked all the way through. Add salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Add coconut cream and mash with a potato masher. Add more broth if too thick.

For the mushrooms/kale

Heat olive oil in a pan. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add mushrooms and broth. Cover with a lid and cook until the mushrooms are cooked and broth absorbed, about 7-10 minutes. Add baby kale and stir until wilted. Adjust with salt and pepper.

For the artichokes

Start trimming the artichokes by removing the “green leaves” all around and trimming the top. All the “green” part of the leaves needs to be removed. The only part that is left is the heart. Cut it in two or in quarters depending on the size of the artichoke. Place artichokes in a bwol filled with cold water and lemon juice, to prevent discoloring. Heat olive oil in a pan. Add garlic and stir until fragrant (do not burn the garlic). Add artichokes, stir well, then add wine, salt and pepper. Reduce heat, cover with a lid and cook until artichokes are tender and cooked.

 For the crumble

In a bowl, mix all ingredients except the oil (or butter). Add olive oil at the end and using your fingers turn into a crumbly dough with some texture.

In two or three deep dishes, divide the mixtures. Start first with some yams puree, then a layer of the mushrooms/kale and finish with the artichokes. Top with crumble mixture. Cook in a pre-heated oven at 370F for about 20 minutes or until top is golden brown.

I love simple dishes that are filled with delicious vegetables. This is a late spring, early summer soup when all the vegetables are available. It reminds me of some soups my mom made when I was a child with everything that was growing in the garden.

I was debating if I should call this a stew or a soup, I guess it can be called both. If you like artichokes and in the mood for some greens, this would be perfect. You can replace the lima beans with fava beans and kale with spinach or some leafy greens as well.

This soup cooks quite fast, the longest process would be the trimming of the artichokes.

You can serve this soup with toasted baguette slices and shaved parmesan on top. I kept it simple and it was just what I wanted for lunch.

Ingredients for 2

• about 10-12 baby artichokes, trimmed and cut in quarters or halves depending on the size of the artichokes
• 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 scallion, chopped
• 1 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
• 1 cup lima beans
• 2 cups baby kale or spinach
• vegetable broth
• salt and pepper to taste
• some toasted baguette (if desired)

Preparation

Trim artichokes and place them in a container filled with water and lemon juice, so they will keep their color and won’t darken.

In a pot, heat olive oil. Add onions and scallion, soften them, then nd add garlic. Add artichokes, peas and beans. Stir well and let cook until fragrant. Add broth and let simmer for about 15-20 minutes until all the vegetable are tender but not overcooked. Add kale and cook for another extra 5 minutes.

Serve hot, drizzle with olive oil and fresh black pepper.

Going back to what I like best…making homemade pasta. I made these to my parents when I went visit and they loved it. Marche (where my family is from) and Tuscany are close by regions and have similar cuisines (of course with some variations), So these “pici” also called Pinci, Umbrichelli (little werms?) and are typically Tuscan but familiar in Central Italy as well. My grandmother used to make similar pasta with fava bean flour and with the same sauce, lots of garlic and fresh tomato.

Pici take a while to make, because you have to roll each little strip “striscia” by hand…but time doesn’t count when you get so excited making something you absolutely love. Pici are delicious, they’re a bit chewy because they’re made without eggs, only water, salt and olive oil. So if you like chewy textures, you’ll like those. They could be considered an old cousin of our modern spaghetti.

The dough needs to be knead for about 10-15 minutes, until very smooth and non sticky. Form a  round and regular ball. Then using a rolling pin, roll it flat to about a 5 mm sheet. Cut little strips of about 1 cm width and using your hand roll each strip to form a string of about 3mm (I am sorry I don’t know how to accurately convert it into inches) in this case, the metric system should be used for accuracy. Pici cannot be made too much ahead of time. The ideal is to made them and cook them right away. Pici are long and should not be cut, so it can get a little messy when eaten.

Usually those are served with aglione sauce (aglio means garlic) which is a sauce with fresh tomatoes and lots of garlic, or some meat based ragu. I made an aglione base sauce and added baby artichokes. From now on, this will be my favorite pasta, I simply love its texture, firm and a bit chewy. If you like this type of texture, this pasta is for you.

Ingredients for 2

For the pici

• 0.55 lb (or 250 g) flour
• 0.50 cups (or 125 ml) water
• 1 tbs olive oil
• a pinch of salt

For the sauce

• 2 tbs olive oil
• 5 cloves, garlic cut or crushed
• 8 baby artichokes, trimmed and cut in quarters
• 1/2 glass white wine
• 3 large tomatoes well ripe peeled and cut or 1/2 can San Marzano tomatoes crushed
• cayenne to taste
• salt and pepper
• basil

Preparation

First start making the sauce. In a pan, heat olive oil, then add garlic, stir well. Add artichokes, drizzle with wine, let it cook at high heat for 30 seconds, then add tomatoes. Turn heat down, add cayenne, salt and pepper, cover with lid and let cook until the artichokes are tender and water evaporates from tomatoes.

Make pici as described above. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add pici. Cook for about 8-10 minutes. They need to be cooked but still a bit firm. I like my pasta on the hard side, so try them out while cooking and see the way you like them. Drain well and serve with sauce. Mix well. Add basil and parmesan.

 I remember reading about this recipe in a French magazine such as Femme Actuelle or Elle à Table, but it’s been a while ago and I don’t remember so I have been making it from memory, which is certainly not exactly the same as the original. It’s nonetheless delicious. Anything vegetarian is very appealing to me and especially a meat dish like pot-au-feu. Pot-au-feu which is as emblematic as the Eiffel Tower. It’s a traditionally beef dish cooked for a long period of time in a broth with vegetables and herbs. Usually the broth is served separately (sometimes cooked with pasta) and the meat is served on the side too, with moutarde de Dijon or other condiments. It’s a very popular dish in France and always enjoyed with family and friends since there always too much meat left.

Now pot-au-feu is not my favorite dish, and I love to find some vegetarian alternative to some heavy traditional dishes.

If you look at the ingredients of this pot-au-feu, it has definitely a Southern French flair, with Pastis and fennel, how can it not?

This vegetarian pot-au-feu can be eaten as is and it does not need anything on the side, other than a simple green salad. The broth is infused with saffron, pastis and herbs therefore very fragrant and make this dish very colorful and vibrant.

I cooked it in my clay pot at low heat and turned out delicious.

Ingredients for 2-3

• 2 tbs olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 sprig thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 pinch saffron
• 1 large fennel bulb, cut in 6-7 quarters
• 2 medium size artichokes, trimmed and cut in quarters
• 3 medium size yukon potatoes, cut in quarters
• 1/2 meyer lemon, seeds removed and cut lengthwise, then in two
• 1/3 cup Pastis
• 1 cup broth
• salt and pepper

Preparation

In a large pot, heat olive oil, then add garlic, thyme, bay leaves, saffron. Stir for a few minutes until fragrant. Add vegetables, pastis and broth. Cover with lid and let cook for about 30 minutes at low heat until vegetables are tender.

After a trip to Italy and France where I got to see my whole family for once, I came back really inspired.

We went to Cinque Terre (Liguria), then Tuscany (Lucca, Pisa, Firenze, San Gimignano and Pisa), then to my parents’ house situated in their little village of Isola di Fano (Marche). I am so glad that Italy unlike France is preserving its cuisine and traditions. France is being invaded by American food chains such as KFC, McDonalds, Subway, Starbucks and many others. I have seen a few McDonalds in Italy and that’s basically it. Italians like their caffe, tramezzini, panini, so Starbucks did not made it through yet. Let’s hope it will remains like this for a long time. Like in any other big city, and of course any touristy city, it’s not always easy to find good food in Florence, Siena, or even Paris, you have to know where you’re going and ask the locals for advice. The best meal I had was Da Tano in Fano (Marche) which is a fish and seafood specialty restaurant. Since Marche is not as touristy as Tuscany, you get to eat wonderful meals at an affordable price.

A few shots from Florence

A few shots from Siena

A few shots from Pisa and Lucca where it rained

Going back to my recipe, I wanted to use my beautiful artichokes in a risotto, I haven’t made a risotto in ages, and a risotto recipe is long over due, but since I had already cooked saffron rice, I decided to use it instead. I am not really a big rice eater even though I do enjoy it whenver I eat it…it’s one of those ingredients that I keep forgetting, just like potatoes.I used basmati rice, but any long grain rice would work well. Of course, a saffron risotto using arborio rice is also another great alternative.

Ingredients for 4

• 10.60 oz (or 300 g) basmati rice or any other long grain rice
• 1 dose of saffron
• 20.30 fl oz (or 600 ml) vegetable broth
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 2 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 lb baby artichokes, cut and trimmed
• 3 tbs dry white wine
• 4 tbs fresh or frozen peas
• 3 tbs freshly grated parmesan + extra for shaving
• black truffle oil
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Steam rice with vegetable broth using a pot or a rice cooker. If using arborio rice, cook it like a risotto, adding broth and wine gradually until absorption of the liquid.

In a pan, heat olive oil, add garlic, stir. Add artichokes, salt pepper and wine. Cover and let cook at medium heat until artichokes are tender but still firm. Add peas, cover and cook for another 5-10 minutes. When the rice is cooked add artichoke/peas mixture. Stir parmesan cheese and mix carefully.

Divide in dishes and top it with shaved parmesan, sprinkle some truffle oil and black pepper.

]]> http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2012/10/rice-timbale-with-artichokes-and-peas-parmesan-and-truffle-oil/feed/ 2 http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2011/03/surprise-surprise-artichoke-and-potatoes-papillote-provencale/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=surprise-surprise-artichoke-and-potatoes-papillote-provencale http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2011/03/surprise-surprise-artichoke-and-potatoes-papillote-provencale/#comments Tue, 08 Mar 2011 05:21:10 +0000 silvia http://www.citronetvanille.com/blog/?p=12819 Surprise, surprise – Papillotes d’artichauts et pommes de terre à la Provençale

If you like a light and healthy cuisine and yet very easy to prepare, well papillotes are for you. This cooking technique can accommodate any ingredient, fish, meat, fruits, vegetables, etc… and papillotes can be prepared in advance and are cooked at the last minute, so you don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen when the guest are having fun.

Even though easy to prepare, there are some basic rules that need to be followed when preparing a papillote, such as cutting finely and regularly the fruits or vegetables to reduce cooking time and keep the flavors. Also marinating some fishes, seafood, or poultry to enhance the dish. Aren’t those a delightful way to serve your side dish when you have guests? It’s like a little present on your plate, you open it like a candy et voilà, surprise!

You can play with the folding of the papillote, as a rectangle, triangle, as a candy shape, or even heart shape and be creative with it.

Today I found those gorgeous and fresh baby artichokes at my favorite market, and I gave them a provençal makover. You need small creamer potatoes that will remain firm when cooked and you get a delicious dish avec un petit air de Provence. These papillotes would be perfect served with a white fish or poultry. I ate mine as a main meal and it was perfect.

While in France I searched all the new products such as salts, peppers, etc…I found this amazing salt and I fall madly in love with it. It’s a sel gris de Guérande (Grey Guérande salt) with Piment d’Espelette (a fragrant Basque pepper), I love it so much that I just add it in any dish. You could make this yourself, if you buy Piment d’Espelette and Sel gris de Guérande, then mix them together and keep them in an air-tight container for a while to get the salt infused.

You can add sun dried tomatoes and onions to give a little more character to the dish. Also, both aluminum foil or parchment paper can be used, so have fun with your papillotes!

Ingredients for 2

• 1/2 lb baby artichokes, trimmed and cut in halves
• 1/2 lb creamer potatoes, cut in halves
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tbs dry white wine
• 1 tsp herbes de Provence
• about 10 kalamata olives
• Sel de Guérande au Piment d’Espelette (optional)
• 1 tbs olive oil
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a pan, add garlic and stir for a few seconds, then add artichokes and potatoes. Coat the vegetables with the olive oil, then add wine. Decrease heat and cover with lid. Cook for about 5 minutes. In a mixing container, add vegetables to herbes de Provence, olives, sun dried tomatoes (if using them), Piment d’Espelette salt and pepper. Mix well.

In a aluminum foil, add a little olive oil, place vegetables on top and close papillote very tightly so no air can get through it.

Cook in a pre-heated oven at 370F for about 15 minutes. remove from the oven and serve.

]]> http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2011/03/surprise-surprise-artichoke-and-potatoes-papillote-provencale/feed/ 13 http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2010/07/salad-of-grain-medley-with-cannellini-shrimps-artichokes-in-a-herb-lemon-dressing/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=salad-of-grain-medley-with-cannellini-shrimps-artichokes-in-a-herb-lemon-dressing http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2010/07/salad-of-grain-medley-with-cannellini-shrimps-artichokes-in-a-herb-lemon-dressing/#comments Mon, 12 Jul 2010 03:43:43 +0000 silvia http://www.citronetvanille.com/blog/?p=11230 Salade ou pas salade? – Salade tiède de céréales et mélange aux haricots blancs, crevettes, artichauts, vinaigrette aux citron et herbes

Lately I have not been too well, that’s why I haven’t been posting any recipe on a regular basis like I used to, and my desire and energy for cooking has gone down, hopefully it will pick up at some point. I have no motivation for sitting in front of my computer either, but I sincerely miss everyone, people I met through this blog have been incredibly supportive, kind and generous. Thanks so much for anyone who reads my blogs and leaves genuine comments, they mean a lot to me. I apologize if I have had a difficult time to catch up with everyone, I have had very low energy level and some health issues, but hopefully will get back to my regular routine soon.

I started writing this recipe about three weeks ago and never managed to finish it, it took me forever…so here it is after such a long time. This salad is composed with a well balanced mixture of grains, vegetables, and proteins, such a nutritious and flavorful dish.

I call this a salad since it has a dressing but it can be called anything you like, and can be consumed lukewarm or cold. The particularity of this dish is that I mixed eight varieties of grains and seeds such as brown rice, oats, lentils, pumpkin seeds, etc… for a mixed variety of textures. Maybe you’ll think this look more like a bird meal to you than a gourmet salad. It is definitely questionable, but after you taste it, you will think bird ingredients can taste incredibly tasty.

The grains have been enhanced with vegetables, and seafood which complement the grains quite well. This is nothing complicated, you just need various grains in your pantry.

Ingredients for 2-3

• 200 g of mixed grains such as:
• brown rice
• wheat flakes
• sorghum rice
• buckwheat
• pearl barley
• black rice
• pearl rice
• red lentil
• 1 tbs roasted pumpkin seeds
• 10 large shrimps
• 4 medium artichokes
• 3 tbs dry white wine
• 70 g cannellini beans cooked  (either dried or canned)

Ingredients for the herb-lemon vinaigrette

• 3 tbs avocado oil
• juice of one lemon
• zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tsp tarragon, chopped
• 1 tsp parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp chives, chopped
• 1 tbs red onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• one pinch cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Mix all grains together and steam them. You can steam them the same way you would steam rice, even if there are many varities of grains, some of them cook a little faster than others but it does not make a big difference cooking them all together. You can use a rice cooker or use the regular technique using a simple pot.

Trim artichokes, removing the hard leaves around, and cutting off the top of the artichoke. Cut in quarters and place in a container filled with water and lemon juice to prevent the artichokes from darkening.

In a pan, heat olive oil, add 1 garlic clove, then drain artichokes and add to the pan, stir for a few minutes, coating the artichokes with garlic and oil, then add wine, salt and pepper. Stir well. Cover with a lid and cook at medium heat until artichokes are tender. Remove from heat and set aside.

Saute shrimps in olive oil, add salt and pepper and set aside.

In a large container, mix steamed grains with artichokes, cannellini beans, shrimps, pumpkin seeds. Pour vinaigrette on top by mixing all ingredients together. Stir well and serve. You can serve at room temperature or cold.

]]> http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2010/07/salad-of-grain-medley-with-cannellini-shrimps-artichokes-in-a-herb-lemon-dressing/feed/ 28 http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2010/05/i-like-it-upside-down-tart-tatin-with-artichokes-caramelized-onions-and-manchego-cheese/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=i-like-it-upside-down-tart-tatin-with-artichokes-caramelized-onions-and-manchego-cheese http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2010/05/i-like-it-upside-down-tart-tatin-with-artichokes-caramelized-onions-and-manchego-cheese/#comments Fri, 14 May 2010 05:56:37 +0000 silvia http://www.citronetvanille.com/blog/?p=10610 Je l’aime à l’envers – Tarte tatin aux artichauts, oignons caramélisés, et manchego

Who said tarte tatin is made with apples and is a dessert? Even though tarte tatin IS a traditional French dessert made with apples (most French restaurants do serve it on their menu with a scoop of vanille ice cream), we have tons of savory versions as well. Traditional tarte tatin comes from Sologne region where Caroline Tatin and a few nuns owned a restaurant in early 1900 (which still exists and is still called Restaurant Tatin). Their main clients were hunters, and a Sunday during hunting season while making an apple-based dessert, Caroline let the dessert burn, so she had the wonderful idea to add some extra dough and put it back in the oven…needless to say that was a huge success among hunters, and since then became a famous dessert. Out of a mistake, came out a wonderful dessert!

Basically tarte tatin is an upside down tart, now of course, you can play around with its ingredients and the savory versions are really a wonderful alternative to regular tarts.

The toppings and in this case, the artichokes are caramelized due to the juices of the ingredients falling down on the bottom of the dish. For the puff pastry, you can either make it, or buy sheets. I found some decent puff pastry that is not too greasy and remains fluffy and crunchy, so if you have time (about extra 2 hours) and have well mastered the art of puff pastry making, you can make it. In my case, it really depends on the time I have. Today I had little time to make it, so hello Whole Foods. The ingredients for the crust are for about 2 tarts, usually when I make puff pastry, I keep extra and use it when I have lots of guests.

For the ingredients you can use your imagination, this combination is well balanced and delivers a nice harmony of flavors.  The sweetness of the onions allied with manchego and artichokes texture make it a delicious tart.

Ingredients for 3-4

For the puff pastry

• 8.8 oz (or 250 g) flour
• 6.5 oz (or 185 g) butter
• 4.4 oz (or 125 g) water
• 0.17 oz (or 5 g) salt

For the toppings

• 3-4 medium size artichokes
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 3 tbs dry white wine
• 2 onions, sliced
• manchego cheese, sliced (enough to cover the surface of your dish)
• 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
• salt and pepper

Preparation

For the puff pastry

In a working surface,  place flour in the middle, add salt, then add water gradually, mixing with the flour to form a ball.  Cross top of the ball with a knife and place in a plastic wrap to rest for about 30 minutes. Remove wrap and lay in a flat surface, spread it out with your hands to form a cross shape dough. With a rolling pin roll it flat and place soft butter in the middle. Bring sides of the dough towards the middle and flatten out with rolling pin. Fold again using same procedure about 6 times. Place in the refrigerator for 30-45 min after the second round and again after the fourth round.

For the tart

Start trimming the artichokes. Heat olive oil in a pan, add garlic, stir and add artichokes. Add wine, salt and pepper and cover with a lid, cook at medium heat until the artichokes are tender. Remove from pan and set aside.

In the same pan, heat olive oil, add onions. Cook at medium heat and let them caramelized. It will take about 15-20 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar, and let it reduce for about 1 minute. Add thyme, salt and pepper.

In a deep dish pan, place artichokes in the bottom to cover the surface of the pan. Add onions, then add manchego covering the surface of the onions.

Roll the puff pastry and place it on top of the ingredients. There will need extra pastry about 2 inches extra (your sheet will be 2 inches larger than the dish, the puff pastry tends to shrink while cooking). Make sure your ingredients are holding into place and using your hand firmly press on the puff pastry.

Cook in a pre-heated oven at 370-375F until the top of the puff pastry is nicely golden. Remove from the oven and turn upside down using a plate and serve immediately.

]]> http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2010/05/i-like-it-upside-down-tart-tatin-with-artichokes-caramelized-onions-and-manchego-cheese/feed/ 40 http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2010/04/a-sunny-day-mini-pizza-with-red-bell-pepper-pesto-grilled-eggplants-artichokes-and-feta/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-sunny-day-mini-pizza-with-red-bell-pepper-pesto-grilled-eggplants-artichokes-and-feta http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2010/04/a-sunny-day-mini-pizza-with-red-bell-pepper-pesto-grilled-eggplants-artichokes-and-feta/#comments Mon, 26 Apr 2010 05:32:05 +0000 silvia http://www.citronetvanille.com/blog/?p=9862 Una giornata soleggiata – Pizzette con pesto di peperoni, melanzane grigliate, carciofi e feta

If life leaves you pizza dough, make more pizza!!

I love mini sizes portions, and bites, I think there is some cuteness in the size of a small bite, you don’t have to cut it, destroy it in from of your eyes before it reaches your mouth. It fits there perfectly.

As far as pizza and coffee are concerned, I tend to be a real snob and compare all pizza to pizza in Italy, after all they invented it, so throughout the centuries, they have mastered the art of pizza making. There are a few good pizzeria in San Francisco where the pizza is close to Italian pizza (France has awful pizza, I remember a pizzeria in Nancy where I grew up called La Mamma, where they served pizza with gruyère cheese, that was terrible). I have no idea if the greatness of Italian pizza has to do with the brick oven where it’s cooked, with the natural flavor of the ingredients that is different, but it’s something hard to describe, the dough is thin and crunchy, there is little cheese and the cheese melts to perfection and does not hardens that quickly.

I am not going to discuss the perfect dough texture, or flavor, nor give the description of the perfect thread of melting mozzarella, (maybe if I was Balzac I could)! because I don’t think I have enough English vocabulary but it’s something you have to experience for yourself. I was thinking to build a brick oven in the garden mainly to cook pizza, but unfortunately the size of the garden will not allow it.

I think we all have our particularities in the way we approach certain traditions and traditional dishes.

We all have our favorite pizza, it can be deep dish, thin crust, with one or two toppings, etc…and that’s the way it should be. Eat pizza the way we like it.

These mini pizza are not what you would find in a traditional pizzeria in Italy even though last time I was there, I was invited by the family to try a pizzeria that had dessert pizza on their menu, such as orange pizza, chocolate and nut pizza, etc…and were surprisingly enough, really delicious.

These mini pizza combine the flavors of Mediterranean countries, and are delightful. The beauty of small bites is that you eat one or two and you feel satisfied, when you have a whole pizza in front of you, you feel somehow “obliged” to finish it (I do).

Ingredientsfor one large pizza or 4 small

For pizza dough

• 1/2 lb (or 250 g) flour
• about 5 fl oz (or 150 ml) lukewarm water
• about 0.4 oz (or 12 g) compressed yeast dissolved in the water
• 1.5 tbs olive oil
• salt

For the topping

• red pepper pesto – see here for recipe
• 4 small Italian eggplants, sliced
• 4 tbs feta
• 8 baby artichokes (+juice of 1 lemon)
• kalamata olives (optional)
• basil, chopped (optiona)
• olive oil for drizzling

Preparation

For the dough

Place flour in a working surface, gradually add yeast/water mixture, salt and oil. Mix well to obtain a soft dough, the dough should be elastic and souple, almost sticky. Cover with a towel and let it rise for about 2 hours.

For the topping

Grill the eggplant slices on a grill pan. Cut in halves and set aside. Trim the artichokes, removing the green leaves around, cut the top and cut in quarters. Place in a lemon juice/water bath to prevent them from staining. Saute in olive oil and garlic until tender. Adjust with salt and pepper.

Cut dough in four equal parts. Roll each dough portion with a rolling pin (or with your hands if you have mastered the art of twisting the dough). Spread some red pepper pesto on top of the dough, add eggplant, artichokes and feta, if you using olives add at this point.Adjust with salt and pepper if necessary but the feta and olives being already salty, you might decide not too.

Cook in a 390 F pre heated oven for about 20 minutes or until the bottom is cooked.

I love to play with pasta colors, and I love colorful food, so today everything is pink. Don’t you like pink? I love to wear pink and eat it too! pink, pink, pink and more pink! such a calming and happy color.

Here is a dish that really makes me see la vie en rose, because no matter how careful I was, everything I touched in the kitchen turned pink, the flour paper bag, the oven buttons, and kitchen cabinets. After my pink tagliatelle with red beets, I wanted to make pink gnocchi just for the gorgeous color. It has been such a long time I haven’t made gnocchi, not that I don’t like them, but I think they tend to be too fulfilling for me.

Beets are often used in salads, and I think they can be used in so many ways, like to color pasta and doughs, since beets are often used as a food coloring.

I have been using quite a lot of goat cheese these days, I figured I would use parmesan instead, but since beets and goat cheese are too great of a match, I had no other choice than use it.

My mom’s gnocchi are very traditional made with a tomato base with rabbit and mushroom sauce, like they make in Romagna, so last time I was home and made her those crazy pink gnocchi, she got so excited and curious, non avrei mai pensato fare gli gnocchi colle barabietole! The great thing about my parents is that they taste everything I make even the most unconventional and nontraditional dishes (which is very rare for Italians in their 60s), and they are willing to try new things. Last time I went home, I brought some meat substitute made with soy, and that was the only thing they didn’t like, they tasted a bite and stopped there…but that is understandable, it looks like dog food!

The tricky part (yes there is one…maybe two) is the mashing of the beets, they need to be reduced in purée, so I mixed the potatoes and beets all together, then used a potato masher to crush them well and not leave any chunks of beets. Then when everthing was almost perfectly fine, I used a hand mixer to reduce everything into a smooth purée.

The other tricky part in these gnocchi making process is the flour quantity, I have added gradually flour to my mixture, so I won’t be able to give an exact amount, you will have to determine for yourself when to stop adding flour. Basically, the dough remains sticky, while rolling the strips, it’s ok add flour, but do not add too much flour to the dough mixture, or the gnocchi will be too hard.

Ingredients for 3-4

For the gnocchi dough

• 350 g potatoes (or 3 medium), cooked
• 200 g red beets, cooked
• 1 egg
• flour (1 cup or more)

For the sauce

• 5 medium sized artichokes
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup of dry white wine
• 4 tbs goat cheese
• 2 tbs chives
• 2 tbs olive oil
• juice of one lemon
• salt and pepper

Preparation

In a mixing container, mash potatoes and red beets with a potato masher like mentioned above. You will get a smooth purée. Add one egg and flour. Mix well to combine all ingredients together and obtain a homogeneous dough. The dough needs to be slightly sticky but not too much, then while rolling the strips, you will add extra flour to prevent them from sticking to your working surface. Roll strips, and cut in small 1 inch nuggets. Then using the fork tines or a rigagnocchi (that tool used to curl the gnocchi), “curl” each of them.

Trim your artichokes, by removing the hard leaves around, and the trimming the top leaves. Cut in quarters and place in a large bowl of water with lemon juice (to prevent them from staining).

In a pan, heat olive oil, add garlic, then add artichokes, mix well, then add wine, salt and pepper. Cover and cook at medium heat until artichokes are tender.

In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil, then add gnocchi. When the gnocchi come out on the surface, they’re cooked. Drain them and add to the artichokes pan. Place in a large pasta dish, mix well. Add goat cheese, chives and extra olive oil. Mix carefully not to break the goat cheese. You can substitute parmesan or pecorino to fresh goat cheese.