I know that some of you might think that woman at Citron et Vanille doesn’t make real food, those bites and tiny little things cannot satisfy a hunger, and does not seem like “food”. Real people want real food. I will have to somehow disagree un petit peu!

I love to serve LOTS of small bites, full of flavors when I entertain. Now for example if this will sound more real to you, you can take a regular size plate, place some sprouts, spinach leaves and place with 3 or 4 bites, and top it off with the sauce. Does it sound more real? If you do actually present it that way, it will look not only very real, but incredibly flavorful as well.

I don’t know about you, but my favorite dishes to prepare are appetizers and hors d’oeuvres. I never liked gigantic plates of food in front of me, I find this overwhelming to look at, never knowing where to start.

I rarely use tofu and fish, probably because in my mind tofu is vegan and mixing it with fish defeats its purpose, well the combination of those two ingredients made the bites very moist and soft. For the harissa sauce, there are a few different versions but I like this one. You can decrease the degree of the heat by adding more or less chili peppers. You can make extra harissa and use it with grilled meats or fish, or even spread it on sandwiches or just on toasted bread. The proportions I list here will give you extra, so if you want less, decrease proportions. You can keep the sauce in an air-tight container for about one week.

I just realized that this weekend is Mother’s day in the US, in France is the last Sunday of May, so I imagine many celebration dishes will be all over the web. This could be a nice way to start the celebration of motherhood, thinking about it, my mom would like it, it is somehow like her, soft inside, with a touch of fire on the outside. So happy mother’s day to American moms!

Ingredients for about 10 bites

For the bouchées

• 4.23 oz (or 120 g) extra firm tofu
• 4.23 oz (or 120 g) cod or any dense white fish
• 1 scallion, chopped
• 2 tbs cilantro, chopped
• paprika
• cumin
• salt and pepper
• spinach leaves for decoration
• alfalfa sprouts for decoration

For the harissa sauce

• 2 red bell peppers
• 2 red chili peppers
• 1/4 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 tsp caraway seeds
• 3 tbs olive oil
• salt and pepper

Preparation

For the fish-tofu bites

Blend all ingredients in a mixer and grind to a fine consistency but not too fine, you still want to see the “green” inside. Form small balls the size of a walnut. Place in a sheet and broil under broiler. Broil until golden brown on all sides.

For the harissa

Char broil, red bell peppers and red chili pepper under broiler, until the skin has grilled and starts detaching from the peppers. Remove from the oven, let them cool. Peel and remove the seeds from peppers.

Blend all ingredients in a blender into a smooth purée-type of consistency.

Serve in ceramic spoons or in small dishes. Place one spinach leaf, some alfalfa sprouts and one fish-tofu bite topped with harissa sauce.

When two friends reunite around a huge pot of brodetto, it’s always a memorable evening…especially when both of them are craving fish and seafood.

I grew up eating brodetto, my mom’s favorite. The city of Fano in Italy and that particular region, being on the Adriatic Coast  is well known for their seafood dishes and brodetto is one of them. Brodo means broth so, brodetto being a diminutive, means small broth, the fish is not drowned in liquid nor in heavy tomato sauce, like some stews you can eat at some restaurants, there is enough broth to dip bread but it’s not soaking in it.

Brodetto is very famous in Marche region of Italy Usually for a traditional brodetto, you need at least 12 different kinds of fish and shell fish but mainly the kind you can only find in the Adriatic sea such as “triglie, “teste grosse”, “rospo”, “trofano”, etc… which I don’t know the equivalent in English. There was somehow a limitation of fish available so I somehow used fishes I could find but the brodetto ended up being quite delicious. You need extra fresh and top quality fish, that will make a big difference. The quality and ripeness of the tomatoes are also very important, so if you don’t have top ripe tomatoes, you can use imported can tomatoes such as San Marzano, but if they’re whole, you’ll need to crush them ino a purée.

I used balsamic vinegar, that’s why my broth is a little darker, nonetheless delicious, balsamic vinegar being a little sweet gave the broth a very distinct flavor. A clay pot is perfect to cook this type of dish, it allows all the flavors to infuse beautifully together.

For Italian speakers, you can read this website “L’Academia del brodetto” where they somehow explain the differences between brodetti made in different regions and listing the best restaurants serving brodetto, so in case you find yourself in Italy on the Adriatic Coast, you can go and try the best restaurants serving brodetto…of course if you are crazy about sea food like I am.

Ingredients for 4-6

• 1 large cod fillet
• 1 large sole fillet
• 1 lb mussels
• about 20 large shrimps
• 1/2 lb squid
• 12-16 crayfish (preferably whole)
• 12 large sea scallops
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 6 tbs olive oil
• 1/2 glass white vinegar (I used balsamic vinegar)
• 5 well ripe tomatoes, seedless, peeled and crushed in a purée
• 3 tbs parsley finely chopped
• salt and pepper

Preparation

In a clay pot preferably, heat olive oil, then add onion slices and let them cook slowly until they become soft and almost caramelized, add garlic and stir, cook for 5 minutes without burning the garlic. Add vinegar and let it reduce. Add parsley. Mix well – Add tomatoes and let the mixture reduce and thicken.

When the sauce has reduced, add squid cook for 5 minutes, then add fish, let it cook for 5 extra minutes, and add shell fish at the end. Adjust with salt and pepper. The mussels are cooked last, after adding mussels, cover with lid and remove from heat when the mussels have opened. Mix broth carefully. The fish needs to be cooked but not overcooked. The vinegar will prevent the fish from breaking apart.

Serve in deep dishes with slices of country bread.

I had a very little time for lunch yesterday since I had a doctor’s appointment early in the afternoon. I currently have no car, looking to buy one, so public transportation here I come…

I evaluated it would take me over one hour to get to the doctor, since I had to make a connection. I don’t know if any of you have ever taken public transportation in San Francisco, but some Muni lines are nice and clean and some others are packed, loud, people yelling, insulting one another and dirty…unfortunately I had to take that one. At that point, I wished I had a car…I think something should be done to improve the public transportation system and the quality of the streets. Better public transportation would help the environment and decrease the traffic.

Before my trip to hell, I found the perfect fast food plate. Honestly, this is fast food. It took me less than 30 minutes to put it all together and perfectly flavored and balanced. I like fresh herbs, and food that doesn’t cook for hours soaked in heavy sauces. I love fresh crisp flavors, and this fish dish fits that category. There are few simple ingredients such as lemon juice, herbs, etc…nothing too complex, so nothing overpowering to confuse your palate.

This dish smells and tastes comme la Provence with the fennel and lavender. This is perfect for one of those days when you don’t have too much time too spend in the kitchen but still want to eat a decent healthy meal.

Ingredients for 2

For the cod

• 2 cod fillets
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbs olive oil
• lavender salt
• pepper

For the vegetables

• 2 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 3 potatoes, sliced crosswise
• 1 heirloom tomato, cut in half
• 1/4 tsp cumin powder
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tbs parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tbs mint, finely chopped
• one pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• 1 tbs olive oil + 1
• salt and pepper
• Fleur de sel for the tomato

Preparation

First prepare the potatoes. Drizzle them with salt, pepper, olive oil and cider vinegar. Place in the oven and broil on both sides until golden brown and cooked all the way through. While potatoes are cooking, grill the fennel on a grill pan. Add fennel to the potatoes.

Drizzle cod with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Broil on both sides until cooked all the way through.

Grill tomatoes on grill pan.

In a small mixing bowl, mix olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, mint, cumin powder, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Pour on top of fennel, potato mixture and toss.

Add lavender salt on top of cod, drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil.

Add Fleur de sel and pepper on top of tomato halves and a little olive oil.

Serve each item in a plate.

Traditional Pot-au-feu in France is mainly a dish of boiled beef slowly cook in a broth with various vegetables such as carrots, celeri, leeks, onions, etc…and a bouquet garni which is a bunch of different herbs tied together to enhance the broth (such as thyme, laurel parsley, marjoram, etc…). Usually, the meat is served along with vegetables and broth on the side. It’s considered a rustic dish but quite popular among the French. Every country has its own version of Pot-au-feu. I am not a fan of boiled meat and rarely ate it. My mom used to make the Italian version called lesso with chicken and beef together and that was certainly not my favorite dish growing up.

It’s not really a kids “friendly’ dish. Big chunks of meat with big chunks of vegetables were something I would dread. Good thing tastes do change when you become an adult, can you imagine eating all your life “kids” food? Actually, I do know some people who never developed a palate and still eat “kids food”. I think they’re missing so many wonderful sensations and pleasures.

The good thing is now I do eat Pot-au-feu, but the fish version and I cannot get enough of it. I absolutely love this dish, the flavors are incredible. The citrusy flavor of the broth combined with saffron delicate fragrance are such a perfect combination. I do believe that whatever you make with meat, you can make the same thing using fish, maybe not all of it, but most of it.

That is my first real meal I am having after this hectic week and it’s even more enjoyable…

You can serve this fish with vegetables around, along with some broth on the side and tiny steamed potatoes. I found some teeny tiny potatoes at the store, that I had to buy them. There were not bigger than a quarter, some of them even smaller, the cutest potatoes I have ever seen…and they’re called “teeny tiny potatoes”, that’s what it’s written on their bag.

Monkfish is also very popular in France, its texture remains very firm and lotte au poivre vert, monkfish in a green peppercorn sauce is one of our traditional and popular monkfish dish.

Ingredients for 2

• 1/2 lb monkfish
• 1/2 lb cod fillet
• 2 leeks, cut in big chunks
• 2 carrots, cut in big chunks
• 1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cut in big chunks
• 1/2 lb teeny tiny potatoes or fingerling potatoes
• 1 blood orange, sliced
• juice of 2 blood oranges
• 1 onion
• 4 cloves
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 bouquet garni (thyme, laurel, parsley, marjorma, etc…)
• 1 tsp dried fish fumet (fish broth)
• saffron threads
• vegetable broth
• olive oil for drizzling
• salt and pepper

Preparation
To prepare the broth, mix fish fumet, vegetable broth, juice of oranges, the onion with cloves stucked in it, garlic and bouquet garni of herbs. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10-15 minutes at low heat.

Steam potatoes and keep warm.

Add cut vegetables to the broth and cook until the vegetables are cooked. Add fish, saffron and blood orange slices. Cook for about 10 minutes until the monkfish is cooked. Cod tends to cook faster, so to prevent it from breaking apart, remove cod pieces from the broth and let monkish cook a little longer.

Remove vegetables and fish from the broth, filter the broth. Place fish in a large dish, then place vegetables around it. Sprinkle with olive oil and serve with potatoes on the side warm broth and toasted country bread.

I really love fish in parchment paper, it makes a beautiful presentation, it keeps the fish moist and very flavorful. When you open up the papillotte, you can smell all the wonderful aromas of the fish infused in spices.

Papillotte is the word that we use in French cuisine that describe a method of cooking and that means to wrap what you want to cook in a foil, either aluminum or parchment. There has been some discussions a little while ago that aluminum was bad to use in cooking and could cause some health problems, so many people are using parchment paper for papillotte instead.

The smooth cauliflower purée is a great accompaniment to the cod, it balances the spicyness of the dish. I added a few potatoes to the cauliflower to give it a smoother consistency et voilà, c’est prêt! You can enjoy and healthy dish, full of flavors and very low in calories.

Ingredients for 4

For the cod

• 4 cod fillet
• 2 carrots
• 2 zucchini
• about 10 cremini mushrooms
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp curry
• 4 tbs coconut milk
• 1 tbs olive oil

For the purée

• 1 large cauliflower head
• 4 medium potatoes
• 1 tps olive oil
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Cut cauliflower into florets. Steam cauliflower and potatoes together. When cooked, mash them, add all other ingredients. Keep warm.

Shred carrots and zucchini. Slice the mushrooms. In a pan, heat olive oil, add onion and brown them. Add garlic, stir for a few minutes. Add curry powder and stir well to get the fragrance out. Add mushrooms, cook for about 5-7 minutes, then add shredded vegetables. Cook for only 1 minute or they will become very mushy. Add salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Divide equally the curried vegetables and place in at the bottom of the parchment paper. Add cod fillet. Sprinkle with a little curry powder, 1 tbs of coconut milk, salt and pepper. Tight the parchment paper all around the fish so that no air would get inside. Repeat the same process for the other cod fillets.

Place cod in a dish and cook in a 375F pre-heated oven for about 25 minutes.

Open the parchment and serve on a plate with some cauliflower purée.