I had to find something quick to make for lunch today, I just had 45 min to prepare and eat my lunch so that was a bit of challenge. For a fast food dish, I can say that this was a well done project. This soup is flavorful, nutritious and light, and needless to say quick to prepare, you just need to have the ingredients handy. I always keep chick peas in my pantry. When you don’t have time to cook them, you can use jarred one.

I started with the same way as making dahl, which was my inspiration in this dish. Then you had toasted spices when the soup is cooked and mashed, and instead of cilantro I use two handful of mixed greens (added at the end). Tofu is optional, but I felt like eating tofu today so it added an extra pleasant texture.

The great thing about this soup is that it will satisfy you for the whole day, you will not be hungry around 4-5pm wanting something to chew on. I love that feeling of feeling just right.

Ingredients for 2-3 people

• 1 tbs + 1 olive oil
• 1 tbs onion + 1, chopped
• 1 inch piece ginger, grated
• 1 lb cooked chick peas
• 5 ripe tomatoes, peeled, chopped and seeds removed
• vegetable broth enough to cover the vegetables
• Turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 handful of baby mixed greens, chopped (spinach, kale, chards, etc…)
• 4 tbs extra firm tofu, cubed
• salt and pepper

Preparation

In a pot heat olive oil, then add onions and let it soften. Add cooked chick peas, tomatoes, turmeric, ginger and broth. Let it cook for about 20 minutes.

In a pan, heat olive oil. Add onion, cumin seeds, mustard seeds and let it cook until onions are brown and seeds start to pop. Add garlic and stir for about 20 seconds, then remove from heat.

In a small pan, saute tofu in a little oil until browned on all sides. Remove from heat and keep warm.

When the soup is cooked, using a hand mixer, start mixing the soup but leave some pieces do not mix to a smooth texture. Adjust with salt and pepper. Put back on heat and add spice mixture and chopped greens. Stir until the greens are wilted.

Pour soup on plates, divide 1 tbs of tofu on top of each plate and drizzle with olive oil.

]]> http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2017/11/a-la-va-vite-tomato-and-chickpea-soup-with-spices-and-saute-tofu/feed/ 1 http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2015/10/lentils-and-carrot-mash-with-roasted-butternut-squash-and-tahini-sauce/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=lentils-and-carrot-mash-with-roasted-butternut-squash-and-tahini-sauce http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2015/10/lentils-and-carrot-mash-with-roasted-butternut-squash-and-tahini-sauce/#comments Fri, 09 Oct 2015 21:34:04 +0000 silvia http://www.citronetvanille.com/blog/?p=17383 Ecrasée de lentilles et carottes et courge butternut rôtie, sauce tahini

A clean and healthy meal to end the week…which I have to say has been kind and sweet. I am planning my trip to France with a few healthy recipes to bring along for my parents, and especially my mom who has diabetes. My parents who have been carnivorous all their life, have started to enjoy more of a vegetarian diet in their old days, so who’s to say people’s tastes don’t change.

I like to combine lentils with some vegetables and make it a balanced dish. The lentils and carrots are not really pureed, but have some texture, which is quite pleasant. This dish is fairly simple, with a few ingredients and spices. The tahini sauce enhances the whole dish and you need to use a lot of it.

For a vegan version, don’t use yogurt, and use more water in the tahini, it tends to thicken fast.

Ingredients for 2-3

For the lentil-carrot mash

• 60 g uncooked lentils
• 1 bay leave
• 2 cloves
• 1/4 onion
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 4 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbs cilantro, chopped
• 1 handful kale, chopped (optional)
• salt and pepper

For the tahni sauce

• 2 tbs tahini
• 1 tbs water
• 3 tbs plain yogurt
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• zest of 1/2 Meyer lemon
• 2 tbs Meyer lemon juice
• salt and pepper

For the roasted squash

• 2 cups butternut squash, cubed (1 inch)
• olive oil
• soy sauce

Preparation

For the lentil-carrot mash

Cook lentils in water with bay leaf, cloves, onion until tender but not mushy. Cook carrots separately. Heat olive oil in a pan, add carrots, 2 tbs broth and simmer until cooked. Adjust with salt and pepper. When carrots and lentils are cooked, mix them together and mash with a potato masher. In a pan, heat olive oil, toast cumin seeds until fragrant. Add garlic and stir for a few min, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add lentil-carrot mixture, stir well, then add kale and cilantro. Mix well to combine all ingredients and until kale is wilted. Keep warm.

For the tahini sauce

Combine all ingredients together in a bowl and mix well. If too thick add some water.

For the roasted squash

Heat oven at 400F. Place squash in a baking dish and sprinkle with olive oil, soy sauce, adjust with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until all sides are golden brown but still firm.

Serve with lentil-carrot mash, squash and lots of tahini sauce, at least five times more of what you see on the picture!

]]> http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2015/10/lentils-and-carrot-mash-with-roasted-butternut-squash-and-tahini-sauce/feed/ 0 http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2015/10/its-eatable-saute-beet-leaves-with-cumin-garlic-and-raisins/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=its-eatable-saute-beet-leaves-with-cumin-garlic-and-raisins http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2015/10/its-eatable-saute-beet-leaves-with-cumin-garlic-and-raisins/#comments Fri, 02 Oct 2015 20:02:47 +0000 silvia http://www.citronetvanille.com/blog/?p=17298 Ça se mange – Fanes de betteraves sautées au cumin, ail et raisins secs

This morning I went shopping and I had beets on the menu…as usual this store (which I am not going to mention) never has what I need, some days there are no leeks, no scallions or no basmati rice, or no won ton wrappers, etc…so I have to somehow contain my frustration.

This morning was not that bad, I was looking for lose beets, and I could only find beets by the bunch with the leaves on. The good thing about this, is that you can use the leaves. So if you happen to buy beets with their leaves and stems on, do not throw them away. You can use them like you would use spinach, kale, or any other greens.

I remove the stems that were a bit hard and only kept the leaves.

In this recipe, I added a few spices to enhance the whole dish. It’s a fragrant way to cook greens and it was just what I was in the mood for. You can eat this as a side dish, I ate it with some marinated sardines and it made my day…if you try it, it might make yours too!

 Ingredients for 2

• 3 bunches of beet greens, roughly chopped
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1 tbs raisins (soaked in water for 10 min)
• salt and pepper

 Preparation

Heat olive oil in a large pot and brown cumin seeds until fragrant. Add garlic and turmeric and stir a low heat until fragrant (you don’t want to burn the turmeric, it will be bitter). Add greens and cook until wilted. Adjust with salt and pepper and add raisins. Drizzle with olive oil and eat hot or warm.

This recipe is neither French nor Italian but Middle Eastern. I first tasted molokhia when I lived in London at a Palestinian lady’s house. My good friend Stephanie and I wanted to learn English so in our 20′s we went to live in London (which needless to say was a long time ago!!). We rented two rooms at this wonderful lady’s house who was a writer mostly focusing on women condition in Islamic countries. That was the first time I ever tasted or heard about molokhia. She treated us with chicken molokhia once in a while which was a feast for us. Molokhia is basically the leaves of jute, a green leafy vegetable, a little bitter. Its texture is a little slimy like okra, so if you like okra, you’ll like molokhia.

Then we went back to France, time went by and living in a small town in France, molokhia was nowhere to be found in the markets in France. Not that long ago (about 20 years later), strolling down the frozen section of a middle eastern store in San Francisco, I found frozen molokhia. I could not believe it! Here I am with three bags of frozen molokhia, and no idea on how to prepare it.

After some intense searching, I found various recipes for molokhia, one of which is a Tunisian version and is made out of dry leaves and prepared with lamb and like a thick stew consistency. The one I tasted 20 years ago was made out of fresh leaves, with chicken and with a consistency of a soup and eaten as a soup. I found a recipe from Cairo similar to what I was used to, so Inspired myself from this recipe – It is usually served with rice but I was in the mood for quinoa, and it just works as well.

 Preparation for 2

• Fish broth
• 2 small tomatoes, peel, seeds removed, and diced
• 2 tbs chopped onion
• 1 bag frozen molokhia
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
• 3 tbs cilantro, chopped
• 8 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 tbs olive oil
• 8 shrimps, peeled and deveined
• salt and pepper
• juice of 1/2 lemon

Preparation

In a medium pot, heat fish stock, then add frozen molokhia, tomatoes, onions, cumin powder, coriander powder, salt and pepper. Cook for about 20 minutes. Add cilantro. In a pan, add olive oil and garlic and cook until fragrant but don’t burn the garlic. Add to the molokhia pot and cook for a few minutes. In the meantime, saute shrimps and keep warm. Add lemon to molokhia, stir well and serve molokhia with shrimps and rice or quinoa.

Beets are so lovely, I love them in any shape or form. It’s the type of vegetable you either love or hate. Most people who tasted this soup, loved it. I guess it has to do with its smooth and delicate flavor. When you think about a beet soup, you imagine something different, and certainly not as good.

The good thing about summer, (even if you don’t know it’s summer by looking at the weather here in San Francisco) is that the stores are filled with exciting seasonal vegetables such as these beautiful spring shallots. Usually, you only find them in May-June so whenever they’re available, I get excited like a kid in a candy store. Like any other fresh vegetable, they need to be consumed fast, unlike the dried shallots.

Ingredients for 3-4

• 2 spring shallots, cut
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 large carrots, peeled and cut in slices
• 5 medium size beets, peeled and cut in small pieces
• Vegetable broth (just enough to cover the vegetables)
• salt
• yogurt (optional)

Preparation

In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add shallots and cumin. Stir and cook until fragrant. Add beets and carrots. Cook at medium heat for a few minutes mixing well. Add broth and let cook for about 30 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Adjust with salt.

Place the cooked vegetable in a blender and puree it.

Serve hot in bowls with yogurt and some green shallot stems.

I realized this blog really lacks meat recipes, even though I cook it for clients every weeks, I don’t really eat it, (unless I am forced with a stick!!), I just taste it for seasoning, so I would say this blog is a sample of the dishes I really enjoy eating.

I got so excited to find monkfish in the store, that I had to buy it (you need thick fillets to make medallions). Monkfish in France is a quite famous and reputable fish, but it can be confusing to figure out what species of monkfish it is. There are two kinds, one living in lakes and rivers, and one commercially sold as “queue de lotte” which means monkfish tail, with its bone which can be the kind living in the oceans. The main bone is very easy to remove since it’s has no small ones. In the US they sell fillets so its easier to make medallions. I love monkfish, it’s delicate, subtle and with a firm texture. In this recipe monkfish has been marinated in spices, then pan fried. It cooks quite fast and it’s a very simple meal to prepare, for your guests, your family or for yourself. In my case myself.

You can serve it with saute greens, or any other vegetable. I wanted to add a bit of exotism so I used eggplants; not that eggplants are exotic but combined with lemon confits, it adds a touch of Northern Africa. I never know what to do with those strange lemons. I have a huge jar of those that I stare at anytime I open the refrigerator as if they’re aliens. Today I took the aliens out of the jar, rinsed, them, chopped them and ate them….and they tasted  wonderful. Lemon confits are often used in Moroccan cuisine, to add the final sour flavor to a dish and complement spices very well.

Ingredients for 2

For the Monkfish

• 1 lb monkfish fillets
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• zest of one lemon
• 1 tbs dill, chopped
• 1/4 tsp cumin, ground
• 1/2 small red onion chopped
• 1 tbs capers, chopped

For the eggplant purée

• 1 large eggplant
• 1 tsp pomegranate molasses
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tbs mint, chopped
• 1 tbs parsley, chopped
• 1/4 tsp cumin, ground
• 2 tbs Greek yogurt
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 lemon confit, rinsed, pulp removed and chopped

Preparation

Cut monkfish into 2.5 inches pieces. In a small bowl mix all marinade ingredients together and pour on monkfish, mix well to coat all the pieces cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

In the meantime, pre-heat oven at 400F, then prepare the eggplant. Cut them lenghtwise, Using a knive, make small incisions in the eggplant (not the skin side) sprinkle with salt and a little oil. Place the eggplant under broiler skin up, and cook for about 15 minutes until it gets soft. Remove from the oven and let it cool a bit. Using a spoon scoop the eggplant and let it drain for about 30 min so it gets rid of the water. When it has completely cooled, add all the rest of the ingredients except for the confit lemons. They need to be added at the end.

Heat oil in a pan, pan fry the monkfish pieces until golden brown, then add the rest of the marinade. Stir well, adjust with salt and pepper. Turn down heat and cook until fish is cooked all the way through. Serve with eggplant purée topped with lemon confit.

I would say that this recipe has a French flair to it, especially with munster cheese in it. Munster is a a very old cheese from Alsace made with caw milk, but other regions like the one I grew up in also produce munster. It tends to be very strong and pungent (Americans would say that is a very stinky French cheese!!) and you need to wrap it tightly when in the fridge, but it has a wonderful and delicate flavor. So don’t let the smell impress you.

Brick sheets are widely used in France to replace filo dough. They’re much easier to manipulate and don’t break that easily, though hard to find in the US. I found them frozen at the Gourmet and More store in San Francisco. You can fill them with anything you like. One sheet has only 25 calories so if you want to keep them light you have to fill them with a light mixture and bake them in the oven rather in a pan with oil. Munster and cumin go well together, the sweetness of the carrot complement the filling quite well. You can substitute cumin with caraway seeds, it will be equally good. More recipes about brick sheets here.

Ingredients for 4-5 bricks

• 4-5 brick sheets
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 shallots, minced
• 3 carrots, sliced thin
• 3 tbs dry white wine
• 1.5 tsp cumin seeds or carvi
• 170 g munster cheese, sliced
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a pan, add shallots and let them soften. Add carrots, cumin and wine. Adjust with salt and pepper. Cover and let cook at medium heat until the carrots are tender.

Take a brick sheet and lay it flat on a wooden surface. Place 2-3 tbs of the carrot mixture (about 2 inches from the border), then top it with a slice of the munster cheese and start rolling, when you reach the middle, fold the sides and continue rolling until it forms a little package. Proceed until you have used all the carrot mixture.

Pre-heat oven at 375F and back in the oven until golden brown. Serve hot on a bed of arugula.

]]> http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2013/06/brick-sheets-stuffed-with-carrots-cumin-and-munster-cheese/feed/ 1 http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2009/12/that-little-red-spice-grilled-chicken-sumac/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=that-little-red-spice-grilled-chicken-sumac http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2009/12/that-little-red-spice-grilled-chicken-sumac/#comments Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:38:13 +0000 silvia http://www.citronetvanille.com/blog/?p=5979 La petite épice rouge – Aiguillettes de poulet grillé au sumac

I  don’t cook with sumac very often but when I do, I make this dish and it’s been quite popular among chicken lovers. Sumac is a wonderful Middle Eastern spice, it enhances the flavor of the dish without altering its taste. Sumac is a little tree whose leaves turn red in fall somehow like maple trees and produces little round balls which contains little brownish grains.

I usually serve it with curried Israeli couscous and it makes an excellent combination with Middle Eastern flavors. Sumac is very used in Middle Eastern cuisine, it has a tangy flavor and is used somehow like lemon. If you are vegetarian, chicken can be replaced with white fish and it works beautifully too on light flavored fishes. This spice is one of the most delicate spice I know because of it’s subtle flavor, it will not overpower your dish like curry or cumin would but give it a very fresh and elegant after taste.

Ingredients for 4

• 1.5 lb chicken tenders or breasts cut in strips
• 2 tsp sumac
• juice of one lemon
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• cayenne pepper
• 3 tbs mint
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Cut chicken in small strips. Add sumac, cumin powder, cayenne, salt and pepper and let it marinate for about one hour or so.

In a small mixing bowl, mix lemon juice and olive oil.

Grill chicken in a grill pan. When grilled on the outside and still juicy in the middle, remove from pan, add olive oil/lemon juice mixture. Coat well. Sprinkle with mint and serve hot.