I am going back to my phase of vegan cuisine. Once in a while I just want to eat plants only, it makes me happy. I usually do have an 85% plant based diet, but I want to be 100% plant based for a couple of months. I am leaving fro France next Monday and looking forward to discovering some new products while I am there.

I was browsing through my vegan cookbooks and one of my favorite is called “Great Chefs Cook Vegan” and I found an inspiring recipe from Jason Cunnigham from which I had made quite a bit of changes to the original recipe, but kept the essence of the dish.

I found those delicious green tea brown rice noodles that are very easy to prepare, you don’t have to cook them, just soak them in hot water for a bit and the trick is done. You could easily substitute the noodles by brown rice if you prefer, but I love the chewiness of brown rice noodles, so for me no substitution is needed.

I discovered this particular red seaweed called dulse (or sea lettuce). It is very nutritious, has high protein content and contains lots of fibers and mineral (like most seaweeds). When saute in a pan, it gets crunchy and tends to develop a bacon-like flavor and quite tasty. I like to use it as a topping on tofu or salads or vegetables.

Ingredients for 4

For the tofu and eggplant

• 2 packages extra firm tofu (about 8oz), cut into 1/2 thick slices
• 1 large eggplant, cut into 1/2 thick slices (same size as tofu)
• salt
• 1/2 cup reduced salt soy sauce
• 1/3 cup sesame oil
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1 tbs grated ginger

For Coconut emulsion

• 1 tbs sunflower oil
• 1/4 cup onion, finely minced
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 lemongrass stalk (end only), finely minced
• 1 tsp red curry powder or madras curry
• 1/4 cup vegetable stock
• 1 can unsweetened coconut milk
• salt

For the mushrooms, romanesco and noodles

• 200 g brown rice noodles
• 1 tbs sunflower oil
• 1 shallot, finely minced
• 1 romanesco
• 1.5 cups wild mixed mushrooms (shiitake, enoki, etc…)
• 2 tbs mirin
• salt

Preparation

For the eggplant and tofu

Drain tofu and pat dry with a paper towel to remove excess water. Sprinkle salt on eggplant slices and let sit for one hour until it releases water. Rinse and pat dry.

In a mixing bowl combine say sauce, sesame oil, vinegar and ginger and mix well.

In a deep tray, place tofu and eggplant. Take 3/4 of the above marinade and pour over tofu and eggplant. Coat well and marinate for about one hour.

For the coconut curry émulsion

Heat oil in a small pot and saute onions. Add garlic, ginger and lemongrass and cook 3 minutes at medium heat. Add curry powder and stir for about 3 more minutes. make sure not to burn the curry. Add broth and cook until the mixture has reduced. Add coconut milk, simmer for about 5 min, then remove from heat.

Blend mixture in a blender until smooth texture. Strain the sauce and return to stove with low heat. Add salt and keep warm.

To make the crispy dulse, saute in a pan with olive oil until crunchy. Make sure not to burn it or it will get bitter.

For the noodles

Soak noodles in hot water for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Toss with left marinade from tofu.

For the mushrooms and romanesco

In a pan saute shallot in vegetable oil, add mushrooms and romanesco. Add 2 tbs mirin and simmer with lid until the water evaporates and romanesco cooked all the way through but still firm.

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.

My friend Laurent is French but he grew up in Tunis ( we keep each other company on the treadmill in the mornings), always shares with me his childhood memories about Tunisian cuisine and his culinary experiments (he is a fabulous cook and strangely enough we have the same culinary tastes). Yesterday morning he brought me some delicious molokhia he prepared (which is a typical Middle Eastern dish whose recipe varies from one country to another), and while eating it, It reminded me about my trip to Egypt and cruise on the Nile (the first Middle Eastern country I visited). When you start using some spices, you keep craving for more, and here I am, completely hooked on those exotic ingredients.

Thanks to Laurent, I discovered a wonderful Middle Eastern store Samirami in San Francisco, selling so many spices and Oriental products that became my supplier anytime I am in the mood for Middle Eastern flavors.

These days I have been hooked on Labne, which is a Kefir Cheese, similar to Greek yogurt but thicker, creamier and with a little salty flavor. It’s usually eaten with grilled pita, sprinkled with olive oil and za’atar (mixture of oregano, thyme, savory, sumac, sesame seeds and other middle eastern spices). Labne is delicious, and has little calories. I used toasted baguette, it might not be the most authentic bread to use, but it worked fine since I had no pita. The eggplant purée adds a smooth and velvety touch to this combination of textures. I added some green leafs to the lentils and roasted peppers for a little more robust flavor to the naturally nutty lentils and it was a very nice balance.

Labne, How did I manage to live all these years without you???? I have no idea…My life must have been so incomplete and I didn’t even know…

Ingredients for 2

For the lentils

• 150 g green lentils
• 1 carrot
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 onion
• 2 cloves
• 1 celery stick
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 bunch green cabbage, chards or any greens
• 3 tbs olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp pomegranate molasses
• 2 scallion, chopped
• 2 tbs cilantro, chopped
• salt and pepper

For the eggplant purée

• 1 large eggplant
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• thyme
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tsp olive oil
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• salt and pepper

For the labne tartine

• 2 slices toasted country bread
• 4 tbs labne
• za’atar to taste
• olive oil

Preparation

For the lentil salad

Cook lentils in water with carrot, onion, celery and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and let cook until the lentils are soft but not mushy. Drain and remove all the vegetables from the lentils and set aside

Cook cabbage in salted water. Drain and squeeze excess water. Chop in small pieces and set aside.

Roast red bell pepper under broiler on all sides, until the skin darkens. Remove from oven, let it cool in a plastic bag, peel and remove seeds. Dice in small pieces.

Mix greens, and red pepper with lentils.

Prepare dressing with mixing olive oil, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, salt and pepper. Pour on lentils and add cilantro and scallions. Toss well.

For the eggplant purée

Cut eggplants in two lengthwise. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Add onions on top, sprinkle with thyme and cook in a pre-heated oven at 400F. When soft, remove from the oven, let it cool and scoop out the pulp of the eggplant.

In a mixer mix pulp, add lemon juice, garlic, olive oil and adjust with salt and pepper.

For the labne tartine

Grill each slices of country bread. Spread Labne, add za’atar and sprinkle with olive oil.

For the pastry “connaisseurs“, Napoléon is a famous pastry from Eastern Europe, made out different layers of crème patissière (custard), and puff pastry. While in Lithuania, and during its Russian campaign, Napoléon fell in love with this dessert, and named it after himself. The rumors even say that he lost the battle of Waterloo, because he ate so many of these the night before the battle. But of course, those are earsay, and only historians can prove this fact.

This is my savory version of Napoléon. This savory Napoléon has different layers of king oyster mushrooms and eggplants. King oyster mushrooms are simply oyster mushrooms that are grown to a large size, just like portobello are cremini mushrooms grown until they reached a particular size. What I like about king oysters is their meaty legs that remind of the fresh porcini, you can just slice them and enjoy them saute with garlic and parsley or any way you like.

This savory version of Napoleon has manchego and a drizzle of a parsley/garlic/paprika/olive oil mixture in between the layers, which adds a pleasant note to each bite. The concassée finishes the dish with a nice balance of chili and slight acidity of the tomato.

These cute little bundles of vegetables can be served as an appetizer, then two would be perfect, but then there is no rule in the number want to add on each plate.

Ingredients for 4-6 pieces

• 1 medium size eggplant (seedless), sliced
• 1 large king oyster, sliced
• 1/2 cup manchego, sliced
• 1 zucchini, sliced lenghtwise
• 1 tbs olive oil
• Fleur de sel
• pepper

For the herb-oil

• 1 tbs parsley, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• salt and pepper

For the tomato concassée

• 2 medium sized, heirloon tomato, chopped, peeled and seedless
• 1 tbs extra virgin fruity olive oil
• cayenne pepper
• fleur de sel

Preparation

Grill eggplants on a grill pan or cast iron grid. Set aside. Saute mushroom slices in 1 tbs olive oil. Slice zucchini with a mandoline, making ribbons. Grill zucchini on a grill pan. Set aside.

For the herb-oil, mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.

For the tomato concassée, after peeling the tomatoes, crush one tomato, with a mixer to make a purée. Cut the other tomato in small pieces. Mix both tomatoes, add cayenne, pepper and fleur de sel. Add olive oil. Mix well.

Start assembling the napoleon. In a flat surface, place one slice of eggplant. Add 1/2 tsp of herb-oil. Place one slice of mushroom on top. Add manchego. Proceed with another slice of eggplant, mushroom and manchego. Wrap it all with two slices of zucchini (one might be too short to be wrapped around). Place in a pre-heated oven at 390F until the manchego has melted.

Serve in a plate with one tbs of tomato concassée. Drizzle extra olive oil on the tomatoes, and add some cracked black pepper.

]]> http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2010/08/a-little-bundle-of-joy-napoleon-of-eggplants-king-oyster-mushrooms-and-manchego-tomato-concassee/feed/ 28 http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2010/06/old-soups-are-back-roasted-vegetable-soup-with-tofu-croutons/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=old-soups-are-back-roasted-vegetable-soup-with-tofu-croutons http://citronetvanille.com/blog/2010/06/old-soups-are-back-roasted-vegetable-soup-with-tofu-croutons/#comments Thu, 10 Jun 2010 05:48:41 +0000 silvia http://www.citronetvanille.com/blog/?p=11165 Les anciennes soupes sont de retour – Soupe de légumes grillés et croutons de tofu…et 300 ème post!

Yes time flies and I just realized that this is my 300th post! I completely forgot the 100th and 200th…

I knew when I ordered a new washing machine and dryer that something was going to happen and something did happen…today’s delivery has been canceled because they were in back order. So I have to keep running the dryer six cycles to have the clothes dry. I bet PG&E are thrilled and my mom to lift me up, told me “you don’t need a dryer, it ruins all the clothes”. Very few people have a dryer in Europe, so for most Europeans it’s an unnecessary item…let’s not put all Europeans in the same basket, let’s just say for my mom…but I don’t know anyone who has a dryer among my friends and family.

I was somehow disappointed and bummed, and not in the mood for cooking long and complicated meals…and since I had all the ingredients without rushing to my Greek grocery store, there was no question, I was going to make this soup. I used to make it quite often, then for whatever unexplained reason, it stopped appearing on my table…let’s go back to old recipes, sometimes you forget how great they are. This soup is filled with vegetables and is absolutely a, and 100% vegan. The tofu croutons do add this chewy/crunchy texture that blends beautifully with a spoonful of fragrant creamy soup. You can serve this with a tapenade tartine, so the leftover tapenade from yesterday came in handy. The olives complement the flavors of the soup to perfection. For the broth quantities, you will have to adjust it to your tastes, some people like their soup thicker, some people prefer it thinner, so you will have to play around with it.

Ingredients for 4

• 1 eggplant, sliced crosswise
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 zucchini, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and sliced
• 4 tomatoes, peeled and seedless
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tbs oregano
• 1 tbs olive oil
• vegetable broth
• extra firm tofu
• flour
• fleur de sel
• pepper

Preparation

Grill bell pepper under broiler until the skin get charred. Peel and remove seeds. Cut in slices.

Place all the remaining vegetables in a tray, sprinkle with fleur de sel, pepper and olive oil and broil under broiler. Turn the vegetables both sides to grill them.

Mix bell peppers with the rest of the vegetables, add broth garlic, oregano and using a hand blender, mix to obtain a smooth purée.

For the tofu croutons, cut tofu in small cubes, coat them with flour, remove excess flour. Heat olive oil in a pan saute tofu at high temperature until both sides turn golden brown. Serve in bowls, add tofu croutons in the middle and drizzle with olive oil and extra oregano.

This soup can be eaten lukewarm or hot. If you like it hot, just heat it up on the stove for a few minutes before adding tofu.

I am going back to my roots with this dish. Once in a while, it feels good to go back to old and traditional ways of cooking even if it it can be time consuming. Cooking being therapeutic for me (like for most people who love cooking), when I am stressed, I cook, and the longer, the better. Sundays are perfect for these rituals.

I am in love with my new pasta cutting tool called chitarra. Eventhough it produces a different kind of music, it’s just wonderful lyrics to my ears. Due to its shape and strings it has the same name as the musical instrument guitar (chitarra in Italian means guitar) due it its strings. Spaghetti alla chitarra is my favorite pasta, anytime I am in Italy I buy it and eat them during a whole week. Those are a specialty from Abruzzi and the neighboring regions further South. Basically the strings of the chitarra are the cutting tool. You can either use the rolling pin or your hands to press the pasta sheet on the strings. The two particularities of this pasta is first, you need to have a pasta thickness, similar to the width of the guitar strings, second it’s an egg based pasta.

When using a chitarra, the texture of the pasta is really different, more rugged and thicker since the width of spaghetti is supposed to be the same size as the depth, basically you get square spaghetti.

Chitarra is available in the US at Sur La Table, so for those who are passionate about pasta and want to experiment old ways of making and cutting it, I suggest you try it out.

The dough has 80% farro (or spelt) that’s why you get a darker and golden color and the sauce is vegetarian. The traditional spaghetti alla chitarra from Abruzzi region is made out of a lamb ragù. Of course, you can use your creativity and taste as far as the sauce is concerned. I am still on some vegetarian funk lately, so this worked beautifully for me.

Ingredients for 4

For the pasta dough

• 100 g white flour
• 200 g farro flour
• 3 eggs
• water

For the sauce

• 6 medium size tomatoes on the vine, well ripe, peeled, seedless and chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and sliced
• 2 zucchini, diced
• 1 small eggplant, diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 small yellow onion
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 tbs olive oil
• hot chili pepper (peperoncino)
• basil or oregano
• 4 tbs ricotta
• 1 tbs chopped olives (optional)
• salt and pepper

Preparation

For the pasta

In a working surface mix flours together, add eggs, and gradually incorporate flour. Add a little water if necessary (if dough is too hard) and knead for about 15-20 min to obtain a round and smooth ball. Wrap in a plastic film and let it rest for about 30 min.

In a flat surface (preferably wood, such as a spianatoia, the Italian flat wooden board to roll the pasta dough), using a large and not tapered rolling pin, roll dough to obtain a thin sheet. You can use a pasta machine if you have not mastered the art of rolling dough. The sheet should be thin but not overly thin, something like 2 mm thick.

When the sheet is ready, take chitarra to cut strings. Place sheet on top of strings and using the rolling pin, roll it from top to bottom of the pasta sheet. The spaghetti will fall into the chitarra, and you just have to remove them. Proceed until you have finished with the sheets.

For the sauce

In a pan, heat olive oil. Add onions and brown them. Add the rest of the vegetables, salt and pepper. Cover with lid and let cook until tender but still firm.

In another pot, heat olive oil. Add garlic and stir to get flavors out. Add oregano (or basil) and tomatoes, and cook until the tomatoes are starting to form a thick sauce (about 10-15 minutes). Add chili peppers, salt and pepper.

When the vegetables are cooked, add to the tomato sauce and mix well. If you decide to add olives, add at this point. Add extra olive oil.

Bring a pot of salted boiling water to a boil, add spaghetti. Cook for a few minutes, or until spaghetti come at the surface. Remove from stove and drain.

Place spaghetti in a large pasta dish, pour sauce on top. Serve in dishes with ricotta on top and sprinkle with either oregano or basil. Serve hot.

Caviar d’aubergine is a typical French dish, but it does not mean it includes caviar in its ingredient list, it’s basically a vegan dish if you don’t add the parmesan on top. Eggplant caviar is made out of eggplants roasted in the oven and reduced into a purée with herbs and garlic. Of course there are various variations of eggplant caviar. You can add herbes de Provence instead of just thyme, or lavender. I’ve had close friends who don’t like eggplants and loved this dish, so I guess it’s a way to initiate the non eggplant lovers to this wonderful vegetable.

Tartare describes a way of preparing ingredients, like you have tuna tartar, and salmon tartar where the fishes have been cut in tiny cubes, then marinated. In this case, the tomato is peeled, cut in small cubes, marinated with herbs and olives and finally placed in the refrigerator for about an hour. So that is called a tartare.

You can make nice presentations with the contrasts of colors, the red, the green, the white and light brown, it looks very summery and fresh. Being such a light and pretty dish, with contrasts of flavors and textures, you can serve it as a light appetizer, it will put you or your guests en appétit (in appetite) for the next courses, it’s screaming, I’m hungry now and I want more! I love this dish, it’s fresh, light, full of flavors and textures and so far everyone who tasted loved it too. Ca sent les vacances!

Ingredients for 4

• 5 medium size tomatoes
• 1 large size eggplant
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• juice of 1 small meyer lemon
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• pepper
• arugula and shaved parmesan for garnish

For the vinaigrette

• 1 tbs kalamata olives, chopped
• 1 tsp capers, chopped (optional)
• 1 tsb parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper

Preparation

Cut eggplants in two lenghtwise. Using a knife, make three incisions from top to bottom of eggplant. Sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper. Place on top of parchment paper, placing the flat surface down. Cook in a pre-heated oven at 390F for about 30 minutes or until eggplants are soft. Remove from oven and let cool.

Using a spoon, remove eggplant flesh making sure to drain the water and remove the peel. Place in a mixing bowl. Using a blender, blend eggplant with garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Let it cool.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, and add tomatoes for about 10 seconds, drain, peel, remove the seeds and cut tomatoes in small cubes. Remove excess water.

Refrigerate tomatoes for about 30 minutes.

Mix vinaigrette ingredients all together and add to tomatoes. Spare some vinaigrette to add at the end. Mix well.

Using a rind, place tomatoes layer on your plate, then spoon one tbs of eggplant caviar on top, add shaved parmesan and arugula.

It seems like the traditional British dessert arrived in France and turned savory. Crumbles are becoming very trendy in France and quite popular, I can understand why, they’re just really delicious. So, yes, we stole it from the British and somehow made some transformations to it. I don’t know much about British cuisine, but I know crumble comes straight from the other side of the Channel.

This is my third post featuring a savory crumble, and I will continue to explore them. Crumbles are so good, most of all very easy to make, and certainly always appreciated among guests. They make wonderful appetizers. I just love to nibble on the crust and dig to get what’s underneath. The goat cheese has melted and infused with the garlicky tomato and eggplant, so you can dip some toasted walnut bread in the juices.

I had taken tons of photos yesterday and for whatever strange reason, when I downloaded them on my computer, they had disappeared from the memory card, and by that time my meal was long gone and digested. I was really disappointed – I still don’t know where the problem came, either from the card or the camera. I Certainly did not want to eat the same dish today and honestly, I am a little tired of carbs, on arrête les féculents, let’s stop the carbs before I turn into a giant noodle!!! I have been eating more pasta and rice than usual, so I figured this crumble would fit perfectly my nutritional needs.

Ingredients for 3-4 individual crumbles

• 5 medium size tomatoes, peeled and seedless, cut in quarters
• 1 small eggplant, sliced crosswise
• 4 tbs goat cheese, crumble
• 2 tbs basil, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tbs olive oil
• salt and pepper

For the crumble topping

• 4 tbs white flour
• 5 tbs plain bread crumbs
• 1 tsp herbes de Provence
• 1 1/2 tbs almond meal
• 1 tbs parmesan, grated
• 2 oz (or 50 g) butter
• a little salt and pepper

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a pan, add 1 garlic clove chopped, then add tomatoes, cook for about 5 minutes until the tomatoes are starting to become soft but not mushy. In a grill pan, grill eggplant on both sides. You can also sprinkle them with olive oil, salt and pepper and broil them under broiler.

Start making crumble topping. In a mixing bowl, mix all ingredients together, then add butter and mix from tip of the fingers to make a crumbly dough.

In individual molds, add tomaotes, eggplant and basil. Top with goat cheese and crumble topping.

Cook in a pre-heated oven at 370F for about 30 minutes or until the top has turned golden.

Serve hot with a green salad.

I discovered this type of couscous in the US. I had never seen it before, so I started experimenting with it when I had some Israeli clients. I was so happy I found something “Israeli” to cook for them, but when they told me it was not Israeli, I was somehow confused and disappointed. I had no idea about what Israeli cuisine tasted like, I thought due to their geographical location it would have some Middle Eastern flair. In Paris, in the Marais quarter, the historic Jewish area has one of the most popular Felafel joint, called “L’As du Felafel”, so I my mind Felafel and spicy food was common in Israel and I figured that something called “Israeli” should at least be coming from Israel. Apparently not. It’s like the French manicure of French cleaner, not sure why they call it French but we are no specialists in nails nor cleaning!

So Israeli or not Israeli, I like this couscous variety, it’s fun to prepare and great to eat. Couscous is consumed in all Middle East, so I guess it must be coming from that side of the continent. In France it’s called Matfoul which I think is its original Arabic name. I am not Jewish and obviously not kosher but maybe in my previous life I was. I started cooking by not mixing dairy and meat and I have to say that I like it.

This is a great side dish that can be an alternative to rice, or some other carbohydrate dishes. I like to spice it up a little with curry and spices and add vegetables to it, to make it a little more exciting. I have a few cookbooks about Jewish cuisine and I like the simplicity of the recipes and influences coming from so many different countries.

I certainly know that this blog lacks meat recipes but I think the most important thing is to enjoy and take pleasure in whatever you do, cook or eat, no matter what it is. Otherwise there is no point in posting something just for the sake of posting it. I usually serve this couscous with sumac chicken tenders, that has been one of my most requested dish in the “Middle Eastern” category.

Ingredients for 3-4 as a side dish

• 4.2 oz (or 120 g) Israeli couscous
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 small eggplant, diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 3 tbs cherry tomatoes, cut in quarters
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1/2 cup cooked chick peas
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 tbs cilantro, chopped
• 1 tbs mint, chopped

Preparation

First start cooking couscous. Heat olive oil in a pot, add couscous and let it brown and get coated by olive oil like you would proceed for a risotto. Add broth and cook until couscous is tender but not too soft. Drain and set aside.

In a pan, brown shallots, then add the rest of the vegetables except for the chick peas. Add salt and pepper and let it cook until vegetables tender. Add chick peas. Add curry powder. Stir well and cook for about 5 minutes, then add tomatoes. Add couscous and mix well all ingredients together. Adjust with salt and pepper. Add mint and cilantro and serve hot.

Tra una torta e una pizza – Tarpiz con verdura mista del sud, feta e rucola

When you can decide what to make between a pizza and a tart, and you end up doing something in between those two, it would be inaccurate to call it either tart or pizza, that’s why it should get its own name. Entre les deux mon coeur balance (in between those two my heart can’t decide), like my heart has been balancing between France and Italy my whole life, so I might as well be a representation of this round and savory Tarpiz…really Tarpiz is really what it is…and I feel I am a Tarpiz myself.

Lately, I have been avoiding to use white refined flours in my pastries or other dishes where it requires flour. I have been going to the Rainbow and buying all those wonderful cereal flours, such as quinoa, kamut, buckwheat, spelt, etc…they’re wonderful for baking, very healthy since high in fibers and protein and most of all they taste absolutely amazing. I definitely stay away from white refined flour when possible. 

Our modern society has been consuming too many refined and industrialized food, lacking nutrients and vitamins. We have forgotten natural and ancient grains used in the old time as far as Antiquity, such as spelt, kamut, millet, etc…and really wished that restaurants would also serve food that would be focused on nutrition rather than heavy in grease and sugar to make it more “flavorful”. Flavor is not linked to sugar and grease, but on quality of the ingredients.

Anyway, this Tarpiz is made out of whole wheat and kamut flours, topped with grilled vegetables, and rucola. I love pizza bianca (white pizza) with rucola they serve in Italy. 

For about 4 people

For the dough

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup kamut flour
• fresh yeast dissolved in 1/2 cup lukewarm water or less
• 2 tbs olive oil
• salt

For the topping

• 1 red bell pepper, grilled
• 1 small size eggplant, sliced crosswise
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 tbs feta, crumbled
• a few cherry tomatoes (5 or 6 cut in half)
• 1 tbs kalamata olives, chopped (optional)
• 1 handful of wild rucola
• salt and pepper

For the dough

Mix flours together. Dissolve one tsp of fresh yeast in 1/2 glass of lukewarm water. Stir well until the yeast has completely dissolved. Mix yeast, salt, olive oil with flours, making a dough. Knead the dough to make it into a nice and elastic texture. Let it rise for a couple of hours at medium temperature. It needs to double it size. Then fold again, make a ball, wrap in plastic and leave in the refrigerator for one about one hour.

For the topping

Broil the bell pepper under the broiler, until all sides are browned. Remove, let it cool and remove the skin and seeds. Cut in stripes.

Cut the eggplant crosswise, sprinkle with salt and olive oil and broil under the broiler on both sides. When nicely browned, cut in half or quarter depending on the size of the eggplant.

Cook the onions slowly in olive oil until they become soft almost like a jam. 

Start spreading the dough, then top with onions, eggplants, cherry tomatoes, bell pepper stripes, olives, feta cheese, salt and pepper. Cook in a preheated oven at 375F for about 25 minutes. Remove and add rucola. Serve hot.