Salade d'hiver

 

J’ai beaucoup aimé cette salade d’hiver de Coup de Pouce! Du chou frisé et des pommes de terre grelots, c’était génial. Je l’ai servie avec une frittata.

Pour la salade
1 paquet de pommes de terre grelots de couleur
3 tasses de chou frisé (kale), tiges fibreuses enlevées, finement émincé (j’ai haché le mien)
3 oignons verts, émincés
1/3 tasse de pistaches écalées, concassées

Pour la vinaigrette
½ tasse d'huile d'olive (j’en ai pris 6 c. à soupe)
3 c. à soupe de vinaigre de vin rouge
2 c. à soupe de moutarde de Dijon
1 c. à soupe de miel
sel et poivre

Préparation de la salade
Déposer les pommes de terre grelots dans une grande casserole, puis recouvrir d'eau froide. Porter à ébullition, réduire le feu et laisser cuire pendant 12 minutes ou jusqu'à ce qu'on puisse percer les grelots à l'aide d'un couteau. Rincer les pommes de terre à l'eau froide, puis les couper en 2 ou en 4, selon leur taille. Les mettre dans un grand saladier et ajouter les autres ingrédients.

Préparation de la vinaigrette et assemblage
Mettre tous les ingrédients de la vinaigrette dans un récipient haut et étroit. Passer au pied-mélangeur jusqu'à consistance lisse. Verser sur la salade et bien mélanger (je n’ai pas utilisé toute la vinaigrette, il y en avait un peu trop).

Kugel

 

This is the famous kugel from Smitten Kitchen, where Deb Perelman jokes that her mother married her father to get his family recipe. The Engineer and I really liked it, but our kids did not (to be fair, I think they just don’t like kugel in general, and it was nothing against this kugel in particular).

1 pound wide egg noodles
8 eggs
1 ½ cups sugar
2 pounds full-fat lactose-free cottage cheese, creamed or large curd
1 ½ sticks sticks melted unsalted lactose-free butter or margarine
2 teaspoons vanilla
dash of salt
optional: 2 cups canned cherry pie filling (Comstock is specified)

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Parboil the noodles (five to seven minutes).

In a very large bowl, beat eggs until fluffy. Add the sugar gradually, then the cottage cheese, butter, and vanilla. Stir in the drained noodles.

Pour into a 9×13-inch pan. Bake for 1 ½ hours, or until kugel is set (my oven runs hot, and mine was done after 1 hour; Deb Perelman specifies that her oven runs cold and takes almost 2 hours). If using the cherry pie filling as a topping, pour it over at the one-hour mark, then bake it for an additional 30 minutes.

Chickpea Nuggets

 

I found this recipe for chickpea nuggets on The Kitchn ages ago and finally got around to making it, then posting about it a year and a half later – please clap. It’s actually really good! I served the nuggets with Greek salad (I like it without olives) and a delicious Greek-inspired lemon rice. (The rice is from Minimalist Baker and I will not repost the recipe, because they are being weird about it. By law, a recipe cannot be copyrighted, so it can be shared, while pictures are copyrighted and cannot be shared without permission. But they insist on doing things the other way, allowing people to repost their photos while cracking down on recipe posting. So… just go see the original link, I guess. It’s really good rice!)

½ cup panko or gluten-free breadcrumbs
½ cup rolled oats
1 (15-oz) can garbanzo beans (do not drain)
1 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. onion powder

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 375 °F.

Place the panko on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until toasted and golden-brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool while preparing the nuggets. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the oats in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and process into a fine flour. Transfer to a large bowl and reserve the food processor.

Drain the chickpeas over a bowl or measuring cup, then save the chickpeas and ¼ cup of the liquid. Place the chickpeas into the food processor; add the salt, garlic, and onion powder; and pulse until crumbly. Keep mixture in the food processor.

Whisk ¼ cup of the chickpea liquid in a small mixing bowl until foamy. Add the foamy chickpea liquid and ½ cup of the oat flour to the food processor. Pulse until the mixture forms a ball. You may have a little oat flour leftover, which you can add to the chickpea mixture 1 tablespoon at a time if the mixture is loose.

Divide the chickpea mixture into 12 equal portions and shape each one into a nugget. Coat each nugget completely in the toasted panko and place on the parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake until crispy, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce.

Raw Broccoli Salad

 

This recipe is from Marco Borges’s book The Greenprint. I served it as a side to Hawaiian meatballs. I did like the salad, but the dressing skews heavily acidic and I think it could be balanced with some oil (the Little Prince emphatically agrees).

For the salad
6 cups chopped broccoli florets
2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 cup hulled pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted (mine were salted as well)
½ cup finely chopped red onion

For the dressing (see note above)
1/3 cup stone-ground mustard
¼ cup cider vinegar
2 tsp. maple syrup
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. water

In a large bowl, toss together the ingredients for the salad.

In a small bowl (I used a jar), whisk together the ingredients for the dressing.

Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss to coat evenly.

Mochi Latkes

 

I saw this recipe in an old issue of Celebrate magazine, and I traced it back to Kristin Eriko Posner (it has this photo by Blaine Moats and is similar to this recipe from Posner’s website). These latkes were delicious; we all love mochi here, and it was fantastic paired with Asian pear sauce and matcha salt! Plus, it’s gluten-free. I’ll be making these again! The amounts below make about 8 latkes, and I would definitely want more next time.

For the mochi latkes
1 Russet potato (1 lb.), peeled
1 medium yellow onion
1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp. mochi flour (also called sweet rice flour or mochiko)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
½ tsp. kosher salt
3 cups vegetable oil, for frying (I always shallow-fry my latkes and use way less oil, but I’m the shiksa)

Using a box grater, grate potato and onion. Place on a double thickness of 100% cotton cheesecloth (I used the tea towel that I have dedicated to latkes); squeeze to remove liquid. Transfer potato and onion to a large mixing bowl. Add mochi flour, eggs, and ½ teaspoon salt. Stir to combine.

In a heavy 12-inch skillet, heat oil to 325 °F over medium-low. Place a wire rack on a cookie sheet. Pat potato mixture into 2 ½-inch rounds. Cook a few at a time in hot oil 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Remove from the pan and cool slightly on the wire rack.


For the Asian pear sauce
1 lb. cored Asian pears
1 small cored Fuji apple
2 Tbsp. water
1 ½ tsp. lemon juice
½ tsp. vanilla
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. kosher salt

Combine ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 30-40 minutes or until fruit is very soft, stirring every 10 minutes.

Uncover and let cool. Transfer to a blender (I used a stick blender) and blend until smooth.


For the matcha salt
1 tsp. culinary matcha
1 Tbsp. kosher salt

Sift the matcha into the salt and mix.

Serve the latkes with a sprinkle of matcha salt (you will have extra leftover) and a side of Asian pear sauce.

Poulet et riz au curcuma dans un poêlon

 

J’ai adoré ce plat de poulet et riz au curcuma dans un poêlon, sauce yogourt, lime et coriandre! Regardez comme la couleur du riz est belle. Et c’était super bon!

Pour la sauce yogourt, lime et coriandre (donne environ 1 tasse)
1 tasse de yogourt grec nature 2 % sans lactose
1 tasse de coriandre fraîche
1 c. à thé de zeste de lime râpé
1 c. à table de jus de lime
sel et poivre

Au pied-mélangeur, réduire en sauce lisse le yogourt et les feuilles de coriandre, le zeste et le jus de lime. Saler et poivrer. (La sauce se conservera jusqu’à 5 jours dans un contenant hermétique au réfrigérateur.)


Pour le poulet et le riz au curcuma
6 à 8 hauts de cuisses de poulet désossés (environ 1 ¼ lb/625 g)
2 c. à thé de curcuma moulu
1 c. à thé de thym séché
2 c. à table d' huile de canola
1 c. à table de gingembre frais , râpé
2 gousses d'ail hachées finement
1 oignon haché finement
1 ½ tasse de riz basmati rincé et égoutté
1 2/3 tasse de bouillon de poulet à teneur réduite en sel
1 tasse d' eau
¼ tasse de coriandre fraîche , hachée
quartiers de lime (facultatif)
sel et poivre

Préchauffer le four à 425 °F. Dans un bol, mélanger le poulet avec 1 c. à thé du curcuma et le thym. Saler et poivrer. Dans un grand poêlon allant au four muni d’un couvercle, ou dans une grosse cocotte, chauffer la moitié de l’huile à feu moyen-vif. Ajouter les hauts de cuisses et cuire de 3 à 4 minutes ou jusqu’à ce qu’ils soient dorés de tous les côtés (les retourner à mi-cuisson). Retirer du poêlon et réserver.

Dans le poêlon, chauffer le reste de l’huile à feu moyen. Ajouter le gingembre, l’ail et l’oignon, et cuire, en brassant, de 2 à 3 minutes ou jusqu’à ce qu’ils aient ramolli. Ajouter le riz et le reste du curcuma, et cuire 30 secondes en brassant. Verser le bouillon de poulet et l’eau. Saler et poivrer. Porter à ébullition. Déposer les hauts de cuisses réservés sur le riz.

Couvrir le poêlon et cuire au four de 20 à 25 minutes ou jusqu’à ce que le riz ait absorbé tout le liquide et que le poulet soit cuit. Parsemer de la coriandre. Servir avec la sauce au yogourt et des quartiers de lime, si désiré.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

There’s been quite a delay in posting recipes this past year! This is one that I made as a Thanksgiving side, and the problem with it is that it was SO good that it may have ruined regular mashed potatoes for me. The secret is that instead of cooking the potatoes in water, you cook them in half-and-half, which makes them extra creamy – and since you rice them, the texture is perfect! It is from Real Simple; the amounts below make 8 generous servings.

4 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-in. pieces (about 10 cups)
4 cups lactose-free half-and-half (or half lactose-free milk and half lactose-free cream)
5 tsp. kosher salt, divided
½ cup (1 stick) lactose-free butter, melted
½ cup lactose-free sour cream
freshly ground black pepper

Place potatoes, half-and-half, and 2 teaspoons salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and cook, stirring often, until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, 12 to 15 minutes. Carefully drain mixture into a colander placed over a large heatproof bowl. Reserve cooking liquid in bowl.

Working in batches, transfer potatoes to a potato ricer; press over saucepan. Stir butter and the 3 remaining teaspoons of salt into potatoes. Fold in sour cream and enough cooking liquid to reach desired consistency. (Reserve any leftover cooking liquid for reheating.)

Serve topped with melted butter, if desired, and pepper.

Coconut Quinoa with Lime Zest

 

I made this coconut quinoa with lime zest as a side, after adapting the instructions from a rice cooker to a small or medium saucepan (it’s actually faster, in this case). This quinoa was delicious! I served it with Korean chicken meatballs.

1 cup quinoa, rinsed if necessary
1 (13.5-oz.) can coconut milk
¼ cup water
¼ tsp. salt
1 small lime, zested and juiced

Place quinoa, canned coconut milk, water, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes or until the liquid has just been absorbed.

Let the quinoa set for about 4-5 minutes after it's done cooking, and then fluff it with a fork.

Stir in the zest and juice of one small lime, and season with additional salt to taste. Serve warm.

Lambert's Cafe's Throwed Rolls

 

I could have sworn I posted about Lambert’s Cafe before… In a post where I talked about restaurants we’ve been enjoying on our summer road trip for the past few years, along with Payne’s and Naaman’s. But anyway, Lambert’s Café serves Southern comfort food and is most famous for its “throwed” rolls: waiters periodically come along with carts and, if you want bread, they will throw it at you! Those still-warm rolls are absolutely delicious, so it occurred to me that there must be a copycat recipe somewhere online, and I found this one. These are great! But make sure to serve them warm from the oven.

1 tsp. sugar
1 (¼-oz.) package dry active yeast
¼ cup tepid water (105-110 °F)
1 cup warm lactose-free milk
¼ cup melted lactose-free butter
¼ cup sugar
1 egg, beaten (at room temp)
1 tsp. salt
4 cups all-purpose flour

Combine sugar and yeast in tepid water. Let stand 5-10 minutes until yeast begins to foam.

Thoroughly mix milk, butter, sugar, egg and salt in large bowl (I used a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment).

Stir in the yeast mixture and 3 ½ cups of flour, adding a bit more if necessary to make a soft, pliable dough.

(For the following part, note that I did my kneading directly with the stand mixer and transferred the dough to an oiled bowl for it to rise.) Turn dough out on floured board and let rest while you clean and butter bowl. Knead dough gently 4-5 minutes, adding flour if necessary, until dough is smooth and silky. Return to bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in warm place until doubled in size (1 ½ hours approximately).

Butter a 12-cup muffin tin.

(As for this part, I couldn’t remember exactly how Lambert’s rolls looked, but the photos showed rolls with three lumps instead of two, so that’s what I did – adjust accordingly.) Punch down dough. Pinch off pieces that are about 1 ½ inches in diameter (enough to fill one-half of muffin cup) and roll into smooth spheres. Place two such pieces in each prepared muffin cup – it will be a tight fit. Cover dough loosely with plastic wrap for 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 °F.

Bake rolls for 20-25 minutes, or until light brown. Serve as soon as they are cool enough to throw.

Pommes de terre au citron à la grecque

 

J’ai essayé ces pommes de terre au citron à la grecque en accompagnement, et elles étaient délicieuses! Vraiment, c’est à refaire. Ici, je les ai servies avec du poulet poêlé avec salsa pamplemousse-avocat.

2/3 tasses de bouillon de légumes
¼ tasse d'huile d'olive
3 c. à table de jus de citron
2 gousses d'ail, tranchées finement
1 c. à thé d'origan séché
4 pommes de terre jaunes moyennes, avec la pelure, coupées en 8 quartiers chacune
sel et poivre
persil frais , pour garnir
zeste de citron , pour garnir

Préchauffer le four à 400 °F. Dans un plat carré de 8 po/20 cm, mélanger le bouillon, l’huile, le jus de citron, l’ail et l’origan. Déposer les quartiers de pommes de terre sur le dessus. Saler et poivrer, puis bien mélanger.

Cuire au four pendant 1 heure 15 minutes ou jusqu’à ce que les pommes de terre soient parfaitement tendres et que presque tout le liquide ait été absorbé (remuer à 2 ou 3 reprises pendant la cuisson.) Mettre à gril (broil) et cuire de 3 à 5 minutes de plus, pour faire dorer le dessus des pommes de terre. Garnir de persil frais, haché et de zeste de citron.

Kale Slaw with Lemon-Tahini Dressing

 

This kale slaw with lemon-tahini dressing is from Real Simple, and it was really good. That dressing is fabulous! I confess that I did not massage it into the kale; tossing the salad with the dressing seemed sufficient, and I just dropped the toasted seeds into the latter. I served it with tofu carrot patties.

2 tsp. whole coriander seeds
1 tsp. whole cumin seeds
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 or 3 lemons)
1/3 cup tahini
2 tsp. granulated sugar
2 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. smoked paprika
1 clove garlic, grated on a microplane zester (about ½ tsp.)
1 12-oz. bunch curly kale, stemmed and torn (about 10 cups)
4 cups thinly sliced red cabbage (from 1 head cabbage)
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Place coriander and cumin seeds in a zip-top plastic bag. Seal, leaving ½ inch unsealed. Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, coarsely crush seeds. (Alternatively, use a mortar and pestle.)

Whisk lemon juice, tahini, sugar, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic in a large bowl. Add kale and cabbage; toss to coat. With clean hands, rub tahini mixture into kale and cabbage.

Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-high. Add coriander and cumin; cook, stirring often, until sizzling, fragrant, and toasted, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from heat and drizzle over slaw; toss gently to combine. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.

Kale Pasta Sauce

 

I tried this recipe by Joshua McFadden for a simple kale sauce. And it was awesome! We give it a rare 4 thumbs up! I used it with pasta here, as a side to maple-glazed yakitori chicken, but it would also be good with roasted vegetables. Note that the sauce itself is vegan, though not the parmesan (or main dish!) I used here.

2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
kosher salt and black pepper
1 lb. kale, any variety works here; thick ribs/tough stems removed
8 oz. dried pasta, such as rigatoni or pappardelle
¾ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Set a large pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil.

In a small skillet, put 2 cloves garlic and ¼ cup olive oil. Place over medium heat, and sauté until the garlic begins to sizzle. Immediately reduce the heat to low, and cook until garlic is light golden-brown, soft, and aromatic (about 5 - 7 minutes). Remove from the heat, and transfer to a large blender cup or the base of a stand blender. Set aside.

Once the water in the pot is boiling, generously season with salt. Add 1 pound kale and boil until tender but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Use tongs to remove kale from the pot and carefully transfer to the blender cup/base.

To the boiling water, add 8 ounces dried pasta and cook until al dente, per package directions. Transfer 1 cup of the pasta water to a heatproof measuring cup. Drain the pasta, then transfer back to the pot.

Blend the kale, oil, and garlic until it resembles a thick puree. Continue blending, adding about a tablespoon of pasta water at a time, until you achieve a uniform, silky texture. Don't rush this; you want a very smooth sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (Note: Use caution with hot liquids in a stand blender. Prior to blending, remove the small cap from the blender's lid and cover the opening with a kitchen towel to safely release steam. Initiate the blending process at a low speed, slowly increasing the speed in stages to prevent splashing and to ensure a consistent purée.)

Toss half of the kale purée with the drained pasta and half of the ¾ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. If the sauce feels dry, stir in more kale purée. If needed, add a bit more reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce until it's saucy and nicely clings to the noodles. Season with salt and pepper. (If your sauce feels way too loose, you can put the pot back on low heat, stirring continuously until it thickens.)

To serve, divide the pasta into serving bowls, drizzle with a bit of olive oil, and garnish with the remaining cheese.

Salsa au cantaloup et au concombre

 

Voici une petite recette estivale toute simple, encore tirée de Coup de Pouce. C’était délicieux! Je l’ai servie avec des chips sans céréales de marque Siete, délicieuses également!

½ petit cantaloup, pelé, épépiné, en petits dés (environ 2 tasses)
2 concombres libanais, pelés, en petits dés
1 petit piment thaï, haché finement (je l’ai omis)
½ tasse de coriandre fraîche, légèrement tassée, hachée
¼ tasse d’oignon rouge, haché finement
1 lime (jus seulement)
1 cuillère à table d’huile d'olive
sel et poivre

Mélanger tous les ingrédients dans un bol. La salsa est meilleure la journée même.

Sesame-Ginger Potato Salad

 Sometimes, when I tear recipes out of a magazine, I end up stalling on making them because there might be different recipes on each side of the same sheet of paper, which means that I can’t just make one recipe, cut it out, and file it, because then I’ll lose the second recipe. That’s what happened with this spread from the July/August 2022 edition of Real Simple, which had two salad recipes I wanted to try. I finally decided to just plow ahead and make both of them on consecutive weeks.

First was a cornbread panzanella that I served for lunch, with a hard-boiled egg for protein. It was good, but as much as I like cornbread, I think I prefer more savory panzanellas. The other recipe that had caught my eye was this sesame-ginger potato salad, which was so good! This is one I will have to make again. We all really loved the Asian-inspired flavors in this dish.

The amounts below make 8 large servings; consider halving it if you want less. I also reduced the amount of fish sauce; the quantities below are mine.

3 lbs. red baby new potatoes
¼ cup lower-sodium soy sauce
¼ cup fresh lime juice (from 3 or 4 limes)
2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger (from a 2-in. piece)
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. honey
1 tsp. fish sauce
2 tsp. Asian chili-garlic sauce, such as sambal oelek (optional)
1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more for cooking potatoes
4 cups shredded red cabbage (from 1 head)
¾ cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for serving
4 scallions, thinly sliced (about ½ cup), plus more for serving
3 Tbsp. toasted white and/or black sesame seeds

Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold, salted water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high. Reduce heat to low; simmer until fork-tender, 10 to 12 minutes (avoid overcooking). Drain and rinse under cold water. Let cool in colander for 10 minutes. Slice potatoes in half, or quarter if large.

Meanwhile, whisk soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, sesame oil, honey, fish sauce, chili-garlic sauce (if using), and salt in a large bowl.

Toss potatoes, cabbage, cilantro, and scallions with dressing in bowl. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and top with more cilantro and scallions.

Biscuits déjeuner au beurre d'arachides et à la framboise

 

Encore une recette de Déjeuners protéinés d’Hubert Cormier! J’ai décidé de faire les biscuits déjeuner au beurre d’arachides et à la framboise. Il s’agit de biscuits de style « thumbprint » que les enfants étaient bien contents d’essayer. C’est un bon accompagnement au déjeuner ou encore une bonne collation!

Pour la garniture aux framboises
½ tasse de framboises fraiches ou surgelées
1 c. à soupe de graines de chia

Pour les biscuits déjeuner
2 tasses de flocons d’avoine à cuisson rapide
¼ tasse de cassonade
1 banane, légèrement écrasée
3 c. à soupe de graines de lin, moulues
¼ tasse d’eau
1 pincée de sel
¼ tasse de beurre d’arachides en poudre
¼ tasse d’eau
¼ tasse de beurre d’arachides naturel

Préchauffer tout d’abord le four à 350 °F. Tapisser une plaque de cuisson d’un tapis de silicone ou de papier parchemin.

Dans une casserole, chauffer à feu moyen les framboises et les graines de chia environ 15 minutes en remuant fréquemment. Écraser grossièrement à l’aide d’une fourchette et réserver.

Dans un grand bol, bien mélanger tous les ingrédients des biscuits.

Former ensuite 12 boules de pâte d’environ 1 c. à soupe (j’en avais 15). Déposer sur la plaque de cuisson.

À l’aide du pouce, creuser une petite cavité en pressant sur chaque biscuit.

Déposer environ 1 c. à thé de confiture de framboises dans chaque cavité et enfourner 12 minutes.

Si désiré, garnir d’un filet de beurre d’arachides fondu.

Julia Turshen's Potato Salad

 

I saw this potato salad in Julia Turshen’s newsletter and immediately bookmarked it, even though I waited until the following summer to make it. It was absolutely delicious! I served it with paprika pork.

1 ½ lb. (680 g) baby yellow potatoes (about 30 small potatoes)
kosher salt
3 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 ½ Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 large celery stalk, finely chopped (about ½ cup)
½ small red onion, finely chopped (about ¼ cup)
3 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 large handful fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped (a little stem is fine)

Place the potatoes and a very large pinch of salt in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Set the saucepan over high heat and bring the water to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer until the potatoes are tender (test with a paring knife), about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes in a colander and let them rest until they're just cool enough to handle, but still warm.

While the potatoes are cooking and resting, place the mustard, vinegar, and pepper in a large bowl with 1 teaspoon salt and whisk well to combine. Stir in the celery and onion.

Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle (but still warm—don't forget!), cut them in half and stir them into the mustard mixture. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature and then stir in the mayonnaise and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days (season to taste again if serving from cold).

Carrot Salad with Tahini and Chickpeas

I haven’t posted about this Smitten Kitchen salad before. The original recipe calls for roasting the chickpeas until they are crisp, but I’ve decided that I actually prefer them straight from the can, so I wrote it down the way that I make it. (This time, I actually added some baby kale, since I had it on hand, and served it with quiche.)

For the dressing
1 medium garlic clove, minced
¼ cup lemon juice
3 Tbsp. well-stirred tahini
2 Tbsp. water, plus more if needed
2 Tbsp. olive oil
¼ tsp. cumin
salt and red pepper flakes to taste

For the salad
1 lb. carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
¼ cup coarsely chopped parsley
1 ¾ cups cooked chickpeas, or 1 15-oz. can, rinsed and drained
¼ cup shelled, salted pistachios, coarsely chopped (optional)

Whisk all the dressing ingredients together until smooth, adding more water if needed to thin the dressing slightly (I prefer to shake them together in a jar). Taste and adjust seasoning; don’t worry if it tastes a little sharp on the lemon, it will marry perfectly with the sweet grated carrots.

Place grated carrots in large bowl and toss with parsley and chickpeas. Mix in 2/3 of the dressing, adding more if desired. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Sprinkle with pistachios and dig in.

Grilled Chicken with Avocado Salsa

Here’s a recipe that’s a bit more summery… This grilled chicken with avocado salsa was great! I really liked the lime and cilantro in the marinade, and avocado always hits the spot. It was easy to prepare (though I confess I roasted the chicken instead of grilling it) and tasted great. Bonus – it’s low in carbs, too!

1 ½ lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, or 4 chicken breasts

For the marinade
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
3 Tbsp. olive oil
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
½ tsp. cumin
½ tsp. paprika
½ tsp. salt, or to taste
¼ tsp. black pepper

For the avocado salsa
2 avocados, diced
2 small (or 1 large tomato), chopped
¼ cup red onion, chopped
1 jalapeño, de-seeded and chopped (optional, I did not use it)
¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped
juice of 1 lime
fresh cracked pepper and salt to taste

In a large bowl, whisk all the ingredients for the marinade and set aside.

Pound the breasts to even thickness or slice in half horizontally to get evenly sized breasts and add to the bowl of marinade. Mix through until the chicken is fully coated in the marinade. Use right away if needed or marinate for 30-minutes or up to 12 hours (obviously, marinating is better).

Grill chicken over medium-high heat or in a large heavy-duty skillet on the stovetop for 5-6 minutes per side or until the inside is cooked through and the outside is charred.

While the chicken is grilling, combine all the ingredients for the salsa in a small bowl.

Top the grilled chicken with fresh avocado salsa and serve immediately.

Sapins feuilletés à la crème d'épinards

 

Il s’agit ici d’une recette publiée dans La Presse pour Noël. Je l’ai faite bien après, pour servir aux enfants lors d’une journée pédagogique. C’était bon! Je dirais par contre que les quantités de garniture étaient un peu trop grandes pour la quantité de pâte.

80 g (2/3 tasse) de noix de cajou
100 g (4 tasses) d’épinards frais
2 c. à soupe d’huile d’olive
2 pâtes feuilletées du commerce (beaucoup sont végétaliennes)
½ citron
sel et poivre

Préchauffer le four à 360 °F.

Dans une casserole remplie d’eau, faire bouillir les noix de cajou 10 minutes (ou bien les faire tremper dans l’eau froide au moins 2 heures – je les laisse habituellement tremper pour la nuit). Égoutter.

Dans un poêlon, faire chauffer l’huile d’olive. Y faire cuire les feuilles d’épinards jusqu’à ce que l’eau de constitution d’évapore et qu’elles commencent à devenir colorées.

Dans un mélangeur, mélanger les épinards avec les noix de cajou égouttées, le jus du demi-citron, du sel et du poivre. On obtient une crème d’épinards bien lisse.

Abaisser les pâtes feuilletées pour obtenir deux grands carrés d’environ 30 cm x 30 cm.

Sur l’une des pâtes feuilletées, tartiner la crème d’épinards. Recouvrir avec la deuxième pâte. Couper des bandes d’environ 1,5 cm de large.

Sur de petits pics à brochette, enfiler les bandes de pâte en accordéon, en faisant des étages de plus en plus courts, pour former de petits sapins.

Enfourner pendant 25 minutes (ou un peu plus, je trouve que les miens étaient un peu pâles).

Corn Soup

 

This post has been a long time in the making, because I lost some pictures for it in the great iPhone snafu last year. To sum up, I tried a few different recipes of corn soup: a summery corn soup with miso, which was fine but would have been better puréed like this one; a corn chowder with bacon and potatoes, also fine; and a Chinese corn and chicken soup that… really had potential.

I made that one twice so far; I scaled down to use less corn (3 cups or 16 oz., then 3 cups of broth), and puréed the whole soup without straining (as opposed to puréeing and straining part of it) because it was just easier. Note that recently I used frozen corn instead of fresh, and while it’s different in taste, it’s also very good! I made it with the ham and chicken the first time, then only with the chicken the second time (this is what I’m writing below). I think I would just make it vegetarian next time, and maybe reduce the amount of cornstarch a bit. The egg ribbons are great. This was definitely the best soup of the bunch!

1 (3- to 4-oz.) boneless, skinless chicken thigh, trimmed and cut into ¼” pieces
5 tsp. + ½ cup water, divided
1 tsp. + 3 Tbsp. cornstarch, divided
1 tsp. soy sauce
1/8 tsp. baking soda
2 large eggs
4 cups chicken broth, divided (see note above)
5-7 ears of corn, kernels cut from cobs (5 cups), divided (see note above)
¾ tsp. table salt
¼ tsp. white pepper
1 scallion, thinly sliced

Combine chicken, 1 tablespoon water, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, soy sauce, and baking soda in a bowl. Let stand at room temperature while preparing the other ingredients.

In a liquid measuring cup, beat eggs and 2 teaspoons water with fork until whites and yolks are thoroughly combined and color is pure yellow; set aside.

Mix ½ cup chicken broth and remaining 3 Tbsp. cornstarch in a small bowl until thoroughly combined; set aside.

Process 2 ½ cups corn and remaining ½ cup water in blender on low speed until a thick purée forms, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and continue to process until smooth, about 1 minute longer. Strain purée through fine-mesh strainer set over large saucepan. Using the back of a ladle or rubber spatula, push purée through strainer, extracting as much liquid as possible. Discard solids.

Add salt, white pepper, remaining 3 ½ cups broth, and remaining 2 ½ cups corn to corn purée. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to maintain simmer and add chicken, stirring to break up any clumps. Partially cover and simmer for 5 minutes (broth may look curdled as it comes to simmer). Stir broth-cornstarch mixture to recombine. Add to soup, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until soup has thickened slightly, about 2 minutes.

Holding a fork in one hand and the measuring cup with the egg mixture in the other hand, pour the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream through the tines of the fork in concentric circles over the saucepan until ribbons of coagulated egg form, about 1 minute. Season soup with salt and white pepper to taste. Gently ladle soup into bowls, sprinkle with scallion, and serve.