Radish and Radish Green Soup with Turmeric Root

This is a ‘fresh from the market’ soup. Beautiful radish greens with lots of fresh green onions, combined with sweet potato for texture and turmeric for a distinct flavor.

Only four ingredients:

• One bunch radish
• 4 green onions
• 1 sweet potato
• 1 fresh turmeric root

Plus a bit of olive oil for cooking and sea salt for seasoning. 

Start by cutting off the greens from the radishes. Wash and scrub the radishes. Wash the greens in a bowl of water or salad spinner and drain. 

Peel the sweet potato. Scrub the turmeric and wash the green onions. 

Slice and chop the sweet potato. 

Heat a bit of olive oil in a heavy cast iron pot. Add the sweet potatoes and reduce the heat to low. 

Slice the whitish part of the green onions and chop the turmeric. 

Add the sliced onions and turmeric to the pot of sweet potatoes and combine well. 

Slice two or three radishes to use as garnish. Cut the remaining radishes in halves or quarters. Slice the green part of the green onions. 

Add the radishes (pieces only, not slices) and mix well. 

Add water, about 4 cups. Add sea salt to taste and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. 

Add the green onions and continue to simmer another 5 minutes. 

Grossly chop the radish greens. 

Add them to the soup and mix well for one minute until wilted. 

Process with an immersion blender until smooth. 

Serve at once and garnish with radish slices. Enjoy!

English Pea and Carrot Soup with Mint and Coriander

This silky smooth soup announces springtime and can be served hot or cold. Finished in an olive oil emulsion instead of cream, it gains a creamy texture while maintaining a lightness of taste and texture. The subtlety of its seasoning, carrot-coriander and English pea-mint, adds a complex yet delicate flavor.Preparing the two soups in separate batches and pouring them together just at serving time not only adds a colorful touch, it also preserves the integrity of the distinct flavors.Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500g/1.2lbs organic carrots
• 1 kg/2.4lbs fresh English peas in their pods (or about 500g/1.2lbs shelled)
• 1 tsp coriander grains
• 20g/0.7oz fresh mint (a few sprigs)
• 12 Tbsp olive oil
• Coarse sea salt for cooking
• Fleur de sel

Start by grinding the coriander with a mortar and pestle. Set aside.  Wash the mint and remove the stems. Set the leaves aside.Shell the fresh English peas by pressing each pod between your fingers to release the peas.You should have about half the weight in peas and can discard the shells.Peel and slice the carrots thinly so they cook quickly and evenly preserving most nutrients.Bring two pots of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. One for  the carrots and one for the peas.Plunge the carrots in one of the pots. Return to a boil. Lower the heat and cook on medium for about 10-12 minutes.Meanwhile plunge the peas in the other pot of boiling water.When all the peas float up to the surface, about 5 minutes, they are cooked.Remove the peas from the pot with  a skimmer into a bowl, preserving the cooking liquids for adding to the soup. When the carrots are tender remove them from the pot with a skimmer in the same way as for the peas, reserving the cooking liquid. Place the peas in a tall beaker with 6 tbsp of olive oil and some of the pea cooking liquid. Process with an immersion blender, adding more liquid as needed, up to 2-2 1/4 cups of cooking liquid total.  Place back into the pot, after discarding the excess liquid, add the mint leaves and process until fully blended. You will obtain a somewhat grainy texture.Pour the pea soup in a chinois or fine mesh strainer.Over a bowl to recuperate a smooth textured soup. Press as much of the liquid as possible. You can reserve the pulp for another use (let me know if you’d like some suggestions).  Scrape the outer pulp into the soup.   Whisk until homogenous.  Adjust seasoning with some Fleur de sel. Set aside.Place the carrots in a tall beaker.   Process with an immersion blender adding 6 Tbps of olive oil and some of the cooking liquid from the carrots.   Continue processing until smooth.  Transfer to a bowl. Add the freshly ground coriander and adjust the consistency with more cooking liquid until it reaches the same texture as the pea soup. Again, about 2-2 1/4 cup of added liquid total.  Pour both soups into each serving bowl simultaneously.   This way both soups retain their separateness. Using a spoon, gently mix the two on the surface.  To make a design.  And finish with a touch of herbs, chives or mint. Enjoy!

Carrot Cappuccino

On a snowy winter day, carrots had arrived from the farm, the smells of T’s morning espresso still permeated the air in the kitchen, I had just made fresh almond milk the day before…all the perfect ingredients to make a carrot cappuccino I thought.

Ready to be enjoyed with some ribbon carrot chips as garnish and some cracked coriander seeds for a flavor twist.

Ingredients:
1 large bunch, about 1.2kg/2lbs10oz organic carrots
2 cups + 3 Tbsp homemade almond milk
4 Tbsp strong espresso
2 tsp coriander seeds
Coarse sea salt
Fleur de sel
Olive oil
Preheat oven to 350F

Peel the carrots. Continue peeling one of the carrots to create ribbons. Keep the center of the carrot to chop along with the bunch.

Place a little olive oil in a small bowl to coat the carrot ribbons. Place them on a Silpat on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop the remaining carrots. If you prefer, you can grate them-they’ll cook even faster.

After 10 minutes, the carrot ribbons will have started to shrink. Flip them to the other side. Lower the heat to 300 and bake for another 15 minutes approximately.

Once the carrot ribbons are baked into chips, set them on a wire rack to cool.

Bring 4 cups of water with a generous pinch of coarse salt to a boil. Place the chopped carrots in the boiling water and simmer for 15 minutes.

Drain the carrots over a bowl to save the cooking broth.

Place the carrots in the beaker of an immersion blender along with a few spoonfuls of cooking liquid.

Purée the carrots using an immersion blender. You might have to do this in two batches depending on the size of your beaker.

Place the puréed carrots back in the pot. Whisk in the almond milk and espresso. Heat gently to warm the mixture.

Crack the coriander seeds in a mortar and pestle.

Mix 1 tsp of cracked coriander seeds into the carrot mixture and reserve the other tsp for serving.

Pour into cappuccino serving glasses or cups.

Gently warm the 3 Tbsp of almond milk remaining and froth using an electric frother.

Spoon the froth on top of the carrot mixture, garnish with some carrot chips, and sprinkle with cracked coriander and fleur de sel to taste. Enjoy!

English Pea Soup

Quick. Simple. Fresh.
One of my favorite soups to make in no time and enjoy healthy nourishment.
The compliment of herbs, parsley and mint, brings fresh flavors, which can also be achieved with basil, chives, or dill depending on your preference and what grows in your garden.

Here presented with a lemon rind and some peas sprouts for an elegant serving.
Ingredients:
2 lbs fresh English peas
1/2 lb white onion
1 oz mint leaves
1 oz parsley leaves
1 Tbsp grape seed oil
5 cups water
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
First peel and cut the onion in half, leaving the roots at the end. Finely chop the onion by slicing it horizontally and vertically almost to the roots. This technique allows the onion to still hold together.  Then slice from the tip to the root to have a perfectly sized chopped onion.
Heat a little grape seed oil in the bottom of a large pot. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped onion at once and reduce the heat to low. Cook for a few minutes until the onion becomes translucent and softens.
Add the water, season with salt and bring to a simmer.  Cook a few minutes (5 to 8) until the peas are tender.
Using an immersion blender, process the soup until smooth.
Wash and remove the stems from the herbs.
Add the herbs to the soup. Continue processing with the immersion blender until you obtain a velvety texture.
Adjust seasoning with freshly ground pepper and a little salt if needed. Refrigerate to cool.

Serve and enjoy!

Hazelnut Praline Chocolates

Hazelnut praline chocolates are heavenly. A great gift for Valentine’s Day! I had recently made some hazelnut praline flans and had extra caramelized hazelnut praline. So, I decided to simply add some chocolate to make hazelnut praline chocolates. This recipe only made about a dozen, and they were gone in the blink of an eye.  So you may double or even triple the recipe.  Besides, the larger quantity you make, the easier it is to dip/coat the chocolates. And every one will be thankful you made more rather than less.

Tempering chocolate is a very precise technique and it is imperative to follow the instructions.  If the chocolate rises above or cools below the indicated temperatures, you will have to start the whole tempering procedure over from the beginning. The technique described below is for dark chocolate.  The temperatures vary for milk or white chocolate.Ingredients:

2 1/3 oz Caramelized hazelnut praline (see 9/2/13 post: hazelnut praline flan for Leslie)
2/3 oz Dark chocolate (70% minimum)
1 3/4 oz Dark chocolate for coating
Toasted chopped almonds

Equipment: a chocolate thermometer for tempering the chocolate and a chocolate dipping fork.
Melt the 2/3 oz of dark chocolate gently in a double-boiler.

When the chocolate is completely smooth, remove from the heat and add the caramelized hazelnut praline.

Mix well until fully incorporated.

Shape into small balls with the palm of your hands.  Place on a plate and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to harden.

Chop the 1 3/4 oz chocolate for tempering in preparation of coating/dipping.

Place in a double boiler and slowly melt the chocolate for tempering. Tempering is an important step to ensure that the finished chocolates hold their shape, do not smudge, and have a shiny finish.

Meanwhile, toast the almond in a hot oven for a few minutes. They should be only slightly toasted, not burnt.

Chop the toasted almonds finely and reserve.

Meanwhile the chocolate temperature should reach 128-130F.  Remove the chocolate from the heat source a degree or two below the desired temperature as the chocolate temperature will keep rising from the heat stored in the saucepan.

Once the chocolate has reach 128-130F, let it cool at ambient temperature (do not refrigerate) till it cools down to 81-82F by stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.  To hasten the process, you may use a large piece of unmelted chocolate to stir instead of a wooden spoon, or slowly add grated chocolate.

Once the temperature reaches 81-82F, place the chocolate back on the double boiler and slowly raise the temperature to 88-89F.

Now your chocolate is tempered and ready for coating/dipping.

Take the pralines out of the refrigerator. Use the blade of a knife or small icing spatula to coat one layer of chocolate on the bottom (flat side) of the pralines.

Add about a tablespoon-full of chopped toasted almonds to the tempered chocolate. Mix well. Keep the temperature at 88-89F by periodically placing the chocolate back on the double boiler.

Using a chocolate dipping fork, place the chocolate-layer flat face of the praline on the fork.

Dip in the tempered chocolate and remove excess from the bottom by sliding the blade of a knife underneath.

Place on a plate to set, sprinkling a few extra toasted chopped almonds.

Enjoy!

Acorn Squash and Kale Salad with Lavender, Walnut Caramelized Onions

Enjoyed cold or warm, this salad combines autumn colors and fragrant flavors. It is easy to prepare the ingredients individually ahead of time and assemble them at the last minute for a Thanksgiving dinner or other get together. You can also add a few dried cranberries if you wish to make it a bit more festive.

If you do not have lavender leaves, you can substitute for sage. A different flavor but one that also harmonizes well with the acorn squash.

Ingredients:
1 1/2-1 3/4 lbs acorn squash
1/2 lb kale
1.5 lbs white onions
2 oz walnuts
6 Tbsp olive oil for vinaigrette + 2 Tbsp for caramelized onions and acorn squash
3 tsps balsamic vinegar for vinaigrette
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar for caramelized onions
1/8 oz lavender
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven 400F.

Wash and cut the acorn squash in half. Remove the seeds with a large spoon.

Brush a little olive oil on the cut sides.

Place the acorn squash cut side down in a baking pan and bake for about 35-40 minutes. The squash is cooked when it is slightly soft to the touch, but still somewhat firm.  You do not want to fully cook the squash as if you were making soup as the flesh will not hold well for the purpose of the salad and rather it would become pureed.

Peel the onions, cut in half and slice thinly.

Heat olive oil on medium high heat in a heavy cast iron pan and pour in the onions.  Reduce the heat to low. Mix well to coat them with the olive oil thoroughly. Simmer for about an hour, tossing periodically.

Separate the stems from the lavender leaves.

Chop the lavender leaves finely. Set aside.

Chop the walnuts medium-coarse. Set aside.

Rinse the kale carefully.  Gather the leaves together, with the stems on one end.  Cut off and discard the hard part of the stems and chop the leaves very finely.  Set aside.

Make a balsamic vinaigrette in a bowl large enough to contain the chopped kale. Whisk together the vinegar, salt and pepper.

Add the olive oil in a stream slowly and continue whisking vigorously to transform the mixture into a well homogenized sauce. Set aside.

When the acorn squash is cooked, turn each half upside down to release the steam and let cool for handling.

Placing each half of the acorn squash cut side down onto a cutting board, cut through the skin using a serrated knife into thick slices.

Peel each slice carefully.  Set aside.

By now, the onions should have mostly caramelized. Add the walnuts to the pan and keep on low heat for a few minutes longer.

Add the balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan and turn off the heat.

Place a few slices of acorn squash on each plate and brush a little bit of the vinaigrette on the top of each slice.

Toss the sliced kale in the large bowl with the vinaigrette and display the kale around each acorn squash slice for presentation.

Sprinkle with the caramelized onions and walnut mixture. Add the fresh lavender.  Enjoy!

Roasted Root Vegetables with Caramelized Onions

The fall season brings so many root vegetables from the farm to our table, that I relish in selecting which ones to combine and simply roasting them.  Their flesh becomes tender and they exude a very sweet, subtle, roasted scent.  Oh! The house smells so good while they cook!  A delicious welcome when guests arrive. Here, I prepared them with caramelized onions and my inherited Provençal tradition of enhancing dishes with garlic and oil cured black olives.

Very simple to prepare and easy to present with a bit of chopped fresh parsley.  In this preparation, the most essential ingredient is: TIME! You just can’t skip a step or hasten the process. You need time to slowly let the onions cook down and caramelize, and time to soften the root vegetables without burning them.

Ingredients for 4 servings:
For the root vegetables
3 large carrots (or 6-8 smaller ones)
2-3 large parsnips
1 large rutabaga
1 large yam
4 dozens oil cured black olives
6 garlic cloves
2-3 Tbsps. olive oil
A few springs of parsley, chopped
Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper

For the caramelized onions
2-3 red onions
2 Tbps. olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Freshly ground salt

Preheat oven to 375F.

Start with the caramelized onions. Cut the onions in half. Trim the tips (not the roots) and peel them. Slice them thinly from the tip to the root. Discard the root.

Heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and stir to coat them with the olive oil. Reduce the heat to low-simmer and cook for about one hour until the onions caramelized, checking periodically (see below check points).

20 minute check. The onions have softened.

40 minute check. The onions started to shrink and scarcely caramelize.

60 minute check. The onions have shrunken further and caramelized more.

When the onions are caramelized, pour the balsamic vinegar at once to deglaze the pan. Season with a bit of sea salt. Set aside.

Meanwhile, peel and cut the carrots and parsnips evenly.

Toss in a bowl with1 Tbsp. of olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread in a baking dish and place in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Peel and cut the rutabaga and yam evenly. Place in a bowl. Peel and cut the garlic in half. Remove the center of the garlic. Add to the bowl with the yam and rutabaga.  Add the black olives and toss with 1 Tbsp. of olive oil, sea salt and pepper.

Add to the other root vegetables in the oven and continue baking for about 30-35 minutes. Check and toss the vegetables, then keep baking for another 15 minutes.

When the root vegetables are finished cooking, transfer the caramelized onions into the baking dish and toss to mix.

Serve immediately, topped with some chopped parsley. Enjoy!

Cabbage and Mango Salad

Light and easy. Raw cabbage paired with fresh mango and dates in a citrus vinaigrette. Crisp, refreshing and sweet.

Perfect as an appetizer or side salad. The simplicity of the ingredients makes it simple to create and healthy to enjoy.

Ingredients:
1/2 cabbage
1 mango
8 pitted dates
1 lemon
A few springs of basil
4-5 tbsp olive oil
Freshly ground salt and cracked pepper

Slice the cabbage thinly.

Then chop it roughly.

Cut the mango horizontally by laying it flat on a board lengthwise. Slide the knife on either side of the middle pit.

Then slice each half.

And remove the skin on each piece.

Cube the slices.

Meanwhile in a large bowl, squeeze the lemon juice, and add salt and pepper.

Add the olive oil.

Whisk all ingredients together until completely homogenized.

Slice the dates into small pieces.

Chop the basil by laying one leave on top of another and thinly slicing.

Add the cabbage to the bowl containing the citrus vinaigrette.

Add all other ingredients.

Carefully mix well. Enjoy!

Kale with Black Olive and Pine Nuts

Since living in Chicago, I have discovered and enjoyed a wide variety of cabbages. My influence from the south of France infuses ingredients commonly used in provençal cuisine, so here I have paired kale with black olives and pine nuts. This recipe is quick, simple and only requires a few ingredients one typically has in the kitchen, and….delicious! I hope you savor the results.

Kale is an excellent vegetable with great health benefits. It is rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Choose kale that is deep in color and firm. I prefer to use it either raw or briefly sautéed, as in this recipe, to preserve the maximum benefits.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb organic kale
1/2 organic white onion
1/4 cup pine nuts
8-10 olive oil cured black olives from Provence
1 Tbsp grape seed oil
Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper

Peel, slice and chop the onion finely.

Heat the oil in a large pot and add the onion. Cook until translucent.

Meanwhile, mince the kale finely.

Add the to the pot and simmer a few minutes. Add salt and pepper.

Chop the black olives. Peel, crush and chop the garlic.

Add olives and garlic to the kale. Stir and simmer a few minutes longer.

Dry roast the pine nuts in a pan.

Add them to the kale, mix well, serve as an accompaniment, and enjoy!

My Grandmother’s Bohemienne Eggplant

Another Provençal classic we used to enjoy spending summer vacation at my grandmother’s. This dish is similar to the more widely known ratatouille, but simpler in its combination of ingredients, neither using zucchini nor bell peppers. Sometimes also known as ‘poor man’s ratatouille’, simple in its preparation, it is best prepared in an enameled cast iron pot with a cover, which evenly conducts the heat and is well suited for slow cooking.

We used to serve this accompanied by long grain Camargue rice. Here I served it using the other vegetables I received in our weekly share from the local farm in Chicago, which included delicious fresh greens and small red potatoes. When my boyfriend had his first taste, he exclaimed: “such a delicate flavor!”
Try it out!

Ingredients:
2 small to medium eggplants
2 large or 6 small tomatoes
1 small long onion or large shallot
1garlic clove
3 tbsp Olive oil
Freshly ground sea salt
Chives
Enameled cast iron pot with cover
Preheat oven to 350F

Peel and chop the onion finely.

Place the olive oil in the bottom of an enameled cast iron pot. Place on the stove over medium heat.

Add the onions and turn the heat down to low to slowly melt them till translucent.

Chop the tomatoes in small cubes.

Add the tomatoes, a little salt and continue cooking slowly.

Cut the eggplants in small stripes and cubes.

Add the eggplant to the melted onion and tomatoes.

Peel and crush the garlic to chop it finely.

Add garlic to the cooking mixture, and a little more generous salt.

Add about 1/4 cup of water and cover the pot.

Place in the preheated oven and bake for about one hour.

Once the Bohemienne is cooked, spoon out immediately on plates accompanied by rice or potatoes if serving hot. This is also delicious cold.

Here, served with the beautiful farm greens and sautéed cubed potatoes. Enjoy!