‘Tis The Season For Fiddlehead Fern… But Hurry Up It’s Almost Over!

Fiddlehead Fern is a vegetable I simply loooove. If your main language is English, you might be thinking ‘what is that?’. If you speak French, you might know this vegetable under the name of Crosse de Fougère or Tête de violon. Basically, it’s the head of the fern that you cultivate before it grows out… which mean it’s only available in spring, before the plant becomes too big. Mid-April to June is the best time to buy this amazingly tasty vegetable.

If you’ve never prepared Fiddlehead Ferns, don’t be grossed out by their appearance. They can indeed put some people off. Instead, take the time to wash them out a few times in cold water, trying to clean out the dirt as much as possible. After that, prepare two small separate pots filled with salted water. Bring the water to a boil, throw the ferns in the first pot, and cook them for 3 minutes. Take them out and quickly throw them in the second pot. Cook for another 2 minutes. Once they’re done, rinse them out in cold water to stop the cooking.

Once the cleaning and cooking is done, you’re ready to eat these little gems (they can be quite expensive at the beginning of the season). I love them pan seared with butter, garlic and salt. Otherwise you can prepare a great vinaigrette and prepare the Fiddlehead Ferns as a salad. This is the recipe I’m suggesting to you… 

Pre cooked Fiddlehead Ferns

Twice cooked Fiddlehead Ferns

FIDDLEHEAD FERN SALAD

Makes 2 servings

INGREDIENTS

Salad

A nice bunch of cooked Fiddlehead Ferns

4 radish, finely sliced

2 lebanese cucumbers, finely sliced

A little bit of fresh baby arugula

Salad Dressing

1 tbsp Dijon Mustard

¼ cup Apple cider vinegar

¼ cup White balsamic vinegar

1 cup olive oil

1 garlic clove, pressed

Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION

Salad Dressing

In a small bowl or jar, mix all the ingredients. Adjust seasoning.

Salad

In a bowl, mix all the vegetables and add the salad dressing. Mix well. Adjust seasoning.

This version of a salad is really simple but you can let your imagination go where you want it to go. You could add cheese, tomatoes, olives, etc. Go wild!!

A Great Little Halloween Soup For Your Little Monsters

This coming weekend is my favorite one of the entire year. Halloween is always a great weekend and the parties are usually amazing. There’s something magical about people dressing up and there’s definitely a special energy in the air on monster night.

What better way to celebrate the black and orange holiday than to use one of its main elements: pumpkin! Ok, butternut squash ain’t no traditional looking pumpkin, but it is a pumpkin! Its nice and musky taste will surely please your guests… and your kids! The texture of this soup is unbelievably smooth and rich; it’s really a pure pleasure to eat. Plus, with a hint of ginger, you’ll be protected against the flu, because it’s also flu season (in this house it is anyways!).

If you’ve got a pumpkin leftover on Monday night  (a real Halloween pumpkin, I mean!) and you don’t know what to do with it, switch the butternut squash for the pumpkin, it’ll be almost as good and you won’t lose your lovely pumpkin.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

Makes about 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp olive oil

1 butternut squash cut in medium size cubes

1 onion, roughly chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tsp fresh ginger, chopped

6 cups chicken broth

Salt & pepper

PREPARATION

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and let them sweat for about 3 minutes. Add the butternut squash, garlic and ginger. Cook for about 2 more minutes. Cover with the chicken broth and add some pepper.

Bring to a simmer and cook over medium-low heat for about 30 minutes. Let cool.

Once it’s cooled, mix in a blender until you obtain a nice luscious texture. Taste and add some salt if needed. Serve hot.

Note: I didn’t have to add any salt to mine… so think about it twice if you’re going to!

You can add cream if you feel like it. Why not, it’ll be great! 

When There’s No Time To Cook, There’s Always Vichyssoise

My hands are full these days with a big renovation project. I know… I can be a little hyperactive sometimes. But it’s the way I like things… and with two babies on my hands, life is great but I sometimes miss the hectic lifestyle of having a fun job. So I’m creating my own jobs these days and renovating is one of them. Still, this means that my time is fully packed. I wake up, take care of the babies, run around for the renovation, and come back home to take care of the babies to finally go to sleep. There’s not much time left in there to cook… let alone eat! So I’m making really easy stuff these days, like grilled chicken or grilled fish. As long as I have the ingredient in my fridge, I’ll make it in the simplest way.

But I did take time to prepare a soup for the week. A cold one, much easier to eat when you’re in a rush! It’s a leek and potato soup called Vichyssoise. Amazingly tasty and easy to make, it’s great as an appetizer or as a portion of veggies, if your fridge is not packed with fresh veggies. I like to make my vichyssoise without dairy and then add milk or cream, depending on my mood. Make this one over the weekend and eat it all week long (or freeze it if you only want to eat a little bit at a time!).

Vichyssoise

Makes about 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, roughly chopped

3 leeks, white parts only, washed and chopped

1 potato, peeled and diced

6 cups chicken broth

 Salt & pepper

½ cup 15% cream (optional)

PREPARATION

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and the onion over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Add the potatoes and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 30 minutes. Let cool.

In a blender, blend the leek soup. Strain through a ‘chinois’. Put in the fridge and serve cold.

Note: Add the cream to the mixture if you like. It’ll give a nice, smooth and creamy taste to your soup.

Copying B&G Oysters Greatness With Striped Bass

During my vacation I got to escape the craziness of having kids for one whole day, thanks to my parents who accepted to babysit. That day was memorable for all sorts of reasons, one of them being the restaurant where my husband and I went for dinner. We went to this great little Boston restaurant called B&G Oysters. Owned by renown chef Barbara Lynch, it wasn’t a surprise we landed in the right place for a night out on the town.

Besides indulging on some amazingly fresh oysters (which were opened right before our eyes), I ate a delicious plate of Striped Bass. The meat of a striped bass is white and its texture is between flaky and meaty. Its taste is rich and sapid. Above all, stripers are versatile; no matter what you feel like doing, from batter frying them to smoking them to poaching in court bouillon, striped bass can handle it.

When we came back home from our day trip, I couldn’t resist making my dad jealous by telling him what I had eaten: Striped Bass. He’s a huge fan of the fish and wouldn’t stop talking about having it for dinner. So I made him a deal he couldn’t resist: I offered not only to prepare dinner, but also to try to recreate the dish I had eaten at B&G Oysters. I always love a good challenge and this one, I felt, was one I could easily take on. And I did! I managed to reproduce (or copy!) a great dish just by instinct and memory. Although it lacked a little bit of finesse (I’ve mentioned this in my previous post but only had access to basic ingredients), it tasted damn good. And the meal certainly pleased my dad. That made my day!

STRIPED BASS LAID OVER FRESH CORN

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

Fish

1 pound fresh striped bass filet (skin on), cut in 4 equal pieces

Salt & pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

Corn

4 corn on the cob

1 tbsp sugar

¼ cup milk

1tbsp olive oil

1 shallot, minced

2 celery branches, cut in small sticks

¾ cup chicken broth

1 thick slice of bacon, cut in ¼-inch pieces

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp fresh chive, finely chopped

Red Pepper Topping

1 red bell pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp white onion, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

Salt & pepper

1 tbsp flat parsley, finely chopped

PREPARATION

Red Pepper Topping

In the over, on the boiler or the BBQ, roast the red pepper. Once done, take off the skin and cut in tiny cubes. Set aside.

In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and the garlic and cook until tender. Lower the heat and add the red pepper dices. Let cook until the pepper is soft and tender. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Add the parsley just before serving.

Corn

In a large pot, boil some water with the sugar and milk. Cook the corn for about 6 minutes (more or less, depending on the size of the grain). Drain. Cut the grains off the cob and set aside.

In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and the celery. Cook until tender. Add the chicken broth and season to taste with salt and pepper. Close the heat and add the butter. Your sauce will become nice and shiny. Add the chives just before serving.

In a small skillet, cook the bacon until it’s nice and crispy. Set aside. Add to the corn mixture just before serving.

Fish

Season the fish with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Cook you fish, skin side down. You should cook ¾ of your time on the skin side and finish ¼ of the time on the flesh side. Be careful not to burn the skin. Striped Bass should be cooked thoroughly. It should take about 8 minutes.

SERVING

In a deep plating dish, lay some of the corn mixture (don’t forget to add the bacon and the chive before serving!). Add a piece of the fish on top of it, skin side up. Garnish with some of the red pepper mixture (don’t forget to add the parsley before serving!!). Et voilà! Enjoy! 

This is the original version from B&G Oysters

My Mom’s Gazpacho: Refreshing On A Hot Summer Day

I think there’s nothing better than summer vegetables when they’re at the peak of their game: juicy, colourful and absolutely tasty. Summer is a time to stock up on all the good vitamins winter drains out of our system. Even the ones who aren’t big fans of vegetables can be taken aback by the great tasting fruits of the earth. Gazpacho is a great example of what you can make out of great vegetables: a cold raw-vegetables soup (its origin is Andalucía).

The recipe I’m about to introduce has been in my family since I can remember. My mom has made it every single summer and it’s always been a great success. I’ve event introduced it in dinner parties at my place and everyone, each and every single time, has asked for the recipe… So I know that by reading this, a few people will be really, really happy (it’s my pleasure!).

The secret to the success of this recipe will probably shock a few… the secret is in the choice of tomatoes. Instead of using fresh tomatoes, you can use canned tomatoes! You’ve read me well… Canned! Unless you’re at the peak of tomato season and that you’re willing to double up the time of preparation of this recipe (you have to blanch your tomatoes), don’t bother. Simply buy the best canned tomatoes you can find and make this amazing summer soup. It’ll take you a big 5 to 7 minutes and you’re bound to be happy with the results!

Take care of this one, it’s one of our family’s best kept secret!

GAZPACHO

Makes about 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 slice of stale bread (optional)

½ cup water

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup red wine vinegar

1 big tomato can (28oz), cherry tomatoes is your best choice

1 small onion

¼ green pepper

½ English cucumber

1 garlic clove

Salt & pepper

Fresh basil

PREPARATION

In a small bowl, drench the bread in the water, olive oil and vinegar for a few hours (optional… I personally always skip this step because I can be a little lazy and am always in a hurry!).

In a blender, mix the liquid and bread mix, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, English cucumber, and garlic. Blend to your desired texture (I like to use slow speed for about 1 minute to give my soup a delicate chunky texture). Add salt and pepper to taste.

Chill in the refrigerator for a few hours. If you’ve made your gazpacho a little late and can’t wait to eat it, you can chill faster in the freezer.

Serve very chill and decorate with fresh basil leaves, small cucumber and green pepper dices.

Note: an even better gazpacho is made a day in advance. It give it time to take on a deeper flavouring.

Oumek Houria (Cumin Carrot Salad) So You Gladly Eat Your Carrots

I thought I was ready to get back to seriously cooking and writing this blog. I guess I was wrong. What happens when you’ve got a newborn in your hands and your toddler gets sick? You lose your mind! That’s what’s been happening to me lately. Luckily, no harm was done (and I haven’t totally lost my mind), and things are back to normal. Good thing because this means I can now get back to business, doing what I do best, cook!

Again, I’ve been starting slow. I don’t want to overdo things just in case they get out of hand and I decide to stop cooking altogether. How do I do it? I use simple ingredients from my fridge and make them special by adding a touch of spices. By doing so, my baby friendly kitchen gets exotic. The following recipe really caught my attention because it’s the perfect example of what you typically eat in Northern Africa. A couple of years back, I fell in love with Morocco and its great food. When I saw this recipe, I just couldn’t resist trying to make it, as it’s a typical Tunisian recipe. Eating it brought back all sorts of amazing memories from my trip to Morocco, which is not too far from Tunisia. I’m hoping that if you try to make this recipe, your going to taste a little bit of that great North African food.

OUMEK HOURIA (CUMIN CARROT SALAD)

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 cups carrots, peeled and cut in big pieces

2 tsp Harissa

1 garlic clove, finely minced

2 tsp cumin (powder)

Juice of ½ lemon

Salt

2 tbsp olive oil

PREPARATION

In a medium saucepan, bring salted water to a boil. Add the carrots and cook until they are soft and tender (this can take at least half an hour). Drain the water and mash the carrot with a potato masher.

Add the Harissa, minced garlic, and cumin. Mix well and add the olive oil and the lemon juice. Add salt to taste.

Note: For serving, you can add pickled black olives or some fresh minced coriander. 

Slowly Getting Back Into The Groove With Green Beans And Tomato Salad

Ok, so I have totally been neglecting my readers lately. I have to apologize right off the bat to all of you. I hope you haven’t stopped cooking while you were waiting for me to get back on track! I promise, I’m slowly getting back into business and I will get into the groove of things in no time. I will continue to fill the pages of this blog with amazing and tasteful recipes as of now.

I have the greatest excuse in the world! It’s done. I have a new baby in the house. He’s come 2 weeks ago and life has changed forever. Although he’s already a good kid (of course!), he does wake me up a few times a night for his feedings, which is draining me of most of my good energy. What’s left of it, I keep for my toddler who’s just about to start walking around the house these days. What time is left for cooking? Well, practically none. For the past 2 weeks we’ve been living off unfrozen food or goods brought to us by the family. It hasn’t been all that bad, and the break has been more than welcome!

When I say cooking, I mean taking time to prepare something elaborate to eat. Yet sometimes, I do prepare things that take me about 2 minutes to put together. Which is cooking so easy to make it’s really nothing special. This, I do have time to do these days. That is, if I have the right ingredients in my fridge. This simple recipe is a great accompaniment to any meat or fish dish. It’s simple, super healthy and definitely tasty. This is perfect for anyone who’s like me, trying to get back into shape… or simply for anyone looking for a nice way to eat some greens!

GREEN BEANS AND TOMATO SALAD

INGREDIENTS

Salad

2 cups of green beans

About 10 small vine tomatoes, cut in quarters

¼ cup Pine nuts

Dressing

2 tbsp Dijon Mustard

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt & Pepper

PREPARATION

Boil some water in a medium saucepan. Incorporate the green beans and cook them for about 5-7 minutes or until cooked but still crunchy (like Al Dente for pasta!). Empty the boiling water and rinse off with cold water. Set aside.

In a small skillet, over medium heat, slightly roast the pine nuts. Make sure to watch them carefully as pine nuts are very easy to burn. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together the Dijon Mustard and balsamic vinegar. Slowly incorporate the olive oil while mixing. Add the garlic. Season to taste. Set aside.

Cut the green beans in small pieces, about 1 inch long. Put them in a large bowl. Add the diced tomatoes and the Pine nuts. Pour the dressing on top and gently mix.

Serve with fish or meat on a nice sunny day!

Making A Vegetable Exciting With Eggplant Curry

I’m always looking for interesting ways to add vegetables to my meals. Personally, I like plain vegetables just fine. I think that if they’re well cooked (meaning not too much!) they’re usually very tasty. But a lot of people don’t really like their veggies. So making ‘exciting’ veggies can be a plus at diner time. Last night I tried this delicious eggplant recipe. Eggplants can be pretty boring if kept plain, but can become so rich in taste when they absorb all sorts of flavors and juices while being cooked.

Managing your pantry is really important when you cook. There’s nothing more frustrating than wanting to cook a simple ingredient and not having anything exciting to transform that simple ingredient into an amazing dish. Which is why you should always have a few basics on hand. Coconut milk is one I always have in stock. You never know when you’re going to want to add it to your cooking. Last night was one of those nights. Mixed with the curry leaves and a few great spices, my simple and plain eggplant became an exciting vegetable that everyone at the table was really happy to eat. I even got asked for seconds, which is always a good sign!  

Curry leaves

EGGPLANT CURRY

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 eggplants

2 tbsp Ghee or vegetable oil

3 onions, finely diced

1 tsp garlic, minced

1 tsp ginger, minced

4-5 curry leaves

1 tbsp powder coriander

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp yellow mustard seeds

2 tbsp tomato paste

250 ml coconut milk

3 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped (or basil)

PREPARATION

On a baking sheet, line the eggplants and sprinkle with salt. Leave to sweat for 30 minutes. Pat dry with Scott towels.

In a large skillet, heat the ghee and add the onions. Cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Incorporate the garlic and ginger. Cook for another 2 minutes. Add the curry leaves, the powder coriander, cumin and mustard seeds, and the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Add the eggplants, cover and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the eggplants are tender. Uncover and cook for another 5 minutes. Incorporate the fresh coriander. Serve immediately.  

Radish Salsa Just For My Mom

I don’t know if she’ll mind me saying this, but I’m about to reveal to you one of my mom’s secrets: she’s totally addicted to radishes! She’s the one and utmost fan of radishes. She craves them all the time, eats them everyday and when she comes back from a trip abroad, radishes are always the first thing listed on her grocery list, she dreams of them! I don’t know if you know anyone who is more of a fan than her (if you do, please let me know… they absolutely have to meet!). I certainly don’t.

Which is why this is the absolute, most perfect recipe for her. When she reads this I guarantee that she’ll jump off her chair and call me in the instant to thank me for the idea (mom, you better call!). I can even bet that she’ll be trying the recipe inside of 3 days tops. I don’t see why she would put off such an easy and tasteful recipe!

Making the salsa should take you about 15 minutes. The hardest part of the recipe is cutting the radishes. The smaller the pieces, the longer it’ll take you, yet it’ll look that much better with tiny pieces. Make sure you make the salsa in advance so you can chill it for at least an hour. During that time all the juices will go into the radishes, which will give the salsa a more intense flavor. The salsa is excellent on grilled fish or chicken, or even with tacos. I served mine with grilled sardines… I won’t lie it was a terrible choice. Because of all the fish bones in sardines, it was a real hassle to eat. I guess we all make a mistake, that’s the beauty of it! I’d recommend a white-fleshed fish like Mahi-mahi or Sturgeon. You should have more fun eating your meal than we did.

Radish Salsa

INGREDIENTS

12 radishes, washed, trimmed and diced

½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Juice from 1 orange

Juice from 1 ½ lime

1 tsp raw or brown sugar

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Salt & Pepper to taste

PREPARATION

Put the orange and lime juices in a bowl and add the radishes. Mix well.

Add the chopped cilantro, raw sugar and balsamic vinegar. Stir the ingredients together. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cover and chill for at least an hour before serving. 

Trying Something New: Israeli Couscous With Olives and Roasted Tomatoes

I don’t know about you but I cook a whole lot, pretty much all the time, yet sometimes feel like I’m always making the same stuff (especially weeknights). There are so many options, so many avenues out there that even if you cook every day, you’ll never run out of options. But searching for new ideas, new recipes, takes a whole lot of dedication, a great strive to plunge into new food adventures, and infinite patience and time. Which is not what I always have… Still, once in a while, I choose to plunge and try something new. I don’t usually like to follow recipes so this can be a frustrating process. How can you cook something without a recipe if you’ve never made it before? You have to get inspired somewhere…

Last night was one of those nights. I have recently bought a pack of Israeli Couscous, attracted by the huge colored pearls (the ones I bought are tricolore!). So I searched the web, looking for some inspiration on how to cook it and make a nice side dish out of it. Luckily, there are a few interesting recipes out there. I picked one for which I pretty much had all of the ingredients… and plunged. I did modify a few things and made it my own.

Just so you know, there’s a common misconception that couscous is a whole grain when in fact, it’s closer to pasta than anything else and is made of semolina flour. The texture and taste really reminds me of pasta. So don’t be surprised if I tell you that it’s not filled with nutrients and fiber. It’s not! If you’d rather get a whole grain and get the good stuff, you can use bulgur, barley or even quinoa with the same recipe. But if you don’t mind the pasta, try this. It’s good and perfect as an accompaniment. I served my dish along with cod and garlic spinach. It was absolutely delicious!

ISRAELI COUSCOUS WITH OLIVES AND ROASTED TOMATOES

Makes 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

Roasted tomatoes

3 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half

5 garlic large garlic cloves, left unpeeled

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup warm water

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Salt & pepper

Couscous

2 ½ cups chicken broth

1 ½ cups pearls couscous (Israeli)

1 tbsp olive oil

½ cup kalamata or other brine-cured black olives, pitted and chopped

1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

¼ cup chopped fresh mint

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1-2 tbsp sambal oelek (optional, if you like it spicy!)

PREPARATION

Tomatoes and dressing

Preheat your oven at 250˚F.

Cut the tomatoes in half and arrange, cut side up, in 1 layer in a large shallow baking pan. Add garlic to pan and roast in the middle of the oven for about 1 hour. Let cool for about 30 minutes

Peel the garlic and puree with the oil, water, lemon juice, salt & pepper and ½ cup roasted tomatoes in a small food processor or blender until the dressing is very smooth.

Couscous

In a heavy saucepan, bring the broth to a broil and stir in the couscous. Let simmer, uncovered, for 6 minutes. Cover pan and remove from heat. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Transfer the couscous to a bowl and stir in the remaining ingredients, dressing, roasted tomatoes and salt & pepper to taste.

Notes: You can roast your tomatoes and make your dressing a day ahead if you keep them separately covered and chilled.