obsessions can be wonderful
“I don’t just like food…I love it”
– Ratatouille
Sometimes I become obsessed with certain combinations and particular ingredients. When the inspiration comes, I go with it. Sometimes the things you create become favorites that last long beyond the obsession. I think this week’s recipe, tuna and roasted beet tartare with lentils, is one of those recipes. Read the rest of this entry »
Valentine beet carpaccio
serves 6-8
what you need:
1-2 red beets, roasted, peeled
(optional) ¼ cup chopped nuts (nuts, pistachios or walnuts), toasted
It is just the way I see things; baby spring vegetable
and Puy lentil salad
Spring is my favorite season. Budding bulbs and blossoming trees bring a sense of renewal and the promise of a fresh start. Returning to my apartment from my baguette run, I was filled with anticipation. Partly, because I could not wait to slather apricot jam on this airy piece of crispy goodness I clutched in my hand, but also because the morning air was filled with the smell of narcissus, daffodils, and hyacinths. The corner florist had opened their doors. Spring has sprung and the evidence was artfully presented in round baskets for shoppers to take home and bring a little bit of spring indoors (even if the radiators were still turned on). I stopped and as I looked at the displays this week’s simple pleasure was born: baby spring vegetable and Puy lentil salad. Read the rest of this entry »
beet Napoleon
makes 4-6
what you need:
6 red beets (to roast)
6 golden beets (to roast)
roasted golden beets and watermelon radishes with blood orange segments
stats:
serves 4-6
(approx 69- 106 calories per serving)
persimmon, endive, apple, and beet salad with creamy dressing
stats:
serves 4
you need:
salad
2 Belgian endives, sliced sideways into 1” strips
1 ripe Fuyu persimmon, peeled and thinly sliced
1 medium golden beet, roasted and thinly sliced
1 Mutsu (or Crispin) apple, thinly sliced
1/4 cup walnuts pieces, toasted Read the rest of this entry »
vegetables first
When you think of the Thanksgiving meal, vegetables do not immediately come to mind. They are side dishes and the last thing to be eaten, if at all. It is time to change our perspective and give vegetables their proper place in our celebration of the harvest. This year, make vegetables a first course, a purposeful dish with importance as well as a preview of more (not the only) good things to come.
Vegetables first makes sense for several reasons. Vegetables are good for us and their texture, flavor and colors balance the bland starchy, fatty foods to follow (i.e., the mashed potatoes, stuffing, and butter-basted turkey). Additionally, eating a modest serving of vegetables first makes us less likely to overeat the subsequent things that are not so healthy (and if you are watching your caloric intake, this will help you keep your calorie consumption down as well).
Below are three recipes for your vegetable “first course”. All are simple to make and if you do the prep work (the washing and cutting of the vegetables) the day before then you only have to roast the vegetables on Thanksgiving day (and at the same temperature you are roasting your turkey).
A couple of comments about the vegetables. First, always buy vegetables with their tops on. The tops of vegetables are the first thing to decline if the vegetables are old (which is why some markets remove the tops). Second, do not feel committed to my vegetable suggestions but buy what is freshest in your market and take advantage of the various textures and colors of the season. Lastly, if you cannot decide which vegetable first course to serve, make two. It is no more work (the vegetables are all basically roasted so you can put it all on the same baking tray) and it can make things fun. For example, if you have 12 guests, give every other person (guests # 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11) starter #2 with squash, mushrooms, and onions, and remaining 6 guests starter # 1 with carrots, turnips, and beets. If you have a young child who is learning patterns at school this is a great way for them to practice their pattern skills by creating a pattern (i.e., ABABAB) to correspond with plate assignments.
Keep the old traditions and add a few new. I wish you and your family a happy and healthy Thanksgiving and, of course, je vous souhaite un bon appétit !
LM
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