“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti
One of my favorite additions to my cookbook collection in 2014 is David Leibovitz’s My Paris Kitchen. It is on my headboard for bedtime reading, and I am almost finished reading it from start to finish. Each recipe is one to two pages and is enhanced with a story. So far, I have only prepared this carrot salad, but I will definitely be making many more recipes from this book. . . Shakshuka, buckwheat crepes with ham, cheese and egg, French lentil salad with goat cheese and walnuts. . .where shall I begin?
According to Leibovitz, everyone of French ancestry has the knowledge to make grated carrot salad in their DNA; recipes can vary from person to person, because there is no one recipe that everyone uses. We enjoy Leibovitz’s take on this French classic. My husband added tart dried cherries & pine nuts to the carrot salad one night and it tasted great; I highly recommend it! The dried fruit adds a lovely sweet counterpoint to the tart dressing, and the pine nuts are a little earthy. . .a great combination. It’s a bright & pretty salad that is quick to make & lasts for a few days in the refrigerator. If you have an abundance of carrots, it’s a fast way to use them up quickly. Give it a try & see what you think.
Grated Carrot Salad from David Leibovitz’s My Paris Kitchen
2 lbs {900 gm} carrots, scrubbed and peeled
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice from 1 lemon
1 tsp sea salt or kosher salt
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp granulated sugar or honey
3 tbsp minced fresh Italian parsley, chervil or chives
Grate the carrots on the large holes of a box grater, or in a food processor fitted with a large shredding disk.
In a large bowl, whisk together oil, lemon juice, salt, mustard and sugar or honey. Toss the grated carrots & the fresh herbs in the dressing. Serve on plates garnished with additional fresh herbs.
Serves 6
Notes:
Meyer lemon juice works great here, if you have one.
Grated Carrot Salad with Cherries & Pine Nuts slightly adapted from David Leibovitz’s My Paris Kitchen
2 lbs {900 gm} carrots, scrubbed and peeled
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice from 1 lemon
1 tsp sea salt or kosher salt
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp granulated sugar or honey
dried tart cherries, as many as you’d like
pine nuts, as many as you’d like
Grate the carrots on the large holes of a box grater, or in a food processor fitted with a large shredding disk.
In a large bowl, whisk together oil, lemon juice, salt, mustard and sugar or honey. Toss the grated carrots, cherries and pine nuts in the dressing.
Serves 6
Notes:
Raisins are great here, if that’s what you have.
Another nut can stand in for pine nuts, if you prefer.
Welcome to Day #4 of Refrigerator Confidential! I’m not sure if you noticed, but we can sure tell that the fridge has more room to move around. Even though it’s great to have a well-stocked refrigerator, it is fun to “eat it down” and look forward to starting all over again on Saturday.
Tuesday’s Meals with Recipes:
Breakfast
Me- leftover baked potato from yesterday’s lunch, 1/2 grapefruit, Breakfast “Borscht”
My husband- same as the last 2 days {plain yogurt, nuts, dried fruit, local honey}
Lunch
Roasted Carrot Soup
Ryvita Crackers with Organic Cultured Butter
I was going to blend up a frozen banana and some plain yogurt to make a banana lassi {although I don’t think you would use frozen fruit in a lassi}, and then it occurred to me that pickled beets and yogurt would be a good combination {think chilled beet borscht with a dollop of sour cream top}. Mine would be kind of a speedy version of chilled beet borscht. A big spoonful of pickled beets, with a creamy cloud of plain yogurt swirled in, and a sprinkle of dill and voila, “borscht”! I tasted it, and thought that some capers would add a nice punch of flavor, and indeed they did. I love capers! Actually, I just learned on the Splendid Table podcast last week that capers are more properly called caper buds, because they are the bud of the caper flower {from the caper plant} before it opens. When the flower drops off, what is left is a caper berry, which looks like a giant caper bud. I have never tried caper berries, but I hear that they are not quite as pungent as the caper buds. Had I not eaten the baked potato, I would have enjoyed my yogurt with a buttered Ryvita {a buttered Ryvita is always good}.
Roasted Carrot Soup adapted from Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison’s Kitchen
This is another of my favorite soup recipes from Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison’s Kitchen . I think I have mentioned before that it is my favorite soup cookbook, and Madison is my favorite cookbook author.
1 pound carrots, cut into chunks
2 small potatoes, cut into chunks
1 large onion, cut into chunks
5 garlic cloves, peeled
2-4 tbsp olive oil {I used 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil}
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 hefty thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf {I used 2}
*1 quart vegetable stock or water
1/2 cup light cream {I used 2% milk, and the soup was delicious. I don’t think I’ve ever made it with cream.}
2-3 tbsp creme fraiche or sour cream, stirred with a fork until loosened {I used plain yogurt, but would use one of the other choices if I had them on hand.}
Fresh minced parsley or chives
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F {I used 375 degrees F.}. Toss the vegetables with the olive oil and season with 1/2 tsp salt and some pepper. Put them in a large baking dish sprayed with pan spray for easy cleanup {I used a 9″x13″ Pyrex baking dish.}, along with the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Roast until tender and glazed, about 1 hour, turning them 2-3 times.
Transfer the vegetables to a soup pot, add stock or water and bring to the boil. Simmer until the carrots are soft, about 20″, then puree until smooth. An immersion blender is a great tool for this-very quick and easy. Return the puree to the pot {if you used a blender}, taste for salt, and season with pepper. Stir in the cream or milk.
Ladle the soup into bowls, swirl in a spoonful of creme fraiche, sour cream or yogurt into each, top with minced parsley and serve piping hot. Delicious and super healthy!
Makes about 4 servings {6 cups}.
*I used to make homemade vegetable stock for soup until I read Deborah Madison say that if you have great vegetables, you can use water in lieu of stock. So unless a soup calls for a specific stock {i.e. red stock for tortilla soup, mushroom stock, etc.}, I use water and the soup is great. I do not care for store bought vegetable stock.
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We had a tasty little wine and cheese pupu {appetizer} while waiting for our Orange and Molokai Purple Sweet Potato Fries to roast.
Orange and Molokai Purple Sweet Potato Fries
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Roasted Orange and Molokai Purple Sweet Potatoes
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Make sure you have a rack positioned on the bottom of your oven.
3 potatoes will fill up a half-sheet pan-use 2 pans if you want more fries
Cut potatoes so they are approximately the same size; you can cut them into any shape you want {slices, wedges, French fries…}. Place potatoes on a sheet pan that has been lined with foil, sprayed with pan spray {they will stick if you don’t} and drizzled with olive oil. Season with kosher or sea salt, freshly ground pepper and red pepper flakes. The red pepper flakes add a great spicy counterpoint to the sweetness of the potatoes; I wouldn’t leave them out, but if you aren’t a fan of spicy, by all means don’t use them. I love spicy!!
Roast the potatoes on the bottom oven rack until they are browned and starting to get crispy, stirring occasionally. They will be tender in about 20 minutes, but leave them in longer so they will brown and crisp up. The purple potatoes can get dried out if you leave them in too long, so keep an eye on them after 20 minutes or so.
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Steamed Beet Greens
Fresh beet greens {1 pound will serve 2-4 people}
Extra virgin olive oil
Butter
Sea salt & freshly ground pepper
Sherry vinegar or lemon juice
Wash greens well, making sure water is clear, as beet greens can be quite dirty. Discard any tough stems {or cut small & sauté} and roughly chop the greens. Spin them mostly dry, but leave some water clinging to the leaves for steaming. Put greens in a pot large enough to hold them, cover and cook over medium high heat until tender, 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally so they do not burn or stick. When the greens are tender, season with a little butter, olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground pepper. If desired, sprinkle with a bit of sherry vinegar or lemon juice.
“Large, naked, raw carrots are acceptable as food only to those who live in hutches eagerly awaiting Easter.” Fran Lebowitz
I’m okay with raw carrots, I really am. But I think carrots really sing when they are cooked. They belt out their ultimate deliciousness when they are roasted.
You know how roasting vegetables caramelizes them and makes them nice and sweet? And tender and delicious? Well, dribble some coconut oil and a heavy dusting of Moroccan spices into the mix and you’ve got a winner. I would be proud to serve these vegetables to anyone. Next time I will add some chunks of onion and garlic. Make a lot, because you will not want to run out. Consider yourself warned!
Roasted Potatoes & Carrots with Coconut Oil & Moroccan Spices
1 large potato {peeled if not organic}, cut into chunks
3 large carrots {peeled if not organic}, cut into chunks
1 medium onion, cut into chunks
Coconut oil
Freshly ground salt & pepper
Moroccan Spice Mix {recipe below}
2 cloves of garlic, mashed into a paste
Cut the potatoes, carrots & onions into pieces that will cook in about the same amount of time. Put in a bowl large enough to comfortably {& neatly} toss the vegetables with the coconut oil & seasonings. Start with about 1 tbsp. of coconut oil; if that coats all the vegetables nicely, then that’s enough-you don’t want greasy vegetables. Season with plenty of freshly ground salt and pepper, and a generous dose of the Moroccan Spice Mix. Line a sheet pan with foil, then spray with pan spray to prevent sticking {I used coconut oil spray}. Arrange the vegetables on the pan in a single layer. Roast in a 375 degree oven, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes. You can leave them in for a while after they are tender, because they will turn a lovely golden brown, which makes them super tasty. When they are golden brown, put them back into the big bowl. Add the garlic paste and mix it all up. The heat from the vegetables will cook the garlic and impart a delectable garlic flavor.
Serves about 3 roasted vegetable lovers
Moroccan Spice Mix
2 tsp ground cumin {preferably whole seeds toasted, then ground}
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp chili powder {I used my homemade chili powder; use whatever chili powder you like}
1 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
Pinch of ground cloves
Mix it all up & store in a tightly lidded jar.
Homemade Chili Powder
3 T sweet paprika
1 T ground cumin {preferably whole seeds toasted, then ground}
2 T oregano {preferably Mexican}
1 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder {yes, there is the occasional use for garlic powder!}
1 whole dry ancho chile, broken up
1/2 tsp celery seed
1 tsp coriander seed
Put all ingredients into a small food processor or blender, and process until the pieces of ancho chile are ground. Store in a tightly lidded jar.
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” Luciano Pavarotti
Maui Girl Cooks 