It’s so, so, so cold today! And it is a busy day for me. I am working at my macarons that are getting a little success here and working for the association of Rome Accueil. Did I ever spoke about that to you? I guess not yet. Well it is a association that welcome french speaking people coming to Roma. We do not have the vocation to find people an appartment, a house keeper or whatsoever, but we propose a lot of activities (visits, lunch, cooking lessons, italian classes… and so and so and so) just to help them to get a new friends group, to be a little bit less lost. It helped me a lot my first year here. My italian was not that good, I did not have any friends, I was pregnant and had the real need to be in contact with people from my country, having the same culture background (that I spoke about it already, the culture shock!). Now I am on the other side, I am in charge of people moving him in my neighbourhood. We will meet soon at some coffe meetings (at my home or another guest). And I am too responsible of the bebe groupe (funny no?). It is a nice meeting group of new moms and their babies. We share our babies experiences… mainly about which pediatrician they could see, where to get that…

Right now I am waiting that little Joséphine wakes up to give her her lunch. I love to see her face when she is trying new flavors. Most of the time her first reaction is like that I would give her some lemon to eat. She twisted on her chair and contorts her face!

Before I leave you with that warm recipe of carotts and coriander (a good mix, adapted from Fresh&Fast a book of Marie-Claire) I invite you to go check at my pictures (can I?). You remember I talked to you about that best picture contest « le végétal dans l’assiette » organized by the FIPC and 750g.com Well I posted 3 pictures on the FB account of 750g.com If you join the group (you click on I like on the top page of their FB account) then you can see at my pictures and could eventually vote for them (I like button) and even commenting it (thank you!). The 10 most commented pictures will be in final. 10 others will be selected according to a jury. Among the 20 of them the best food picture will be awarded. A lot of foodbloggers have already join the contest that promises to be a big challenge for the jury who will have to choose the nicest picture!

Have a nice day!

Carrot and coriander soup

• 1 liter of chicken or veal broth
• 1 large bunch fresh coriander
• 50 g salted butter
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 400 g carrots, peeled and cut into small cubes

1. Put the broth over low heat with 2 tablespoons of chopped coriander.
2. In a pan melt butter and add onions and garlic crushed. Let cook onions until get white. Add carrots and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add carrots to the broth. Simmer for 40 minutes.
4. Mix everything and serve with remaining chopped coriander.

Soupe carottes et coriandre

• 1 l de bouillon de poulet ou veau
• 1 gros bouquet de coriandre fraiche
• 50 g de beurre demi sel
• 2 gousses d’ail
• 2 oignons hachés finement
• 400 g de carottes pelées et coupées en petits cubes

1. Mettre le bouillon sur feu doux avec 2 c. à s. de coriandre ciselée.
2. Dans une poele faire fondre le beurre et ajouter les oignons et l’ail écrasée. Faire revenir jusqu’à ce que les oignons blanchissent. Ajouter les carottes et laisser cuire pendant 5 minutes en remuant de temps en temps.
3. Ajouter les carottes au bouillon. Laisser mijoter pendant 40 minutes.
4. Mixer le tout avant de servir avec le reste de coriandre ciselée.

Zuppa di carote e coriandolo

• 1 litro di brodo di pollo o vitello
• 1 mazzetto di coriandolo fresco
• 50 g di burro salato
• 2 spicchi di aglio
• 2 cipolle, tritate finemente
• 400 g di carote, sbucciate e tagliate a cubetti

1. Mettete il brodo a fuoco basso con 2 cucchiai di coriandolo tritato.
2. In una padella sciogliere il burro e aggiungere le cipolle e l’aglio schiacciato. Soffriggere le cipolle fino a bianco. Aggiungere le carote e cuocere per 5 minuti, mescolando di tanto in tanto.
3. Aggiungere le carote al brodo. Fate bollire per 40 minuti.
4. Mescolare il tutto e servire con il coriandolo rimasto tritato.

A warm fresh vegetables soup to warm up bodies during this cold winter….or another way for a 2 yrs old little boy to eat vegetables.

I guess that it is one of the first wars for a mum « mange tes légumes! » (Eat your vegetables!). Most of the time I have to mash them in order to be acceptable. But fortunately Jack just enjoys soups. So when I notice than since quite a time he rejected vegetables, I just do a soup full of all kind of vegetables. Of course I cannot do that all the time (I could and I would) otherwise A. feels like being already 70′s or having a denture!

Strange,while I was writing to you these few lines, Jack was taking his nap on the sofa. He woke up and say « soupe, sipoloto! » (soup, please…strange way to say « s’il te plait », he is just unable to say it, but it is so cute to hear). Anyway he did not take it…How great it could be for us to have our kids eating vegetables as a  snack and refusing chocolate!

Félicitations à Minouchka pour sa 1ère place au concours « J’aime la galette » et aux 2ème et 3ème respectivement Dada et L’Amoureuse des desserts!

A winter soup

4-6 servings

• 3 rutabaga
• 6 carrots
• 3 potatoes
• 1/4 celery
• 2 leeks
• 300 g pumpkin
• 5 leaves of  green sprout
• 1 onion
• salt and pepper
• vegetables or chicken broth
• thyms
• 2-3  bay leaf
• Parmesan cheese

1. Chop the onion, leaves of green sprout and leeks. Wash and peel the other vegetables. Cut them in dices.
2. Warm up the broth.
3. In a pot, brown the onion in 2-3 tbsp of olive oil.
4. Add all the vegetables, salt and pepper. Brown them for about 5 minutes, mixing from time to time.
5. Add the broth to the vegetables until they are covered. Add the bay leaves and thyms.
6. Cover the pot and cook for about 20-30 minutes.
7. Serve warm with some grated parmesan cheese.

Une soupe d’hiver

4-6 personnes

• 3 rutabagas
• 6 carottes
• 3 pommes de terre
• 1/4 de celeri
• 2 poireaux
• 300 g de potiron
• 5 feuilles de chou vert
• 1 oignon
• sel et poivre du moulin
• Bouillon de légumes ou de poule
• thym
• Laurier
• Huile d’olive
• Parmesan

1. Emincer l’oignon, les feuilles de chou et les poireaux. Laver et éplucher tous les autres légumes. Les détailler en dés
2. Chauffer le bouillon de légumes ou de poule
3. Dans une cocotte, faire revenir l’oignon dans 2-3 c. à s. d’huile d’olive.
4. Ajouter tous les légumes. Saler, poivrer. Faire revenir quelques minutes en mélangeant de temps en temps.
5. Couvrir les légumes avec le bouillon. Ajouter le thym et le laurier.
6. Couvrir et laisser cuire 20-30 minutes.
7. Servir bien chaud avec un peu de parmesan rapé.

Una zuppa d’inverno

4-6 persone

• 3 rutabaga
• 6 carote
• 3 patate
• 1/4 sedano rapa
• 2 porro
• 300 g zucca
• 5 foglie cavolo verza
• 1 cipolle
• sale e pepe
• Brodo vegetale o di pollo
• timo
• alloro
• Olio d’oliva
• Parmiggiano grattugiato

1. Tagliare una cipolla a fettine, le foglie di verza e i porri. Lavare e pelare le altre verdure. Le tagliare a cubi.
2. Riscaldare il brodo.
3. In una pentola, fare soffriggere la cipolla in2-3 cucchiai d’olio.
4. Aggiungere le altre verdure, sale e pepe. Fare soffriggere per circa 5 minuti.
5. Coprire le verdure col brodo. Aggiungere il timo e 2-3 foglie d’alloro.
6. Coprire la pentola e lasciare cuocere per circa 20-30 minuti.
7. Servire caldo con un po’ di parmiggiano.

How many ways can we prepare, cook eggplants??? I have absolutely no ideas, there is already a bunch of recipes that come to my mind (melanzane alla parmiggiana, eggplants caviar, eggplants and coconuts milk, eggplants and pasta, eggplants jam….). It is one of the vegetable that I buy almost everyweek, and I barely take the time to try those many different recipes. One of the last ones was a eggplants confit with coconut milk…really really really good. I tried too the eggplants soup not so long ago and I was amazingly surprised as A. This is really good and in particular I appreciated the soft consistency and taste of cooked eggplants. I did it again trying to remember how it was the first time. I might not have put some cheese this time (philadelphia) and it came out good as weel maybe even lighter. Just a spoon of grated parmesan in the bowl…

Soupe d’aubergines

4 personnes:

• 4 aubergines
• 1.5 litre de bouillon de poule chaud
• 3 échalotes
• 150 g de pignons de pin
• huile d’olive
• Sel et poivre du moulin
• Coriandre fraiche

1. Dans un fait-tout faire revenir les échalotes épluchées et émincées dans de l’huile d’olive
2. Laver et lever la peau des aubergines. Les couper en petits dés
3. Ajouter les aubergines dans le fait-tout. Rajouter éventuellement un peu d’huile d’olive et les faire revenir 5 minutes.
4. Couvrir de bouillon les aubergines et laisser cuire une demie-heure
5. Y ajouter la moitié des pignons de pin et mixer.
6. Ajouter des feuilles de coriandre fraiches et ciselées, crème fraiche (ou mascarpone), les pignons grillés restants et du parmesan rapé (facultatif) et servir chaud.

Zuppa di melanzane

4 pers.:

• 4 melanzane
• 1.5 l. brodo di pollo
• 3 scalogni
• 150 g pinoli
• olio d’oliva
• sale & pepe
• coriandolo fresco

1. In una pentola fare dorare i scalogni pelati e tagliati a fette sottili in olio d’oliva
2. Lavare e sbucciare le melanzane. Tagliare a pezzettini.
3. Aggiungere le melanzane ai scalogni (forse raggiungere un po’ d’olio) e lasciare dorare per circa 5 minuti.
4. Aggiungere il brodo alle melanzane (devono essere coperte di brodo). Cuocere per un mezzoretta.
5. Aggiungere la metà dei pinoli e frullare.
6. Aggiungere il coriandolo tagliato a pezzettini, panna acida (o mascarpone), parmiggiano grattugiato, pinoli e servire caldo.

Eggplants soup

3-4 serv.:

• 4 eggplants
• 1.5 l fowl stock
• 3 shallots
• 150 g pine nuts
• olive oil
• salt & peper
• fresh coriander

1. In a stewpot brown the sliced shallots in olive oil.
2. Wash and peel the eggplants. Cut them in dices.
3. Add the eggplants to the shallots. Brown them for about 5 mn (you might have to add some olive oil too).
4. Add the stock to the eggplants (they have to be covered by the stock). Cook for about half an hour.
5. Add finally half of the pine nuts and mix.
6. Serve with sliced fresh cordiander, toasted pine nuts, sour cream (or mascarpone) and gratted parmesan.