We all know there are some recipes that make you feel at home, that make you think a while to the past. We do all have our Madeleine!

I have a lot, some that bring me back to my childhood because of their flavor, taste. Like the candied fruit cake that remind me of my grand mother. A recipe can make you remember of people you care or cared about, a place you loved to be, to go, some particular moment you enjoyed alone or you shared with some others.

Food has something magic. A smell, a flavor will bring you back to some holidays, to a place, to people you were with. Thinking about your meal, peparing the food will bring you the same thing. And if it’s not to awake some past feelings, baking or cooking a new recipe, a new ingredients will always leave you a souvenir, even the worst recipe or meal you ever had.

This recipe is coming from my friend Krishna, the same one that gave me the recipe of Le Moelleux au chocolat de Marine. She prepared it for the barbecue we had every year at the end of the oceanology classes. She prepared it at my place before we left for the dinner.

She was actually desperate in my kitchen, asking for some instrument or spice that I did not have. Yes, before having kids I was not that crazy about cooking. I just had my minimal.

« Est ce que tu as un presse ail? » (« do you have a garlic press? »)

« …non.. »

With her indian roots a garlic press was her minimum, not mine. I am still using the one she offered me after that, like I still have the glasses she left me after she did Caipirinha!

This taboulé is made with quinoa, feta, lime, fresh erbs and shrimps (if you can find it use the brown shrimps). It’s refreshing, full of flavors and do not esistate on the fresh erbs. The first time I did it I just had some coriander, but the next time I added tarragon and chives. Delightful!

Tabbouleh with quinoa

• 200-300 g quinoa
• 1 clove garlic
• small cubes of feta cheese (adapt quantity according to your taste)
• 200 g shrimps (brown shrimps if you can)
• 1 small cucumber, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• fresh herbs (cilantro or parsley, tarragon, chives …)
• 1 lime squeezed
• a little olive oil
• Salt and pepper

1. Cook the quinoa in the steamer (like rice), after having it well washed.
2. Prepare a vinaigrette with lemon juice and olive oil, fresh herbs …
3. In a bowl mix all ingredients and keep aside one hour in the fridge at least. Eat fresh!

Taboulé de quinoa

• 200-300 g quinoa
• 1 gousse d’ail
• petits cubes de féta (quantité à adapater selon vos gouts)
• 200 g de crevettes grises
• 1 petit concombre coupé en dés
• 1 poivron rouge coupé en dés
• herbes fraiches (coriandre ou persil, estragon, ciboulette…)
• 1 citron vert pressé
• un peu d’huile d’olive
• Sel, poivre

1. Cuire le quinoa dans le cuiseur vapeur (comme le riz), après l’avoir bien lavé.
2. Préparer une vinaigrette avec le citron pressé et l’huile d’olive, les herbes fraiches…
3. Dans un saladier mélanger tous les ingrédients et réserver une petite heure au frais. Manger bien frais!

Strawberries with lemon juice, mint and sugar.

I admit… it’s a really simple dish, but no matters, worth to be mentioned no?

The little thing more… peppers. Not that bad actually, un peu de peps!

I had an English uncle. I remembered how shock I got when he said that he was eating strawberries with peppers (or maybe it was salt, a taste enhancer… I am confused, it was at least 20 yrs ago, if not 25).  Whatever it was, I was at a age for which one you eat fruits with sugar or not!

We do often eat strawberries in summer,with some lemon juice, sugar. Kids are fighting for « il succo »,the juice. It’s true it’s good. And even better when you eat the stawberries first, keeping for the end the best part. So I do 2 rounds. One strawberries salad for lunch for Joséphine and I, and another one for Jack when he is coming back from school. Sometimes I add star anise too with the fruits.  For the momen it is fresh mint from our terrace… and a little of black peppers.

Apart from that I have new tables set for pictures,one black, one white. I am having fun with the composition. Indeed I discovered a new background. It was there beneath my eyes since ever. I was taking at pictures on a different spot on the terrace, when I noticed that our zinc closet was just an amazing background for pictures (look above)! I just had time to find the good settings of the camera when Joséphine stole one of the muffins. Go girl!

Strawberries salad with mint (and peppers)

• 500 g organic strawberries
• Juice of 2 organic lemons
• fresh mint
• sugar cane ( for my part Dulcita sugar cane)
• Optional: black pepper

 

1. Wash the strawberries andcut them into  »cubes » of 1-2 cm. Drizzle with the fresh juice of organic lemons. Add the sugar as muchnasyou desire. Chop mint leaves and add them to the strawberries. Mix and keep aside for halfhour in the fridge.
2. Serve in individual bowls with a few mint leaves and maybe a little cracked black pepper.

Salade de fraises et menthe

• 500 g de fraises bio
• Le jus de 2 citrons bio
• menthe fraiche
• sucre de canne (le dulcita pour ma part)
• facultatif: poivre noir

1. Laver et équeuter les fraises. Les couper en « dés » de 1-2 cm. Arroser les du jus de citrons frais. Ajouter le sucre en quantité désirée. Ciseler quelques feuilles de menthe. Mélanger letout et réserver une demie heure au frais.
2. Servir dans des coupes individuelles avec quelques feuilles de menthe et pourquoi pas un peu de poivre noir concassé.

The first time I prepared the caponata it was one of my last dinners in Liège before I moved to Italy. We did a barbecue from 4 pm to late at night. Friends came, some arrived really really late because they were stuck on the highway coming back from Ostende, on the seaside  (at a Roman scale it is like being stuck on the Cristoforo Colombo coming back from Ostia after a day of farniente!). Almost 4 years ago. I remembered we did tons of sangria, bought tons of beers (we did not drank it all, I brought back here), prepared tons of salads, crumbles, desserts… Nice time. Then friends left, I left… the end of an era!

But let’s be more « terre à terre« . The caponata is an sicilian dish, made of eggplants, olives, tomato sauce, celery, capers, basil and onion. Some recipes also include pine nuts. It is better prepared in advance as you have to eat it cold. So a fresh summer dish. I got the recipe from Elle à Table, the book. I did it 2 or 3 times since that day, and it seems to be appreciated by my italian jury.

I would suggest to take long eggplants (like the one in the picture). The bigger ones have more seeds and a little bitter.

For those that are following me I stop from now with the italian version. The recipes in italian will be available in another website, soon.

Caponata

• 5 eggplants
• 2 onions
• 250 ml tomato sauce
• 4 small celery stalks, cut into 1cm large
• 80 g pitted green olives
• 3 tbsp capers in salt
• 100 ml apple vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
• 1 tbsp powdered sugar
• Olive oil
• Basil
• Pepper
• Optional: pine nuts

 

1. Wash eggplant, cut into 3-4 cm cubes and sprinkle with coarse salt. Let drain for at least half hour. Rinse thoroughly with cold water and dry them with a absorbent paper (or towel) to take out a maximum of liquid.
2. In a large pot, pour olive oil and cook the eggplants. Remove with a slotted spoon and place them on absorbent paper.
3. Rinse thoroughly capers with cold water
4. Peel and chop onions. Fry them in the pan. When they were lightly colored, add remaining ingredients (except basil and pine nuts!). Cook for 15-20 mins. Add eggplants. Mixand simmer for 10-15 mins on very low heat.
5. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve well chilled (at least 2 hours in the fridge) with basil and pine nuts (optional).

 

Caponata

• 5 aubergines
• 2 oignons
• 250 ml de coulis de tomates
• 4 petites branches de céleri coupées en tronçons de 1cm
• 80 g d’olives vertes dénoyautées
• 3 c. à s. de capres au sel
• 100 ml de vinaigre de pomme (ou de vin rouge)
• 1 c. à s. de sucre en poudre
• Huile d’olive
• Basilic
• Poivre
• facultatif: pignons

1. Laver les aubergines, les couper en dés de 3-4 cm et les saupoudrer de gros sel. Laisser dégorger une bonne demie heure. Les rincer abondamment à l’eau froide et les essorer dans un torchon (ou essui) afin de faire sortir un maximum de liquide.
2. Dans une sauteuse, verser un peu d’huile et y cuire les aubergines. Les retirer avec une écumoire et les placer ensuite sur du papier absorbant.
3. Bien rincer les capres.
4. Eplucher et émincer les oignons. Les faire revenir dans la poele. Quand ils ont blondi, ajouter le reste des ingrédients (sauf basilic et pignons!). Laisser cuire 15-20 mns. Ajouter les aubergines. Mélanger et laisser mijoter pendant 10-15 mns à feu très doux.
5. Rectifier l’assaisonement si besoin est. Servir bien froid (minimum 2 heures au frigo) avec du basilic ciselé et des pignons (facultatif).

Summer days are here, and this year I am having lot of fun dressing up Joséphine. Aren’t girls clothes lovely??!! She does not like to wear hat, but we are working on it. She loves climbing everywhere, on and with everything, what is scaring me a lot. She goes on the slide by herself, and slides head in front. My mother often tells stories about me when I was a child, like I am doing now. Among them there is one I am thinking about when I look at my girl. My mother once bought a baby carriage (for dolls) for me when I was 3-4 yrs old, and I liked to go around with it. She was so happy… But she was always wondering why it was bending on a side. So one day a neighbor told her « but you never saw what she is doing with it???!!!, she (me!) is using it to climb in the trees! »

But let’s come back to the recipe, butternut squash chips….

How did I arrived to do that?

I did a mix of french  fries once with potatoes and butternut (in the oven: easy and healthier than the traditional ones). Some got a little bit more oil and were … delicious… why not trying to do chips with it? The butternut squash if soft, mellow, tasteful! So I tried, and we all loved it. It keeps its taste. The butternut season is on its end, but if you manage to find one (*), get it, try this recipe and let me know. They will have their little success for bbq, pic nic… believe me!

(*)Per i cittadini di Roma: andate all’Agricoltura Nuova sulla pontina. Vado sempre qua adesso per comprare le verdure & frutta, hanno dei prodotti meravigliosi… C’è anche la possibilità di fare bbq il week end

E per quelli che non possono andare c’è la possibilita d’avere la frutta e verdura consegnate a casa!

Butternut squash chips

• Butternut squash
• Oil (olive oil or others)
• salt

1. Wash the squash. Peel the skin and remove seeds.
2. Cut the flesh with a mandolin.
3. Heat oil in a pan (wok).
4. Dip the slices of squash in the oil, remove them as soon as they start to brown and place on absorbent paper.
5. Add salt and enjoy!

Chips de courge butternut

• Courges butternut
• Huile (olive, friture…)
• Sel

1. Laver la/les courges. Lever la peau et retirer les graines.
2. Couper la chair à l’aide d’une mandoline.
3. Faire chauffer l’huile fans une poele de type wok.
4. Plonger les lamelles de courge dans l’huile, les retirer dès qu’elles commencent à brunir et les poser sur du papier absorbant.
5. Saler et déguster!

Chips di butternut

• Zucca tipo Butternut
• Oil (olio d’oliva, o altre …)
• Sale

1. Lavare la zucca. Sbucciare la pelle e togliere i semi.
2. Tagliate la polpa con un mandolino.
3. Scaldare l’olio in una padella (o wok).
4. Immergere le fette di zucca in olio, rimuoverli non appena cominciano a marrone e metterle su la carta assorbente.
5. Aggiungere il sale e buon divertimento!

I am exhausted…wrecked (crevée). It is true when your kid is at school for the 1st year he brings all kind of flue,and gives it to his little sister or brother, and in some case to the parents. Bha! it can be worst. School….Talking about it, some parents should be really ashamed of their son’s behavior. I am sorry I can not give any name … why it came out to the mind of an « innocent » boy, no one knows, but it is surprising to hear that some kids (well just one in that case) threw away a plate at school. Surprised was the teacher too, and the mother…and the father. Of course the 3 of them scolded him, told him that it is a really bad behavior. But to the 3 of them faced the same the reaction/answer: lifting up the eyes and sang « lalalalalalalalalalalala…..lalallalalalalala…. » and of course you can laught at it all…at least not in front of the guilty kid. Hopefully for the parents pride it happened once .(for the moment)

Last weekend we went to Marmosedio, a small village (around 30 residents) close to Rieti. The population increased of 40% as we were 12 friends (kids included) to spend 3 days over there at the house of a friends. Even if there is nothing to see, it was good to go to there, walking in the forest, in the cold, all the fall colors, some unexpected visitors like this cow, I just loved it. I had my real fall, a cold and colorful one!

At the house we (the men) did some bbq in the fireplace. I baked the cake with candied fruits, the apple carrots and goat cheese pie and these pumpkin pancakes. I have a huge crush for the  butternut one. I am trying all kinds of recipes with it (some, actually one until now, just to avoid) and it is the 2nd time and not the last one I am doing these pancakes. Jack enjoyed it a lot and even more with the maple syrup

Pumpkin pancakes

for about 10 panckes

• 1 cup chestnuts flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 teasp baking powder
• 1 teaspbaking soda
• 1 teasp spices (cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves and nutmeg)
• 1/2 cup cream
• 2 cups milk
• 3 tbsp butter + some for the skillet
• 1 cup cooked pumpkin (butternut)
• 1 egg

1. Melt the butter.
2. In a bowl stir together all the dry ingredients.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together all the liquid ingredients together and add it to the dry ones. Mix.
4. Melt some butter in a skillet over medium heat.
5. Pour in 1/4 cup batter for each pancake.
6. Cook pancakes about 3 minutes per side.
7. Serve with maple syrup.

Pancakes de butternut

Pour environ 10 panckes

• 1 tasse de farine de châtaignes
• 1 tasse de farine
• 3 c. à s. de cassonade
• 1 c.à c. bicarbonate de sodium
• 1 c.à c. de levure enpoudre
• 1 c. à c. de mélange d’épices (cannelle, gingembre, clous de girofle et muscade)
• 1 / 2 tasse de crème
• 2 tasses de lait
• 3 c. à s. de beurre + beurre pour la poele
• 1 tasse de citrouille cuite (butternut)
• 1 oeuf

1. Faire fondre le beurre.
2. Dans un bol, mélanger tous les ingrédients secs.
3. Dans un autre bol, mélanger tous les ingrédients liquides ensemble et ajouter au 1er mélange. Mixer.
4. Faire fondre un peu de beurre dans une poêle à feu moyen.
5. Verser 1 / 4 tasse de pâte pour chaque crêpe.
6. Cuire les crêpes environ 3 minutes de chaque côté.
7. Servir avec du sirop d’érable.

Frittelle di zucca

per circa 10 panckes

• 1 tazza di farina di castagne
• 1 tazza di farina (tipo 0)
• 3 cucchiai di zucchero di canna
• 1 cucchiaino di lievito in polvere
• 1 cucchiaino di bicarbonato
• 1 cucchiaino di spezie (cannella, zenzero, chiodi di garofano e la noce moscata)
• 1 / 2 tazza di panna
• 2 tazze di latte
• 3 cucchiai di burro
• 1 tazza di zucca cotta (butternut)
• 1 uovo

1. Fate sciogliere il burro.
2. In una ciotola mescolate tutti gli ingredienti secchi.
3. In un altra ciotola, mescolare insieme tutti gli ingredienti liquidi insieme e aggiungerla a quelle secche. Frullare.
4. Fate sciogliere il burro in una padella a fuoco medio.
5. Versare in 1 / 4 tazza di pastella per ogni pancake.
6. Cuocere le frittelle di circa 3 minuti per lato.
7. Servire con sciroppo d’acero