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!

I know it starts to be a little late to publish recipes with cherries, but season is not over everywhere and it could useful for next year too!

I made it up, I just thought and thought about it and the idea of mixing coconut milk, cardamom, pistachios with cherries sounded pleasant! And it is! You can believe me.

I baked it twice with agave syrup and once with mascobado sugar. I just appreciated both of them, even more when I managed to do it all from organic food (good for the conscience).

I found that presenting it in muffin cases was nice too. Easier to shot than in a big plate too.

Tonight, 30th of june is the first time my son is not here. We came back for one night from the sea because Joséphine has to do vaccination. So we decided to leave Giacomo at his grand parents. I feel like an orphan. « mais maman pourquoi tu viens pas manger ce soir??!! » he said on the phone… why I do not come and eat tonight. Even if we explained him, he just did not realized yet.

Can you imagine that, apart from 2 nights at the maternity I never left my son away from me one night!42 months at my side!

Okay, there is worst!

Like my new hair color.. hahaha!

Dark brown chocolate is not brown, it is simply dark, reaaaaallll, deeeeeeeep DARK! Black to be clear!

It’s quite a change when you know that I am light brown with some red with the sun!

I changed the brand, I picked up an organic one (not to blame on it). So I supposed it would be less « agressive » and kept it at least 20 minutes (but less than half an hour). Well…. not at all! It works well!

I still go check from time to time in the mirror « I know it’s dark, I know it’s dark » I keep saying myself before entering the bathroom

« OMG it’s SOOO dark »

Let’s hope my son will recognize me tomorrow!

Clafoutis aux cerises, lait de coco, pistaches et cardamome

pour 4-6 personnes environ

• 160 g de cerises
• 2 oeufs + 1 jaune
• 120 g de lait de coco
• 50 g de farine de pistaches
• 40 g de beurre demi sel fondu
• 3-4 gousses de cardamome verte
• 60 g de sirop d’agave (ou 100 g de sucre de canne moscabado)

1. Préchauffer le four à 170°C
2. Bien laver les cerises et en disposer 2-3 par caissettes pour muffins
3. Ouvrir les gousses de cardamome et en gratter les graines.
4. Mélanger tous les ingrédients (sauf les cerises) ensemble et verser la pate dans chaque caissette à muffins (environ une douzaine de caissettes)
5. Enfourner pour 25 minutes environ

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).

In Italy it was almost 2 months ago. In Belgium…I forgot. But in France it is the mothers day (that I wished every week end since a month to my mother because I could not remember the day!)

Bonne fete à toutes les mamans, toutes les futures mamans, et un énorme bisou à ma grand mère!