Gallic Inspiration: Moules Mariniere

I think if there is one place I could travel to over and over, it's France. There are few places in this world that soothe my culinary soul the way France does. It is quite clear to me as to why this is: It is the marriage of food and travel. Here you can enjoy the world's finest cuisine in celebrated restaurants as well as the little unpretentious gems frequented by the locals and all of this highly accessible thanks to a fantastic and extensive train system and Grade 12 French class.

And of course, my return luggage is a Canadian Customs officer's curiousity. They unzip my luggage only to find a chef's menagerie of sel gris, truffle oil, herbes de provence, wine, dark chocolate, and whatever exotic Gallic delights the country offers me. I have learned overtime, you can't bring back butter, or foie gras laced with black truffles no matter how much you plead. And boy do I try.

During our last visit to France, we took the train to Dieppe in the northern province of Normandy. We had spent the better part of the week exploring the fine cuisine Paris had to offer and now we craved soemthing more rustic and indicative of how people eat everyday.

The town of Dieppe is several hours away from Paris and we enjoyed the slow langourous ride through the French countryside. Rolling pastoral green fields stretch out beyond the horizon, occasionally interupted by small farmhouses frame after frame like pages of National Geographic. It was serene.

When we arrived in Dieppe, there was a distinct smell that city people don't experience often: the sharp metallic smell of the sea. It is a briny and strangely fresh smell that appeals to anyone who loves seafood. It's the smell of that kind of fresh. As we strolled past the many seaside bistros, it became apparently clear what the part of Normandy had to offer us today: Mussels.

Every bistro along the boat quay advertised its the daily special on hinged blackboards out front. It beckoned like a siren to hungry tourists to stop in for a little lunch in the seaside beach town. Moules et frites. Mussels and fries. Who could resist the shiny onyx shells lured open by a fragrant boozy steam to reveal dedicate saffron coloured mollusks in light garlic studded broth and a large bowlful of crisp delicate potato matchsticks and creamy pale mayonaise? So we stopped in and ordered huge bowls of steamy mussels and watched as boats bob up and down and fashionable French tourists wondered if they should stop for a bite. It was ridiculously contagious.

But today, we were at home missing that day. So, we decided when we were at St. Lawrence Market this morning, we would take a peek at the huge tank of PEI mussels at the fishmonger's. If the stars were aligned, we were going to have a delicious lunch that would transport us back to that summer day by the sea in Northern France.


Moules Mariniere
2 pounds of PEI mussels (bearded & cleaned)
1 small onion - diced
1/2 small pepper - diced
2 small carrots - sliced into coins
1 c of halved baby heirloom tomatoes
1/2c of white dry vermouth
3 cloves of crushed garlic (we love garlic)
1 tbsp of butter

In a pot large enough to hold the mussels, melt the butter until it is foamy and hot. Add the onion and garlic and saute until softened. Turn down the heat slightly and add the peppers, and carrots. Cook until the vegetables start to soften. Add the cleaned mussels to the pots and pour the vermouth on top. Cover. After two minutes, add the tomatoes to the pot and cover the pot again. Steam until the mussels open. Pour into a large serving dish and serve with slices of cursty baguette or fries.

My summer time snack

Several years ago, I took a leave of absence from work and spent a huge chunk of time touring SE Asia. It was a wonderful time for me... It really broadened my horizons and really crystallized what it meant to be me.

Although, it wasn't primarily a culinary journey but rather one of self-discovery, I often look back at that experience and the foods I became acquainted with through the wonderful people I met with great affection.

One of these majestic places is a little country named Laos. In fact, I ended up in Laos not really by design. I headed to Laos to kill time - I was returning home in a month and I was a little bored and a little restless. What I found was a cultural wonder filled with an unspoiled landscape, a generous people and a balance of old world tradition creeping toward development. Really very humbling.

One night, in a backpacking town called Vangvieng, I had this wonderful dish called Laap. It is a minced meat served with a sticky rice which is very popular in Laos and Thailand. My version is adapted for the modern life. It is fantastic for lunch when it is too hot and steamy to eat anything but a delicious salad.

I use Boston lettuce because its buttery leaves are my favorite. They make wonderful cups for this dish.

Minced Turkey in Lettuce Cups with Tea Rice

1 package of minced turkey
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp of light soy sauce
1 tbsp of nuc mam (Vietnamese fish sauce - if you don't have it, just use extra soy sauce)
1 pinch of red chili peppers
1 tsp of minced garlic
1/2 green or red pepper - small dice
1/2 small onion - small dice
1 head of Bottuce lettuce - leaves washed, separated, and dried

1 c of Japanese sushi rice, uncooked
1 tsp of Jasmine tea

garnish: fried onions*

1. Cook rice following the package instructions.
2. In a coffee grinder, whiz up the jasmine tea into a fine powder. If you don't have a grinder, open a tea bag of jasmine tea. Sprinkle over hot cooked rice and turn gently with a rice paddle. Cover.
3. Heat a large skillet, add vegetable oil. When the oil begins to shimmer, add onions and garlic and the package of ground turkey and break up meat as it cooks. When the meat is mostly cooked (ie. there is still some pink), add pepper, soy sauce, fish sauce and red pepper flakes. Cook until fully cooked and the juices run clear.
4. Place several lettuce cups on a plate.
5. Scoop a small amount of the jasmine tea rice into the lettuce cup and top with a small amount of the minced turkey. Sprinkle a little bit of the fried onions on top and dig in.

*The fried onions I am referring to are the deep fried crispy onions that are often sold in the Asian grocery stores.

15 minute soup: Creamy Corn & Potato Chowder

It was a busy week... but I managed to squeeze out a quick recipe. I looked into my fridge and cobbled together some vegetables for a delicious corn chowder. Sometimes if we are making potatoes for dinner, I make extra and store them in the fridge for quick meals during the week.


Cream Corn & Potato Chowder
1 c of corn kernels
3 stalks of celery - diced
1 large carrot - diced
1 small yellow onion - diced
1 small orange pepper - diced
6 new potatoes - boiled & cooled & diced
1 tbsp of minced garlic
1/2 tsp of dried dill
3 tsp of chicken / vegetable bouillon in 1 c of water
(if you have chicken stock use that instead)
1 l of skim milk
1 tbsp of olive oil

1. Heat oil in pan, saute garlic and onion until onion starts to sweat.
2. Add diced celery, carrot, potato, pepper and dill. Saute until soft.
3. Once the vegetables are heated through, add the chicken stock or the bouillon powder mixed with water. Heat until bubbling and turn down heat to low-medium.
4. Add the milk and cover with lid. Stir often to ensure that the soup does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
5. When the soup is heated through, plunge an immersion hand blender into the soup pot. Ensure the blender is fully immersed as the soup is very hot and could cause serious burns. Don't blend it until you have a puree but leave it rather thick and chunky. You still want to see the vegetables but blending the vegetables creates nice creaminess and beautiful texture.

It is literally a 15 minute soup if you buy the pre-packaged diced vegetables.

Keeping the Farmers in Business

Oh mama. Wednesday is Farmer's Market day at City Hall. It might have been 33 degrees outside today but it was worth the walk over there. While hungry office workers lined up for peameal bacon sandwiches, I made my way to the tents at the far end of the Square. I didn't know where to start - everywhere I looked, there were juicy bing cherries, ripe strawberries, and peaches farther than the eye could see... what to buy, what to buy.

I strolled around, taking mental note of all the possibilities... There was a crush of people at one of the tents and I went in for a closer look. Heavens! Zucchini blossoms!! Lots of them. How could a girl resist?

I left the market with a bagful of fragrant basil leaves, gorgeous zucchini blossoms, heirloom baby tomatoes and baby zucchini. The smell of the basil wafted through my office this afternoon and certainly attracted some attention. I could hardly wait to get home and whip up something summery. I had forgotten that I liked tomatoes. Most of the time, the stores are filled with pastey, pale sour tomatoes, but at the height of summer, the most beautiful jewels make their appearance. Juicy, sweet, plump - heirloom tomatoes are the farmer's gifts to us city folk.

I hope you like...


Deep-Fried Zucchini Blossoms
I had planned to stuff these bad boys (they are the male flowers) but I could bare to - and so I decided to enjoy them in their simple splendour by dipping them in a thin eggy batter and straight into the hot oil.

2 Dozen zucchini blossoms (you're gonna want this many!)
1 egg
2 tbsp flours
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 pinch of salt
2 grinds of black pepper

I washed the blossoms in cold water & drained them. Be gentle. Meanwhile, I mixed two 2 tbsp of flour, with lemon juice, 1 egg and enough water to make a thin batter. Less water if you want a thicker batter.

Heat enough canola oil to fry the blossoms if you don't have a deep fryer. In order to test the oil to ensure that the oil is hot enough - let one drop of batter fall into the oil. If it sizzles and rises to the surface - it's ready to go. Watch the temperature don't let the oil get too hot.

Dip the zucchini into the batter and then straight into the oil. Watch carefully... Flip over after about a minute or two when they are golden brown. Place a paper towel over a plate & as the blossoms cook, remove the blossoms to let drain on the plate. Salt immediately.

In 2002, Martha Stewart published a summer recipe for a pasta salad called "minestrone salad." I thought about making this recipe all summer, but I am watching my carbs so no pasta for me. I have adapted it for my own use, I hope you like it.


Minestrone Salad
1 pint of heirloom tomatoes - split in half lengthwise
1 handful of basil leaves - torn or sliced into a chiffonade
1 can of corn, drained (I am not proud of it - but fresh is not always possible)
1 can of white cannelli beans, drained & rinsed.
1 dozen baby zucchini
1 splash of good olive oil
1 tbsp of chianti vinegar (use what you have at home)
salt and pepper to taste

Blanch the baby zukes for about 5 minutes. Drain and plunge in cold water immediately. When cool enough to handle, slice the zucchinis in half lengthwise and then in half again. (I only sliced them once and found them way too difficult to toss in the salad with all of the other delicate items.) Drain and rinse out the white cannelli beans. Add beans, corn, tomatoes and basil together in a large bowl. Add salt and pepper as well as the vinegar and olive oil. Toss gently until mixed well - don't crush the beans.

It's that easy.





Bon Appetit

A Taste of the Mediterranean

Do you ever have food cravings so bad that all you want to do satisfy it? You know the ones that call for weird combinations (avocados and ice cream) or inappropriate time of day (egg mcmuffins for dinner) or indulging in your craving over and over again until you can't stand it (nothing but tomato soup & grilled cheese 3x a day for a week) Well I get these types of cravings all the time... And it's abit unhealthy admittedly. Admit it, you have those cravings too.

A couple weeks back, I had Greek food with a good friend of mine. It had been a while since I had eaten Greek because I had been living in a small town the past year. Since that fateful meal, I developed a vicious craving for Greek food. This past weeekend, I scratched that itch. We went to St. Lawrence Market and bought chicken souvlaki, tzatziki, feta and all this gorgeous summer produce for a salad. Well, the chicken is but a memory now but the yogurt, feta, and veg remain. Oh what to do, what to do...


Feta Dip
1/4 pound of feta
olive oil
ground oregano
chili pepper flakes
squirt of lemon juice
2 tbsp of tzatziki or yogurt
water

Throw into a food processor and whiz until smooth. Add additional olive oil if you want a thinner consistency. (If you're watching your weight, reduce the olive oil and use more water.) It's that easy. Have some veggies to go with your dip.

A word on olive oil - I love the stuff... It's rich and complex in flavour and the best part is its good for you. Buy the good stuff but protect your investment. Keep it out of the light and away from heat. If you're cooking with it - remember that it does have a low smoking point and you'll end up burning whatever it is you're cooking. It's not nice. Tonight, I broke out the good stuff. I have a bottle of olive oil al limone from Italy. It's liquid gold. I only ever use it for foods that will not being cooked. It is so fruity and deepens the favour of the whatever you are using it on. It was perfect for the dip.

Summer time produce.

Summer bring us the most delicious freshest foods. How can you NOT eat vegetables? The colours are so vibrant and they taste so sweet! We picked up sugar snap peas on the weekend. So we steamed them - threw some Hawaiian Red Clay Salt and drizzled with truffle oil. Very nice.