Side Dish

What to Cook Wednesday: Roasted Lemon-Chile Broccoli

June 21, 2017, posted by Gina – We are kicking off a new weekly post called What to Cook Wednesday and we have a delicious side dish recipe to share with you. This Roasted Lemon Chile Broccoli from Ree Drummond was perfect alongside some salmon and cheese grits I made recently. While she used fresh broccoli, I used frozen florets since I had a large bag on hand. I thawed them and then followed her directions. This was quick, easy and full of flavor. We highly recommend it!

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French Green Lentil Salad

August 31, 2015, posted by Michelle – One of the several ubiquitous dishes here in Lyon is lentil salad. This salad calls for the tiny green lentils de Puy (pronounce “pwee”) and is most often served with saucisson de Lyon (cured, dry sausage with pistachio) and can be served warm or cold. Another version leaves the meat out altogether and still other versions add a poached egg. But in every version the Lentils de Puy are the constant, the MUST.

This tiny green lentil comes from Puy-en-Velay, a city in the Auvergne region of France. So, what’s so special about them? First, they are teeny tiny, about half the size of a regular lentil. Second, the volcanic soil of the region gives the lentils a very particular nutty taste and the texture is firm and not at all mushy. And third, Lentils de Puy are AOC designated, meaning the French government grants the label only to specific producers in a specific region who use traditional production methods. Oh la la.
A friend of mine just visited Puy last weekend and brought back a tin of Sabarot brand lentils for me. You can purchase the very same lentils HERE if you care to try this recipe. I love this salad and it’s very easy to make.

French Green Lentil Salad

8 oz. lentils de Puy

1 carrot, diced in small cubes

1 small white onion, chopped

2 small shallots, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Mix together the following for the dressing:

1/2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 tbsp. red wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

Cook the lentils according to the package directions. If they happen to be in French and you do not parlez le français, then do this: Add the lentils to a pot of cold water. The water should cover the lentils by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer and let cook 20 – 25 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain and set the cooked lentils aside in a serving bowl. Boil the diced carrots for 5 minutes and set aside. In a saute pan, saute the onions in a little olive oil, adding the garlic after about 3 minutes. Add the cooked carrots and saute another minute or two. Add the mixture to the lentils, stirring well. Add the dressing, shallots, salt and pepper to taste. I like to serve mine cold though you can serve them warm or at room temperature as well. This easily serves 6 as a side dish. Bon appétit!

Ta Da Tabbouleh

August 8, 2015, posted by Gina – Many may say that preparing tabbouleh, a very delicious salad, is easy because you don’t really have to cook anything. At the core of that statement I would have to agree, though there sure is a lot of chopping involved in making this culinary treat but it’s worth it. I prepared this salad for our Saturday Supper and I am the only person who ate it. Son 2 ran off with his friends and Mr. Sparkling wanted a stick to your ribs kind of meal. Oh well, more for ME!!

TABBOULEH
2 cups bulgur wheat (I found this in the organic section of my grocery store)
2 cups boiling water
½ cup lemon juice
½ cup olive oil
3 teaspoons salt
1 bunch fresh parley
1 bunch fresh mint
2 bunches scallions
2 medium tomatoes
1 hothouse cucumber. (A hothouse cucumber is different from a regular cucumber as it is long and slender, has fewer seeds and the skin is softer making it easier to eat).

Place the bulgur wheat in a temperature proof bowl. Bring water to a boil and pour over bulgur wheat. Stir in lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Cover and let stand at room temperature for one hour.

Meanwhile, chop parsley, mint, scallions, tomatoes and cucumbers.

Once bulgur wheat has soaked for one hour, make sure no extra water is in it. If you see that it is, drain all excess water out. Toss remaining ingredients in, cover and refrigerate for several hours.

I love tabbouleh but had not made it myself for years. This is a great recipe, but if I made it again, I would delete the cucumbers.

This was great for our 102 degree day served alongside some shrimp.

Enjoy!

To print this recipe or leave comments please click on the title of this post (Ta Da Tabbouleh) and all options will appear at the end of the post.

Cookbook Club: Cinco de Mayo on the Water

May 6, 2015, posted by Gina – Yesterday, my Cookbook Club met for a Cinco de Mayo lunch. We are currently working our way through the Barefoot Contessa Cookbooks and you’ll find links for each recipe throughout this post. The hostess set up her boat house so that we could enjoy the day right on the water. It was quite a beautiful sunny day, not too hot, with a slight, pleasant breeze. Idyllic!

We started the festivities with margaritas and what I can only describe as the BEST GUACAMOLE I have ever had. For a start, the super fresh avocados and tomatoes had everything to do with setting it apart. It had a bit of a kick from the 8 dashes of Tabasco sauce and lemon juice, rather than lime juice, brightened it up. Combine all that with some minced red onions and garlic and you have the perfect guacamole.

After enjoying the appetizer, we served GAZPACHO topped with homemade parmesean croutons, ROASTED CHICKEN, ORZO with ROASTED VEGETABLES and ZUCCHINI with PARMESEAN. My favorite dish was the orzo with roasted vegetables; the dressing, the feta and the pine nuts married so well with the vegetables.

Gazpacho

Roasted Chicken

For dessert we had FROZEN KEY LIME PIE and CHOCOLATE GANACHE CAKE. The pie had a great flavor although I think I prefer a regular key lime pie. The ganache on the cake was delicious and while the cake was good, there are other chocolate cakes I like better.

Chocolate Ganache Cake with Sugared Flowers

The tables were set with brightly colored plates and napkins and pots of zinnias for centerpieces. The setting, the perfect weather, a delicious lunch and great company made this a very enjoyable day. Do you do anything special for Cinco de Mayo? Maybe you prepare an authentic meal or just head to your favorite Mexican restaurant for margaritas? Do you have a favorite spot on a lake or river where you can get away? We’d like to hear from you, so if you’d like to leave a comment, click on the title of this post and a comment form with unfurl for you at the end of the post.

Fresh Peas and a Word About Truffle Oil

May 6, 2015, posted by Michelle – This past Sunday at the farmers market I loaded up on a bunch of fresh peas while they are available (the season is just a few short weeks). Behold the sweet, brilliant green beauties:

I concocted a simple salad of peas and new potatoes with chives, dill and mayonnaise that was light and delicious.

Fresh Pea and New Potato Salad

1/2 lb. fresh peas, shelled
5 – 6 small new potatoes, halved
2 tsp. fresh dill, minced
2 tsp. fresh chives, minced
3 tsp mayonnaise (honestly, this is guess – you can add as much or as little mayo as you like)

Boil the potatoes about 15 minutes then add the peas and continue to boil together for another 5 – 7 minutes or until the peas are just tender. Strain in a colander and then transfer the peas and potatoes to a mixing bowl. Allow to cool a bit (15 minutes or so). Mix in the mayo and herbs and add salt and pepper to taste.

Now about apparently evil and disgusting truffle oil… My significant other (when I mention him from now on I’ll refer to him as Le Monsieur) came home from a business trip to Italy with several packages of truffle flavored pasta that, unfortunately, didn’t have much of a truffle taste. I thought maybe adding a little truffle oil would bring out the truffle flavor of the pasta. I had never used truffle oil before and so I did a little research to find out about it. Wow. It seems like everyone from Martha Stewart to Anthony Bourdain HATES and VILIFIES truffle oil. The reason is because 99% of commercially produced truffle oil has no truffles in it and chemically reproduces a one dimensional, overbearing truffle-like taste. The ingredients of this synthetic truffle oil include phrasing like “truffle essence” or “truffle aroma”. Read THIS ARTICLE to find out more about truffles, truffle oil and marketing manipulation. You can decide for yourself if truffle oil is a travesty or not.