Baby food | Zucchini and flounder

20 September 2010

By accident the other day I made unexpectedly good food for my 6-month-old daughter. I was preparing dinner for my two older sons, a fairly common summer menu of zucchini and fish – flounder in this case. The ingredients seemed appropriate for a young new eater, so I just blended them for her. It became something quite new and incredibly good, so much so in fact that I plan to serve it as a mousse appetizer for an (adult) dinner very soon.

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The portions are adapted to make 4 or 5 jars that can be frozen for a few weeks

1/2 medium onion

Olive oil

2 medium zucchini

3 in (8 cm)-slice flounder fillet

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Preheat oven to 375°F (200°C)

Thinly slice and gently brown the onion in a little olive oil in a small saucepan. Add the sliced zucchini. Cover and let steam, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is soft, about 10 minutes.

Bake the flounder in a small oven dish, drizzled with a little olive oil, for about 7 minutes.

Blend the zucchini and flounder in a food processor to the consistency of a soft mousse. Serve immediately or freeze for a few weeks.

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Posted in Children | 4 Comments »

Slow-roasted lamb shoulder

19 September 2010

Every summer I spend a few weeks at my sister’s house in Brittany, and I come back every time with a new culinary obsession inspired by countless hours spent around the kitchen with my family cooking, eating, and talking about food. One year my preoccupation was yogurt, another time marinated olives, and this year it is slow-roasted lamb. There simply is no better way to cook – or eat – lamb. It’s completely stress-free and utterly delicious.

This is an approximate recreation of my sister’s succulent lamb shoulder. The gist of the recipe is to rub the lamb with herbs and garlic and let it cook for hours in a very low oven.

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The quantities below are for a piece of meat of approximately 6 lbs (3 kg). The seasoning should be adjusted according to size, but the cooking time remains the same.

2 generous sprigs each of sage, rosemary, thyme, summer savory

1 Tbsp coriander seeds

2 Tbsps coarse gray sea salt

6 garlic cloves

Black pepper

Olive oil

1 bone-in lamb shoulder

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Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).

Finely chop the herbs. In a mortar, coarsely grind the coriander seeds and set aside. Next grind together the salt and garlic cloves. Mix in the herbs, coriander, and a generous amount of black pepper. Finally, drizzle 3-4 tablespoons olive oil to make a coarse paste.

Trim the fat from the lamb and rub with the herb paste on all sides. Place the lamb shoulder in a large cast-iron pot.* Put the lamb in the oven and let roast at a high temperature for 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to 300°F (150°C), seal the pot with a tight-fitting lid (or with aluminum foil if using a roasting tray), and forget the lamb in the oven for 3 or 4 hours.

The meat will fall off the bone, and it will be even more delicious reheated the next day.

*Another option is to use a roasting pan tightly sealed with aluminum foil, though the result is not quite as satisfying as the meat does not seem to brown in the same way.

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Posted in Easter, Holidays, Meat / Poultry, Year-round | 12 Comments »

Marinated olives

17 September 2010

We usually serve olives as part of an aperitif, but between dinner invitations, they often end up forgotten at the back of the fridge. To avoid throwing olives away, and to ensure a ready supply for any unexpected visitor, I started keeping a large jar of marinated olives on hand on my kitchen counter. It’s practical, avoids waste, and the olives are very good.

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Olives, any mix of green, black, Picholine, Kalamata, Cerignola, Niçoise, etc – or just one kind

Coriander seeds, coarsely ground in a mortar

Black peppercorns

Garlic cloves

Bay leaves

Dried red chillies

Lemon wedges

Olive oil

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Mix the olives with the coriander, peppercorns, whole garlic cloves, bay leaves, lemon wedges, and chillies. Put in a jar and cover generously with olive oil. **Anything that is not submerged will become moldy.** Place a lid on the jar but do not close it hermetically, as the olives need to breathe.

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Posted in Aperitif / Tapas, Easy, Homemade and preserves, Year-round | 4 Comments »

Late summer barbecue

6 September 2010

Leftovers from a Labor Day weekend barbecue.

After a day at the beach: NY strip steak; cold ratatouille prepared the night before; cucumber yogurt salad; summer salad of romaine lettuce, tomatoes, zucchini, radishes, and basil, inspired by a memorable al fresco dinner in the Ticino a few years ago; cheese and fresh figs.

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Posted in Summer | Leave a Comment »

Cucumber yogurt salad

6 September 2010

This salad should be made about 1 hour in advance.

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Cucumbers

Plain yogurt

Garlic cloves

Sea salt

Freshly ground white pepper

Mint

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Thinly slice the cucumbers, with a mandoline for example. Add a few tablespoons of yogurt, just enough to coat the cucumber slices but not more, as the cucumbers will release some fluid. Cut a few garlic cloves into thick slices. **The garlic is used to infuse the salad but the slices must be taken out before serving, so the slices should be thick and it’s important to remember the number of pieces used.** Season with salt and white pepper.

Let sit in the fridge for about 1 hour.

Remove the slices of garlic. Cut a small handful of mint leaves very thinly and add to the salad. Serve cold.

 

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Posted in Summer | Leave a Comment »

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