Posts Tagged ‘summer’

Super simple summer salads | Green beans and tomato salad with a mustard dressing

16 August 2014

photo(31)

Most of our summer lunches are leftovers complemented by pâtés, cheeses, bread, and salads. This French classic is one of my favorite. It is also a particularly good companion for grilled pork chops or slow roasted lamb shoulders.

Green beans

Very good tomatoes (preferably heirloom)

Small red onions (fresh if possible)

Fresh mint

Fresh basil

1 Tbsp strong mustard

2 Tbsps red wine vinegar

Pinch sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 Tbsps olive oil

Dash balsamic vinegar

Trim and wash the green beans.

In a large saucepan, bring salted water to boil and cook the beans for 5 to 10 minutes depending on how al dente and crunchy you like them. Plunge the beans in ice water so they stop cooking and retain their color. Let cool completely (they can be kept for a few hours before using).

Wash and cut the tomatoes into wedges of approximately the same size.

Peel and slice the onions crosswise as thinly as possible.

Wash and chop the mint and basil.

Prepare the dressing in a jam jar: first mix the mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper. Shake well. Add the olive oil, shake well again. Add the balsamic vinegar, shake again. **This makes a generous quantity of dressing. Use only just enough to coat the beans – they shouldn’t be drenched in the sauce. Keep the rest of the dressing for another salad.**

Dress the beans lightly, toss, and arrange on a plate. Add the tomatoes, onions, and herbs. Toss again gently, and serve.

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Posted in Easy, Salad, Seasonal, Summer, Summer salad, Vegetarian | 2 Comments »

Watermelon, mint, and feta salad

11 September 2012

When my friend Tamara introduced me to this salad some years ago I was surprised at first, intrigued, and immediately smitten. I’ve made it often since and it usually elicits a similar reaction — surprise at the sight of feta, curious interest in the addition of olive oil, and prompt addiction to each salty sweet cool crunchy bite. It’s as simple as its four ingredients and magically transcends the sum of its parts, as they say.

I see it more often now, but in case you hadn’t yet crossed paths with this awesome combination, you must give it a try. It’s best eaten without utensils, just by picking up each watermelon wedge capped with feta and mint. Beware the juice.

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Chilled watermelon

Good feta

Fresh mint

Best extra virgin olive oil

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Cut the watermelon into approximately 2 inch (5 cm) wedges, and each long wedge into approximately 3/4 inch (1 cm) pieces. Place the watermelon pieces on a plate or shallow dish.

Crumble lots of feta on top of the watermelon.

Wash, pick through, and thinly cut the mint leaves. Sprinkle over the feta.

Finally, drizzle a thin ribbon of olive oil and serve.

*

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Travel | Summer memories at Crêperie Sucré Salé in Trégastel

6 September 2012

The story repeats itself, and it’s as it should be.

When the fog lifts and the clouds clear, we drive to the beach. My sister’s house in Brittany is rather inland, so we have a range of beaches to choose from, and yet nine times out of ten we end up in the same place, Trégastel. It’s an old-fashioned seaside resort on a stunning stretch of coast, punctuated by huge pink granite boulders; inviting, menacing at times, teetering. It’s breathtaking. But the draw of Trégastel is more than the boulders and the beach; as Northern Brittany goes it can even become somewhat crowded on August weekends. Trégastel has become a story.

We dip into the water; sometimes only halfway, if it’s bitterly cold and the sea endlessly shallow from the ebb of the tide. The receding water of those notoriously steep tides leaves crabs scurrying, pools among the rocks with shrimp and small fish trapped until the flow. There are seashells to be gathered, sand castles to be built, and kites to be flown.

Everyone is getting hungry. As evening draws, we pack our beach bags, cross one stretch of sand, and climb the coastal path to the old harbor, the seaside center of town. It’s nearly 8pm but the sun is still high in the sky as we take our seats on the waterfront terrace of the crêperie. They aren’t particularly friendly there and our large groups usually upwards of ten often leave the staff visibly irritated. It’s a touristy location, right by the water with a postcard worthy view of the sea, the granite, the boats. But that’s all part of it — this summer ritual.

The galettes are very good, of course, which is essential. But it’s equally about the grumpy waiters, the setting sun, another cup of cider, the children running off to the beach the instant they’ve devoured their last bite, the elusive green flash, the treacherous walk back to the car in the dark. It’s become a tradition, perfect in all its imperfections.

A summer memory.

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Crêperie Sucré Salé

Place du Coz Pors, Trégastel
33 (0)2 96 23 81 31

The galettes (savory buckwheat crêpes) are excellent here. I rarely stray from the classic ‘complète’ (with egg, ham, and cheese), though I’ve sometimes added tomatoes and onions, but all the garnishes are very good. For a bit of a change (not that I would), the mussel dishes are also delicious. I don’t find the sweet crêpes as exciting, so I always order my dessert crêpes on a buckwheat galette, and that combination is amazing.

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At the market | Rhubarb (Rhubarb compote recipe)

27 June 2011

I could have spoken about rhubarb two months ago, when it first appeared at the market as the very welcome distraction from the last winter apples and pears; rhubarb makes those last few weeks before the first berries of summer bearable.

But it’s already the first week of summer, berries abound everywhere, and while I’ve eaten pounds of strawberries — plain, in tartes, or churned into ice cream — as well as raspberries and blueberries even, I am still craving — and eating — rhubarb.

Rhubarb is one of those vegetable that I cannot resist buying so it often ends up as compote (recipe below) because I’ve usually purchased it without a plan and compote only takes a few minutes to prepare. However the other day I felt an irresistible urge to make rhubarb ice cream. It was good beyond all expectations, and barely more work than a simple compote.

Rhubarb is technically a vegetable, though in our part of the world it is often used as a fruit, in crumbles and tarts. Wild rhubarb originated in Asia and its root has been used medicinally in China, Asia, and eventually Europe for thousands of years. But it was not until the nineteenth century that the stalks of rheum rhabarbarum were cultivated and used as a food, particularly in England and the United States, where rhubarb became known as “pie-plant.”

Rhubarb can be any shade of red or green, and while the red variety looks pretty, apparently there is no significant difference in taste. The stalks should be neither too big nor too small, always firm and crisp, not soft and flabby. Rhubarb is available from mid-spring through the summer. It thrives in cooler climates where the soil freezes in winter, which is another reason to love it — a delicious vegetable/fruit that grows best in my part of the world!

Rhubarb compote recipe

The quantities are an indication. The weight ratio of 1 part sugar for 4 parts rhubarb makes a compote that is not too sweet with a clear tart rhubarb taste. It can be adapted as desired. Serve with yogurt or crème fraîche, or with busy-day cupcakes.

3 1/2 cups (400 g) rhubarb cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces

1/2 cup (100 g) sugar

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Cut off the ends of the rhubarb stalks as well as any parts that are bruised or blemished. Wash the stalks before cutting them into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces. (Now is a good time to measure the amount of rhubarb to calculate the amount of sugar needed.)

Place the cut rhubarb into a medium saucepan. Add 3 tablespoons of water, then the sugar. Bring to a boil and cook until all the pieces of rhubarb have become soft, about 12 to 15 minutes.

That’s it.

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