Ann Mah's Blog, page 18

Tuesday dinner with Lost in Cheeseland

I’ve always thought of salads as insubstantial, not something to make in the evening, which is when I eat my largest meal. So when Lindsey from Lost in Cheeseland sent me her spinach salad recipe for Tuesday dinner, I immediately started planning the snack I’d eat two hours later. But to my surprise, her version was so packed with wholesome, satisfying ingredients that I left the table feeling simultaneously virtuous and well-nourished.

 

Here are some things Lindsey loves: baking and eating cookies, drinking coffee (especially at Télescope Café!), and a good balade around Paris. She is a writer and blogger who contributes regularly to the T magazine website. She also maintains a gorgeous blog where she shares tips on Paris, bonnes adresses, as well as stories about being an American expat in France. She lives in Paris with her often-hungry, rock-climbing French husband, Cédric, their kitty Cali, and — if today’s recipe is any indication — a refrigerator full of fresh, crisp salad greens…

Salad Tuesdays

by Lindsey Tramuta

It’s no secret that I enjoy baking — everything from cookies and brownies to muffins and sweet breads — but in the last year I’ve hit a wall when it comes to cooking. Be it from an ever demanding work schedule during the week or depleted culinary inspiration, I’ve been more interested in dining out than making something fresh at home. My husband’s hectic work week does not generally lend itself to elaborate cooking either so we aim for simple but hearty (he is always ravenous by the time he walks through the door!). Tuesday night is slightly less chaotic than Monday but not enough to make us want to spend too much time in the kitchen!

Salads, either with mixed greens, grains or pasta, are our go-to meals when we don’t feel like investing too much time into what we make. We pack them full of vegetables and protein to keep us sated and have a loaf of bucheron (country bread) on hand to pair with a slice of aged Comté for dessert. The ingredients we include vary by season but this summer that often included spinach, grilled peppered chicken, crumbled feta, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, crushed walnuts and a basil vinaigrette. This recipe below is a slight variation for autumn!

  

Early Autumn salad

Note: As Lindsey says, “quantities are hardly an exact science” and, in fact, that’s the beauty of this recipe — you can mix and match with whatever you have on hand. I did love her secret ingredient — wheat germ — which adds a warm, toasty flavor and satisfying crunch. “Toasting it brings out the nutty flavor which is great atop salads like this one,” says Lindsey. “But if blending within a recipe, it’s best untoasted since it’s quite bland.” I learned the hard way to be very careful when toasting the stuff — it burns in a flash. If you have any browned nuts, wheat germ and honey left over, they make a delicious breakfast topping for Greek yogurt.

Serves two

Sliced chicken breasts, grilled with olive oil and herbs (or hard boiled eggs if we don’t have chicken on hand)

About 8 ounces of spinach

1/4-1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese

1/4 cup sliced toasted walnuts or pecans

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup Honey-balsamic vinaigrette

Optional: Wheat germ sprinkled once salad has been tossed

This is Cali and she approves this recipe.

(All non-salad photos, courtesy of Lindsey Tramuta. Photo of Lindsey, credit Ashley Ludaescher.)

P.S. More Tuesday dinner 

The next big thing (find out what I’m working on)

I was so honored (and, to be honest, a little nervous) to be tagged by the novelist Stephanie Cowell on this questionnaire about my current work in progress. I always feel a bit weird talking about a book that’s not yet published. But I also wanted to share a little of what I’m working on with you. So — deep breath — here goes:

What is your working title of your book?

Mastering the Art of French Eating

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I was in the shower in my apartment in Paris, when the idea for the book appeared, almost fully fleshed out. Why not write a food memoir set in France, investigating the true story behind the country’s signature dishes like boeuf Bourguignon, cassoulet, or crêpes, to name a few? The year I spent in Paris alone, while my diplomat husband was posted at the embassy in Baghdad, would be the thread that tied the story together. By the time I’d washed the soap from my hair, the title had appeared as well. Really, I think my subconscious was just looking for an excuse to travel around France and eat.

What genre does your book fall under?

It’s a food memoir but it also offers a bit of gastronomic history. And there are recipes. After all, I had to share the secrets I gleaned from talking to French grannies!

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

This is a weird question for me. Weird because the book is a memoir, so the main character is, well, me. Weird, also, because I’m Asian American and there are about two (and that’s being generous) Asian American actresses working in Hollywood right now. But I do think Philip Seymour Hoffman would be terrific as the charcutier who teaches me how to make andouillette, or tripe sausage. And I could definitely see Maggie Smith as a tart-tongued Provençale grandmother zealously protecting her soup recipe (I wore her down in the end, though).

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

A memoir in food, a blend of travel, gastronomic history, and personal journey by a young diplomat’s wife who must reinvent her dream of living in Paris when her husband is sent to Iraq, and who then discovers France through its regional cuisine — and learns to build a balanced life — dish by dish.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

It will be published by Pamela Dorman Books/Viking next fall, 2013. In one of life’s odd twists of fate, my editor is actually my former boss — I worked for her out of college as an editorial assistant. I still remember how she takes her coffee.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

It took me almost two years to complete both the research and the writing.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

It feels very strange to compare my book to so many I admire. But here are a few that have inspired me: Heat by Bill Buford. My Life in France by Julia Child. Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik. The Sharper Your Knife the Less You Cry by Kathleen Finn.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

France herself — her veneration of history, the respect for the land, the continuity of place and food, the pride in one’s region, the generosity and eagerness to share. The more I traveled around France, the more I wanted to eat. The more I ate, the more food stories I discovered, stories that begged to be shared.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

This book talks about most of the things I love — France, food, my husband and family — and it feels extremely personal. As a reader, I know that some of my most favorite books reveal the vulnerability of their authors. But as a writer, I’m pretty terrified to share this with the world.

Okay, phew, thanks for reading! If you’d like to learn more about my new book, check out these posts here and here.

Meanwhile, I’m delighted to tag four talented writers below and I hope you’ll follow me over to their sites to find out more about their next big thing:

Zoe Fishman, fellow veteran of the editorial assistant trenches, author of Saving Ruth, which I just finished and loved!

Alison Singh Gee, journalist, memoirist, former Hong Kong expat.

Laurel Zuckerman, American expat in Paris, founder of Paris Writer’s News, author of Sorbonne Confidential.

Sion Dayson, another American in Paris, blogger at Paris Imperfect, MFA (Vermont College of Fine Arts), and novelist.

Message for tagged authors:

Rules of the Next Big Thing

***Use this format for your post

***Answer the ten questions about your current WIP (work in progress)

***Tag five other writers/bloggers and add their links so we can hop over and meet them.

Ten Interview Questions for the Next Big Thing:

What is your working title of your book?

Where did the idea come from for the book?

What genre does your book fall under?

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Include the link of who tagged you and this explanation for the people you have tagged.

Be sure to line up your five people in advance.

Tuesday dinner with A Girl, Defloured

The grilled cheese sandwich is a staple around my house — but what about gourmet grilled cheese? Despite my lifelong passion — and my husband can confirm that it is a passion — for toasted bread and melty cheese, the idea of layering other ingredients in the sandwich had never occurred to me… until Alison, from A Girl, Defloured suggested it for Tuesday dinner.

Alison is a recipe developer, fellow sorority sister (yes, another one! Chi Omega has a lot to answer for), and — as you might have guessed from the name of her blog — she has Celiac disease and avoids gluten. She lives in Southern California with her husband and three kids and spends the summer on Cape Cod with her extended family — a big ol’ friendly, rollicking, Irish-American clan that welcomed me on the Fourth of July with a banh mi hot dog bar and a gorgeous pavlova.

Alison is well practiced in the art of juggling and fast meals are her specialty. She says Tuesday is the busiest night of her week.

“After retrieving my three lovely offspring from their various schools, we usually get home by 4pm. Because I go to belly dance class at 6:15 (we’ve got to do fun things for ourselves, right?) and my two sons have soccer practice (at 6:30 and 8:00), dinner must be on the table by five o’clock to give everyone enough time to make it back out of the door dressed in uniform. And it also gives us enough time to digest our food. From experience, doing a belly roll on a full stomach is not a good idea — trust me on that one.

“A five o’clock dinner is very early for us, but I’d rather eat then, and all together, than staggered, standing at the counter, and/or in the car. I guess I’m old fashioned that way.”

How does she get dinner on the table in a hurry? Two words: Be prepared.

“I’ll prep everything I can in the morning, or even the night before. All the chopping, grating, slicing, and even mixing dry ingredients for a baked good can be done well in advance.”

Instead of starchy side dishes, she serves up lots of vegetables, fruits and lean meats.

“Chicken breasts pounded thin and marinated in lemon juice, olive oil and thyme in the morning and can be grilled in just a few minutes per side in the evening. When served with a side of wilted spinach and sliced tomatoes, dinner can be on the table in less than 10 minutes.

“Stir fries are another favorite — again, dinner can be on the table in 20 minutes if you have all the vegetables and meats prepped the night before or first thing in the morning.

“Other times we’ll make a fried egg sandwich or frittata, BLTs, tuna melts, or (the dreaded) leftovers. Often when I roast a chicken or grill steaks I make enough for two meals — it’s hard to resist leftovers when they are refashioned into chicken enchiladas or steak tacos.”

When she really needs a break, she declares Appetizer Night (which sounds awesome).

“I usually have a small cache of ready-made appetizers in the freezer. The kids love it because it usually means eating dinner in front of the TV to watch a game, or movie… and it’s a rare occurrence.”

But enough about the other meals of the week. Let’s talk grilled cheese. 

“When I learned a few years back that Los Angeles restaurant, Campanile, was serving gourmet grilled cheeses once a week (and that people were going crazy for it) I knew this was something that I wanted to try at home. It’s a brilliant idea, really, as it elevates the ordinary into the extraordinary. We have many different kinds of gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner, but this recipe is one of my favorites.”

  

Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Fig jam, goat brie, smoked ham and arugula

From A Girl, Defloured

Note: I loved the super-melty brie and touch of jam in Alison’s savory-sweet grilled sandwich. I used American brie and sour cherry preserves instead of fig jam (because my usually omnivorous husband hates figs). I usually grill with butter but using olive oil made sense given the creamy cheese — and it helped cut back on the saturated fat guilt.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 5 minutes

Ready in: 10 minutes

Yield: 2 sandwiches

2 slices of red onion, separated into rounds

4 slices of (preferably artisanal) bread (Alison uses gluten free)

1/4 cup fig jam

4 ounces of goat milk brie (or brie from cow milk is fine too), cut into ¼ inch slices

2 slices of Applewood smoked ham

1 cup of wild arugula

Olive oil for brushing

Heat a panini press or skillet over medium heat. Spread the fig jam on one side of each slice of bread. Top two slices of bread evenly with the cheese slices and ham. Divide the onions evenly over the remaining two slices of bread and top with arugula.

Close the sandwiches, brush the outsides lightly with olive oil, and grill in the panini press for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the outside of the sandwich is golden brown. If you are cooking the sandwiches in a skillet or griddle, cook for 2-3 minutes per side. Slice into halves or quarters and serve immediately. With wine, natch, says Alison.

(Top four photos courtesy of Alison at A Girl, Defloured.)

More Tuesday dinner

Chocolate idiot cake from David Lebovitz

Crispy vegetarian tacos from The Misanthropic Hostess

Punchy penne with tomatoes and feta from Chez Loulou

Best craftsmen of France

One of the things I admire most about French culture is its preservation of traditional métiers. Walk down a street in Paris and chances are you’ll find a family-owned bakery, run by a boulangère proud to carry her name above the door. There are independent pastry shops, fromageries, charcuteries and butchers. Or even boot-makers, or hat designers, or wood-workers. And if you look closely, you’ll sometimes see four special words on the awning or window, printed above or below the shop’s name: Meilleur ouvrier de France, or best craftsman of France.

The first time I saw it, I laughed. Best worker in France? Those who criticize the French work ethic would almost certainly call that an oxymoron. But then I had the chance to meet un des meilleurs ouvriers — Pierre Gay, a fromager in Annecy who helped me with research for my book — and as I learned more about the title, I became fascinated by the path of endurance and excellence required to attain it.

This weekend, I’m thrilled to interview five MOFs — as they’re affectionately nicknamed — for an article in the New York Times. There is a baker, a florist, a corset-maker (his atelier is pictured above), a fromager, and a chocolatier, each of them the owner of an independent, Paris-based boutique.

It was fascinating to talk to these men — and, yes, in this article, they’re all men — about their backgrounds and paths to success, and to learn a little more about the challenges they face as small business owners. Others may disagree, but I think France is one of the hardest climates in which to own a small shop. Along with universal worries like cost-cutting chains and consumers who prefer the convenience of the supermarché, French employers also face concerns like the 35-hour workweek and hefty payroll taxes.

A lot of them also complained about the lack of motivation among today’s youth. “I don’t understand how they could want to play video games rather than work on this!” a charcutier once said to me, this referring to the preparation of blood sausage. But I think that’s probably a complaint as old as the métier itself.

Related links from the internets:

In Paris, Five Shops Where Artisanship becomes Art (New York Times)

Meilleurs Ouvriers de France (official site)

Kings of Pastry documentary on the MOF pâtisserie competition (trailer)

A Visit to Patrick Roger — Chocolatier, MOF (David Lebovitz)

 

Tuesday dinner with David Lebovitz

There are some Tuesday dinners when all you want to eat is chocolate cake. Thank goodness, then, for David Lebovitz and his chocolate idiot cake, made of only four ingredients, which you can whip together in less time than it takes to heat the oven.

If you read blogs and love Paris, David’s food blog about Paris has probably made you lick your computer screen. A former Chez Panisse pastry chef, he also creates recipes, writes cookbooks, renovates kitchens (or, at least, a kitchen) and develops i-Phone pastry apps — activities that keep him very busy indeed. Today, he shares his tips for fast meals and cooking and baking for friends without stress.

On his regular Tuesday schedule: My outdoor market is on Tuesday so I hit that first thing in the morning, before the throngs arrive. Dinner is likely something from the market — maybe a big salad with cheese and bread on the side, a pan-roasted pork chop fried with thyme and olive oil, or perhaps some baked fresh sardines with garlicky breadcrumbs enriched with hazelnuts.

And when he doesn’t feel like cooking: Well, I do like pizza and have been known to indulge in the great Parisian sport of getting a pie to go (however I’m a little more selective than some of them, and skip Domino’s and le Speed Rabbit). But generally I make something myself, like pasta with toasted garlic and olive oil. Or else I pick up a roast chicken at the butcher, which are better than anything you can make at home.

On easy entertaining: I’ll often get appetizers from a local épicerie, including cured ham and olives, then concentrate on the main course and, of course, dessert. Being in France, it’s pretty easy to find things like charcuterie and cheeses, even in supermarkets — even though I prefer to get them at the market or at specialty shops.

In David’s fridge and pantry:

–Fresh goat cheese is great since it can be folded into an omelette, crumbled in a salad, or strewn over hot pasta, where it melts into its own sauce.

–I keep a can of chickpeas so I can make a quick batch of hummus, without having to wait for the chickpeas to soften and cook.

–Sausages are quick to cook up in a skillet and filling, and I can pair them with a salad for a quick meal.

On saving time in the kitchen: I buy things in bulk, like chocolate and nuts, so I’m not always running to the store. Having a big bin of broken up pieces of dark chocolate on hand means that, in addition to having something to snack on 24/7, I can make something like a batch of brownies or chocolate idiot cake very easily.

On every home cook’s best friend: I’m a big fan of leftovers. Every so often a cookbook comes out about cooking for one or two, which is fine, but if I’m going to get a few pots and pans out, I like t0 have enough for leftovers the next day for lunch.

Like cassoulet: I was in the Lot and came home and wanted to put one together. It was a bit of work (especially cleaning up all that duck fat) but it was good for three meals, so it paid off.

 

David’s chocolate idiot cake has only four ingredients: butter, eggs, sugar and chocolate. If you eat it cooled from the oven, it’s smooth and soft, like pudding. But if you chill it, pull it from the fridge, and bring it almost to room temperature, it becomes satiny and luscious, like the finest chocolate ganache. Curious? You can find the recipe here on his blog, or in his fantastic cookbook, Ready for Dessert (now out in paperback!).

(Photos of hummus and Monsieur Lebovitz, courtesy of David Lebovitz.)

P.S. Here’s more Tuesday dinner.

Between

It is supposed to 86 degrees Fahrenheit today. It is October.

Yes, the weather and the time of year are disconnected — and I think it has started to affect my emotional state. Because ever since I got to Washington, I’ve felt like I’ve been floating. Between seasons. Between cities. Between projects.

My life in Paris feels like a dream and every day carries me further and further from it. As a result, I am reluctant to move forward with practical things — like buying a cell phone, or stocking up on Indian spices. I want to linger in this limbo a little longer, prolong the enchantment.

Transitions, in writing and in life, are hard. (That’s a clever quote I saw in Susan Orlean’s Twitter feed.) I had no illusions that this one would be easy, but I find myself surprised to be mired in it all the same: the anxiety of forming a routine, the rude shock of displacement, the loneliness. Gosh, I had forgotten about the loneliness of being in a new place. And then there is the added challenge of repatriation, of rejoining a world that — after almost ten years away — seems to have moved on without you.

In the market, I see the vegetables clashing. Summer and fall. Tomatoes and beets. Borlotti beans and sweet potatoes. Basil and parsley. One season is ending and another beginning. It’s the world’s most clichéd metaphor, but still an apt description of, well, my life.

  

  

Instead of choosing the vegetables of one season over another, I’ve been combining the two. Pulverizing the parsley and the basil together into pesto, for example. Layering the golden tomatoes and beets in a salad. And the borlotti beans and sweet potato? I mixed those together too, an unlikely combination, but delicious with fine olive oil and lime juice, the roasted orange cubes a sweet burst against the creamy starch of fresh beans.

And there you have it friends, this food to bridge two seasons, these recipes to ease a transition. No one ever said leaving Paris would be easy. Still, I think I prefer it to the alternative of never having lived in Paris at all. And so we muddle along, cooking and eating our way to a new home while dreaming of the one waiting patiently for our return.

Cocos rouges + patate douce

500 grams/ 1 lb fresh borlotti or cranberry beans (the Dupont Circle market called them “bird egg beans”)

1 large sweet potato

1-2 tablespoons olive oil for roasting

Juice of 1 lime

High-quality extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

Parmagiano Reggiano, or crumbled feta (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400ºF/200ºC. Shell and rinse the beans and place them in a medium saucepan. Cover with water by 1 inch and cook over medium heat until tender, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, peel and dice the sweet potato into 1 1/2-inch cubes. Toss with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast until soft, about 20 minutes.

Drain the beans. In a large bowl, combine them with the sweet potato, 1-2 tablespoons of fine olive oil, and the lime juice, allowing the warm vegetables to drink in the dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve warm or cold, dusted with finely grated parmesan or crumbled feta, if desired.

 

Tuesday dinner with The Misanthropic Hostess

I love Mexican food but I never make it at home because it seems super labor intensive and full of ingredients (like lard!) that I’d rather consume unknowingly. So when my friend Shannon Faris from The Misanthropic Hostess mentioned she had a fast, healthy recipe for crispy black bean tacos, I begged her to share the recipe as a Tuesday Dinner.

Shannon and I met at UCLA when I joined a sorority and she was the president. Though we weren’t close then — mainly because I was a sweaty-palmed kid from the suburbs and she was, you know, the president of the sorority — through the magic of the internets, I’ve recently discovered that we share a love of tortoiseshell flats, homemade baked goods and UCLA football. (Oh, yes, there’s a lot you don’t know about me, isn’t there, dear reader?)

I love Shannon’s blog because of her meditations on hipsters, salted caramel and Girls, her obsession with Christina Tosi’s Momofuku Milkbar Cookbook, and the fact that she constructed UCLA’s iconic Royce Hall out of gingerbread. Behold:

In between cookie construction, Shannon works as a high-powered academic and university administrator. She’s married to the lovely TD and they live in Los Angeles with two cats who appear to be the size of King Kong. I’m thrilled to welcome Shannon to ponder important things like taco semantics — and share a recipe, of course:

Misanthropic Taco Tuesdays

by Shannon Faris of The Misanthropic Hostess

Full confession? TD and I are near failures at pulling off the weeknight dinner. Disparate travel, work and extracurricular schedules mean that many nights we find ourselves wolfing down peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as the clock nears 9:00 PM just so we’re no longer hungry. Sometimes, if we’re feeling fancy, we’ll use paper towels instead of leaning over the sink. That’s assuming we actually eat dinner together. On the frequent nights when I fly solo, I generally revert to my secret single dinner a la Sex and the City: the quesadilla. Said sandwich is always eaten sitting on TD’s side of the bed watching some sort of ABC Family teen drama like Bunheads. Eating while in bed is strictly forbidden at all other times.

But…

There is one dinner item in the Faris and Davis arsenal that triumphs over all. It knocks out the after-hours conference call and obliterates post-work errands. I’m talking about the taco. Humble and often unassuming, this common street food is what brings us to the table on weeknights. To be clear though, for us, the taco is only a panacea at the conceptual level. The rest? Is philosophical.

Allow me to explain. I come from Southern California. To me, a taco is some sort of protein-based filling plus cilantro, radish and a crumbled soft cheese (queso fresco anyone?). All of it is wrapped in a warm blanket of the double corn tortilla and accessorized with a liberal shot of lime and hot sauce. Tapatio or Cholula are preferred though Tabasco or even Sriracha will do.

TD’s experience of the taco? Ground meat, chopped tomatoes, iceberg lettuce and shredded cheese (generally yellow…and yes, I mean yellow as the kind of cheese) all embraced by a — gasp — premade taco shell. Not a fried shell, I’m talking out-of-a-box, pre-molded shells. TD is the first and only person I’ve ever met who not only eats these things voluntarily but prefers them. Prior to this I thought the cardboard-like half domes were only available via distribution to cafeteria ladies and Taco Bell.

This dilemma has lead us to wax philosophical about the taco on many occasions. What, exactly, is a taco? Why do they exist? Or do they? If you had a taco named after you, would what be in it and why? If you were a taco, would you eat yourself? All of these are serious and enjoyable questions that have resulted in deep discussion.

Unfortunately, critical consideration does not fill an empty stomach. And so, as we agreed in our wedding vows, tacos in our casa are a compromise (well, we acknowledged that marriage is a willing and informed compromise. I can’t remember if tacos were specifically mentioned). We take turns on fillings and filling cases. I even bought TD some accessories for his hard shells. Behold, the Taco Proper (pronounced “taco propa” around our dinner table). I happen to think they’re a bit like putting lipstick on a pig, but TD feels the same way about radishes, so, you know.

There are easily a thousand-and-one ways to make a taco. Most require only a pantry raid and a little creative initiative. But, if you are looking for something special, the crispy black bean taco recipe that appeared in the February 2009 issue of Bon Appétit is the way to go. These babies are a feast of flavors, textures and colors. The creamy and spicy beans are countered by crisp cabbage, smooth feta and the crunchy indulgence of a fried shell. Bite into one (or two or three) for a Tuesday dinner and you’ll feel anything but typical weeknight. And, we haven’t even talked about how they come together in less than half and hour and just happen to be unabashedly vegetarian. Dinner is served, taco proper optional.

Crispy black bean tacos

Via Shannon Faris, adapted from Bon Appétit

Note: This is one of those rare recipes where the ingredients magically add up to something greater than their sum of their parts, with the fried corn tortilla and raw cabbage creating layers of chewy, crunchy texture. For those who live in a black-bean- and corn-tortilla-free zone, I made a second version with kidney beans and flour tortillas that was different but just as delicious.

1 can beans, black or kidney, drained

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Juice of 1 lime

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups coleslaw mix (or shredded cabbage)

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

2 green onions, chopped

1 small chili, finely chopped

4 tortillas, corn or flour

1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Olive oil for frying

Salt and pepper

Hot sauce (Tapatio, Cholulu, Tabasco)

In a bowl, combine the beans and cumin and mash lightly. In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage mix, cilantro, green onions, chili, lime juice, and 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2-3 teaspoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, spread 1/4 of the bean mixture onto the surface of each tortilla. When the oil is hot, place as many tacos in the skillet as possible (bean-side up) and fry for about 1 minute, before folding them in half. Continue frying until lightly golden and crunchy, about 1 minute per side. Repeat with the remaining tacos.

Remove to a plate and pry open the tacos — careful, they’re hot! Top each one with the cabbage mixture, feta cheese, a dash of hot sauce if desired, and maybe an avocado slice. Fold again and eat.

(Photos courtesy of Shannon Faris, except for the taco photos, which I snapped before devouring.)

P.S. Here’s more Tuesday dinner.

 

Tuesday dinner with Chez Loulou

Yesterday, I announced the launch of Tuesday Dinner, a new interview series on my blog devoted to fast, healthy, weekday meals. Today, I’m excited to welcome Jennifer of Chez Loulou who shares a glimpse of her life as an American expat in Normandy — where she works in a real, live château! — and a killer quick recipe for pasta.

Jennifer juggles work in the gorgeous Château Canisy (pictured above) with life at home with her lovely husband and adorable animals. She also has a beautiful blog and is an intrepid Normandy explorer and cheese connoisseur — there’s none too stinky or too obscure to escape her interest. With all these activities, it’s no surprise that her weeknight schedule is a bit sporadic:

“There is no regular Tuesday night chez moi,” she writes. “Sometimes I work until 10PM, sometimes I’m home and sometimes I only work until 5PM.

“I try to always keep cans of whole Italian tomatoes, thickly cut bacon, onions, Parmesan cheese and pasta in the house — then I know I can whip up some Amatriciana sauce and have dinner ready in about 30 minutes.

“When I really don’t feel like cooking, an omelet or frittata is my perfect solution. If there aren’t enough eggs in the house, I make savory tartines [open-faced toasted sandwiches] with bits of ham, cheese and/or vegetables.

“Cans of chickpeas or white beans can easily be made into salads or simple soups and don’t take much time at all. Also, frozen peas, some stock and arborio rice can be made into risi e bisi in no time.

“Chick peas with tomato and spinach is one of my favorite curries. Not my recipe, but it is fantastic!

Another great recipe — pasta this time — is this one…”

Penne with tomatoes and feta

Adapted from Bon Appétit magazine and Jennifer Greco

Note: I made this tangy, salty, punchy pasta last week and it was perfect for the waning days of tomato and arugula season. The original recipe calls for one pint each of cherry and grape tomatoes, but I just diced up some gorgeous heirloom monsters from the marché.

8 ounces / 250 grams penne (I used whole wheat)

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

6 green onions, chopped (about 1 cup)

3 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced

2 lbs / 1 kg tomatoes, diced

5 cups (loosely packed) arugula

1 1/2 cups (about 7 oz / 225 grams) feta cheese, crumbled

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente, or firm to the bite, about 11 minutes, or according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the green onions, garlic and tomatoes and sauté until the vegetables are heated through and on the point of collapse, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet with the tomatoes. Add the remaining olive oil and arugula and stir to combine until the leaves begin to wilt. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve immediately, sprinkled with lots of feta cheese.

Even Domino, Jennifer’s kitty, approves of this dish!

(Photos courtesy of Jennifer Greco, except the pictures of food, which were snapped by moi.)

Introducing Tuesday dinner

Picture this: It’s the middle of the week, you get home from work (or, if you’re like me, your husband gets home from work and you drag yourself away from the computer). The cupboard is bare because you haven’t been outside all day, maybe all week. You can barely bring yourself to turn on the stove, let alone cook something. You pour yourself a glass of wine. You seriously consider eating goldfish crackers for dinner.

I’m not the only one, right?

I love home cooking — in fact, I prefer it to fine dining — but during the week my short repertoire of fast, healthy meals often feels a little monotonous: pasta, channa masala, stir fry, lather, rinse, repeat. But recently, I’ve become fascinated by what other people make for supper on a regular old Tuesday night (that is, a weeknight). So, I’ve asked some of my favorite (food) bloggers for their favorite down and dirty, quick and simple recipes and midweek cooking secrets… And I’m so excited to share them with you in a new blog series called Tuesday Dinner! The first edition will appear this Tuesday — i.e. tomorrow — with Jennifer from Chez Loulou. I hope you enjoy this new series and stop by to share some of your tips, too!

Carte postale: L’automne arrive

Good news: We have moved to a new apartment!

Bad news: Our kitchen is still in boxes, the boxes are piled waist-high, and last week I managed to set my laptop in a puddle of water where it rested for over 24 hours. As if I don’t have enough going on, I’m also on deadline for that Hong Kong article I so blithely researched a few weeks ago. Needless to say, I am getting dried out, sorted out, and trying not to freak out. Honey crisp apples from the Dupont Circle marché are helping.

I’ll be back soon with a fun blog announcement. Until then, I hope your week is off to a crisp autumn start!