Happy Bastille Day!

Bonjour mes amis! Today is the 14th of July, which means it's French National Day, or Bastille Day. The holiday commemorates the 1790 Fete de la Federation, which was celebrated on the one-year anniversary of the storming of the Bastille fortress-prison. Parades, parties and fireworks are just a few of the traditions carried out on this spectacular day in France. And, since France is one of the epicenters of both classic and modern cuisine, I had to dedicate a post to French delicacies. (Special thanks to MyCityCuisine for some info on the most important treats to hit on!)

from Flickr - by Grobbs

Escargot: Snails! That's what they are, and I'm not ashamed to say that they are delicious! Usually cooked in a massive amount of butter and some garlic, these tasty little morsels are served in their shells. They have the consistency of a well-cooked, salty mussel.

Foie Gras: A very decadent dish made of duck or goose fat liver. It's an extremely rich dish, as most French dishes are, that is usually served in the form of a pate alongside another dish, or simply by itself.

Brioche: This is a loaf bread, rich in butter and egg that yields a very tender crust. This bread is so rich that it resembles a pastry more than any regular bread, and is often baked with fruit or chocolate chips within it. It is usually served as either a breakfast pastry, or as part of a dessert.

from Flickr - by euthman

Along with the above examples, many cheeses, sweets and rich entrees hail from France. It would take a very long post to list all the good ones, so I chose just a few of my very favorites! Each region of France has its own traditional specialties with different wines and cheeses being unique to those regions. Champagne for example...REAL champagne...only comes from the French region of Champagne. If it comes from anywhere else, it's sparkling wine.

Wikipedia states, "French cuisine is also regarded as a key element of the quality of life and the attractiveness of France." I normally wouldn't quote something directly but I felt that this line captivated the true essence of French cuisine, and I really couldn't have said it better myself!

Bon Appetit! Bonne Bastille!

It's a Scorcher!

Phew, is it hot out there today! On days like this, the last thing anyone can think about is standing over a hot stove, slaving away at a complicated dinner. You want to eat simply, lightly, and with the least effort expelled, right?

I have all this produce to use, from the CSA Share, and I was sitting at my desk today, thinking about what I could make for dinner. I haven't gone grocery shopping in awhile, but I have some things, and thought about what I could buy at the farmer's market to fill in the gaps. On my way back from the gym at lunch time, I stopped in at the Foxboro Cheese booth at the Dewey Square Farmers Market. The gentleman there also sells some beef and veal products and that's what I had my eye on. The prices were better than I remember them being last year, so I was psyched about that...but more importantly, he had two gorgeous veal loin chops with my name on 'em!

This was going to be easy! Now, all their meat comes frozen, so I left it out for the afternoon to defrost, and when I got home from work, I mixed up some olive oil, rosemary (from my dear friend, Heidi's, garden), salt and pepper. I let that infuse for a little bit before coating the veal in the mixture. I let it sit for a little bit while the grill was heating up.

I sliced the swiss chard I received in the CSA share into 1-inch ribbons and also minced up a couple of garlic cloves. While the veal was on the grill, I sauteed the garlic in a little butter and olive oil until fragrant and then threw in the chard.

Chard is a very hearty green but it will wilt down just like any other, given the time. I tossed it every minute or so until every leaf was wilted equally. At the very end, I turned down the heat and threw in a bit of Champagne Shallot Mustard from Stonewall Kitchen. The mustard gave a nice creamy texture to the chard, as well as a nice bite...and I only used a tablespoon or so.

This meal came together in about 15 minutes, 10 of which I spent outside, enjoying the weather near the grill. Now that's my kinda summer-time meal!

Fun fact of the day: Did you know that Swiss Chard is high in A, K and C? The World's Healthiest Foods says that Swiss Chard ranks only second to spinach in a total-nutrient analysis!

Pesto ... as Promised!

I opted to use the bunch of basil I received in my delivery first, because basil spoils quite quickly, and I didn't want it to go to waste. The best way to use a large amount of basil is to make pesto sauce. What's pesto sauce, you may ask...well, I'm about to show you. It is probably one of the easiest sauces to throw together!

Pesto goes great with any pasta, but I prefer it with a shape that has a larger surface area to catch the sauce. I decided to go with a box of medium shells that I had in my pantry (I told you I was going to start using stuff up!). You'll also need some grated Parmesan, pine nuts, salt and pepper, garlic and olive oil, in addition to the basil. I decided to add some ricotta to the top of my dish, as a garnish, as well, so I saved a few basil leaves to mix in with that as well.

The first thing that you need to do to prepare your pesto sauce is toast the pine nuts. When I say toast, I mean, get some heat on them...they burn VERY quickly so throw them under the broiler for a minute or two tops, but keep a close eye on them. All you need is a little heat to bring out the flavor of the nut.

In a food processor, chop up a clove of garlic (or a little less than a clove if you don't want it to be very garlicky) and the pine nuts until they are all chopped up. Add about 3 handfuls of basil and chop it all up. Add the Parmesan and then start pouring olive oil, little bits at a time until you have a thick, chunky consistency.

While the shells were cooking, I took half a head of lettuce and mixed it with some shaved carrots, sliced radishes, and lemon-tarragon vinaigrette, as a side dish to the pasta. I also mixed a few tablespoons of ricotta with some salt, pepper, and basil ribbons.

Once the pasta was drained, and put back in the pot, I added the pesto and tossed it all together. Reserve a little bit of the pasta water before draining, in case you need to thin your sauce a bit. In this case, I didn't need to, but depending on the consistency of your pesto, it could be an option for you, and the starchy water is the perfect antidote. I plated the salad alongside the pasta and added a nice quenelle (a dollop shaped with two tablespoons) of ricotta mixture to the top of each plate. I sprinkled it with Parmesan and a few extra basil ribbons. VOILA!

Farm Fresh Produce in the House!

The CSA share from Harvest Delivery arrived this evening! I thoroughly enjoyed unpacking the box full of goodies, since I had no idea what would be arriving in the delivery! The gentleman who delivered this wonderful package was named Ed, and he was very friendly and sunny! He told me a bit more about the CSA shares and how their deliveries work. They have a very cool (no pun intended - ha!) system that involves an insulated cool box that stores your deliveries until you arrive home from work and unlock the box to retrieve your fresh produce.

Look at all that beautiful fresh produce that I was lucky enough to receive! So, let's take a short inventory, shall we? We have two bunches of crispy, bright radishes and a giant bunch of fresh beets, with the greens attached! Radish greens and beet greens can be used in recipes separate from their root counterparts too, so I'm going to try and make the most of these bunches! We've also got some summer squashes, and some cute little cucumbers. The bunch of scallions are enormous - I've never seen scallions that big! We have a carton of deliciously sweet blueberries, and a half-dozen farm fresh eggs as well!

There are two huge heads of different lettuces that will make us salads for a week and a half! We've got a gorgeous bouquet of swiss chard, as well as a giant bunch of basil!  Since basil goes bad fairly quickly, I think I might use that first and make some pesto sauce for a pasta dish for tomorrow night's dinner. There's also a bag of delicious, peppery arugula which I can't wait to eat! I had to try a leaf, just to TASTE it ... and OH...so good! Lastly, I got two little heads of a strongly flavored green, but I'm not completely sure what it is - I think it's baby bok choy.

So, let's see, so far, I'm thinkin' pesto sauce...which isn't exactly the most creative use of basil, but when you have a lot of it, and want to use it all before it goes bad, it's the best way to go! I'm also thinking of some sort of curry, using those summer squash, since I also took a little trip to Penzey's Spices today. I picked up quite a few Indian spices, even though they weren't on my list of refills. Sometimes you see things, and you just think..."yes, I will be able to use that for something in the very near future." We'll be having lots of salads to use those two giant heads of lettuce, and I love the crunch of crispy radishes sliced in salads as well! I think I'll stop by the farmer's market booth that sells locally-made goat cheese, for a nice big salad full of greens, feta and some roasted beets as well! And I think...maybe a pasta carbonara with the addition of some wilted swiss chard. Sound good!?

Join me as I work my way through this CSA share...I love a new adventure and this one is exciting! Next up: I'll teach you how to make pesto sauce!

The Weekend is Upon Us!

Originally, I planned on writing about the final item on the current menu, an Osso Bucco from the Food Network Favorites cookbook. However, I just wasn't all that inspired by the final result. It could have been that I was missing the gremolata accompaniment for the Osso Bucco ( a cut of veal that is on-the-bone, and cooked slowly to maintain its tenderness) but I ran out of parsley, and really didn't feel like toasting pinenuts. I also should have made a rice, or a couscous to go along with it - the laziness of summer weekends is setting in, I know!

I got a phone call today, letting me know that my Harvest Delivery would be arriving on Sunday. Remember, a few weeks back when I let you all know about that special deal I found on Bloomspot? If not, check it out here. I don't know what I will be receiving until it shows up, but I know I will be getting a full share of fruits, vegetables, some farm-fresh eggs, and a special surprise. They also include a booklet of customized recipes for the share being delivered.

from Flickr - by ChickenThistleFarm

It's also time to make a new shopping list since I've finally finished the current menu, but I don't want to start a list until I know what fresh produce I have to work with, so this menu might be a little different than usual. I also have some fresh herbs from my friend's garden that I'm trying to use as well, and my pantry is overflowing with half-full bottles and jars of wonderful ingredients just waiting to be used! I'm thinking I might get a bit creative this time around and work through some of the things I already have lying around, picking up proteins as I need them.

Have you all been visiting the farmers' markets? I love to walk around the booths and think about what I could make with all the different ingredients these local vendors have to offer...and now is certainly the season for it! Let's make this a culinary adventure we can all appreciate - as I find wonderful ingredients I will share them with you, and if all of you out there in the blogosphere find things you want to know more about, send me a comment or an email - I will do my best to include those items in posts! It'd be a waste if we didn't take advantage of all the things offered to us in these lovely summer months!

from Flickr - by muddbutter

Stay tuned for some pictures of the bounty I'll be receiving on Sunday! I know I'm looking forward to it!

Fennel Bulbs and Artichokes

The plan was to make Fennel Risotto with Ricotta and Dried Chili, from Jamie Oliver's, Jamie's Italy, for dinner. The other night, I had to run to Whole Foods, and as I've been known to do, I wandered over to the artichokes...and had to buy more of them. I'm obsessed, I tell ya, obsessed! But, really, I just figured they'd go so perfectly with this specific risotto...and I was right!

I've talked about risotto many times in the past, so I won't regale you with more instructions on making it, but what I like about Jamie Oliver's books is that he takes a basic recipe, only explains it once, and then elaborates upon it in subsequent recipes. So, the recipe I chose had, as an "ingredient," the plain risotto recipe. Cool, right?

I gathered my mise en place for both the plain risotto, as well as the elaboration, and voila!

While I started the soffrito for the basic risotto recipe, I also sauteed some garlic and fennel until they were both soft and sweet. That took about 20 minutes, but it's great to just throw them in a pan, cover them, and forget about it.

Once the risotto was halfway done, I added the fennel mixture to the pot and continued to cook it until it was perfectly done! At that point, I removed it from the heat, added butter, crushed chili pepper, lemon zest, ricotta and parmesan and allowed it all to meld together for a few minutes. I seasoned the risotto with lemon juice, salt and pepper, tasting a few times to assure the correct flavors, and then it was time to plate!

The artichoke was a perfect pairing for this risotto, because it added a meaty quality that was absent from the risotto. It was also a very healthy side dish to an otherwise heavy meal...it balanced so well. Without each other, I would have been left wanting more...but together, it was the perfect meal!

My Best Friend's Wedding

My best friend got married last night! That explains my 3-day hiatus from the blogosphere. I apologize to all you epicureans...but I had duties to attend to! I was the "best woman," standing up for the groom during the ceremony and I was extremely honored to be there. It was a lovely evening, complete with a delicious meal including lobster strudel, israeli couscous with sauteed vegetables, an assortment of salads and a delicious creme brulee, which they cracked instead of cutting a cake! How cute is THAT?

Enough about the wedding itself...I promised my best friend that I would write about the gift he gave me for being his "best woman." They really found me the most perfect present ever, I think. An in-laid wood, handmade cutting board! He bought it at an art fair in Salt Lake City, where he lives, from a company called Split River Designs.

Now, the tag also says that I need to oil it on a monthly basis, as well as occasional sanding...so this is going to take some care, but I'm going to be sure to actually use it. Too many times, people get something beautiful and it sits in the closet...I intend to put this to its natural use, and take the time to care for it appropriately. You'll be sure to see it in many posts to come! :)

Tip of the day: Art fairs and antique festivals are great places to find cool additions to your culinary collection. Old cast iron, vintage glassware, and handmade cutting boards like this one can make it exciting to use your kitchen. If you love your tools, you'll love what you use them for!