Tarte de basilic et légumes grillés

 Slice of Tarte

In the pan

More notes on this to come, but we wanted to share some visuals in the meantime. I am extremely confident in the making of this dough. It is the filling(s) that I still need practice with. However, if you have 45 minutes and some pantry staples, a savory French tarte is an easy (yes, easy) light dinner. 

Tarte aux patates douces et fromage de chèvre

The Piccolo Gourmet had a great time tonight. This bread was so much fun to make that we might try it again tomorrow. This tarte base is only three ingredients: 3 eggs, 1-1/2 cups flour, and 1-1/2 cups milk. To it, you could add some salt, some fresh herbs, whatever! The trick is to oil your pan extremely well and to have it heat in the oven on its own for 10 minutes at 425 degrees. When your pan is smoking hot, add your batter and whatever toppings you wish. We were hesitant adding our toppings to such a wet, raw batter, but everything sets up beautifully! We won't tell you what kind of tarte to create—the possibilities are endless. Be creative! Our crust tonight was a combination of Whole Wheat and All-Purpose flours. Though the majority of our dish consisted of sweet potatoes and goat cheese, we also included spinach and caramelized onion. We seasoned it with garlic, sage, sea salt, and crushed black pepper. If you have all your ingredients ready to go, this dinner can be made in 45 minutes. An easy, healthy, after-work treat.

Torre de Batata

April has been colder than we would have hoped. Despite the chill, we decided to start Spring with a salad—but a roasted vegetable salad instead of jumping into the lettuce catagory. There will be plenty of time for that later. Besides, we had some great surprises show up in our produce delivery this past week!

It is no secret that The Piccolo Gourmet loves to roast vegetables. Inspired by our favorite local spot, we hope you enjoy this warm, Mexican-influenced salad.

This recipe is as delicious as it is foolproof. Big flavor with a minimal amount of prep time.

INGREDIENTS
2 sweet potatoes
1 bag of fresh brussel sprouts
1 cup of white (or black) beans
olive oil
sea salt
chipotle powder
ancho chili powders
goat cheese* (optional)

Peel and slice potatoes in 1/4 inch disks. Clean the brussel sprouts and slice in half. Toss the vegetables in olive oil and lay (cut-side down) on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and toss liberally with sea salt. Lightly dust the vegetables with both chili powders (Ancho can be quite hot, so add this powder to your taste).

Lay one slice of potato on a plate and top with 2 or 3 of the brussel sprout halves. Continue adding layers until a mound is formed. Top with a spoonful of white beans and drizzle olive oil over the dish. Enjoy.

*note: I originally ate this without the cheese. I added a crumble of goat cheese on top to balance out the heat of the chili powder on my second helping. It tasted fabulous, (when is adding goat cheese a bad thing?) but, this can be easilly left out to keep the salad vegan. It is delicious either way.

Couscous Blanc

Oh, the mighty artichoke. I love you, artichoke, but you stress me out. Thank goodness Julia Child takes you step-by-step—she's a life saver. This is my third attempt at cooking artichokes.  Yes, I'm still intimidated. Yes, they are time-consuming. However, you feel proud of yourself when you are done. And, come on, who doesn't love a fresh artichoke? I'm home alone. This means more artichoke for me (and I can pig out all by myself). 

Oh yeah. That's happening. 

And sorry, I'm not going to tell you how to cook artichokes because there are many others that could explain the process FAR BETTER than I. You should see my kitchen—it's a complete mess. I am obviously not a pro. The only advice I can give you is: Be prepared to work. Leave time for yourself, be patient, and try to enjoy the experience. 

Coincidentally, most of the items I set out to cook with tonight were "white" in color: White mushrooms, white beans, white wine. Thus, "Couscous Blanc" was created. The wine I had on hand was Spanish (shocking, I know), and I was referencing Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The result was a mediterranean-inspired dish combining Spanish and French cuisines. 

After my meal, I wrote some notes. I liked what I made, but it needs some work. Or maybe just more salt. Next time, I am going to add more oil and: 1.) finish with fresh squeezed lemon juice or 2.) add a some cheese (crumbled chèvre or shavings of queso de cabra borracha). Perhaps both. 

MATERIALS
1 cup of pre-soaked, pre-cooked white beans

2 globe artichokes

2 glasses of white wine (I used a 2011 Garnacha Blanca)

5 garlic cloves (2 whole, 3 sliced)

1 Tbsp of each dried herb: thyme, basil, sage

1/2 of a medium-sized onion

1 pinch of saffron

8 oz. organic white mushrooms (cleaned and sliced)

3 Tbs. minced fresh parsley

1 cup couscous (I used Red Mill brand)

olive oil (don't be shy)

sea salt (don't be shy)

cracked black peper

INSTRUCTIONS
Steam the trimmed and cored artichokes with 2 inches of salted water and 1 glass of white wine. Add 2 whole cloves of garlic and a bay leaf for aromatics. Steam for 40 minutes. Personally, I felt that this was too long of a time. Try 25 and check for doneness. 

While the artichokes are cooking, sauté the onion with a pinch of sea salt in olive oil. Once this is caramelized, add your garlic and the other glass of white wine. Let this simmer and cook down. When most of the alcohol has burned off, add your herbs, saffron, and mushrooms. Once the mushrooms have let out some of their juices, turn off the heat. Add the beans, cover with a lid, and let the mixture rest.

Reserve 1-1/2 cups of the artichoke cooking water. Keep the aromatics in the water. Heat this back up to a boil and add your couscous. Take off off the heat, cover with a lid, and wait 5 minutes. When the couscous has absorbed all of the liquid, remove the bay leaf. Add the mushroom mixture to the couscous. Test for salt and add freshly ground black (or white) pepper. Sprinkle with the fresh, chopped parsley, and stir.  Let the leaves wilt with the steam of the dish. Serve.

Stuffed Pepper Hors d'oeuvre

The Piccolo Gourmet returns to its roots and created something Euro-Mediterranean. 

Our CSA box this week was packed with goodies: Kale, Petite Sweet Peppers, and the list goes on! Because of this, we rapidly had to use up vegetables we bought earlier in the week. (As well as our fresh cheeses that only have a 3-4 day shelf life.) What to do?

The petite peppers reminded me of when I was living in Spain. A popular tapa we had was pimientos de padrón, which were char-blistered peppers brushed with olive oil and sea salt. I don't drink beer, but on the rare occasions that I did, this was a great paring. At my friend's house, we used to do a variation: We sliced pieces of manchego, stuffed the pepper, and then charred the peppers on his grill. 

Tonight, however, the cheeses we had on hand were French, not Spanish. But why not try a French variation on my original recipe? I made a quick mirepoix (how French, right?) of the carrots, celery, and shallot that were low on shelf life. To this, I added our reminder of fresh spinach to wilt. When this was all done, I chopped the mixture finely in a food processor. This was combined with the remainder of my Fromage Blanc to make a stuffing similar in looks to a New York bagel spread.

Put the de-seeded, stuffed peppers on a foiled cookie sheet. Drizzle lightly with some olive oil and flip to coat. Place this under your broiler for 10 minutes and let the blistering begin. Remove from the oven when the dark char-marks begin to form. Sprinkle with sea salt and let it rest 5 minutes before serving. 

Spanish tapa meets French hors d'oeuvre: Bon Appétit and Buen Provecho from the Piccolo Gourmet!

Wontons "Our Way"

We have become a regulars at Cowgirl Creamery, a local cheese shop here in Washington, DC. To say the word "love" would be an understatement. We adore that place—and the staff is friendly and helpful. Their "Fromage Blanc" is a beautiful cow's milk cheese that we have become enamored with. It is not an Italian ricotta cheese, nor is it an American cream cheese—however—the texture is a marriage of both. It is tangy, creamy, and versatile. This, in itself, would be a delicious wonton filling. 

Speaking of wontons, this is what we experimented again with tonight. Wonton wrappers are blank canvases. They can hold anything. We mixed our beloved Fromage Blanc with wilted spinach, sea salt, and caramelized onions.

Baked wontons are just as crispy as fried wontons. This is great for all you calorie-counters out there, and there is no messy frying oil. Your stuffed creation is bite-size, crispy, and a fun change-of-pace from your normal dinner. Just pre-heat your oven to 350F and bake your wontons for 15 minutes. If you make your filling the night before, dinner can be virtually effortless and ready in less than 30 minutes.

On a personal note, standing at your kitchen counter while stuffing (and folding) wontons is a very calming action. After an extremely busy day at the office, this was a surprising way to relax. I was exhausted when I arrived home and nearly ordered take-out.  I'm glad that we didn't. I was even more glad when I bit into that warm, crunchy wonton. What's our next wonton filling? Literally—food for thought.

Baked Wontons

Coconut-Peanut Dipping Sauce with Cucumbers

 

Fried Tofu Squares (to also dip in the Peanut Sauce)

 

Vegetable Soup with Noodles and Hot Chili Powder

 

Wontons

Asian food is a new direction for The Piccolo Gourmet. It's not that we don't like this type of food—we just never think to make it, really. And yes, I will be honest, it intimidates me a little. "Stick with what you know", I told myself, "And stick to items with which you are comfortable". The majority of our education and experience has been with Western European cuisine, so why stray from the path? Let's try to make something cross-cultural—fusion—as people like to call it. And that is exactly what we did.

Wonton wrappers: Cute, slimy, fun. You can fill wontons with whatever you like, which is the best part of making your own dumplings. I filled ours with Neufchâtel, minced asparagus, yellow peppers, and a touch of pimentón. Other combinations that I had in my head were: goat cheese with pears, pimientos de pardron with manchego, fava (or white bean) puree with sea salt and herbs. I know, I know, the only Asian ingredient I used were wonton wrappers. But hey, use what you are comfortable with, right? 

I was cooking with friends and Jennifer, who is Korean, taught me that before I bake my wontons (which was what I did) to steam them first. Truth: My wontons came out kind of too crunchy, but not entirely inedible. (We did eat them all.) The steaming would have absolutely helped—great to know for next time—and, yes, there will be a next time.

MATERIALS:
4 oz Neufchâtel
1 cup Minced vegetables of your choice
1 heavy pinch of sea salt
1 dash of pimentón or smoked paprika
1 dash of dried thyme, oregano, garlic, or a mix of all three
1 pkg wonton wrappers

TECHNIQUE
1. Mix all your ingredients together
2. Dip entire wonton wrapper in water and cup this in your hand
3. Drop a small spoon of cheese mixture in the center of the wonton
4. Fold in edges and pinch together
5. Steam these for little bit (not sure how long Jennifer would recommend)
6. Bake in a preheated 350C oven on a greased sheet until golden on the edges, about 20 minutes.
7. EAT!!

The dinner was a full Asian-themed meal that we all shared family-style. We had Baked Vegetable-Cheese Wontons (obviously), Coconut-Peanut dipping sauce alongside Fried Tofu Squares and sliced Cucumbers, Spicy Vegetarian Noodle Soup, and Dessert Wontons that were stuffed with Nutella and Banana. Hmmm... on second thought, this might become a catagory in the future for the Piccolo Gourmet: Themed-Cooking with Friends. I guess you will have to check back in the future!