Post Type ArchivesRecipes

Green Lasagna (with Swiss Chard and Zucchini)

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Green Lasagna (with Swiss Chard & Zucchini)

A few weeks ago, I started craving ricotta & spinach lasagna after watching a mouth-watering video on Instagram. Yet I was frustrated because this was off-season, and I couldn’t bring myself to make it. 

I tend not to remain frustrated, food-wise, for long. 

The gears in my mind started turning, as usual, at nightfall, when I was tossing and turning in bed. Green lasagna. That was what I wanted. With cheese. Ain’t nobody said spinach was needed specifically ! Nor ricotta. 

I was only a few google researchs away from my solution : the beloved Swiss Chard.

Swiss chard is at its best between May and October, which makes it perfect for your springy or summery cravings. Earthy, slightly bitter when raw, like Spinach, it turns mild and sweet when cooked, especially the leaves. It needs to be cooked a bit longer than Spinach, especially because of its fibrous stems. 

To remove any remaining bitterness, I decided to combine Swiss Chard with Zucchinis. When I settled on zucchinis, I thought : Goat Cheese ! Yay ! I could taste this great pairing in my mouth, and couldn’t wait to give it life. 

I was left dumbfounded by the fresh, fragrant yet generous taste of this lasagna dish ; you’d think it quite plain, with mostly, well, greens, but it was quite the opposite. The herbs used –mint, basil, chives and oregano– were instrumental in bringing that fragrance and freshness, aided by the bright acidity goat cheese and lemon provide. The richness of the creamy béchamel and the Pecorino romano leaves you craving for more after each mouthful.

Green Lasagna with Swiss Chard and Zucchini (Veggie) – Recipe

Ingredients – Pieces of advice

  • You can either pick fresh lasagna sheets or dry ones.
    • If choosing dry ones, you’ll need to cook them 10mn longer, and to make sure your béchamel is liquid enough. Then it works great ! 
  • If you’re feeling lazy, you can replace swiss chard with frozen spinach, which saves quite a bit of prep time. You simply thaw them, squeeze them well, and slice them up roughly. That’s it !
  • You don’t need a fancy goat cheese log for these lasagna ; I used a supermarket one, and it worked well. 

Off to your kitchen now !

Note : This happens to be a vegetarian dish, and I have never thought of it as such -I assure you your omnivore friends will be equally thrilled by this wonder !  

Pan con Tomate 2 ways (Veggie / Cured Ham)

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Pan con tomate two ways - one with feta cheese and slices kalamata olives, one with cured ham

If you want to get my heart in 3 words, forget about I love you : I have 3 much sweeter words in mind.

Pan. Con. Tomate.

As I failed to understand younger, less is more. This dish is one of the most satisfying summer dishes I know. A true summer dish, with aromatic summery produce. A dish you won’t mind making even when it’s 40°C outside.

And such a dish is made within 10 minutes.

  • First, grate your tomatoes
  • Meanwhile, toast some bread
  • Add olive oil, basil, salt to your tomatoes
  • Rub garlic on your bread
  • Spread your tomato mixture on your bread
  • Add toppings (if any).

This beautiful dish does not need any topping. You could spread your tomato mixture to your bread and call it a day : it will still be the most amazing 5-mn open-faced sandwiches you’ve ever had.

Yet I simply felt like playing around with my pan con tomate. I started picturing olives and feta cheese on top of this beauty, and I knew I had to attempt this version.

But I do love the traditional ones, too. Pan con tomate y jamon (with cured ham) is iconic in Catalonia ; could my humble veggie version compare to this one ?

Spoiler alert ; it could. I was truly amazed to see how I instantly felt the superiority of the veggie version over the ham version. I’m no vegetarian, but I keep discovering how easy it is to favour, as much as possible, veggie-based dishes ; and how easy it is to make those veggies shine, when you give them the same consideration you would to meat. Quality is of the essence, as well as a bit of research on traditional cooking techniques and recipes -with a great many number of dishes that are naturally vegetarian.

Pan con Tomate 2 ways – Ingredients

Ingredients – Advice & key points

  • The amounts listed make around 10 small to medium toasts, which serve 5 as an appetizer, or 2-3 as a main.
  • It goes without saying but : use quality, in-season tomatoes ! This is truly a summer dish, where the tomato taste must shine.
  • Basil and garlic are optional, but highly, highly recommended.
  • If you don’t own a toaster (which I find quite handy), you can use :
    • a pan on medium-high heat, and toast your slices 1-2 minutes per side ;
    • an oven on grill mode if you prep a large batch ; broil for 1–2 minutes per side on high ;
    • if you own a gas stove, using tongs, hold the bread directly over a gas flame for a few seconds on each side, moving it constantly to avoid burning.
  • You can use any bread you have on hand -just not industrial bread, please ; a fresh loaf from your local bakery is needed.
    • I ask my baker to pre-slice the bread, as I find it much handier.
    • I always keep a sliced bread loaf in my freezer. Then I have some whenever I like ; simply toast a slice or two straight from frozen, and there you go !
    • If you can find rustic bread, this would the most traditional type for Pan con Tomate.
  • Feel free to play around with Pan con Tomate toppings !
    • The most typical are either cured ham, anchovies or cheese.
    • Feel free to have others, or none at all ! It will be de-li-cious anyway.

Let’s get it done !

Authentic Bun Thit Nuong (Vietnamese Grilled Pork Vermicelli)

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Bun Thit Nuong : Vietnamese rice vermicelli with grilled pork in a lemongrass marinade, Do Chua, cucumbers, salad

Us Westerners all know and love Bo Bun (actually Bun Bo, or “rice vermicelli with beef”), especially with the crunchy spring rolls addition on top. In summer, you can see this rice noodle salad all over Vietnamese restaurants’ tables.

If you want an authentic taste though, you need to try instead the Bun Thit Nuong. This is 100% authentic Vietnamese street food, eaten all over the south (especially Saigon).

It usually consists of:

  • Cold vermicelli noodles
  • Grilled pork (thịt nướng), sometimes beef or chicken
  • Fresh herbs, Do Chua (pickled carrots/daikon), cucumber
  • Scallion oil
  • Nuoc Cham (fish sauce dressing)
  • Optional: spring rolls (chả giò) on top ; crushed peanuts.

I admit that I used to love eating a good Bun Bo, but that was before discovering Bun Thit Nuong. It’s almost the same kind of realization as when you go to Italy for the first time and try a real tonnarelli alla Carbonara ; within seconds you realize what you’ve been missing on, and you cannot go back.

Two adjustments here make a world of difference : the grilled pork, with its rich lemongrass-based marinade ; and the Nuoc Cham, when homemade, that packs a real punch and brings this simple salad to the next level.

As always with Vietnamese recipes, the balance between sugary, savoury and tangy is on point : the marinade is pungent with dark soy sauce, vinegar and heaps of aromatics, but the adequate use of honey and sugar offset any excess strength. Similarly, the Nuoc Cham kicks ass with its vinegar, lime and fresh chilies, but the sugar rounds it all out.

In my opinion, you don’t even need spring rolls here ; the flavours from the pork and the Nuoc Cham are more than enough to get a meal that makes your day. If you love spring rolls though, add some ! It’s still authentic by Vietnamese standards -simply not an automatic addition.

Authentic Bun Thit Nuong – Recipe

Ingredients – Where to find them

Most ingredients for this dish might require you to visit an Asian store, but you shall find them easily as they remain quite basic Asian pantry items (dark soy sauce, fish sauce (Nuoc Mam), scallions, birds’ eye chilies).

  • If your Asian store doesn’t have a fresh veggies aisle, you might have a tad more trouble finding Daikon for your Do Chua ; simply replace it with pink radishes.
  • Can’t find traditional Vietnamese herbs (perilla leaves, Thai basil, Vietnamese cilantro) ? Replace them with a mix of mint, basil and classic cilantro.

Recipe – Advice & key points

  • I recommend using pork shoulder (échine de porc, for my French friends) for this recipe, as it has a nice muscle to fat ratio resulting in a satisfying tenderness. You can use pork belly instead if you wish !
  • You will need to have some Do Chua and Nuoc Cham ready for this recipe. You can get them both done within 30 minutes ; don’t let it discourage you !
    • I recommend doubling the amount of water for your Nuoc Cham in this recipe.
  • For best results, I recommend marinating your pork overnight (+8 hours), but no more than 24 hours, or your pork might start to toughen.
    • Can’t wait overnight ? Try to let it marinate at least 4 hours !
  • If you can grill your pork over charcoal, or any other grill, definitely do it ! “Nuong” means “grilled” in Vietnamese. The pork is traditionally grilled, giving it a smoky, caramelized crust. My recipe simply provides an alternative for those who can’t barbecue indoors.

Off to the kitchen now !

Couscous Salad with Feta

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Veggie couscous salad with feta cheese, cucumber, radishes, peas

On a busy day, I came home and checked out my fridge. Leftover cucumber, cilantro, chilies and feta cheese from veggie tacos making. Damn. A sad salad seemed to be incoming. Or a Deliveroo.

Do not, however, understimate the power of a well-stocked pantry and freezer ! On days like this, they can save your supper. Green peas ? Always in the freezer. Semolina ? Check. Lemon ? Always one lying around.

And just like that, within 15 minutes, dinner was on the table ; not a sad one, mind you. My companion truthfully kept going on how tasty it was.

The process was easy peasy :

  • Pour warm water on your semolina, and wait 10mn ;
  • Blanch frozen peas ;
  • Slice up your greens (at least cucumber/radishes, shallots/onions + cilantro/mint) ;
  • Mix it all together with olive oil and sharmoula/green harissa ;
  • Serve and top with feta cheese !

The feta cheese is essential here, giving a true generosity to this fresh, pleasant couscous salad. It’s an amazing no-cook dish to have up your sleeve on those days when it’s too hot out there ; or when even putting a kettle on the stove seems too daunting. Plus, there’s almost no dishes to be done ! Yay !

Couscous Salad with Feta – Recipe

Ingredients – Where to find them

Those ingredients are easy to get from your typical grocery store, and for those which aren’t, you can easily skip them or replace them !

Ingredients – Advice & key points

  • Don’t want to make a Sharmoula ? Replace it with green harissa – this is what I initially did, and it worked wonders.
    • Green harissa is quite mild and we don’t use much here. If you don’t like it spicy, just remove the green chili pepper instead !
  • Optional : Add 1 tsp of curry powder to get some additional depth of taste.
  • Feel free to play around with the ingredients used !
    • Replace the veggies with what you have on hands ! You could use either cucumber or radishes, or replace them with red bell pepper ; or, replace shallots with onions or green onions, and so on.
    • Go for what feels right for you when it comes to herbs ! I find that cilantro and mint work really well here, but chives would be fine too.
  • I really recommend frozen peas instead of canned peas ; they are significantly better texture-wise and don’t get overly mushy.

Come now, let’s get your hands dirty !

Merguez Sandwich (Spicy sausage sandwich)

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Merguez sandwich with harissa, mayo and green chili pepper condiment

I’ve had this one too many times to count. The guest of honour of any students’ barbecue, of so many festivals : I give you, the Merguez sandwich !

You can’t make it any simpler ; the classic version is the following :

  • Grab a baguette,
  • Spread mayo generously,
  • Top with two barbecued merguez,
  • and devour !

This Merguez sandwich is usually accompanied by french fries -or with fries straight into the sandwich. If you’re lucky, the place could even offer a harissa spread. Harissa plus mayo = heaven.

But why a Merguez sandwich in France ? As you guessed, it originates from North Africa (particularly Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco). It became widely popular in France during the 20th century, especially after waves of immigration from former French colonies in North Africa. These communities brought their culinary traditions with them, including merguez.

Over time, the merguez sandwich became a street-food staple in:

  • French markets and festivals
  • Snack bars and kebab shops
  • Barbecue culture (“grillades”), especially in southern France.

In terms of popularity in France, the Merguez sandwich is neck and neck with the Sausage sandwich. Same idea, but usually with a mustard and mayo spread. Yum.

See the simplicity of it ? No topping, no veggie at all. You won’t easily find a recipe on the internet, because it’s basic. But still tasty as hell ; I’d grab either sandwich any day.

I decided to make a slightly more elaborate and personal version of this sandwich I love, by including a green, chili-based condiment. This one is for my spicy lovers : between the spiced merguez itself, the harissa paste, and my chili-based condiment, you’re in for a ride. A very pleasant, kick-ass ride. The vinegary condiment, besides its heat, brings a much needed acidity that offsets the fat from the Merguez and mayo. The cilantro also adds a touch of freshness –and seriously, could we possibly make an oriental sandwich without cilantro ? I think not !

Merguez Sandwich (Spicy sausage sandwich) – Ingredients

Ingredients – Advice & key points

  • You should either be able to find merguez in your usual grocery stores in France, or at specialty butchers or Middle Eastern/North African grocery stores if you’re in the US or in the rest of Europe.
    • If you can barbecue them, definitely do ! If not, pan-fried merguez will be super tasty anyway.
  • If you cannot find fresh baguette, use frozen ones !
    • You can also replace it itwith a Sub Roll, Hoagie Roll or Ciabatta Roll, depending on when you live.
    • Turkish Pide or Flatbread would also work great !
  • Pickled chili peppers are optional ; replace them with 1/2 fresh green chili pepper and one more teaspoon vinegar.

Let’s sandwich !

Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad

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Salmon pasta salad with mozzarella, cucumber, tomatoes, red onions and basil

I apologize in advance to all my Italian friends ; this is not an authentic pasta fredda from your nonna. 

It does respect the basics, yes -no mayo nor cream ; a simple olive oil and lemon dressing ; lots of fresh basil, and protein only used sparingly.

But smoked salmon is nothing Italian.

I get it. I still like this version very much ; I find it to be a fresher take on the prosciutto version, extremely pleasing for when it’s scalding hot outside. In France, the weather recently reached 38°C ; I therefore declared pasta salad season officially open !

For pasta salads as in all things, less is more. Still, simple dishes need to be executed properly : here are my tips for a great pasta salad : 

  • Use decent olive oil ! 
  • Don’t decide to thinly dice your cucumber/tomatoes/onion here. You won’t be able to grab them with your pasta using your fork. You will be pissed. 
  • Textures matter. Pasta salads can be on the softer side ; by adding cucumber, you bring forward a much needed crunch.
  • Put your veggies in the fridge at least 10mn once they’re cut : this salad will be tastier when everything is properly fresh. 
  • Don’t skip the basil. Fresh basil is a huge flavour booster here. 
  • Don’t forget the salt. A large pinch is needed for 2 servings. 

Salad bar who ?! ME is the salad bar. 

Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad – Recipe

Ingredients – Where to find them

Here, no issues should arise in finding them ! 

Ingredients – Advice & key points

Not much to say here ; it’s a straight-forward salad!

  • Don’t make this pasta salad in winter ! Tomatoes are just tasteless and so would the salad be.
  • Feel free to switch herbs ! Use wild garlic when in season, or chives, even though the taste would be less intense.  
  • I recommend using quality smoked salmon if you can, with indications of a responsible farming process.
  • If making this salad ahead of time, do not put salt nor add dressing to the part you’re saving for later. You need to add it last minute.

All set ? Let’s make this Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad !

Wild Asparagus, Tomatoes, Sharmoula

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Asparagus, cherry tomatoes, sharmoula

I already told you Sharmoula was the secret for the tastiest fish tagine. But we also need recipes for those many nights when you have neither the time nor the will to wait almost 2 hours for dinner.

Wild Asparagus, Tomatoes, Sharmoula is just this : a bold veggie, healthy weeknight recipe. It is as lazy as it gets, and guaranteed to be on the table within 30 minutes :

  • Whip up a quick Sharmoula (10 minutes)
  • Start cooking your rice
  • Halve your cherry tomatoes & mix with Sharmoula
  • Pop in the oven
  • Add wild asparagus
  • Finish baking
  • Serve on top of rice. Tadam !

No trick, no complication and no mess in the kitchen. The only flavour key resides in the Sharmoula, that perfectly pairs with tomatoes for an acidic kick, which is then calmed by the nutty, grassy wild asparagus.

This is one of the many ways to enjoy fresh, homemade Sharmoula. I will post other tasty Sharmoula-based recipes, so stay tuned !

Wild Asparagus, Tomatoes, Sharmoula – Recipe

Ingredients – Where to find them

Those ingredients are quite easy to get from your typical grocery store, and you can easily replace some !

Ingredients – Advice & key points

  • Get your Sharmoula recipe here.
  • Warning : This is a seasonal recipe. I recommend making it in late spring, to get your hands on tasty wild asparagus and cherry tomatoes.
    • If you can’t find wild asparagus, replace them with classic asparagus ! Simply cut them into chunks & add ~5 more minutes of cooking time.
  • When in winter or summer, feel free to play around with the ingredients used !
    • In winter, if you’re not wary of the double-carbs thing  -I know I’m not !, I’d recommend a carrot-potato version ; of course, adjust the cooking time accordingly ;
    • In summer, I’d gladly make a red bell pepper-potato or red bell pepper-zucchini version.

Come now, let’s massage these veggies !

Char Siu Noodle Soup

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Char Siu Noodle Soup with wontons, pak choi and wonton noodles

Wontons, noodles, soup. I don’t know of a more comforting combination.

This lovely noodle soup can be a weeknight treasure, or a Sunday reward, depending on how you proceed. Several separate ingredient require a bit of hard work ; the Char Siu, the broth and the garlic oil need to be homemade -except if you can get your hands on tasty Char Siu. Hell, you can even make homemade wontons if you’re motivated enough.

As a former financial analyst, I’ve always been fond of yield analysis. What matters most is not the upfront effort, nor the overall absolute cost ; it’s the yield -basically here, the ouput to input ratio. I’d gladly invest 4h in my kitchen to get a dozen of delicious ready-meals to assemble !

That’s typically what this kind of recipe is about. Once each component is ready, it keeps well in the either the freezer (Char Siu, broth) or the fridge (garlic oil). You’ll have enough for delicious noodle soups, to assemble within 15 minutes any day of the week ! The dream ! 

Noodle soup is what I long for on a tiring weekday, when I’m in need of self-care. It’s usually a spicy Szechuan soup ; but ever since going to Thailand, I’ve become fond of clear broths -more subtle and balanced, 

Thai noodle soups often looks deceptively neutral. Well, they are not ; get ready for a Thai masterclass on balance. Not only does this delicate Thai clear pork broth show a banging depth of taste thanks to slow-cooked bones and fish sauce addition ; it gets some kick and tang from vinegar and chilies, and some freshness with cilantro and scallions.

Add amazeballs Char Siu, a bit of garlic oil, and thin, bouncy noodles : you’re in for a great, great time!

Char Siu Noodle Soup – Recipe

Ingredients – Advice & key points

  • Use the recipe for the Thai clear pork broth ; I really do not recommend using a premade broth for this specific recipe, as the broth is absolutely key in the delicate flavours of this dish.
  • You can either buy Char Siu from your local Asian store, if they have some, or use my Char Siu recipe.
  • Feel free to skip the wontons, the noodle soup by itself slays.
  • I highly recommend making the garlic oil, as it adds a subtle key flavour to the dish. It only requires around 10 minutes.

Let’s get soupy!

Authentic Pasta al Limone (Lemon pasta)

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Spaghetti al limone (lemon spaghetti with sage ribbons)

A long time ago, I tried to make lemon pasta my way. I thought olive oil was the way to go ; since the dishes finds its roots in Southern Italy, particularly in the Amalfi Coast and Sicily, where lemons are abundant and famously fragrant, I thought it was only fitting to favour Mediterranean ingredients only.

Unfortunately, the dish turned out way too acidic. Maybe I didn’t add enough olive oil though, because the Sicilian way includes olive oil and is famously tasty, too. But the Amalfi Coast (Campania) way is all about butter (and, sometimes, Parmigiano) :

  • Butter contains dairy solids and a bit of sweetness that mellow the sharpness of lemon juice.

  • Olive oil, while flavorful ;

    • is more neutral in mouthfeel and doesn’t buffer the acidity as effectively. Hence, the lemon’s tang can more easily come off as too harsh or sour ;

    • doesn’t emulsify as easily, so you may end up with an oily or watery texture and sharp acidic bursts rather than a smooth coating.

I give credits when it’s due, and all the credit for this recipe goes to Simone Zanoni. I followed his own buttery method for pasta al Limone, in which :

  • he creates a butter emulsion first, with the help of homemade vegetable broth ;
  • he then adds the butter emulsion to his pasta, a tad more than halfway through the cooking process ;
  • he waits towards the end to add lemon juice and zest, to preserve their flavour intensity ;
  • he finishes it off with pasta water and sage.

The butter emulsion thing might seem intimidating ; it is absolutely not ! Simply use a hand mixer and it’ll be done in a few minutes. If you don’t own one, use a whisk, and it should take the same time -but with a slightly bigger effort.

The end flavour was absolutely amazing. Very lemony, fragrant, but with any excess acidity entirely balanced out by the butter emulsion. I mean, look closely at the picture ; this kind of creamy, velvety sauce can’t lie. 

Pasta al Limone – Recipe

Ingredients – Advice & key points

I usually go to Eataly to get the produce I need. If you don’t have one near your location, you can find pasta and Parmigiano at your local Italian deli, maybe even your pasta. For pasta, if not available there, you should be able to order it online quite easily.

  • Pasta 
    • I believe spaghetti is a great choice here, or any long-shaped pasta kind, as the light velvety sauce will cling to it.

What you must not compromise on is using Bronze Drawn pasta.

Why so ? Because when processed this way, the pasta will present small irregularities that will enable the sauce to cling to it.

  • Lemon 
    • Since we’re using lemon zest here, please buy an organic lemon ;
    • This pasta will only be as tasty as your lemon is : buy a quality lemon ! You want a thick skin, and an aromatic smell.
      • In France, for example, go for the Menton lemon if you can find some.
  • Vegetable stock 
    • I always save my veggies scraps in a ziplock bag that in keep in my freezer.
      • After a few cooking sessions, you’ll have enough to make 1 to 2L of veggie stock ;
      • Simply add to water with 1 tsp salt. Simmer (don’t boil!) 45mn to 1h ; your veggie stock is done.
      • Keep the stock in your freezer, in ice cube trays, and use as needed.
    • If feeling lazy, use premade veggie stock or even water only : it will still be delicious.
  • Butter emulsion
    • You can double it and freeze it in ice cube trays, too, to make the recipe even quicker the next time.

Cooking your pasta – Pieces of advice

  • Pasta
    • It is essential to salt your pasta water appropriately. 10g of salt/liter/100g of pasta is fitting here.
    • As for most pasta recipe, we’ll finish cooking the pasta in the pan with the sauce. We’ll put them in when half cooked (around 6mn in).
    • It is important that you start tasting 2 minutes before the packet theoretical time, so that you get perfect al dente pasta.

Now come and cook !