Fried Rice

Quick lunch with rice leftovers. 

1. Put 1/2 tbs (or less) cooking oil in a pan

2. Scramble 1 egg

3. Add the rice (+/- 10 oz; 300 gr)  to the pan and stir fry, breaking up the egg

4. Add 2 ts soy sauce+1 ts sake

Done!

Carrot-Parsnip Soup

I've gotten lots of parsnips this week. The girls don't like them that much. I guess it's because of their strong flavor. So I've looked up a recipe that uses parsnip together with another vegetable with a sweeter taste. I've ended up with this carrot-parsnip soup from the Everyday Greens Cookbook. They've loved it.

Strawberry Jam (with Agar-Agar)

For me,  the strawberry jam with agar-agar (from the blog http://www.cleacuisine.fr/) presents 2 main advantages: 1. it is very easy to do (no need for pectin, nor gelatin), and 2. it requires less sugar. However, this second advantage is annihilated by the fact that since it has less sugar, I have a tendency to put way too much jam on my slice of bread...

P.S.: The recipe is written in French. If somebody is interested in getting it in English or Italian, let me know. I'll be pleased to translate the recipe for you. 

Breakfast Bread

The recipe of this breakfast bread is the same as the recipe of the cinnamon's rolls' dough. No filling here, no powdered sugar glaze either, and a different shape. After the dough has risen once, punch it down and let it rise again. Then divide into as many pieces as you would like to braid, roll out each piece into a strand, and braid. Place the dough on a greased cookie sheet and let it rise for 20 to 30 minutes until doubled. Brush with egg wash (1 egg+ 2tbs water or milk). Bake at 350F for 40 minutes or until golden brown. (The Tassajara Bread Book, p. 59)

Kara's Cupcakes

I didn't particularly like cupcakes, until I tasted Kara's. The only ones that I like so far. Maybe because they are so pretty. Who knows?

Farina

Farina is our favorite Italian restaurant in San Francisco. Not only Italian, but also Ligurian... They will open a pizzeria this summer. Can't wait!

Miso Soup with Soba and Veggies

Miso soup is quick and easy to prepare. You only need to boil some water and stir in some miso paste. That's it! If you add some noodles (here: soba), some veggies, and some tofu, you obtain a wholesome dish. My reference recipe comes from the blog 101cookbooks, by Heidi Swanson. But there are tons of them on the web. A lot of variations exist according to your taste or to what you have in your fridge. This time, in addition to the soba noodles and the tofu, I've used green onions, broccoli florets (steamed), and zucchini (diced and cooked in the microwave oven with a little bit of water for 2 to 3 minutes). Make your own.

Green Pea Risotto

I love risottos. So does my family. The following recipe is very basic; nothing really fancy about it, but that's the way I like it. It's in french, but there is a similar one in English here. For the Italians, no need for a recipe... Right?

Salad with Roasted Beets and Fennel

I've made this salad a lot this winter. It will take you only a few minutes to prepare (if you roast the vegetables ahead of time). Salad + roasted beets + roasted fennel + balsamic vinegar dressing (or Meyer lemon dressing) + goat cheese + sunflower seeds (or walnuts).

Cinnamon Rolls

When I arrived in the US, I could smell cinnamon everywhere. Back then, I was not particularly a big fan... Same thing - even worse - for Alberto and the girls. Four years later, I've found myself baking cinnamon rolls! For me, cinnamon rolls are often too greasy and sweet. So I've reduced the quantities of butter and sugar.  Eighteen cinnamon rolls disappeared in less than 24 hours: apparently I am not the only one in the family who has changed opinion about cinnamon....

Basic Tomato Sauce

I don't like the industrial tomato sauces for pizza. So usually I buy the simplest tomato sauce that I can find and add some salt, garlic, and olive oil before putting it on my pizza dough. And until now, it was OK. But then I tasted a pizza at the Big Sur Bakery&Restaurant... And then I've tried the recipe of their tomato sauce at home... And then I've changed my way of looking at tomato sauce forever... Of course you can use this tomato sauce as a base in many recipes. Even simply on top of pasta sprinkled with (a lot of) Parmesan cheese. Yummmmmyyyy!

Big Sur Bakery&Restaurant

I told you (here) that I would go to the Big Sur Bakery&Restaurant sometime soon.... I've loved it!

Whole Wheat Pancakes

As delicious and fluffy as the "regular" ones... (really!). Also healthier. And easier to make for those of you who live in Europe (no need for buttermilk).

Outerlands

I'm in a period of my life where I like the bakeries/cafes more than the fancy restaurants. Today I went to Outerlands, in San Francisco. Home inspired food. Laidback atmosfere. Natural decor. I've loved it. I'll be back.

Strawberry-Banana Smoothie (with Goat Milk)

I like to substitute dairies from time to time. Here I've used goat milk (click here for its qualities as well as for the recipe). Obviously, you can do this smoothie with the milk of your choice.

My First Tassajara Bread

It's just out of the oven. It smells like divine. It's beautiful like heaven. It tastes like earth. I'm so proud. Kneading and baking your own bread is so inspiring... Give it a try. Do not be intimidated by the length of the recipe. It's long because the author explains every single detail to make the work easier for first time bread makers. In the book, there are also some drawings illustrating most of the different steps. When you are used to the method, it doesn't take that long to bake the bread. And it is really worth it. 

Spring Minestrone (with Brown Rice)

The recipe of this spring minestrone (with brown rice) comes from the book Super Natural Cooking: Five Ways To Incorporate Whole and Natural Ingredients into Your Cooking by Heidi Swanson. I do not have that book - yet!-, but you can find the recipe here. It's really delicious. Shallots, garlic, brown rice, snow peas, green peas, asparagus* float happily together in a homemade vegetable stock.... Even though the winter minestrone was very good, I'm so glad to have its spring version now.

* I've substituted part of the asparagus with a small Italian zucchini to make sure that my kids will eat it (and it worked)

Pizza with Goat Cheese and Wilted Greens

Another way to use the veggie filling from yesterday's crepes : pizza/focaccia dough + veggie filling leftovers + some more Parmesan cheese, goat cheese, and some splashes of olive oil. In a well preheated oven at 450F for about 10 minutes. 

TIP: I've slightly underbaked the pizza (see picture above) so that we could reheat it at lunch time. And it was just perfect. After a few minutes in the oven at 400F, the crust happened to be golden and crispy. No picture of that one. Too hungry!

Buckwheat Crepes with Goat Cheese and Wilted Greens

I've been doing these crepes a lot this winter. But we always ended up eating them when it was too dark for taking pictures... They are really good. Even the girls eat them despite the big amount of green veggies. For them though, I make also a special crepe filled only with some cheddar cheese.

Strawberry-Apple-Buckwheat Crumble

The strawberries don't taste perfect yet. So I was tempted by the idea to use them in a crumble. This crumble is a little bit different : it is made out of buckwheat and almond flour. Quite interesting...

Purple Potatoes

Potatoes that match my blog color! How could I have let them stay in my plate without taking a picture and post it here? 

Blueberry-Orange Bread

I've baked this blueberry-orange bread for the first time. It will become a classic. For sure. Like the banana bread. I really enjoy these "quick breads" as they call them here. Somewhere between a bread and a cake. What I really like about this one in particular is that it's sweet but not too sweet, moist but not too moist, and easy but so easy to do.....

Hummous

Cooking from scratch has become not only a pleasure, but also a real need for me. It is so simple, satisfying, and rewarding that I'm wondering why I did not do it more often in the past...

Happy Easter

No Easter supper at home this year. No new recipe either. Just 3 boiled eggs at our breakfast table this morning to celebrate! We are invited at friends' house for lunch. I'll let you know if they have some nice Easter recipes to share.  Happy Easter to everybody. 

Brownies

A friend of mine has just lent me the cookbook from Tartine,  another well known San Francisco Bakery&Cafe. She advised me that the brownies are the best ever. She is american so we can trust her 100%...

Cauliflower and Sesame Tart

I'm taking advantage of Alberto's absence (business trip) to make some recipes that I know he wouldn't like. This one for example: Tarte au chou-fleur et au sésame, by Clea Cuisine. Not because of the cauliflower nor the tofu (he likes them both), but because of the curry which I think goes very well along with the cauliflower. This tart is very good and is even better the day after (also cold). NB: To tell you the truth, I didn't use the same quantities as Clea's. I think it is the kind of recipe that you can adjust easily.

Simply Artichokes

I love artichokes. Plain. Simple. Whole. Raw or cooked. Dipped in a bit of lemon, salt, and olive oil.