Rice Pilaf

Rice pilaf seems very 90s to me, but it’s a delicious and v. easy side to make for dinner!

Recipe Type: Quick and Easy, Side Dish

Time: 30-40 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 ½ cup of long-grained rice

½ cup diced onion (about half a medium onion)

Two minced garlic cloves

2 ½ cups of water, chicken, or vegetable stock

If using water you’ll need one teaspoon of chicken bouillon or one teaspoon of vegan dashi powder

One sprig of thyme

One bay leaf

Olive oil

Salt & Pepper

Equipment

A small heavy-bottomed pot with a lid

Knife

Cutting board

Instructions

Here’s my recipe for homemade chicken stock.

• Peel onion and dice into ¼ inch pieces. Peel and mince two garlic cloves and set aside.

• Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high. When the oil is hot, add the dry rice and cook, continually stirring, so it doesn’t burn. Cook the rice for a few minutes until the rice turns translucent, then slightly opaque. The rice should sound like glass beads sliding around the pot.

• When the rice is glassy, add the onions and garlic to the pot and cook for a minute or until the onion becomes translucent.

• Add the water or chicken/vegetable stock to the pot and lower the heat so that the rice is barely simmering. If you’re using water, add the bouillon or dashi powder to the pot and stir. Then, add the sprig of thyme, one bay leaf, and a salt to taste. Cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar and cook over low heat until the rice is cooked through and has absorbed the liquid (about 20-30 minutes).

• When the rice is nearly finished, close the lid and let the rice steam for a five minutes or so before serving. The rice is ready when the grains of rice are fluffy and there is no liquid left in the pot. Fluff with a fork and serve!

Cabbage and Cod Salad (Salade de Chou et Cabillaud)

This recipe is inspired by one of the entrées from our meal at Limmat, a v hip restaurant that seems to attract le cool (privileged) kids of Marseille. Limmat is located quite literally in the middle of a grand concrete stairwell that’s embellished by ornate street art. Climbing the staircase will direct you to the artsy Cours Julien. We arrived at the restaurant around nine after a long day of swimming and boating at les Calanques. Exhausted from the sun, sea, and pastis, I was barely lucid and sipping on more pastis when this salad arrived, I didn’t pay much attention to her as she looked like a beige cole slaw. But when I tasted it, I was shook and taken aback by the contrasts in textures and flavors—the crunchy cabbage and carrots juxtaposed by the tender flaked fish; the creamy dressing that wasn’t flat or bland tasting, but vibrant and bright. I was surprised at how fresh, savory, rich yet refreshing, and crunchy this cabbage salad was. It was just the dish I needed after a long day in the sun, and a wonderful start to our meal. 

I recreated this salad shortly after coming back to Paris to recapture that Marseille moment. I opted to use a beautiful red pointed cabbage (for the drama, dahling) and made a bright, creamy sauce with coriander seeds, lime juice, and zest. I added fresh herbs, julienned carrots, and poached cod, let her sit for a couple of hours, then served her as a fabulous side to dinner. Since cabbage is in season in Paris, New York City, and other similar climates, this is the perfect opportunity to pick one up…and maybe a bottle of pastis.

Recipe Type: side or starter

Time: 30 minutes plus at least an hour to rest

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

½ red cabbage (I used a pointed red cabbage)

2 carrots

½ medium red onion or 1 small red onion

Handful of cilantro

1 lime

½-¾ cup of homemade mayo

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1 clove garlic

Cayenne or piment d'Espelette

2 scallions or 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

150 grams or 5 oz. cod filet

Equipment

Knife

Cutting board

Mandolin (optional)

Small pot

Mixing bowls

Instructions

Prepare Mise en Place

• Wash cabbage, carrots, cilantro, and scallion or chives. Peel onion, garlic, and carrots. 

• Set up your cutting board, garbage bowl, and mixing bowls; set out the ingredients you’ll need. 

Prepare the vegetables for slaw

• Cut the half cabbage piece in half, or into quarters, and cut the core out by slicing above it on the diagonal. Cut the half cabbage into ⅛ inch shreds using a knife or a mandoline and place sliced cabbage into a large bowl. 

• Chop onion in half and slide crosswise into ⅛ inch half-moon slices. Julienne carrots. Chop a handful of cilantro (including stems) reserve a few leaves for garnish. Slice scallions or chives into ⅛ inch pieces. Add all these ingredients to the large bowl with the cabbage.

Assemble the dressing

• Bring a small pot of water to a simmer over medium high heat while you assemble the dressing (for the cod). 

• Because this dish is so simple, I think it’s essential to use homemade mayonnaise. You can find the recipe and instruction video here. 

• In the same bowl as the homemade mayo (or if you’re using store bought mayo add ½-¾ a cup to a bowl). Whisk in the juice of one lime (around two tablespoons), one teaspoon lime zest, one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, a pinch of cayenne pepper (or piment d'Espelette), and two gluggs of good quality olive oil.

• Whisk the dressing together and taste it. Then adjust seasonings to your preference. 

• Set aside

Poach the Fish

• When the water is simmering slightly (you can see a few bubbles), salt the water, and drop in the cod. Poach for two to four minutes until it’s cooked. 

• You can see if the fish is cooked when you insert a knife or cake tester into the center of the filet and you feel no resistance in the flesh. FYI-Cooking fish is one of the most difficult things to master in cooking, so give yourself a pat on the back for doing this.

• You can also pull out the fish, put it on a plate and pull apart the meat of the fish in the center (since we’re gonna flake it later anyway). If the meat is opaque and white and a knife easily pierces it with no resistance, then it’s cooked. You should also feel the blade of the knife and it should feel warm (which means the fish is warm inside as well). If the fish is raw if the flesh will feel firm and look translucent. 

• Let the fish cool on a plate. Then cover and put into the fridge until ready to serve.

Assemble the salad

• Add the dressing to the cabbage and toss with tongs. Let sit for at least an hour and up to four. Toss every 20 minutes or so. As the cabbage sits, it will wilt a bit and soak up the sauce. 

• Right before serving, break the fish up into flaky pieces and place in the salad. Give everything a quick toss and add it to a serving bowl. Garnish with fresh cilantro and scallions/chives. 

Salad D’automne: Roasted Fall Butternut Squash Salad

Roasted fall butternut squash salad is a hearty, savory, and fabulously easy dinner or side dish. When cooking vegetable-forward dishes or meals, I want them to be satiating and delicious. This salad maximizes flavors and textures from the ingredients by simply roasting or boiling the main ingredients. The roasted squash and onions have concentrated flavor and umami-packed browned bits while the cooked French lentils add a creamy and hearty bite. Dill + red wine/sherry vinegar give this salad a pop of brightness, and a generous drizzle of lovely olive oil adds some luxury and opulence. Serve this salad d’automne with some crusty sourdough bread for an easy and delicious fall meal.

Recipe Type: Vegan Meal or Side

Time: 1 hour

Servings: 4 as a side 2 as a main

Ingredients

Two cups of cubed butternut squash (1 small whole squash)

½ cup French lentils (lentilles du puy)

8 small onions (such as cippolini or spring onions if available) or 1 yellow onion

A handful of fresh dill and chives (sage can be a great substitute)

1 tablespoon maple syrup

Salt and pepper

Red wine or sherry vinegar

1 clove of garlic

Neutral oil (grapeseed or sunflower)

Olive oil

Equipment

2 Baking sheets

Y Vegetable peeler

Medium or small pot

Knife and cutting board

Fine Mesh Sieve

Parchment paper

One medium or large mixing bowl

Microplane

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400℉ or 205℃. Prepare the squash by cutting off the top and bottom of the squash, peel the squash with a sharp vegetable peeler, discard the peels, then cut the squash lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds (you can clean and roast them to snack on if you’d like), and dice the squash into ½ inch pieces. 

• Toss the diced squash in 2 tablespoons of neutral oil, a generous sprinkle of salt, and maple syrup. Place on an even layer on a parchment sheet lined baking sheet and set aside. 

• Clean the onions by removing the skins and trimming off the roots. Cut into halves or quarters if you have small onions or dice a large one into 1 inch cubes. 

• Toss in one tablespoon of neutral oil and a generous pinch of salt. Place on another parchment paper lined baking sheet cut side down. 

• Roast the squash and onion for about around 30-45 minutes until the squash becomes tender browns at the edges and the onions char on the edges. Give the squash and onions a stir in the middle of cooking to promote even roasting and change the position of the vegetables in the oven. 

• Bring a medium or small pot of water to boil. When boiling, add lentils and lower to a simmer. Cook gently until the lentils are tender (around 30-40 minutes). Taste them to test for doneness.

• When they are cooked to your liking, drain the lentils in a sieve and add them to the mixing bowl.

• While the vegetables are roasting and the lentils are cooking, wash the dill and chives and set aside. Reserve a few dill fronds for garnish. 

• Once the vegetables have roasted, place them into the mixing bowl with the lentils.

• Chop the dill and chives and add to the mixing bowl.

• Grate one clove of garlic with a microplane directly into the bowl (if you don’t have a microplane finely chop the garlic after chopping the herbs). Add two glugs of olive oil and about one tablespoon of red wine or sherry vinegar for acid. Add freshly ground pepper and season with salt to taste. 

• Garnish with dill fronds and serve warm or at room temperature with some crusty sourdough bread. 
  
  

Ma’s Home Fries

My Ma, Judy Coleman—one of my fabulous mother-in-laws, makes the BEST home fries, and has graciously taught me how to make them. This no-recipe recipe can be made with a few ingredients that I usually have on hand and half an hour. Frying and steaming the potatoes and onions simultaneously yields beautifully browned, crisp, and tender morsels with pops of sweetness and umami from the caramelized onions.

Recipe Type: No Recipe Recipe 

Time: 30 min 

Servings: Customizable (The following guidance makes enough for 2. Scale up as needed.)

From: French Omelette & Ma’s Home Fries

Ingredients

3 small/medium potatoes per person - peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes 

½ onion

Cooking Oil 

Pantry spices (I used onion powder/garlic powder/and Slap Yo Mamma Cajun spice mix)

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Chopped fresh herbs you have on hand (optional for garnish)

Sour cream or crème fraîche (optional)

Equipment

Nonstick frying pan, 8” or bigger

Lid for pan (or baking sheet to cover)

Wooden Spoon

Instructions

1. Wash and peel potatoes (if you have a thin skinned potato, you can leave skin on) and cut into 1 inch pieces. Cut half an onion into ½ inch slices. 

2. Heat nonstick frying pan over medium high heat and add 2-3 teaspoons of some cooking oil (olive, grape seed, sunflower, etc.).

3. Once the oil is hot, add potatoes and onions to the pan. Sprinkle with your preferred spices and add 2-3 teaspoons of water on top of the potatoes. Cover the pan and cook. You’ll hear the potatoes/onions sizzle while cook. This is great! Leave them alone to do their thing for 2-3 minutes. 

4. After 2-3 minutes, lift the lid and give the potatoes/onions a stir and cover again. Lower the heat to medium and continue stirring every 2-4 minutes. The lid and water will steam the potatoes until they become fall-apart tender while the heat from the bottom of the pan/stove will brown the potatoes and caramelize the onions. If you notice the potatoes starting to burn, then lower the heat and/or add more cooking oil. 

5. Continue cooking and stirring the potatoes and onions until they are browned and there are lots of crusty bits (around 15-30 minutes). You’ll want to stir the potatoes more frequently toward the end of cooking. 

6. Serve immediately. If you have any fresh herbs or sour cream/crème fraîche on hands go ahead and top the potatoes with them.