Chipotle Barbacoa Beef

As much as I love living and eating in France, there is seriously a lack of Mexicans and Tex-Mex items.  Please, Mexicans.. COME TO FRANCE!!  You will feel exotic and unique here!
I can easily find Indian, Chinese, Korean, and Thai products, but simple things like dried chiles and hominy are literally non existant with an exception once every 5 years.
Yes, you can find fresh chiles, but they are usually the red Thai or the green Moroccan.  No Jalapeños in sight.  When it comes to dried, you can find the spicy oiseau or cayenne ones, and in specialty stores you can find the red Indian ones.. but nowhere in site are chile de arboles, guajillo, moritas, puyas, pasilla, ancho.. or any of the other magnificent Mexican nectar.
For those who know me and travel, my "bring me this" list is always dried chiles and chipotles from a can... (and mango chile lollipops and Tapatio sauce).
Always.
So when I get my hands on some tortillas, I often dream about barbacoa beef.. but I had never really thought it was a possibility here.
Behold my very last can of chipotle chiles (family and friends.. this is a sign).. I have dedicated it to making my ultimate favorite fast/slow food burrito.. the Chipotle Barbacoa Beef burrito.
Just typing those words is making me salivate.
In college, I think I ate one of these at least once a week!
Serves 12 extra large burritos

Ingredients

1 kg (2 lbs) stew beef or chuck roast

1/6 cup apple cider vinegar

4 cloves garlic

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp oregano

1 tsp whole black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cloves

juice from 1 lime

4 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (from a can)

3/8 cup vegetable broth

2 bay leaves

Directions
1.  Place the garlic, cumin, oregano, black pepper, cloves, salt, and chipotle chiles with sauce in a blender and mix into a smooth puree.
2.  Put the beef in your slow cooker and cover with the puree adding the broth, bay leaves, and lemon juice on top.
3.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  I did this overnight.. I had some really hot Chipotle dreams that night.
4.  Using 2 forks, separate the meat into shreds and let it sit for a little while to let let shreds absorb the juice.  I transferred to a baking dish and covered with foil to free my crockpot for black beans.

5.  Now your meat is ready.  If it has cooled down too much, it can be re-heated in the oven, covered, of course!

You can use this for a bowl, on corn tortillas as tacos, or in burritos.

(There are no real corn tortillas in France)

Here's what went into my big fat Chipotle burritos!

With all the fixings.. sautéed bells and onions, black beans, rice, pico de gallo salsa with corn, sour cream, shredded cabbage, avocado, shredded swiss.. mmmmm!

Then I rolled it and wrapped it up Chipotle style for practical eating purposes...

.. and topped each bite with a lovely squirt of lime..

Just heavenly spicy deliciousness.
These are the kind of cravings that make you orgasmic when you obtain them... especially when you realize you made it 10x better than the original version!

The upside?  I ate this for 3 days in a row.. and I froze half the meat for future cravings.
Oooh!

Koosa with Pomegranate

When I did not live in France, I would always want to eat stuffed tomatoes and zucchini when I came on vacation (tomates farcies).  That was before I tried it the Syrian way.
The mix of cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, coriander (from the five spice) and hint of cayenne takes both the zucchini and the stuffing to an entire different height of serotonin inducing happiness.
The only acceptable addition was pomegranate seeds as garnish.  The sour/sweet crunch of the little seeds pair incredibly with the lamb/beef flavor and helps keep the spices in balance.
Balance is good.

Serves 4-5

Ingredients

5 zucchini or kusa squash, halved and cored, pulp scooped out
2 Tbsp olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, sliced

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 cube lamb bouillon (or whatever you have on hand)

water to level
pinch cayenne pepper
1 tsp thyme

fleur de sel for garnish

cooked basmati rice for serving
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds (mine were dried)
chopped mint to garnish (I did not have)

stuffing:

450g (1 lb) ground beef or lamb (I used beef)

2 Tbsp uncooked basmati rice, soaked and rinsed

4 garlic cloves, grated

1 red onion, minced

1 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp fivespice (or allspice)

1 carrot, peeled and finely grated

many grinds black pepper

juice from 1 lime

1 Tbsp olive oil

pulp from 1 zucchini

pinch cayenne pepper

pinch salt
Directions
1.  Make the stuffing by mixing all the ingredients with your hands until homogenous.  Stuff the zucchini or squash halves with the mixture.
2.  Heat the olive oil in a very wide heavy based pan (wide enough for all the zucchini to lay in one layer).. otherwise, use 2 pans as I did.  Add the onions and cook until translucent.
3.  Add the thyme, crushed tomatoes, cayenne, and the bouillon cube.  Bring to a boil, then reduce for about 5 minutes.
4.  Add the stuffed zucchini halves along with the garlic cloves.  Add water to level (do not completely submerge).  Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 25 minutes, rotating the zucchini halfway through.
5.  Add the dried pomegranate seeds to the sauce before serving.  If using fresh, just add to each plate.

I served over hot basmati rice, which was the perfect vehicle for that exquisitely spiced tomato sauce.
Syrian and Lebanese cuisine will always hold a special place in my heart.. and this recipe totally dethrones the French version.  I feel like that was a confession I should be ashamed of, but I'm not...

Chile Cumin Meatballs

So in case you were wondering, here is how I function:

While writing about one recipe, I may need to link back to a different one, which is a good way for me to reread or to just not forget some of my concoctions of the past.  This leads me into rediscovery mode and urges start sprouting up here and there.  I become fixated on making that fixation become reality and my mind races through all the delicious things I'll be preparing.

Then, at the last minute, while still fixating on the initial idea, I completely change directions and do a whole different thing and it ends up bringing out of me things I had forgotten.

This recipe is the different thing.

The other day, while I was going on and on about black cardamom and how it's crazy different from green cardamom, I searched for that one other time I had used it.  Chole Masala became my fixation and I prepared some chickpeas that I would let soak overnight.  Since that moment I've been hallucinating the taste of chickpeas cooked in a tea and spice broth with an almost smokey flavor all Indian style.  As I changed the chickpea soaking water, I imagined crushing one with my tongue and the roof of my mouth and letting its creamy goodness explode.

Up until the moment I placed them in my crockpot, I thought I was making Chole... and then I decided I wanted to make Lebanese style meatballs and have hummus on my plate.

I didn't actually search for this recipe.  I must have seen it peripherally while scrolling through my blog feed which had mostly Chinese recipes on it and my brain must have captured that one non-Asian recipe of the list and tricked me into soaking those chickpeas for this exact purpose.

Thank you brain, but I'm not completely forgetting about Chole, ok?

Adapted from Seamus Mullen via Lottie+Doof

Yields 27-30 meatballs

Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 1/4 lb ground lamb (I used a mixture of veal and beef)

1/4 onion, minced

8 cloves garlic, grated

1 Tbsp parsley, chopped

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp sage

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 Tbsp kosher salt

1 tbsp rice flour

2-3 Tbsp olive oil to cook

Directions:

1.  Mix together with your hands or a food processor.  I always use my hands..

 2.  Shape meatballs into 1 1/2 inch balls, then cook in olive oil until brown.  You may want to do this in batches.

Chile Sauce

Ingredients:

3 dried pasilla chiles

1 tsp crushed red pepper

1 Tbsp cumin seeds

1/4 cup mix of red and white balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp paprika

1 clove garlic

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt to taste

Directions:

1.  Dry roast the pasillas, cumin seeds, and crushed red pepper until fragrant, then grind.

2.  Blend everything together while streaming in the olive oil a little at a time.  You may not use all the oil.  Bring it to desired thickness.

Plate Assembly

Sexy Salad:
1 sliced cucumber

chopped mint and parsley

1/2 red onion, sliced

1 chopped tomato

1 1/2 cups shredded red cabbage
juice from 1 lime
drizzle olive oil
few cracks black pepper

feta (Gazi)

Additional Ingredients:

beaten yogurt stirred with 1 clove grated garlic to sit under the meatballs

red pepper flakes

hummus with extra virgin olive oil

That one on the far right is Falafel.. you mix your Mezze however you want, right?
Things I didn't do but would work well:

romaine lettuce and/or man'ouche for wrapping

These were as much a pleasure to eat as they were to conceive..

Chili Con Carne

For most "normal" people, today would have seemed like judgement day.  Today I was given an ultimatum by facebook into turning my private account into a public page with no privacy control.  If I didn't do this, I would lose everything.. my history, photos, friends, comments, likes.. everything I've basically clicked on since I opened my account.
I wouldn't say I define myself by what I post, but since I've had lovely puppy pictures I wanted to share, Facebook has sort of been a weekly or even daily checkpoint.  It's something I like to scroll through to look at bull terrier pictures or as a feed for any cooking blogs I follow but don't want emails letting me know something is new.  It's also the only place I easily connect with my family long distance and closest friends.  The ones that know me best and judge me the least.  The family that wants to see my photos but doesn't want a backed up inbox.. and I don't want to have to pick and choose who to send which pics depending on who may be interested.  All the advantages of having an account are reduced to nothing once identity conditions become mandatory.  I liked having my surname on there and at least feeling falsely secure that if anyone really googled me, they wouldn't find anything too personal.. the only public face photo of me being on this blog, which I am obviously proud of, but which doesn't mean everybody needs to know where I work or who my friends are and what I look like in a bikini (especially here in France where it's not standard summer attire to even chill in short shorts when it's blazing hot unless you're at the beach).
I chose to give that up... for now.  We'll see how long that lasts.  If I come back, I won't come back as my true name or as my dog's name.. because apparently, they don't appreciate that at Facebook.  The worst part is that is seems like part of a sneaky governmental scheme I read about in a book called "The Circle" which completely gave me the creeps about technology and confidentiality.  I don't even have a personal cell phone by the way.
Anyway, all these WTF emotions were a perfect transition to my mega beef chunk Chili Con Carne.  This time, I made it closer to the Texan style than the Ohio style.. meaning more chiles and meat.
Yes!  By pure translation, Chile con Carne means chiles with meat.. not beans with adornments as I've been naming my chiles as of now.  I'm not saying my other versions aren't the bomb.. I'm just saying that the Tex-Mex Chili resembles that I have portrayed here.  It's the first time I make it this way, but I think this recipe is going to stick.  It has tons of flavor and is sooo meaty with the chunks of beef instead of ground beef.  The flavor is so much fuller and less superficial this way.  I approve!
Serves 7-8
Ingredients
10 oz dried kidney beans, rinsed and soaked overnight
450g (1lb) stew beef, cut into 1 1/2"x1 1/2" cubes
4 dried chiles de arboles
1 dried ancho chile
2 bay leaves
1 tsp sea salt
2 large onions, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped (I used red for the theme)
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp five-spice or allspice
lots of freshly ground pepper
5 cloves garlic, grated
water to cover (4 or more cups)

garnish:
sliced avocado
grated red cabbage
chopped cilantro
chopped green onions (I used shallots)

dollop sour cream (I used plain yogurt)

grated gruyere cheese

Directions

Place everything but the garnish in the slow cooker and cook on low for 7-9 hours.

Remove the bay leaves and discard.  Remove the ancho chile, chop, and stir back in.  Remove the chiles de arable and reserve for the ones who appreciate the heat.

Serve neatly with the garnish and then quickly unmake the bed..

If you keep all the chiles de arboles for yourself.. don't be bashful when the heat starts to resonate from within you.. to be seen by all who will never understand the Innuendos...

This chili is the non-superficial, true to self version.

It is even better the next day.  I should know.. today is the next day, and I've never felt so tasteful as to proudly announce I'm quitting the worldly social drug of the 21st century... 

Be free.. be free...

Traditional Boeuf Bourguignon

I've been eating Boeuf Bourguignon for as long as I can remember.  My mother would make it as well as Coq au Vin (which is basically the same recipe, just swap the meat) as often as I wanted, even if I requested it all the time.  I never really thought of it as a French recipe growing up.  It was just normal food for me that I would make regularly myself in college and happily impress my guests (or passers by.. I didn't really have any criteria for having people eat at my table back then.)  Since I've been living in France, I haven't made it or even eaten it once.  I don't do i on purpose.  It's just that I feel I can have it whenever I want, so I don't go out of my way to make it.. and I end up never making it.
I also have a thing about serving French food to French guests in France.
The fact that it's been so long since I've made it makes me even forget that I have it in my repertoire.
A few weeks ago, I bought some wine that I didn't particularly like and was about to throw it away.  It makes me cringe to throw food away, especially if there's no real problem with it.  While trying to figure out who I could give it to instead of throwing it away, the Boeuf Bourguignon recipe came back to me... which made me wonder why I've been waiting so long to do this!
This dish is comforting to me in a reminiscent way.  The fact that I got the taste exactly how I was imagining it is even more of a treat.
The use of wine in this dish tenderizes the beef as it cooks, just as vinegar would, but without the crazy sour taste.  As it cooks, the alcohol evaporates so it is perfectly safe for children as well.  I should know, I've been eating it my entire life and I'm relatively sane as an adult.
So here, for once, I present a typically French dish (made famous by the American Julia Child).  I'm not cooking for guests, but it's probably one of the rare French dishes I wouldn't mind serving.
Serves 6-8

Ingredients

900g (2 lbs) stew beef, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes

350g (12.3oz) cured or smoked pork belly, rind removed and sliced into lardons (sub bacon)

1 Tbsp olive oil (if needed)

2 medium onions, sliced into moons

2 tsp dried thyme

1 1/2 Tbsp flour

1 Tbsp cracked black pepper
few pinches sea salt
3 cloves garlic, chopped

250g (8.8oz) mushrooms, washed and chopped coarsley

5 small or 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped coarsley

2 bay leaves

2 cups beef broth

1 bottle red wine (I used Corbières, but you should use Burgundy)

1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 handfuls flat leaf parsley, chopped
Directions
1.  In a wok or heavy based pan, render your sliced lardons.  If you bought good quality, there shouldn't be much fat.  You want to get them nice and crispy.  Set aside and keep 1 Tbsp of the renderings in the wok.  If nothing rendered, add the olive oil.
2.  Add the onions and let them sweat, then add the beef, salt, and thyme.  You want each piece to color on all sides.  This can take about 10 minutes.
3.  When the beef is colored, add the lardons back in along with the flour.  Stir well to coat, then remove from heat.
4.  Transfer all but 1 of the handfuls of parsley into a slow cooker.  The liquid should be almost level.  This is the important part.  It must be simmered for a long period of time.  Some people do it stove-top, which takes about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.  Some people put it in the oven on low temp, and others go the quick route and do it in a pressure cooker, under pressure for about 30 minutes.  I like the slow cooker route because you don't have to watch it like a hawk and you can go about your day, leaving the house if you need to without worrying.  Plus, the flavors are better when it simmers for a long time, even if a pressure cooker is quite handy.
Cook on low for at least 7 hours.

Serve garnished with the freshly chopped parsley over either pasta noodles, rice, or potatoes... and of course, with a glass of red.  I went the noodle route this time.
The broth is amazing in this.  You can get fancy and reduce some of the broth down to a thick sauce, but that's just not the way I'm used to eating it.

Don't worry, I'll be going back to spicy vegetarian very soon.. as soon as I finish all these lip smacking leftovers..

Cantonese Braised Beef and Daikon Stew

Awkwardly, as I was about to prepare a Boeuf Bourgignon, my heart quickly switched to hoisin and garlic.  I suppose the beef and carrots and the "stew" part are the same, but my flavor yearning was for spice, umami, and daikon.  It's funny but I only just recently learned that my favorite "long white turnip" that I use regularly in various recipes from various cultures is called "daikon" in English.  I've always preferred it to it's stubby purple-beige counterpart in taste, and when it's available, I have a hard time resisting placing it into my basket.  I use it sautéed in duck fat when making magret, or in couscous, cooked in that magical ras el hanout meat and vegetable broth.  I've had it in miso soup with seaweed, too, which was a pleasant surprise.  My yearning directed me to a Chinese dish, but this time, a Cantonese recipe.

Adapted from Yi Reservation.
Ingredients
600g stew beef
500g daikon turnip (1 large), peeled and chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 Tbsp oil
2 star anis
1 dried red chile (optional)
1 bay leaf
1 dried orange peel
5 cloves garlic, 3 sliced and 2 grated
1 inch piece ginger, grated
1 Tbsp chu hou sauce (I subbed hoisin + the 2 grated garlic cloves)
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 Tsp doubanjiang (optional)
2 Tbsp shao xing wine
1 Tbsp light soy sauce
2 1/4 cups water
1/2 Tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp freshly ground green pepper
Scallions and cilantro for garnish
Directions
1.  Cut the beef into 1 inch cubes.  Blanch in some boiling water for 8 minutes, then drain and rinse.
2.  Heat the oil in a wok.  Add the star anis, dried chile, bay leaf, and orange peel and fry for 30 seconds until the aroma is released.
3.  Add the ginger and garlic slices and cook another 30 seconds.
4.  Add the blanched beef and stir to coat, cooking for about 1 minute.
5.  Deglaze with the shao xing wine, then add the chu hou, hoisin, oyster, and doubanjiang sauce.  Stir well to coat the meat and cook for another 3 minutes.
6.  Transfer everything but the dark soy, green pepper, and garnish into a slow cooker and cook on low for 7-9 hours.
7.  Before serving, stir in the dark soy and green pepper.  Taste and add salt or light soy sauce if needed.  I didn't think it needed anything extra.

Serve with rice or noodles and garnish with cilantro and scallions.
I served mine with some Stir-Fried Cabbage as well, which was a pleasant enhancement.

Do not skip the orange peel.
It's amazing...

Grilled Prime Rib with Aïoli Crusted Lobster

Europeans assume that the only specialty the US has is hamburgers, and when they say hamburgers, they are thinking McD's.  They assume that any meal Americans eat other than burgers is an import (Italian, Mexican, Japanese...). While it is true that the US is a melting pot of cultures, and thus, cuisine, there are a few dishes that are typically American and are rarely seen in other countries.

Surf and Turf is one of them.  The association of a superbe cut of beef with some shrimp, crab, or lobster is unheard of on this side of the pond.  Surf and Turf over here consists of  scallops and leeks. The Surf element is usually some type of shellfish and the Turf element some type of vegetable grown in the ground (as opposed to picked off its plant.). While the Euro style is delicious, nothing screams Vegas the way some excellent prime rib and lobster or king crab does.

Mmm king crab.  Found rarely and always frozen here.

Another diffence I've noticed about France is that shrimp, crab, or lobster is always eaten cold and usually with mayonaise.  Aside from the peel and eat shrimp, I haven't been able to adapt to the cold crustacean business.

No wonder they never thought to pair it with a lovely côte de boeuf!  They don't really imagine hot lobster tail at all.
The advantage of being an expat is being able to create fusion between the two cultures.  In the south of France, they have this garlic emulsion called aïoli that they eat with their cold seafood and steamed vegetables.  I took it to the fusion level and brushed it onto my lobster before roasting it, making it beautifully crusty.  I did a similar version of this a few months ago with rouille.

To balance it out, I made a side of garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed fennel with spinach. 

Since I have mega issues cooking for 1 or 2, this happily feeds 4.

Rusted Aïoli

5 cloves garlic, smashed

Pinch fleur de sel

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp Rouille spices (chile powder, paprika, saffron)

1 tsp minneola (tangelo) juice

Few grinds black pepper

Make this first.  You can do it ahead of time. (Metal)
1.  In a mortar and pestle, grind the garlic into a paste with the fleur de sel.  You don't want any bits and pieces.  You want a smooth paste.
2.  Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the egg yolk and the minneola juice.  Whisk well.  There will be a chemical reaction happening between the acid and the egg.
3.  Very slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking, just a little at a time.  You want to create a mayonnaise-like emulsion.  I completely suck at doing this, but I don't really care because I'm going to brush it on some lobster and roast it.. not dip cold crab into it!

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

4 medium potatoes, scrubbed and steamed (pressure cook 15 minutes)

2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp minneola juice

1 Tbsp aïoli

Pinch fleur de sel

Few grinds black pepper

Handful freshly chopped parsley

1/2 cup milk

The mashed potatoes can be done ahead of time and reheated stovetop during the roasting waiting time. (Earth)
1.  While still hot, peel the potatoes.  Why not peel them before and avoid burning your fingers?  Well, because they lose much of their taste and nutrients when you do it that way.  Potatoes don't have many nutrients to begin with, so who cares about that.. they taste better this way, trust me.
2.  Put them in a pot off heat and mash them with a fork along with the butter, minneola juice and aïoli.
3.  At this point if you feel like using a whisk, go right ahead, but I just kept my fork and was quite happy with the result.  On low heat, add in the milk a bit at a time until they reach desired consistency.
note if making ahead:  don't use all the milk beforehand for you might need it when you reheat stovetop.
4.  Whisk in the parsley, fleur de sel, and black pepper.  Taste and make sure they are garlicky enough.  If not, add more aïoli!

Sautéed Fennel and Spinach

200g (about 1/2lb) fresh spinach, washed and dried

1 fennel bulb, sliced into moons

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp aïoli

Pinch fleur de sel

Few grinds black pepper

2 Tbsp minneola juice

Get your veggie fix (Wood and Metal).
1.  Heat half the oil in a wok and add the sliced fennel until softened, then set aside.  I did this step ahead and the rest during the roasting waiting time.
2.  Heat the other half of the oil in the same wok and wilt the spinach.  You may want to do this in batches so it doesn't steam.
3.  Add the fennel back in along with the minneola juice, fleur de sel, and black pepper.
4.  Remove from heat and stir in the aïoli.

Prime Rib

450g (1 lb) côte de boeuf about 1 1/2 inch thick

Fleur de sel

Cracked black pepper

Drizzle olive oil
pinch chopped parsley

Prep your prime rib. (Fire)
1.  Rub some fleur de sel and black pepper onto each side of your lovely Côte, then massage a drizzle of olive oil onto it.  That's it fir the prepping.  Make sure it is out of the fridge for at least 10 minutes before cooking.
2.  Heat your griddle pan or BBQ on high.  Cook for 2 1/2 minutes on each side, then transfer to a 190°C 375°F oven (griddle pan and all) for another 8 minutes for medium rare.
3.  Let rest for 2-3 minutes before cutting.

Roasted Lobster

2 small North American lobsters, defrosted and halved

Squeeze of minneola (tangelo) juice

Freshly chopped parsley

2 Tbsp aïoli

Get your crust on your lobsters. (Water)
1.  Make sure you drain any liquid from the defrosted lobsters.  I don't do live lobster.  Can't kill it.  I don't mind so much with oysters or mussels, but things that walk and can look at me and scream are too hard for me to kill.  Yes, I'm a softie..
2.  Squeeze some of the minneola juice onto each half, then brush the aïoli on.  Top with fresh parsley.  As I cut my lobsters in half, I noticed one was male and one was female.  Guess who saved all the lobster roe for herself?  Teehee!
3.  Roast at 190°C 375°C for 10 minutes.  If you time this right, the lobster is the last thing you serve, so your prime rib has already rested and your sides are already served.  Get it? Yes, be efficient.

I even managed to make this balanced with the Elements.

Spicy Tangy Meatballs

I knew I was going to be making meatballs tonight, but I didn't know if I was going to go turkey or beef.. and further down the road, if I was going to go Chinese or Italian.
The quick scan of my fresh inventory screamed Italian, although I could have easily gone either way. I don't know why I did this.. because I know deep in my heart that it's not in season, but I bought a large bag of zucchini this week.  I wanted a taste of summer.. even if the weather is almost summer like.  Yesterday (mid January, mind you, and in France.. not California) I went jacketless outside all day.  Yes, I was in long sleeves, but not a sweater, and I was almost sweating.
This is not a complaint.  I love when the weather is sunny and warm any time of the year because it reminds me of home, but it also reminds my body that "seasons" only happens in movies, and in "real" life, anything is available year-round.
And so as back in Cali, I could eat Zuppa Toscana in mid-summer, here in France, I'm making griddled zucchini with sundried tomatoes and meatballs in the winter.
And I'm ok with that.. because my actual real life body is on California time.  It might be a life saving denial strategy.  My body is a refugee to it's "safe place" where terrorists are a threat, but they seem far away.

I've made similar recipe in the past, but I gave it some peps.. and it was well worth it.. because there's nothing that screams Summer like little bursts of sundried tomatoes in your meatballs.

Yield 16-17 small meatballs

Ingredients

250g (1/2 lb) ground beef

1 carrot, finely grated

3 cloves garlic, grated

1 small red onion, finely diced
1 Tbsp diced green chile

1 Tbsp strong mustard

6 sundried tomatoes, diced

1 Tbsp piment d'espelette

1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce

lots and lots of fresh cracked pepper

1/2 tsp fleur de sel (flake salt)

1 1/2 tsp fennel seeds

drizzle olive oil for meatballs

1 egg yolk
2 Tbsp olive oil for cooking

Directions
1.  Mix all the ingredients together with your hands until homogenous.
2.  Form small balls in the palm of your hands.  I made about 17, but it depends on the size you want them.

3.  Heat the 2 Tbsp olive oil in a wok or heavy based pan and cook the meatballs carefully without overlapping so they brown on all sides, about 5 minutes, turning them from time to time.
4.  Set aside until ready to use.

I served mine over pasta with griddled zucchini and artichoke hearts in a spicy tomato sauce laced with extra sundried tomatoes.

Winter Borscht

There are many different versions of Borscht depending on the season or region of Eastern Europe.  The Russian and Ukrainian versions are very similar, and it is that version I have in a small memory parcel deep in my brain that has somehow resurfaced since yesterday.  Summer Borscht is eaten in a similar way that Gaspacho is eaten.  Nice and chilled on a hot day.  Winter Borscht is eaten steaming hot.  The broth is clear but red and earthy and full of beet flavor.

The only time I've ever eaten borscht was back in my university days.  I had a Russian friend who hosted a team project meeting at his parent's place and his mother politely offered to feed the team.  When you're a student, there is nothing better than being offered a home cooked meal, especially by somebody who's well trained in that domain.  The best part of this offer was that she was giving young Americans from various backgrounds a peep into Russian cuisine, which none of us had ever tried.

Her Borscht nourished me, but also drove me crazy.  In those days, my cooking skills were limited.  I knew how to make only what my mother had been able to explain to me over the phone, which was great, but I was not ready to take on challenges or cross over my culture-comfort zone.

Today, I'm ready to take on the world, and if this Borscht tastes remotely like the one engrained in my memory, I will have conquered that challenge.
By the way, this Borscht was out of this world.

Adapted to the slow cooker from Natasha's Kitchen's stove top recipe.

Serves 6

Ingredients

450g (1 lb) stew beef

2 bay leaves

1 beet, peeled and grated into sticks

2 carrots, grated into sticks

1 onion, diced

1 potato, peeled and cubed

1 tomatoes, diced

2 cloves garlic, finely grated

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 Tbsp dried dill

2 beef bouillon cubes (find some without MSG)

1 Tbsp coarse sea salt
1 Tbsp sugar

8 or more cups water

1 1/2 cups shredded cabbage (I used red)
1 jalapeño or green chile, seeded and diced (absolutely necessary!)

garnish:

plain yogurt or sour cream

freshly chopped parsley
squeeze of lemon
red pepper flakes for extra spice

Directions

1.  Place everything but the garnish into the crock pot.  The water should cover everything but you may need to push some veggies down under the water level.  Cook on low for 7-9 hours.

2.  Fish out the beef pieces and shred.

3.  Serve hot into bowls with some shredded beef for each serving and garnish with a dollop of plain yogurt and parsley.

The longest part is all the cutting.  I spent about 1 hour doing prep-work.  It will take much much longer if you don't have the right tools.  I may not know how to play a musical instrument, but I sure know how to jam on my mandolin to get those gorgeous vegetables to their match-stick perfect shapes.

Spiced Chili from Dry Kidney Beans

Chili is a dish that has as many "authentic" versions as there are stars on the American flag.  The only real rules to chili is that it's got to have meat, tomatoes, and chiles or chile powder (at the very least).  It can be mild or spicy, but it's always better when it's spicy, but deep flavorful spice... not necessarily heat spice.  I like both.  Obviously.
Depending on the location, it can include beans.  Some are very passionate about whether or not Chili includes beans.  I like beans, so my chili always has beans, and the beans that I choose for chili are kidney beans.  The variations are taken to another level by the way chili is eaten.  In Tennessee, the chili is served in a bowl with some tamales on the side.  Chili with a spoon, tamales with your fingers.  In Ohio, it is served over spaghetti with lots and lots of cheddar cheese.  In Alaska, they make it with moose and eat it as soup.  In California, you can order it over fries.  In Texas, they eat it with rice.  You can find chili in various places such as in an omelet, over a hot dog, over a baked potato, or even in a burger.
I like my chili with beans and over rice.. and with toppings that crunch and melt.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I want to tell you about kidney beans.  I'd never cooked them from dry before because of the high level phytohaemagglutinin toxin they contain when raw or undercooked.  You must cook them for 10 minutes at least at a high enough temperature for the toxin to be killed off, and I wasn't sure my crock pot would do the job.  If you're not feeling it, precook them in boiling water.  My crockpot cooks at an already high enough temperature on the low setting, so I figured at the high setting for a few hours would do the trick.  I did check to make sure there were simmering bubbles during cooking though.  Nobody was sick, so I will be using this method again for kidney beans... and they DO taste much better when cooked from scratch rather than from a can.  There is no comparison..  

Serves 7-8

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups dried kidney beans soaked overnight
550g (19oz) lean ground beef
2 bell peppers pick 2 colors, chopped
1 red chile, chopped (mine was Moroccan)
1 green chile, chopped (Moroccan as well)
1 large onion, chopped
5-6 medium tomatoes, chopped
5 chopped cloves of garlic
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp basil
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chile powder
lots of freshly cracked black pepper
2 tsp coarse sea salt
2 bay leaves
Garnish:
chopped green onions
shredded swiss cheese
sour cream
shredded cabbage
Directions
1.  Place the soaked beans in the slow cooker with 6 cups water, 1 tsp of the sea salt, and the bay leaves.  Cook on high for 3 hours.
2.  Drain but keep 1 cup of the cooking water.  Place everything but the garnish into the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-7 hours.
3.  Taste and add salt if needed.
4.  Assemble with the garnish.
Make sure to mix it around in your plate, "unmade bed" style, before indulging.

Pure delight which is also comfort food at its peak.

This is basically Obama's Chili recipe that was publicized during the 2008 elections, but with a few additional touches that take it up a notch.

Green Chili and Avocado Burger

This is a messy picture, but I felt a very very deep need to share it...
So I've been avoiding the charred chili process since I moved to Lyon because I don't have a gas stove (or bbq).  I always used tongs to hold my bell or chili over the open flame of a gas burner to get that charred effect, making the skin much much easier to remove.  When you're planning on cooking the chilis or bell peppers, unless you have digestive issues, you really don't need to go through this step, because the work is not worth the effort in the end.  But when you're going to then marinate them in some olive oil or use them in a salad or as a topping, this process is definitely worth every second.
By the way.. I season and shape my own burgers.. and sometimes I even grind the meat myself.  I'm not sure I've ever shared the seasoning recipe.. but that may be because I never measure, so it might be extremely annoying to those of you who need exact measurements.
I'll give basic instructions, but this is just "to taste" which I agree is very hard to follow because if you've never done it, you don't have a "to taste" reference.
Makes 4 burgers
Lets say I have about 800g (28.2oz)  of ground beef, separated into 200g (7oz) piles
few squirts tabasco, tapatio, or frank's hot sauce (depending on what I have on hand)
few squirts Worchesterchire sauce
drizzle of EVOO
few cracks black pepper
2 shakes Red Robin seasoning (or a mix of garlic powder, onion powder, ground celery, paprika, and salt)
some dried tarragon (or parsley, but I have a large stock of tarragon)
Then I use my little hands to mix everything together into the ball and shape them into "squares" because my burger buns are square.

So.. I don't have a gas stove, but I do have a high oven setting.  I simply placed this beauty whole on some foil on an oven tray closest to the broiler on the highest heat, and cooked it for about 20 minutes, flipping it once to get that char on both sides.
Then I removed it and placed it into a plastic bag for about 5-10 minutes to let it "sweat," making the pyjama removal process much much easier.

And there she is.. sneakily slipping out of her pyjamas..I love the aroma that finds its way to my nostrils during this process.. it reminded me of chile rellenos.. mega flashback!  I just might be able to recreate those here, if I'm careful and find some big enough chilis.  Ooh! Project!

I purposely re-used my griddle pan after last night's fiasco.  No throat grasping tonight though..

I first added my undressed chili.  I should have done 2.  I thought it might be too much.. but seriously... you can never have enough chilis.

Then I added some compté cheese and some raw onions.  I'm really digging the raw onions these days.  I used to always grill them and deglaze with balsamic vinegar, which is lovely, but I like the crunch of rawness... raawwrr!
Notice the non chili burger in the background.  Hahaaa that one got some pickles instead (for color).

The montage consisted of a sunny side up egg, a quarter of a ripe avocado, some tomatoes, and romaine lettuce.  The meat side of the bun was slathered with a sauce they call "Samourai" here which is somewhat of a spicy mayonnaise that works well with burgers.

And Yes.. I say Yes!!

Dangmyeon Japchae

The little voice inside my heart whispered Japchae to me, and since that delicate sound, Japchae has been on my mind.  I've made an adapted version of this a few years ago with whatever I had on hand, but this version is the authentic one.  This Japchae is the one made with real dangmyeon sweet potato starch noodles, real shitake mushrooms, and real Korean kimchi on the side.  This time, it was store-bought kimchi, but I intend to make some myself soon, since I recently found a Korean cooking blog, Maangchi, that explains the technique.  I'm so lucky to have an Asian Wonderland supermarket where I live to supply myself with all these foreign yet so perfectly familiar ingredients.

I'm not sure I've ever been so excited about fermented or cultured cabbage in my life.  I'm not sure how I am able to be so enthusiastically excited about something I'm so familiar with, I should not be surprised by how delectable it is.  The best parts of life are when the most familiar parts completely take over you in a way you find so immensely pleasurable you completely let yourself go, completely blown away, and even more impatient for the next time.. if there is a next time..

Serves 4

Ingredients

250g or 2 bunches sweet potato noodles (dangmyeon)

few drizzles EVOO

1 carrot, julienned

1 onion, sliced into moons

5 shitake mushrooms, soaked and sliced

1 handful sliced black mushrooms, soaked

1 bunch spinach, cooked (or 4 defrosted cubes)

7-8 scallions, cut into 2 inch pieces

200g thinly sliced steak

3 cloves garlic, grated

2 Tbsp sesame oil

3 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp mirin

1 Tbsp cane sugar

lots of fresh ground black pepper

sesame seeds for garnish

Directions

1.  Cook the noodles in a pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes or until tender.  Drain but do not rinse.  Place in a large bowl and toss with 1 Tbsp sesame oil and 1 Tbsp soy sauce.

2.  In a wok or heavy based pan, splash some olive oil on high heat and cook the sliced carrots for about 1 minute, stirring.  Add the cooked carrots into the bowl with the noodles

3.  Drizzle a bit more olive oil into the wok and cook the onions until translucent.  Add the onions into the bowl with the other friends.

4.  Drizzle just a touch more olive oil into the wok and cook the soaked mushrooms.  Cook for a few minutes until fragrant, then add the spinach and heat through.  Add this into the bowl with everyone else.

5.  Drizzle another dash of olive oil into the wok and add the scallions.  Stir fry for about 30 seconds, then add the steak slices.  Color well and add 1 Tbsp mirin and a bit of soy sauce.  Cook for about 2-3 minutes, then add it all to the bowl.

6.  Add the sugar, rest of the sesame oil, and soy sauce into the bowl with some freshly ground black pepper.  Toss well.  It should still be piping hot if you organized yourself well.

Serve garnished with sesame seeds and with a side of kimchi, if you are lucky enough to find some.
If needed, additional sesame oil and soy sauce can be added to each individual serving.  I didn't want to overdo it with the seasoning and found that my way of doing it was exactly how I wanted it (but yet so surprisingly good I wondered if I was still on Earth).
Those noodles are truly amazing.  It's like they come from a different universe.  This is the first time I've used them for their intended purpose (in a hot dish) and they are extremely hard to substitute.  They keep their chewy texture, they are clear and brownish when hot, but when used in a salad become translucent blue.. which is freaky, but I love it!

The kimchi I had was very spicy, so I didn't feel the need to add any more heat.  If you don't have kimchi, you might want to add some chili powder or even cut a whole thai chili into your plate.  I really enjoyed the acidity of the kimchi with the japchae.. it took me to another level.. again...

Dim Sum Party

There comes a time in ones life when one feels ready to have a dim sum party.  When I think of dim sum, I think of lots of variety of things being carted around and my getting to taste each and every little item.  Most items are in their steamer baskets, some are fried, some are savory, some are sweet.  It is an old Chinese snack culture usually served to accompany tea.
At my dim sum party, it was a dinner deal, and I didn't have little carts with little steamer baskets because, well, I only have one steamer basket.  What I did for my dim sum was make one "thing" per cooking utensil.  I made one thing fresh, the Goi Cuan, one thing steamed, the Baozi, one thing deep fried, the Cha Gio, and one thing pan fried, the Jiaozi.
Why would anyone want to go through so much trouble?
Well, for me, spending all day in the kitchen folding egg rolls and pleating dumplings is a fabulous day.  Also, everything but the spring rolls can be frozen, so it's like I'm preparing future dim sum parties that I will be able to bust out impromptu and that is pretty amazing.
It also gets quite addicting.  You may mess up your first steamed meat bun but as you go, you develop a technique, your fingers become nimble little magical cinnamon sticks and you're amazed that you've already pleated 90 dumplings in under 1 hour!
Now, I want to roll spring rolls every day all the time and with a bunch of different fillings.  I want to eat everything wrapped in a big salad leaf with tons of mint and dipped into a tangy spicy sauce!
I'm serious it's all I can think about and I've been doing it for 3 days!!!
I've made each of these items before, but (of course) I changed the fillings a bit here and there.

For the Baozi (Steamed Buns), instead of a ground beef filling, I made a vegetarian filling with paneer.

Yield 15 buns

Ingredients

200g paneer, diced
1 handful shitakes, soaked and diced

2 tsp doubanjiang (Pixian broad bean chili paste)

2 cloves garlic, grated

1 inch ginger, trated

1 Tbsp light soy sauce

2 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp sesame oil

3 Tbsp chopped scallions

3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1/4 cup water (as needed)

Dipping Sauce:

1 1/2 Tbsp light soy sauce

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 Tbsp black vinegar

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp ginger powder

1/4 tsp sugar

For the Jiaozi (Potstickers), I made a leek and scallion filling inspired by Yi Reservation's chive dumplings.

Yield 90 Jiaozi

Ingredients

1 lb (450g) mix of ground turkey and beef
1/2 lb (225g) chopped leeks
3 chopped scallions
1 inch ginger, chopped
1 egg
1 cup hot water
1 tsp corn starch
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tsp sesame oil

Make the filling by stirring everything together in one direction, adding the water 2 tablespoons at a time until all the water is absorbed.

For the Goi Cuan (Fresh Spring Rolls) I replaced the shitake and basil by some avocado and cilantro to make it dreamily perfect.

For the Cha Gio (Nems/Egg Rolls) I used chicken and red cabbage instead of turkey and kohlrabi.

All this was more than enough food for everybody, so for dessert I stayed on familiar territory.. pie.. Plum Pie to be exact.

Chimichurri Sauce and Marinade

This is the last weekend of my "vacation," and since the plan is that there is no plan, and it pretty much rained the whole time, I've stayed put.  There are certain things I was actually looking forward to during this off time which ended up never happening.  One of those things was to get to cook some octopus on my plancha.  That idea gets vetoed every single time I bring it up, but it will get through one day.. and that day will be a total game changer.  This type of thing does not make me upset enough to ruin my meal plan though.  Just a little resentment simmering in the back of my heart until one day I'm just going to bring home an octopus without consulting anybody and cook it and eat it all by myself!

Ah I feel better.
So today as I was forcefully steered away from the fish mongerer, I retaliated by buying a ton of meat and imagining I'd be having guests over.  Eh.. who needs guests when leftovers are amazing..so no guests, but mega meat night.  Tonight's victims are:

Beef chuck roll (basse-côte)

Horse rump steak (rumsteak)

Lamb leg slices (tranches de gigot)
Chicken drumsticks (pilons)

With all these different animals, I needed something to bring them together while letting their independence shine.  I looked up various spice rubs which were very interesting, but nothing that got my motor running.  Then I figured I'd just go classic flake salt, pepper, some herbes de provence and call it a night.. until I stumbled upon Chimichurri.
I've had this little Argentinian beauty before at an authentic Argentinian restaurant here.  It's refreshing, can be used as a topping sauce or a marinade, and works with any type of meat, egg, fish, or even vegetable.  The Chimichurri would be a perfect liaison for tonight's meal.  I looked at several recipes and they're all basically the same, so I'm pretty sure this is the "authentic" one here.
Yield 1 1/4 cup

Ingredients

1/2 cup packed chopped flat leaf parsely

3 Tbsp red wine vinegar (I used cider vinegar)

5 garlic cloves, crushed

1 small shallot, chopped

3 Tbsp oregano (better to use fresh if you can find it)

2 tsp crushed red pepper

3/4 cup EVOO

Some flake salt and cracked black pepper

Directions

1.  Put it all in a food processor and blend until everything is finely minced, but not a full on cream.

Oops, I only have a magic bullet, so mine is creamy, but that's ok with me today.  We'll see how I feel about that tomorrow.

2.  Refigerate for at least 30 minutes before using so the flavors have time to set.

I decided to use this as a marinade for the drumsticks, and more as a side sauce for the red meat.
It was amazing..
So for the grilling, there is nothing as simple as this.
Chicken drumsticks:  Score it and rub the chimichurri in all the crevices.  Let marinate for at least 1 hour.  Cook on medium high heat for at least 30 minutes, turning regularly and basting with lime juice, orange juice, and extra chimichurri.

Lamb leg slices:  Season with fleur de sel, pepper, and a nice rub of thyme.  Cook on high heat for about 2 minutes on each side, basting with orange juice and just a touch of chimichurri.
Beef chuck roll:  Season with fleur de sel and pepper and just a touch of chimichurri.  Cook on high heat for about a minute and a half on each side, brushing a touch of chimichurri during cooking.

Horse rump steak:  Season with fleur de sel, pepper, and a touch of olive oil.  Cook on high for about 2 and a half minutes on each side if they are thick.  Mine were about twice the thickness of the lamb slices.  Make sure to baste with the orange so it doesn't dry out.
When finished cooking, let rest for a few minutes.  This is where the flavor nectar is released.

The best part of this is the leftovers.. omg leftovers are heaven for me!!

You can use the chimichurri as a dipping sauce for meat or vegetables once they make it onto your plate as shown in the plate picture..