Easy recipe number two comes from my friend Leah. Her exact email about the recipe stated “made this tonight, paired with salad and a roll, and it’s AMAZING and AMAZINGLY EASY. Definitely a gourmet-style meal that can be made in 20 mins”. We tried it last week and it was amazing and amazingly easy!
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Total time: 20 mins
Serves: 4
Leah & I both used salmon for this recipe but you can use any fish you like. I liked the salmon as it pairs nicely with the strong flavor of the sauce.
- 4 fish fillets
- salt & pepper
- 8 ounces creme fraiche
- 4 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 Tablespoons minced shallots or onions
- 2 teaspoons capers
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place fish filets (skin side down) on paper. Sprinkle each filet with salt & pepper.
- Combine creme fraiche, Dijon, shallots (or onions) and capers in a bowl. Mix. Divide mixture evenly between filets and spread over the top of each filet.
- Bake filets for 10-15 minutes in the preheated oven.
- Serve with a side salad & roll.
1.2.4
It’s been easy recipes around here lately. We made tempeh reubens for dinner last week after being inspired by a great tempeh reuben at a local sandwich shop. We used raw saurkraut that is produced locally. It has a crazy strong smell but is really tasty!
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 2 mins
Total time: 7 mins
Serves: 2
- 4 slices rye or pumpernickel bread
- mustard
- saurkraut
- 2 slices swiss cheese
- 6 slices tempeh
- soy sauce
- Preheat the broiler.
- Cook the tempeh in a skillet with approx 1/4 water and splash of soy sauce. Bring mixture to a boil and let tempeh simmer for 5 minutes, until tender.
- Place 4 bread slices on a baking sheet. Spread mustard on two slices of bread. Place tempeh on top of mustard, then several tablespoons of saurkraut, then the slice of swiss cheese.
- Broil for 1-2 minutes until cheese is melted & bubbling. Serve and eat.
1.2.4
Officially named Tian de légumes this French vegetable casserole makes great use of late summer vegetables. The dish originates from Provence which in the southeast corner of France near Italy. Tian refers to a layered and baked vegetable dish. I got this recipe from a French Cookbook I bought on my 29th birthday while in Paris. I went to a specialty cookbook store and asked in very poor French for a book of classic recipes. I ended up buying a book titled “Le Meilleur de la France” (The Best of France) as it had some step-by-step pictures (good if your French isn’t up to par) and vignettes about various French specialties (e.g. bread). Unfortunately I won’t be able to cook my way through the whole book as some of the ingredients are next to impossible to buy… Anyone ever see boudin noir at their local butcher?
| Zucchini & tomato casserole (Tian de légumes) |
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Prep time: 40 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 1 hour
Serves: 4
This veggie casserole is a great side dish for grilled fish or other meats. You can cut down the prep time by not peeling the tomatoes. Add bread & salad for a nice dinner.
- 5 small zucchini
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed
- pinch nutmeg
- 3 large tomatoes
- 2 small red onions, diced
- 1 cup parsley leaves, minced
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 cup gruyère, grated
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut a cross in the bottom of each tomato with a paring knife.
- Meanwhile, cut zucchini into diagonal 1/4-inch thick slices. Sauté zucchini in a pan over medium-low heat with 2 Tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Press garlic cloves over zucchini. Sauté 7 minutes, until zucchini pieces begin to get tender. Spread as bottom layer in casserole dish.
- Spread grated gruyère over zucchini.
- Once water is boiling drop each tomato into water for 20 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon to a cutting board. Now you are able to easily peel the skin off each tomato. Cut tomatoes in half crosswise and remove seeds. Dice tomato.
- Add 2 Tablespoons olive oil to pan. Increase heat to medium and add diced onion. Sauté for about 5 minutes, until onions begin to get tender. Increase heat to medium-high and add tomatoes, parsley, wine, salt & pepper to taste. Let mixture cook just until most of the juice has evaporated. Spread over grated cheese layer.
- Bake entire casserole in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
1.2.4
This is a great instruction book for intermediate to advanced cooking techniques. There is a humongous amount of useful information presented and without cooking a single dish you can learn the subtleties of cooking. I like the fact that this book focuses on French techniques with an American flair due to Julia Child’s background. The wonderful pictures step you through difficult techniques like making meringue mushrooms for Bûche de Noël. Additionally, the book is set up so you have Master recipes/techniques with suggestions for variation. For example, Pâte à Génoise (aka Genoise cake batter) is a master recipe that sets the stage for a number of other cakes: The Santa Clara (a 3-layer cake with apricot filling and white mountain frosting), The Cambridge Cake (Genoise layer cake with mocha buttercream frosting, chocolate walls and bow), The Queen of Sheba (a chocolate almond cake), and of course roulades (including Bûche de Noël).
French lentils (or green lentils or Puy lentils) are great for salads. They have a nice, peppery taste and they hold their shape when cooked. This is a great salad for busy weeknights. It only takes 30 minutes from start to finish!
| French Lentil Salad with Mozzarella |
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Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Serves: 2
- 3/4 cup French lentils
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 lemon
- 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 small ball fresh mozzarella or 1 tub of small mozzarella balls, torn into pieces
- 3 sprigs basil, leaves torn into pieces
- extra virgin olive oil
- 2 handfuls mixed lettuce
- Combine red onion with juice of half a lemon. Let marinate.
- Combine lentils with 3-4 cups water. Bring to a boil. Simmer 25-30 minutes, until lentils are tender.
- Meanwhile, in a bowl combine cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. Place lettuce in two bowls.
- When lentils are done cooking, drain then place back in pot. Add onions, juice of half a lemon, a few glugs of olive oil and salt & pepper, to taste. Mix lentils with tomato-mozzarella mixture.
- Spoon lentil salad over greens.
1.2.4