Tag Archives: raisins secs

Brown is beautiful (part II)

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There are some classic couples.

Romeo & Juliet.

Laurel & Hardy.

Yin & Yang.

Movie night & popcorn.

Bread & butter.

Peanut butter & jelly.

Apple pie & vanilla ice cream.

Rhum & coke.

Rock & roll.

Now meet a not-so-classic couple : pasta & chocolate!

But first, a few words of deep wisdom on freedom.

Being a mommy means living in a golden jail cell of true happiness. I’m handcuffed to the little king night and day. He shines and rains over me. He cracks me up and tears me apart. He makes my day every single day. I wouldn’t give up that jail cell for anything.

Freedom is an inner thing. A state of mind. A state of heart.

Still, I find it hard to grasp, hard to keep from slipping through my fingers.

Whether life is good or bad, I can find freedom riding my bicycle. I ride for hours with the little king by my side, breathing through the smog, pretending I’m in downtown Beijing, aiming for that great wall (and great legs).

On that same bike, beside that same pure and innocent king, I may run into some anti-freedom activists. These postmodern communists loudly condemn my bad driving, deliberately trying to spoil my freedom on wheels. What they do not know is that they allow me to experience total freedom : I gladly flip them the bird! Is that too much freedom?

Almost daily, I also find freedom on the toilet seat.

It’s not what you think.

While the little king is busy developing is gross motor and intellectual skills in the bathtub, I get to enjoy a few moments of freedom sitting down on the cold white throne. I might surf the internet, read a book, learn mandarin, or just wander off.

A few months ago, I was leafing through an old forgotten cookbook of mine meanwhile getting soaking wet from all of the little king’s H2O experiments. I finally ended up in the chocolate section. After a fascinating exposé on the invention of mole poblano, the author, Daniel Pinard, a well-known french canadian foodie, starts going on and on about some traditionnal Florentine chocolate pasta dish.

By bedtime, it would be too late for me to make the last flight to Florence.

But it’s never too late to get cooking!

Pinard admits that he took the idea from Giuliano Bugialli, some italian cooking master. Being a free spirit, he added some capers and olives. For my part, I took out the ground beef, the pancetta, the beef stock and the olives, added some eggplant, and cooked up a delicious brown vegetarian noodle plate.

This brown savory dish is not as photogenic as I had hoped, but taste is what matters. The flavour of the sauce reminds me of caponata, but the chocolate takes it to a whole new level. The eggplant melts in your mouth, the noodles are chewy and the pecans remain slightly crunchy. Every bite is a yummy surprise.

Pairing pasta and chocolate is a great statement of freedom and I encourage you to try it.

You can try and make it authentic by serving it with fresh homemade cocoa scented pasta.

You can make it meaty by using ground beef and pancetta.

You can also gross me out by adding tons of garlic.

You can even make pretty if you’ve got some food styling skills.

Or you can be your own man and watch tv instead.

noodles with florentine sweet and sour sauce (print)

recipe adapted from pinardises

(6 servings)

2 carrots, grated

1 spanish onion, finely chopped

4 celery stalks, finely chopped

olive oil

salt

pepper

2 italian eggplants, diced

4 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup water

4 tablespoons capers

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup pecans

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

15 g bittersweet chocolate

grated parmigiano reggiano, for serving

grated bittersweet or unsweetened chocolate, for serving

In a pot, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the carrots, onion and celery, and saute until the onion is translucent. Add a little salt and pepper. Add the eggplant and a little oil, if needed. Add salt and pepper, again, and saute until all the vegetables are soft.

Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute or two. Add the water and let it simmer covered for about 20 minutes.

Add the capers, raisins, pecans, vinegar and chocolate. Adjust seasonnig and keep simmering over low heat for about 10 minutes.

Serve with egg noodles.

Sprinkle grated parmigiano reggiano and chocolate on top, to taste.

nutrition facts : 239 calories; 16.6 g fat; 5.7 g dietary fibers; 13.9 g sugars; 3.2 g protein

nouilles florentines à la sauce aigre-douce (imprimer)

recette adaptée de pinardises

(6 portions)

2 carottes, râpées

1 oignon espagnol, finement haché

4 branches de céleri, finement hachées

huile d’olive

sel

poivre

2 aubergines italiennes, coupées en dés

4 c. à soupe de pâte de tomate

1 tasse d’eau

4 c. à soupe de câpres

1/2 tasse de raisins secs

1/2 tasse de pacanes

1/4 tasse de vinaigre de vin rouge

15 g de chocolat mi-sucré

parmigiano reggiano, râpé

chocolat mi-sucré ou non sucré, râpé

Dans une casserole, faire revenir les carottes, l’oignon et le céleri dans l’huile à feu moyen. Saler et poivrer un peu. Ajouter les dés d’aubergine et un peu d’huile, au besoin. Saler et poivrer encore. Faire revenir jusqu’à ce que les légumes soient bien ramollis.

Ajouter la pâte de tomate et laisser cuire une minute ou deux. Ajouter l’eau et laisser mijoter à couvert pendant 20 minutes.

Ajouter les câpres, les raisins secs, les pacanes, le vinaigre et le chocolat. Ajuster l’assaisonnement et mijoter à feu doux encore 10 minutes.

Servir avec des nouilles aux œufs.

Ajouter parmigiano reggiano et chocolat râpé, au goût, au moment de servir.

valeur nutritive : 239 calories;  16,6 g de lipides; 5,7 g de fibres; 13,9 g de sucres; 3,2 g de protéines

From geek to food geek

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Geek : a person often of an intellectual bent who is disliked.

I’m a natural born geek.

Growing up, I had a hard time making and keeping friends. Even imaginary friends never tagged along for long.

I always was top of my class, but I never was the teacher’s pet. I guess even my teachers thought I was too geeky.

I was into boardgames, collecting live ants and slugs, and digging to China.

Once, I even went to golf camp.

I was a typical bookworm. I used to think that books were a reflection of reality. No wonder I felt out of place in the real world.

If I had found a magic lamp, conveniently rubbed it and met a genie who would have granted me three wishes, I would have asked for a treehouse, for the courage to run away and for a best friend.

I never got to have a treehouse (I guess single moms have other priorities), though I had lots of trees to climb in, which is better than nothing, I guess.

I never ran away. I was way to scared of my mom’s temper. Plus, how was I gonna explain why I ran away? “Mr. officer, I ranaway because that’s what little girls do in books”.

When I turned 12, some supernatural invisible magic force granted me one wish : I met a filly who’d eventually become my best friend in the whole wide world. She was stunningly gorgeous and witty. She was no geek. Not to mention that she was a redhead : I had found my very own Anne of Green Gables! I never knew why we got along so well, sometimes I still wonder why she loved me back, but she help me deal with the truth : books don’t reflect reality, they distort it to make it tantalizing.

In high school, not only did I want to fit in, I wanted to be cool. My pretty redhead of a best friend did the best she could to help me through the process with some fashion tips, reverse psychology and constant support. But being cool was out of my reach, no matter how hard I tried, no matter what color my hair was, no matter how low I tried to keep my grades.

After high school, as an attempt to blend my geeky nature and my clumsy coolness, I traveled to ancient persia on an archeology internship. As I was digging up stolen scrolls and flying carpets, the prince of persia walked by and fell for my moony stares, my inept conversation and my black kurt cobain wannabe glasses. He found all of my geeky traits enticing and told me so. Somehow, I was freed : someone (a boy!!!) loved me for who I was, maybe I could do the same.

I came back home and proudly aced my way through college. Then, my life took a rather homey turn. I could’ve become the perfect housewife, or the perfect cook, or even the perfect party host. But I went from geek to food geek instead. I know everything there is to know about food : I know that strawberries and chocolate don’t share the same aromatic profile, I know that instant oats contain as much fiber as old-fashioned oats, I know that you have to use a large pot and a good amount of salt to properly cook pasta.

And I know how to make the perfect breakfast out of chickpea flour.

Just like the prince of persia looked beyond my geeky ways, you must look beyond the chickpea and bake this bread. It is moist, and tasty, and good for you. But don’t eat to much of it, you might magically turn into a geek…

chickpea breakfast bread (print)

recipe adapted from dinners & dreams

3 eggs

1/4 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup chickpea flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch of salt

1 banana, mashed

1 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup chopped dates

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup grated carrots

Preheat the oven to 350. Coat a loaf pan with cooking spray.

Using an electric mixer or hand whisk, mix the eggs, honey and vanilla until well combined.

Combine the chickpea flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a separate bowl. Add them to the wet ingredients. Mix again until the batter is smooth and homogeneous.

Fold in the banana, nuts, dates, raisins, coconut and carrots.

Pour the batter in the prepared pan. Bake until the cake is set and slightly browned, 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool before unmolding.

nutrition facts : 210 calories; 9.2 g fat; 4.4 g dietary fibers; 17.3 g sugars; 7 g protein

pain-déjeuner à la farine de pois chiche (imprimer)

recette adaptée de dinners & dreams

3 œufs

1/4 tasse de miel

1 c. à thé d’extrait de vanille

3/4 tasse de farine de pois chiche

1 c. à thé de bicarbonate de soude

1/2 c. à thé de cannelle

1/4 c. à thé de sel

1 banane, en purée

1 tasse de noix de grenoble, grossièrement hachées

1/2 tasse de dattes, hachées

1/2 tasse de raisins secs

1/2 tasse de noix de coco râpée, non sucrée

1/2 tasse de carottes râpées

Préchauffer le four à 350. Vaporiser un moule à pain d’enduit à cuisson.

Battre les œufs, le miel et la vanille à l’aide d’un fouet ou d’un batteur électrique.

Mélanger la farine de pois chiche, le bicarbonate de soude, la canelle et le sel dans un autre bol. Ajouter les ingrédients secs aux ingrédients liquides et battre à nouveau.

Incorporer la banane, les noix de grenoble, les dattes, les raisins secs, la noix de coco et les carottes.

Verser la préparation dans le moule à pain. Cuire de 35 à 40 minutes. Laisser refroidir avant de démouler.

valeur nutritive : 210 calories;  9,2 g de lipides; 4,4 g de fibres; 17,3 g de sucres; 7 g de protéines

Histoire de sandwichs chauds

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Enfant, je méprisais les hot chicken. Pain blanc mouillé et petits pois en conserve? Autant manger de la bouette! Ma culture personnelle en termes de sandwichs chauds se limitait donc aux grilled cheese et aux croque-monsieur (le club sandwich refroidit trop vite pour faire partie de la classe à part des sandwichs chauds).

Le grilled cheese parfait devait être garni de deux tranches de fromage kraft minces, issues du paquet de 24, tartiné épais de beurre, effoiré au maximum et coupé en quatre dans le sens de la diagonale.  Quels craquants petits triangles!

Le croque-monsieur idéal devait être préparé par maman. Elle prenait une moelleuse tranche de pain blanc, elle y ajoutait son bon jambon fait maison passé au moulinet et complétait le tout avec du bon fromage au lait qui vient du pays de celui qui l’a fait (c’est-à-dire du cheddar doux bien de chez nous de marque chalifoux). J’imagine qu’elle enfournait ensuite la bête à broil pour quelques minutes et qu’elle me la servait sur un plateau d’argent accompagnée de tranches de concombre saupoudrées de sel et de vinaigre. Combien de fois mon jeune estomac a-t-il digéré avec bonheur ce mets raffiné?!

Les temps ont bien changé. Le grilled cheese s’est chicané avec le fromage kraft et en a profité pour planifier une petite ascension sociale réussie. Le croque-monsieur se tient plutôt tranquille, mais je suis convaincue qu’il guette la porte des grands chefs pour ressortir du placard.

Il y a aussi un nouveau venu tout droit de l’Italie en ville : le panini! Le panini pullule à Montréal. On le rencontre dans les cafés, dans les centres commerciaux, dans les boulangeries, dans les restos bon chic bon genre. On le réinvente à gauche et on le démocratise à droite. Il tient bien dans une main, laissant à l’autre main la liberté de saisir un roman de poche ou de texter un message d’une importance capitale.

Le prince de perse étant friand de paninis et de gadgets, la presse à panini fit son entrée très tôt dans notre cuisine conjugale autrement dégarnie : impossible de trouver un simple fouet dans cette cuisine, mais pourquoi faire une omelette en cassant des œufs quand on peut se griller un panini en toute impunité, dites-moi?

Bref, qu’est-ce qu’une quasi-végétarienne peut bien mettre dans son panini?  Du pesto, du chèvre, des légumes grillés ou marinés. Pas mal. Et qu’est qu’une globetrotteuse frustrée préfère retrouver dans son panini? La Sicile. Génial!

Donc, un panini à la caponata. La caponaquoi? La ca-po-na-ta. C’est un ragoût sicilien aigre-doux de légumes contenant à tous les coups des aubergines et du céleri (mes remerciements à wikipédia). Je n’ai jamais goûté l’authentique et j’avoue que je n’y tiens pas (y tenir me ferait cruellement souffrir). La version mondialisée et paninisée suffit amplement à combler mes besoins d’exotisme et de sandwichs chauds. Je raffole aussi des restants de caponata avec un œuf miroir et du pain de plus ou moins bonne qualité, selon l’humeur du portefeuille. Je rêve aussi d’accompagner un jour le doux ragoût de polenta, rêve plus réaliste que le voyage en Sicile ou que la soirée en amoureux dans un restaurant italien.

panini à la caponata (imprimer)

recette adaptée de everyday italian

1/4 tasse d’huile d’olive

1 branche de céleri, coupée en dés

2 aubergines italiennes (ou une aubergine de taille moyenne), coupées en dés

1 poivron rouge, coupé en dés

1 oignon, haché

1 boîte de 14 oz de tomates en dés

3 c. à table de raisins secs

1/2 c. à thé d’origan séché

1/4 tasse de vinaigre de vin rouge

2 c. à thé de sucre

1 c. à table de câpres égouttées

sel

poivre

pain ciabatta ou autre

fromage provolone en tranches

Chauffer l’huile dans un gros poêlon à feu moyen. Faites revenir le céleri dans l’huile environ 2 minutes. Ajouter l’aubergine et faites revenir environ 2 minutes. Ajouter le poivron rouge et faites revenir environ 5 minutes. Ajouter l’oignon et faites revenir jusqu’à ce qu’il soit translucide, environ 3 minutes. Ajouter les tomates en dés et leur jus, les raisins secs et l’origan. Laisser mijoter environ 20 minutes à feu moyen-doux en remuant à l’occasion. Ajouter le vinaigre, le sucre et les câpres.  Saler et poivrer légèrement à chaque étape de la cuisson.  Réajuster l’assaisonnement à la fin.

Pour monter un sandwich, trancher un ciabatta en 2.  Enlever un peu de mie dans la moitié du dessous.  Garnir généreusement de caponata.  Couvrir de 2 tranches de provolone. Refermer avec la moitié du haut et presser le temps qu’il faudra.  Répéter la procédure autant de fois que les convives en redemandent.

valeur nutritive pour 1/6 de la recette de caponata : 148 calories; 9,3 g de lipides; 4,8 g de fibres; 9,8 g de sucres; 2 g de protéines

caponata panini (print)

recipe adapted from everyday italian

1/4 cup olive oil

1 celery stalk, diced

2 italian eggplant (or 1 medium eggplant), diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes

3 tablespoons raisins

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon drained capers

salt

pepper

cibatta bread

sliced provolone cheese

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the celery and saute about 2 minutes. Add the eggplant and saute about 2 minutes. Add the red pepper and cook about 5 minutes. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes with their juice, raisins, and oregano. Simmer over medium-low heat until the flavors blend and the mixture thickens, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Add the vinegar, sugar, and capers. Season lightly with salt and pepper all through out the cooking process. Adjust seasoning at the end.

To make a sandwich, cut a ciabatta in half. Remove a little dough from the bottom part of the bread. Generously fill up with caponata. Top with 2 slices of provolone. Cover with the other bread half and press for as long as it will take. Repeat the procedure as long as your guests keep on asking for it.

nutrition facts for 1/6 of the caponata recipe : 148 calories; 9.3 g fat; 4.8 g dietary fibers; 9.8 g sugars; 2 g protein