Avocado Aubergine Guacamole, California & the Story of the Blue Apron

An unforgettable song is like an old oaky red. It's strange how the mind works. I was listening to Mylene Farmer's California on heavy rotation (yes, almost obsessively) and the powerful lyrics haunted me like an echo. 

Changer d'optique, prendre l'exit

Et m'envoyer en Amerique

...

La chaleur de l'abandon

C'est comme une symphonie

...

Sous ma peau j'ai LA en overdose

"The warmth of the abandon it's like a symphony", the itchy feet, the desire to leave, to travel to far-away places, even if I had to dive into the past- the first trip to France, 1996, the year I finished high school, the time and age when it was ok to be so carefree and nonchalant, but passionate enough to have big dreams of your own, "under my skin LA gave me an overdose". 

I can only imagine California basking in the sun and the western waves gently lapping its white sandy beaches. Crimson, velvety and oily wines of Spanish ancestry, fresh and organic ingredients, small, private restaurants hidden behind carefully manicured hedges (it's Hollywood-ville, after all) is my visual sensation of this state. Let's forget about the Kardashians' mishaps, the naked drama and the wannabes on E TV, the desirable it ZIP codes, the Fashion Police show on Saturday night and the eternal quest for physical, yet short-lived beauty... So covetable it's become a melting pot, Californian cuisine should be nothing but a cross between something new and something old, with influences from both Latin America on one hand, and the Old World & Asia on the other hand. 

My dreamy intro leads to this delicious fusion dish here below.

Avocado Aubergine Salad with Zucchini and Zataar

Type of cuisine: Fusion / Middle Eastern, Mexican, Vegetarian, Low Fat

Preparation time: 45 minutes (for baking) +  10 minutes

Ingredients

2 big aubergines 

2 avocados

2 cherry tomatoes

1 zucchini (or courgette)

1 cucumber

a small red onion

1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

2 tbs zataar

a pinch of salt 

olive oil

Bake the aubergines in the oven at 180-200 degrees C for 45 minutes.

Preparation

Peel and mash the avocado and the cherry tomatoes, finely dice the zucchini & the red onion, shred the cucumber and toast the sesame seeds.


Peel and pulp the burned aubergines, drain and set aside.

Method

Place all of the above in a large bowl and mix. Add a pinch of salt to season and a little extra virgin olive oil, then work in 1 tbs of zataar.  Keep the rest for decoration.

If you don't find zataar at the supermarket, you shouldn't lose a night's sleep over it. I recommend you make your own zataar at home. Exhale- it's the easiest thing in the world. Just mix sumac, thyme, toasted sesame seeds, fleur de sel, oregano and caraway or cumin seeds and there you are :)

I always use Camargue salt when I cook. Last summer I bought plenty from Saintes Maries de la Mer. (Oh, I've become mushy again... I want to go back.....)

You can learn more about zataar on wikipedia, but if you are not looking forward to a matter-of-fact and impersonal description, then click on Joumana's beautiful blog, Taste of Beirut to read about zataar and so much more: life, passion, home, family and the days of yore.

You probably wonder what's the connection between guacamole and the story of the Blue Apron. The French Laundry is a French restaurant in Yountville, Nappa Valley California where, as I discovered reading their site, they don't just create unique dishes to reinvent new experiences at each morsel: "something so new, so exciting, so comforting, so delicious"... their goal is clear "we don't want to impress you, we want to cook for you and make you happy"...

A great meal is not about the food and the wine. A great meal is an emotional experience". "A great meal is a kind of journey that returns you to the sources of pleasure you may have forgotten and take you to places you have't been before".

And what a great philosophy to have when you run a business! It is exactly how I feel when I cook (on a much, much smaller scale, obviously). Enjoying the taste, the colours and the flavours of the food myself is one thing, but cooking for the people I love is what makes me really happy. Cooking & sharing what you cook is much more than choosing the right spices and ingredients, counting the calories :( or assessing the healthy benefits of the dishes; it's about life and love and the lively conversation started around the table, the feelings that the dish evokes in you, or the desire to explore new boundaries. 

But the story of the Blue Apron is a lesson of life in itself. 

"According to French culinary tradition, white aprons are reserved for those who have ascended to the level of chef, having completed a journey that began as an apprentice wearing a blue apron. 

But within the kitchen of any Thomas Keller restaurant everyone from the commis to the chef de cuisine, wears a blue apron during the hours prior to service, changing into white only once the service begins. 

While respect for tradition is a common thread among the kitchen staff, what's just as important is the desire to constantly learn. Everything can always be done a little better. Everyone can always learn something new. It's the constant exploration that allows the experience to constantly evolve. Assuming an apprentice's mindset for a little each day is a reminder of that." 

...because no matter what your hobby, calling, or profession is, keeping an open mind and always being ready to learn, even when you stumble, then improve and become better at it is the key to success in any venture. 

Humility is the greatest of all virtues. 

Moules à la provençale

Moules Marinieres. Full stop. Simple, French and insanely delicious, these small clams bring to mind the zest, the smell of marine air, and the salty taste of far-away seas and oceans. White wine, garlic, creme fraiche and chopped parsley. Fresh baguette and chilled white wine. And there you go, eight months later, you are no longer on stress-free vacation under the August sun, in that little quayside restaurant, but in your humdrum urban kitchen recreating (one of) the most indulging and comfort holiday dishes –

Moules à la provençale.

Tiny urban kitchen:  Moules a la Provencale at home.

On an ordinary, chillier-than-normal April weekend, I decided to go item-shopping, and found fresh moules (mussels) & suddenly I had flashbacks of Southern France - Provence - Camargue - Saintes Maries de la Mer.

view of Port Gardien, Stes Maries de la Mer (rue Theodore Aubanel)

Unforgettable holidays are often completely unplanned: good company, chillout music and beautiful scenery all around, lead you to the most unexpected places; great discoveries are off the beaten track.

Located half an hour's drive from Arles, Saintes Maries de la Mer, the capital of Camargue, marks the end of D570 and the beginning of paradise. It took me less than a moment to fall in love with this magical place where man and nature blend harmoniously without disrupting the environment: grazing Camargue bulls, wild horses and pink flamingos wallowing in the marshes, all live in the proximity of snapshot-happy humans,  tolerant of the ceaseless tourist chatter and wows of admiration.

A boat trip deep into the delta, a simple meal in a quaint p'tit resto right on the sea shore, a sunset walk on the pier, a vibrant gitano concert late at night in a street cafe, the sheer tranquillity of the sound of crickets, the vastness of the starry skies, and - when we were there, the eerie distant colours of the Aurora Borealis (surprising for this latitude) on the northern horizon - all still fail to describe the beauty and variety of this land.

Moules Marinieres en Camargue

The heart of a pearly clam...delicious

Moules...no more :(

Last night, as I was going though holiday snapshots, Mike was making Moules Marinieres, at my request. Frankly, he masters the art of French cooking close to perfection. He's made great French classics to come to life such as Coq au Vin and you may remember his guest post of Boeuf Bourguignon here on Lemon Love Notes.

MOULES MARINIERES

by Mike Waters, 

Guest writer

Type of cuisine: French, Provencale

Difficulty: easy

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Yolanda and I still have great memories of a couple of great meals on the quayside in Sts. Maries de la Mer, a beautiful seaside village where the footsteps of Van Gogh still echo through the tiny narrow streets, with a strong hint of '60s gauche thrown in.  Here, on a still late summer evening, with the sun setting over the marshes of the Camargue, the faint strains of gypsy music in the distance, and the balmy Mediterranean air caressing both the skin and the soul, it is easy to imagine you have just stepped off planet Earth into Paradise. 

That evening, I had Foie Gras and Yolanda had prawns, but what had led to this dinner was the wonderful lunch of Moules Marinieres that we'd had the previous day, just before embarking on a spectacular Camargue boat-trip. This dish was absolutely magical, and it was Yolanda's first experience of it.  I promised to do it at home, and last night, I was gently reminded of that promise!

The INGREDIENTS are easy  to obtain.

• 50g of butter

• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 8 shallots, halved (or two small onions, coarsely chopped)

• approx 1.5 kg of mussels, still in their shells

• 1 cup dry white wine

• 1/2 cup chopped parsley 

• large pinch ground black pepper

• 1.5 cups (light) single cream

METHOD

Wash the mussels well under cold running water, making sure to remove any pieces of grit and gristle. 

Fry the garlic and shallots in the butter, in a very large saucepan, on a low heat.  Add the mussels and the white wine, cover the pan tightly, and turn up the heat. Allow the mussels to steam in the wine for about 5 minutes (thus should open them), then lower the heat again.  Add the parsley, pepper and cream, stir well, and simmer for about another three or four minutes.

Serve in a large deep bowl, and pour the sauce over.  This dish is delicious with some really fresh, crusty Baguette or Ciabatta, and a side salad.

For wine, I would choose a crisp - but quite buttery at the same time - Chardonnay.  Two Oceans (South Africa), Hardy's (Australia) or Recas (Romania) all go down very well.

just waiting (to be cooked)

Boeuf Bourguignon & La Joie de Vivre

After Julie and Julia, the whole blogosphere exploded with countless versions of Boeuf Bourguignon, which proves that we food bloggers are not here to reinvent the wheel, but to bring forward delicious recipes that make us happy. Blogging is about sharing and every dish has a story of its own.
I was reading the other day that BB started as a rustic, bucolic dish that French peasants used to eat. They would boil the tougher bits of beef for hours, add red wine and have it with boiled potatoes. 


Making BB could be a little intimidating, even its name is a challenge with all the vowels and the silent second "g" :), but basically it's a wholesome, delicious family-binding dish that is relatively easy to make.

Type of cuisine: French/traditional "cuisine des terroirs"

Difficulty: medium

Time: 2- 2.5 hours

As I only made the mashed potatoes and boiled the sprouts, and Mike cooked the most delicious BB, I asked him to write today's entry, as a guest writer. 


Mike is my husband, BTW (and he taught me how to cook) :)


About the (perfect) mashed potatoes you can possibly make and have without feeling guilty, I will blog some other time. 

BOEUF BOURGUIGNON

Michael Waters

guest writer

Boeuf Bourguignon is, as we might expect, French.  Especially delicious on cold winter’s evenings, this stew of tender beef braised in red wine with onions and carrots can be served either as a special family dish or as a main course for a dinner party.  Apart from its tastiness, it offers a number of advantages: it can easily be prepared in advance, all the ingredients are readily available in most places, it actually improves over time, and it can be easily reheated without any loss of quality or taste whatsoever.

There is no one definitive recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon, and every cook has his or her own particular favourite variation.   The essential elements remain the same, however, and basically involve cubes of lean beef slow-cooked in wine for about two hours, some vegetables added, and flavoured with herbs such as sage and thyme.

This is my own favourite way of cooking BB, and the following quantity serves four.   I find the cooking to be as savoury an experience as the eating.  And drinking the accompanying wine, of course!

Ingredients

·         1 tbsp oil (I use olive oil, but grapeseed or sunflower oil are equally good)

·         1 small onion, finely chopped

·         2 large (or 3 small) cloves garlic, crushed or finely grated

·         2 thin slices of cooked bacon or ham, cut into narrow strips of 2.5cm

·         1kg of lean beef, cut into cubes of 3 cm

·         1/2 tbsp chopped thyme

·         1/4 tbsp chopped sage

·         1 tbsp flour

·         1 tbsp concentrated tomato paste (diluted in about 2 tbsp water)

·         2 cups red wine

·         2 cups beef stock (or warm water with a beef-stock cube added to each cup)

·         Large pinch salt

·         ¼ tsp of ground black pepper

·         12 shallots, cut in half (or a large onion, sliced)

·          1 fresh carrot, chopped

·         1 knob butter (preferably unsalted)

In a large saucepan, fry the finely chopped onion, garlic and bacon in oil until slightly browned.  Stir in the beef cubes, sage and thyme, and fry until the beef is slightly browned.  Add the flour and stir until beef has become lightly coated all over.  Reduce the heat.

Stir in the tomato paste.  Gradually pour in the wine, stirring to make sure that any lumps formed by the flour are broken down.   Add beef stock, salt and pepper, and stir well.  Increase heat and bring to boil, keeping a close eye.

As soon as the mixture starts to boil, reduce the heat immediately, and cover the pan tightly.  Simmer on low heat for approx one hour. 

Add sliced carrots, and stir gently.  If the liquid has reduced below the level of the meat cubes, top up with some water and stir lightly.  Replace cover.

After another half hour, stir in the shallots (or onion slices), replace the lid, and leave to simmer for another 20-30- minutes. Add the knob of butter just before serving.

Serves 4  

Total cooking time: 2 hours 15 minutes approx

Notes

Many questions have been asked about which wine to use for cooking.  In fact, it really doesn’t matter as long as it is red, and dry or medium dry.   It makes no difference to the overall flavour. Sherry or dessert wine (apart, possibly, from the cost) is usually too sweet and can ruin the dish.

If you wish, a cupful of lightly sautéed mushrooms (halved or sliced, depending on size) can be added to the dish about 15 minutes before serving.  I have also, on occasion, added sliced red pepper, about 20-25 minutes before serving.

To serve

This dish is traditionally eaten with boiled potatoes, but it also goes well with mashed potato or rice.  Camargue rice is especially delicious.  If this is not available, a mixture of regular long grain (you can also use Basmati) and wild rice makes an excellent accompaniment.  Vegetables ideal for serving are sweet green peas or chopped green beans.  Asparagus, when in season, is likewise a good accompaniment.

 Suitable wine accompaniment

This is a hearty dish, and the wine to go with it should be likewise.  

A full-bodied red with good depth is strongly suggested.  I live in 

Romania, where there is very good choice of quality local wines at 

most affordable prices.  My choice with this dish would be a 

Prahova Valley Feteasca Negra from Cramele Halewood, or a 

La Cetate Cabernet Sauvignon from Mehedinti.  For a special 

occasion, Prince Matei Merlot from Dealu Mare goes down very 

well.   Romanian wines are still pretty hard to get outside of 

Romania (I don’t understand why…maybe lack of marketing...or 

prejudice?) but there’s no shortage of choice in the word!  I would 

recommend a big wine from Bordeaux, Barolo (Italy), Navarra 

(Spain) or, a lovely red which I tasted recently, a Trapiche Malbec 

from Argentina

I hope this amazing dish will inspire you to try it over the weekend. It's a wintery classic that will soon become your piece de resistence and will remind you that life is beautiful.


xx Yolanda