Today, it is time for a Russian classic! In fact, when you think about Russian food, this dish is probably what you are picturing an older lady with a handkerchief covered head stirring with a large wooden spoon. Yes, borscht. It may or may not be a stereotype, but it is definitely a classic!
Category: Weeknight Dinner
Bouillabaisse with Rouille
The Bouillabaisse is foolproof! Bouillabaisse originates from Marseilles and was made of cheap cuts of fish and eaten by fishermen who reserved the better cuts to sell. Since then, it has become a quintessential dish. It is served with baguette and a Rouille drizzled into the soup to add flavor, much in the same way that sour cream is added to the Russian Borsht.
Quiche Lorraine
Quiche Lorraine is one of the quintessential quiches. The combination of leek and bacon is perfect. I have seen versions with onion or green onion, but the buttery sweetness of leek, I think, is unbeatable in conversation with egg, bacon, and Gruyere. Gruyere is the best cheese to use, but a freshly grated Swiss cheese will make a beautiful pastry as well. For this meal, I poured my filling into tart crusts instead of pie crusts to create a different filling to crust ration and we all loved it!
Spinach and Chard Quiche
My filling, inspired by chef Alain Ducasse, had some lambs brain in it for a bit of extra flavor. If you want to add it, a half a lamb’s brain will do, or perhaps a bit of prosciutto or some pancetta.
Corn Velouté with Fried Green Tomatoes
Today, I wanted to make some fried green tomatoes, but figured the acidic baby tomatoes would be a great topping for a sweet corn velouté. A velouté is a French term meaning velvet. It refers to soups that are thickened with butter and cream and eggs. I have made a Celery and Asparagus Veloutés with Bacon Croutons, both are Nico’s favorite soups. My friend Anwar handed me 8 ears of corn earlier this week, which felt like a rarity for the season, I decided they would make a perfect velvety soup! In this iteration, I thicken the soup with cream, potatoes, and a bit of duck fat to pair with the Fried Green Tomatoes which are fried in duck fat.
Stuffed Pork Roast with Anchovies, Olives, and Tomatoes
I stuffed the pork with some red pepper flakes, oregano and anchovies and roasted the stuffed pork logs in a wine sauce with onions, tomatoes, capers, and Kalamata olives.
The pork and sauce turned out amazing! We boiled some potatoes and smashed them up a bit to serve as a bed. Serve a light, crisp salad on the side.
Seared Steak with Roast Carrots, Tomatillos, and Carrot Top Chimichurri
This weekend, I had the pleasure of gathering another half a dozen beautiful tomatoes, a little purple bell pepper, and I decided to dig up my carrots. I have been looking forward to pulling those carrots out of the ground for months. It was finally carrot time!
I grew one large carrot, and the others were kind of wonky, but still delicious. I grew heirloom rainbow carrots and was thrilled to see that I grew some orange, some white, and one really pretty purple carrot. Since the harvest was rather small, I wanted to make sure I present them honorably, and wanted to make use of the carrot tops, which were very plentiful.
Seared Scallops with Cilantro Chutney
I always keep cilantro chutney on hand, it is one of my most popular recipes from my India dinner. It lasts for a long time and is beautiful on pork, salmon, naan, and almost anything I have tried it on.
Today, I decided to serve it with some beautifully seared scallops. It was so delicious, and so quick to make! I highly recommend as a light starter, or over a nice risotto as a main course! Yum!
Chez Nous 