French, Mediterranean Recipes
15 recipes found
Rosemary Rack of Lamb With Crushed Potatoes
Tender rack of lamb, though expensive, makes an elegant roast for a special-occasion dinner, and it’s quite easy to prepare. A brief marinade of pounded garlic and anchovy, Dijon mustard and olive oil heightens the flavor. For a simple accompaniment, roast small crushed potatoes in the same pan. Each eight-bone rack may be sliced into four thick chops, or eight thin chops, if you prefer.
Roasted Asparagus and Scallion Quiche
I’ve made many a spring quiche filled with asparagus and herbs, yet I’d never thought about roasting the asparagus instead of steaming it. But lately I’ve been buying thick stalks of asparagus, and all I want to do is roast it; roasting intensifies the flavor and the stalks become incredibly succulent, more so than when the asparagus is steamed. This quality isn’t lost even when the sliced stalks are hidden inside a quiche.
Cod With Chanterelles and Parsley Sauce
Chanterelles are extremely costly, but they are very light, so you get a lot of volume for your dollar. You only need an ounce or two per serving here. This is inspired by a delicious main dish I had at a wonderful fish bistro in Paris, L’Ecailler du Bistrot. There the dish was made with brill, a flat white fish with thick, delicate fillets. Brill is not a fish we find easily in the United States (it is a North Atlantic fish but it lives on the European side). I substituted Alaskan cod, which is not nearly as fine a fish, but the dish is still a winner. Halibut and sea bass will also work.
Mushroom Ragoût Omelet
Mushroom ragoût makes a luxurious filling for a simple omelet.
Butternut Squash Panade
A panade, originally an economizing vehicle for using old bread to feed a family, is a delicious dish in its own right. Essentially a savory bread pudding made with layers of caramelized onions and winter squash, it makes for a hearty meatless main dish. A panade can also substitute for bread stuffing and be served alongside a roasted bird.
Wine-Braised Duck With Lentils and Winter Vegetables
These duck legs, prepared in the manner of a classic French coq au vin, are deeply flavored, hearty and rich — a perfect cool weather meal rounded out with earthy lentils and root vegetables. For ease of service, all the components can be prepared well in advance, reheated and combined at the last minute.
Grilled Pepper Omelet
Roasted peppers, chopped herbs and a little bit of Parmesan make for a quick omelet in the spirit of a pipérade. I often make the classic Basque pipérade, eggs scrambled with stewed peppers and tomatoes. This time, I kept it a little simpler and used my roasted peppers to fill an omelet. I added chopped, fresh herbs and a little bit of Parmesan to the mix. If your peppers are already roasted (I had plenty on hand as I’d been working with roasted peppers all week) this is a 2- to 5-minute dinner. As always, the better the eggs (farm-fresh, pastured), the better the omelet.
Quiche With Red Peppers and Spinach
The real spring vegetable here is the spinach, lush and beautiful at this time of year. You can always get red peppers in a supermarket, and when you cook them for a while, as you do here, even the dullest will taste sweet. I make the pepper mixture first, then wilt the spinach in the same pan and line the tart shell with the savory mix. If you can, make the pepper and spinach filling a day ahead. It dries out a little if it sits overnight in the refrigerator and is less likely to dilute the custard.
Mini Peppers Stuffed With Tuna and Olive Rillettes
A Provençal-inspired tuna and olive spread with bold flavors. These Provençal-inspired tuna rillettes are a modified version of a tuna tapenade that I posted a few years ago on Recipes for Health. I am using the rillettes as a filling for mini-peppers here, but they are also welcome in a sandwich, on crackers or croutons, or as a filling for other vegetables (cherry tomatoes come to mind). I used a mini-chop to finely chop the olives, garlic and capers, but as in all of this week’s fish rillettes recipes, I urge you to use a fork for the tuna. You don’t want this to be a purée.
Garlic Broth With Basmati Rice, Turkey and Squash
This is the kind of soup you can whip up on a whim if you have garlic on hand and either summer or winter squash. You can make a vegetarian version of the soup just by eliminating the turkey. Otherwise it is one more healthy option for your Thanksgiving leftovers. When I made the soup the first time I used a lingering half-zucchini that I found in my sister’s refrigerator. At this time of year you might be more likely to have winter squash on hand. Either will work. Winter squash will take 10 to 15 minutes longer to cook.
Fricassee of Squid and Potatoes
Pissaladiere
Cold Steamed Petrale Sole with Uncooked Tomato Sauce
Scallion and Celery Quiche
I’ve written before that I consider celery an underrated vegetable, capable of contributing nuance and texture to a dish. But it would have never occurred to me to have it as one of the main vegetables in a quiche if I hadn’t heard the restaurant critic Jonathan Gold discussing a tarte au céleri that he’d had at Church & State in downtown Los Angeles, a sort of tarte flambée in which celery, celery root and apples stood in for the traditional onions and bacon. I figured if it worked so well in that dish, it could also in a quiche. It does.
Provencal Spice Rub
This rub from the south of France can be used with lamb or beef, but is particularly delectable with chicken and game. For chicken, marinate two 3-pound chickens, split in half, in the refrigerator for 6 hours. Place the chicken on the grill, skin side down. Cook over hot coals until the skin is charred, about 5 minutes. Turn the chicken and cover the grill. Continue cooking slowly until the meat is opaque at the bone, about 20 to 25 minutes. For duck breast, marinate two 10-to-12-ounce breasts in the refrigerator for 6 hours. Grill, skin side down, until charred, about 5 minutes. Turn the breasts and continue grilling until medium-rare, about 3 to 5 additional minutes.