French Potato Salad

This is the best potato salad I've ever tried! I got the recipe from my friend, Sara Kelly.

French Potato Salad

Serves 4 to 6

from the barefoot contessa cookbook (Ina Garten)

1 pound small white boiling potatoes

1 pound small red boiling potatoes

2 tablespoons good dry white wine

2 tablespoons chicken stock

3 tablespoons champagne vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons kosher salt

¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

10 tablespoons good olive oil

¼ cup minced scallions (white and green parts)

2 tablespoons minced fresh dill

2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons chiffonade of fresh basil leaves

      Drop the white and red potatoes into a large pot of boiling salted water and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, until they are just cooked through. Drain in a colander and place a towel over the potatoes to allow them to steam for 10 more minutes. As soon as you can handle them, cut in half (quarters if the potatoes are larger) and place them in a medium bowl. Toss gently with the wine and chicken stock. Allow the liquids to soak into the warm potatoes before proceeding. (I used larger potatoes, so I just diced them before cooking)

      Combine the vinegar, mustard, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and slowly whisk in the olive oil to make an emulsion. Add the vinaigrette to the potatoes. Add the scallions, dill, parsley, basil, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and toss. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Helene's Dahl

Cheap and quick

Rice
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup of lentils, rinsed, soaked and cooked (or 1 can )
1 can of diced tomatoes
curry powder
cumin powder
fresh cilantro

Cook rice. Fry onion, add spices to your taste ( i put quite a bit of both curry and cumin, you can also add cardamone, pepper, chili flakes ). Add lentils and tomatoes, heat up. Serve lentils on rice, sprinkle with fresh cilantro.

Tofu pesto

This wonderfully creamy pesto is fast and good.
one square of the soft tofu
one large bunch of basil
4 tablespoons Olive Oil
4 tablespoons lemon juice
4 cloves garlic (best if fried for a couple of min.)
4 tablespoons parmesan cheese
a hand full of almonds
Put it all in a blender and chop until green and smooth.
For extra yummy, roast chopped almonds and mix with chopped fresh tomatoes and basil as a topping.

Poached eggs on spinach and toast

This is a simple, fresh, light supper idea from Diana and Simonne.

1 big bunch of fresh spinach
eggs ( i did 2 each)
1Tbsp vinegar
toast
Optionnal:
1 Tbsp horseradish sauce
1Tbsp mayonnaise ( not so light !)

Steam spinach until cooked to personal taste. Bring water to boil with vinegar ( to help coagulate to eggs), but reduce heat so it doesn't make bubbles before putting the eggs. Pour carefully the eggs in the water for a few minutes.
Toast the bread. Spread some of the horseradish-mayo mix on the bread, add spinach and egg. Pepper and salt.
Serve with fresh salad, tomatoes ...

Denis' pate brisee

Thank you Denis for this easy recipe that is so good and you can use it for so many dishes ( quiches, vegetable tarts etc... )

200 gr flour ( 1 cup 2/3)
1 tsp salt
100gr butter ( 1/2 cup)
100 ml water

Mix salt and flour, add butter and work it so it's flaky and well mixed ( the butter should be hard, not melted). Make fountain, add water. Mix well with hands in a ball. Let stand for 30 min.
Spread on a pie dish. add fancy stuff :)

Zuchini Tart

Use 'Denis' pate brisee' or some frozen Puff pastry for this recipe.

Pastry for base of tart
1 big zuchini
butter
a few mint leaves
1 egg
a dash of milk
salt and pepper

Melt butter in pan, add zuchhini ( sliced or diced), fry untill golden. In a medium bowl, wisk egg with the milk. Lay zuchini in pie dish on the layed pastry, sprinkle the mint on top and add the egg mixture. Salt and pepper. In oven at 400 deg for 20-30 min, or until crust looks cooked.

Serve with tomatoe salad, or lettuce or anything you fancy.

Lea's mozzarella and basil pasta

You choose how much of everything you want to put in this easy, summery dish

Mozzarella cheese, 1 'ball'
Tomatoes
Basil, a lot
Spaguetti
Olive oil

Cook the pasta
Cut cheese in dices, as well as tomatoes. Mix together with basil. Add spaguetti and drizzle olive oil on top.