MARTIN, Paris

Its already April. Time flies so fast, soon half of the 2015 will be behind us. But finally we welcomed spring and life is happier with the sunshine. Everything is in bloom, the weather is warmer and people seem to smile more.
Barbora and Kat have reunited in Paris again, straight after the Easter break. The weather could not be better. We have visited a newly opened tapas restaurant close to the Republique and liked it so much we went back the next day. 

Rice, Salad, Aubergine Pilaf

Even though the weather is quite cold now and we need to wrap up warm, I still fancy fresh and colourful food. The recipe I want to share with you today is a version of the classic pilau rice with extra bits added, to achieve more colourful and wholesome dish. It is filled with baked aubergine cubes, sweet apricots, nuts, spinach, avocado, mint, three different types of rice and lentils. The flavour combination is awesome, and its packed fool of goodness. I have cooked rice and green lentils together to save time and simplify the recipe. 

No time to cook? Grilled ricotta and courgette salad

Spring is such a wonderful season. After long months of brown and beige food it's very refreshing to see some colour on the store shelves again. And with produce that is local, not exported from south america or Spain. In Spring, everything is small but full of flavour. Here I want to share a vibrant, simple plate of food just perfect for this season.
There is not much to say about this salad – it is as charmingly simple and straightforward as it appears . I'm sure you could replicate it even without the recipe. I have come across this dish while on a trip in Australia and i was bold over by its simplicity, yet exciting taste. Its fresh and light, the perfect lunch for a warm day. You can substitute the apricots for different fruit, figs for example or use different nuts, almonds will work nicely here.

To make this salad you will need some fresh ricotta, rocket leaves, nuts, olive oil, apricots,  baby courgettes, salt and pepper. 

Put a little bit of olive oil on the pan and fry the ricotta until golden. Cut baby courgettes in half lengthways and add them to the pan and cook until lightly brown and soft. Then put some rocket leaves on the plate, place the grilled ricotta in the middle. If you wish you can place the ricotta on a slice of toasted bread. Put the baby courgettes and nuts on the top of your ricotta. Garnish the salad with some fresh sliced apricot or figs. Taste and season with olive oil, salt and pepper. 
Lets start this season in a healthy way. 

"Du Pain et Des Idées"

«Du Pain et des Idées» is Paris’ prettiest bakery of traditional handcraft located near Canal St. Martin. The bakery dates back to 1889 and was re-envisioned by former fashion industry executive Christophe Vasseur in 2002.

All of the breads and pastries are made the most traditional way (here, a baguette is made in seven hours) and with the best ingredients (only fresh, seasonal fruit is used for the pastries.)

This bakery is full of flavours, a little wonderland full of exciting products. The star however is their signature bread "Pain des amis", with a thick caramelised crust, aerated middle and slightly nutty flavour. Christophe recommends to eat it with a good slice of ham, a Pata Negra or a piece of Bellota. Alain Ducasse serves this bread in his restaurant at the Plaza Athénée.

You should also taste the «Brioche Mouna», a traditional North African speciality. It's a butter brioche with orange blossom. Its so fragrant, its possible to smell it before you even walk inside. It is delicious with just a smear of salted butter.

THANK YOU MY DEER, PARIS

Recently, while Barbora was visiting in Paris, we paid a visit to very special little Cafe/Restaurant. Thank you my deer was set up by 2 Slovak girls and they specialise in Gluten free cuisine. The Cafe is relatively new, but already enjoying success from locals, but also diners searching for delicious gluten free alternatives. Everything is made from scratch on the premises to ensure no trace of Gluten is found. They perfected a recipe for bread which is delicious, but also variety of cakes and pastries. They offer brunch and lunch menu daily, but they also serve fine coffee and fresh juices. Menu is seasonal with focus on fresh local produce.

BONITO FILLET WITH AROMATIC RICE

Recently Barbora has visited Kat in Paris. We had so many plans in terms of the blog, places we wanted to visit like cafes, patisseries and markets, but we also wanted to cook something together. While we were at a fishmonger on Rue du Nil, we spotted a very attractive looking piece of fish. It was Bonito fillet. Its from the tuna family but smaller. As Kat is more experienced in Japanese cooking, we chose a delicious recipe with rice and seaweed.

The rice is cooked, then cooled and mixed with the ginger, black sesame seeds and sushi vinegar. We sliced the Bonito and marinaded in soy sauce with sake for 15 mins or so. Then just assemble, cut roasted roasted nori on top and its ready. So simple yet its healthy and very tasty. Barbora has never tried raw fish before, but she was very impressed. If you can't find Bonito fillet use tuna steaks instead, just cut them a bit smaller. All the other ingredients are available from japanese supermarket, even some health stores sell basic sauces and sushi rice. Try whole foods market in London, for example.

10 BELLES CAFE IN PARIS

10 Belles is a lovely cafe in Paris by the Canal St.Martin. It is a small place with 5 little tables which is very charming. There is also a mezanine with few more tables. Service is cheerful and the coffee is the best in Paris. Coffee is their speciality, with blends from Nicaragua or Salvador. It is always freshly ground just for your cup! The cafe has a british feel with a modern interior.

 They offer a choice of breakfast which includes homemade granola, scones with jam or tartines. Menu changes daily, with seasonal produce in mind. Lunch usualy consist of salad, sandwich and a soup. The choice is not big, but everything looks tempting and tastes great!

GREEN PRAWN NOODLE SALAD

Are you ready to start your New Year the healthy way? You don’t have the time to cook? Try this quick, healthy recipe.

Not only is Vietnam a beautiful country, it’s also home of one of the best tasting cuisines in the world. Fresh herbs, spices and sea food are just some of the ingredients which make Vietnamese cuisine so good. One of my favourite dishes is a prawn and noodle salad. This juicy salad is a perfect antidote against all Christmas treats you may have indulged in.

Don’t foget to add a bergamote lime. It is a small yellow lemon that looks like a classic lemon but it is much more fragrant. It would be cross between a bitter orange and a lime.

Place noodles in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Stand for 10 minutes until tender , drain. Toss the noodles with the prawns, onion, coriander, snow peas, spinach leaves, soy sesame oil and lemon.

J'AIME LES CAROTTES

Two weeks ago I have discovered very cute bookstore specialising in food books « Librairie Gourmande » situated at 92, rue Montmartre in Paris. This two floor shop is a paradise of cookbooks covering every feasible cuisine. From Haute Cuisine to Gluten Free, Korean  and Japanese, they've got it all, including a fantastic selection of cross-disciplinary books on food design, food history, dieting, farming, food politics, etc.


As I wanted to cook the carrots I bought the book "Le Meilleur du potager " of Alain Passard, great vegetable specialist, owner of the three-star restaurant L'Arpège and I decided to cook the carrots «à sa façon» :

Depending on their size, cut the carrots into 4 or 6 strips lengthways . At low heat,put the carrots in a large sauté pan without overlapping. Add water so the carrots are just covered add a little salted butter and a little bit of olive oil. Cover and cook until almost all the water evaporates. Serve the carrots on hot plates.  

Your carrots will be "al dente"and they will keep all their flavor and vitamins.











La Soup au Potimarron

Today I would like to share a recipe for a pumpkin soup from Red Kuri squash.
Everyone in Paris knows Rue Montorgueil where you can find many restaurants and different grocery shops specialising in fruit and veg, cheese and many more. But there is more secret place for food in Paris - Rue du Nil.

It's a very narrow street filled with small independent stores including fishmongers, butchers, coffee shops as well as my favourite vegetable shop with lovely seasonal produce. They all come from small producers around France. My red Kuri squash comes from there.
If you are lucky like me, you can even spot a Michelin star chef like Jean Francois Piege.
My soup au Potimarron is very easy, quick to make and gives you a lot of energy.

Le Verre Volé

Today's post is from a place in Paris called Le Verre Volé. Its located by St. Martins canal in 10th arrondissement. They prepare simple but interesting and delicious food and it always inspires me to make similar dishes at home. Today we opted for a simple salad of raw marinated beet root with smoked mozzarella and a whiting ceviche in lemon dressing and red onion. The bread tasted of hazelnuts and wine was also fantastic. After all they are a wine bar as well. 

If you're in the area, make sure you will give it a go.