an illustrated journey of an american in paris
His: Magret de canard (duck breast), creme fraiche, quince jelly, hollandaise sauce, bacon, cookies, cheese, San Pellegrino, plastic bag.
Hers: zucchini, nectarines, rice cakes, anchovies, lettuce, coeur de boeuf tomatoes, chocolate, baguette, shallots, reusable canvas bag.
Gourmand, meet granola.
Although our eating preferences are not always compatible, together, we have the power to fill the fridge.
. . . . .
Yes, here is the recipe for lentils I promised you a few weeks back! Oh, Lentils. The mighty, high-protein, highly-economic standby food! Like all simple foods in France, they get the VIP treatment. Lentils are always dressed up with bits of foie gras or smoked salmon. However, considering we just bought an apartment, they rest unadorned, but nonetheless delicious.
Sadly, my husband is opposed to spice. He will find ways to eat around herbs. As I heard so eloquently said recently (in David Lebovitz’s blog), Americans are into fireworks when eating. However, the French prefer something truly simple and well-made. It goes to show that my own personal style is to throw a handful of cilantro on everything. Needless to say, the following recipe is tasty whether you choose to dress it down for dinner for two, served with some baked potatoes and grilled sausages. Or in my case, incorporate some chopped ginger, garam masala, creme fraiche and a handful of cilantro for lunch!
Compromise be gone!
Lentils for one and all (or 8 people)
1 ½ Cup Green Lentils, soaked for several hours or overnight
2 leeks, finely chopped
3 small onions, finely chopped
1 clove garlic
2 carrots, shredded
3 plum tomatoes, grated
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. olive oil
6 cups water, more if needed
1.) In a heavy-bottomed pot, sauté the leeks and onions over medium/low heat until soft and translucent. Add bay leaves, carrots, garlic, pepper and tomato. Cook until softened and lightly caramelized
2.) Add the drained lentils and cover mixture with water
3.) Cook for 30 minutes until the lentils are soft and stewy. Add salt
4.) Enjoy!
The beginning of Weinelos. Jessie Kanelos + Cyrille Weiner. 5 November 2011.
Although I had initially set out of the make this a bi-coastal New Yorkaise/Parisienne food blog, my interests are slowly moving more permanently overseas. My boyfriend and I have started the process of getting hitched Parisien style! And a process it is! Before I can start gushing about boutonnières and Jordan almonds, like all things French, there is an endless stack of paperwork that needs to transpire before the wedding plans can begin. At this rate, I’ll need a notarized letter to get the handful of rambunctious Kaneloses into the country for the wedding. Although there’s a bevy of ‘How to Marry to French Guy!’ and ‘Yikes, I married a sexy Frenchman’ websites, none of them spell out the actual process. Falling in love is the easy part. Not to put a damper on the exciting prospects ahead by being so damn practical, but I will try to consolidate the months of the process into one whirlwind blog. But I promise it will be much more amusing than French bureaucracy alone.
So in brief, I moved to Paris weeks after college graduation! It was my way to learn a new language and escape the inevitable recession. I worked as a jeune fille au pair; the domestic right of passage for any wide-eyed expat girl! More on that later. When I wasn’t blow-drying this small child’s hair or cutting her chicken cordon bleu into small pieces, I was out-and-about in the fine city of Paris! Just months before I had planned to return to the States, I met C at my favorite little indie bar in the 11th arrondissement. There was beer in plastic cups and the Smiths were in the background. It was love at first sight. But more on that later. After two years of togetherness and several periods of long-distance, we are ready to take the next step to be together! And that’s where you find me here now pondering out loud how to get Sarah Burton to design my wedding gown…