A nod to the Mediterranean using a Provencal tablecloth. Simple. No fuss.

We are in the midst of planning a trip to the South of France. In our research, food and wine keep popping up frequently. So much so that JuanCarlos has taken to buying only French wines at the moment. Getting his palate ready, I guess.
I'm getting mine ready by dreaming of Mediterranean flavors. So with plans to host a Saturday night dinner party for our friends, Donna and Jeff, it made total sense to devise the menu around that theme. It's easy to cook for them. They are food lovers, too, and enjoy a wide variety of food. Well, except that Jeff isn't quite that fond of spinach or squash, which believe or not, were both on my original plan. I had my heart set on making fish en papillote using carrots, zucchini and spinach. But no biggie, there are so many other ways to go. I could still make fish en papillote, but minus those two ingredients. Thinking cap on, I would spiritually fly myself to the Mediterranean and envision some ingredients. I had capers, olives, tomatoes which all fell right in line with that theme. It seemed even more fitting since Jeff and Donna have been to France numerous times, plus they are planning a trip to Italy in June. Yet another cosmic nudge toward a Mediterranean mood. So, mind made up. Plan in place. A celebration was in order, not just the flavors of the region but the style, too.
Starting with the table setting.

I pulled out a tablecloth that had olives, sunflowers and tones of green, all of which are reminiscent of the Provence region of France. I added deep olive green, velvet placemats and playing off the yellow tones, I used gold rimmed dishes and draped a triple pointed folded napkin slightly askew. Simple, elegant but not too fussy.

All keeping in the same tones. Greens play off the yellows and reds. Even the water glass is green and gold.

The Plan:

Table setting with a Provencal tablecloth
Keep appetizers to a few simple bites in the bistro style
Main course featuring fish with Mediterranean flavors, potatoes and salad
Dessert: true European style - Cheese platter

For appetizers, I thought a fun intro to the meal would be small pressed sandwiches accompanied by marcona almonds, olives marinated with herbs de Provence and cornichons. The mini sandwiches were made with a combination of cured meats/cheese and leftover pork loin & onion jam.

Plus a little twist on an old classic; Pigs in a Blanket, served up by using mini spicy Spanish chorizo wrapped in puff pastry and a side of whole grain and dijon mustard mix.

Lastly, a bite from the sea provided by marinated boquerones served on a crisp, cool slice of English cucumber.

These offerings were just the right amount to get us started.

A panini press gives a nice warm crispness to the bread and melts the cheese.

Despaña Brand Mini Chorizo

The puff pastry adds a buttery flavor that complements the spice of the chorizo. These are a more grown up way of serving Pigs in a Blanket. Adding a nod to France, I mixed up whole grain mustard with dijon for dipping. Marcona almonds and cornichon… — The puff pastry adds a buttery flavor that complements the spice of the chorizo. These are a more grown up way of serving Pigs in a Blanket. Adding a nod to France, I mixed up whole grain mustard with dijon for dipping. Marcona almonds and cornichons for crunchy, salty bites.

Boquerones are fresh anchovies. I marinated them in crushed garlic, olive oil and parsley. Then placed them atop an English cucumber slice.

All appetizers were prepared ahead of time and kept in the fridge till right before serving. I made the sandwiches and wrapped them in plastic wrap. Then pressed them when our guests arrived. The boquerones were assembled and plated earlier in the day. So all I needed to do was place them on the table. My adult version of Pigs in Blanket were cooked right before they were due to arrive, so those were warm and ready to go. These small bites created a relaxing, no fuss vibe giving us a chance to sit, chat and catch up before the main meal. Many a moon ago, Donna and I had blood orange cosmos at the Royalton NYC. It seemed only fitting that we serve up a similar cocktail to start... just for old times' sake. As we nibbled, we sipped on Blood Orange Martinis made by the deft hand of my hubby, who lovingly squeezed all the citrus and mixed this drink to perfection.

A mix of blood orange, lemons, limes, vodka and simple syrup.

Squeeze them all into a bowl and include some of the pulp.

I love the bright color and flavor of this drink. So fresh. So delicious. Goes down so easy. Now that's AMORE!

Dinner was also prepped ahead of time, stored in the fridge and then pulled together before serving. The real nod to the Mediterranean came in the flavors used for the cod. I like using the en papillote method (cooked and served in paper wrapping) because it cooks beautifully. It's easy to prep, and each guest gets their own portion. I have made fish this way numerous times using different vegetable combinations. Not going with my original plan of zucchini and spinach, I needed some inspiration and found a recipe using grouper with capers, red pepper, tomatoes, kalamata olives and lemon. I immediately knew that combo was the perfect way to go since I had most of the items save for the red pepper. I took my cues from the recipe photo but used my own amounts. I also used cod because it was the freshest at the market. I swapped the red onion for yellow, and eliminated the garlic and red pepper flakes. Although, I made modifications, this isn't my own, so if you want to follow the recipe to a tee, click here.

Using the mise en place method of cutting all ingredients, and getting everything ready makes assembly much easier.

I place the parchment paper right on the baking sheet and built up the flavors. Then folded the paper into a packet and built the next packet. I put two on each pan, then placed the whole baking pan in the refrigerator. Once we were done eating our appetizers, I placed the pans in the oven to bake for 20 minutes.

Fresh, clean and ready to make a pocket full of Mediterranean yum.

Simply fold the edges around to create the pocket.

For side dishes, I made Potatoes Anna turned Potatoes Dana, crispy kale/caramelized onions and Baby Arugula salad with oranges, tangerines, red onion, chopped marcona almonds with a orange/lemon vinagrette.

Slices and slices is what creates layers of potato for this dish.

Peppery bite of arugula is balanced by the sweetness of the orange with the crunch of the almond.

Baking en papillote allows all the juices to delicately poach the fish and vegetables together. A harmony of Mediterrean flavors.

Of course, French wine was served. Beaujolais Blanc and Chateau Saint Roc Cotes du Rhone.

Finishing off the meal with savory flavors of a full cheese board was perfect way to end the evening. Cheese selection of Époisses, Sofia, Majorero Pimenton surrounded by fruit and sweet condiments all enjoyed in front of a roaring fire.

We had a wonderful time together with friends with love, savoring food that paid homage to places we all love. Pick a country or a region and honor it by creating a menu to share with those who love it too. We're glad we did.

Raw everything is all the rage these days, and shaved brussel sprout salad is so in vogue. I get a huge belly shake of laughter seeing how vegetables are taking center stage, becoming mega stars in a social media video blitzkrieg. It is about time that vegetables got their due. For too long now, bacon and butter have dominated the stage, whoa-ing audiences with their fatty appeal. I am glad to see these vibrant, nutrient packed edibles get their trophies. That said, enough with cauliflower pizza making. I’m wheat and yeast free and can tell you NOTHING replaces a yeast rising doughy bite!! Move over cauliflower because Brussel Sprouts will soon have their own youTube channel!!

This veggie craze is a good thing. I've been doing it for awhile now. Which is why it's funny that years ahead of the raw craze and fascination with vegetables I served a shaved broccoli and brussel sprout salad. My attempt back then was almost successful. I say almost because I served it without testing it first. (As usual, but the no testing in this case didn't serve me well.) I didn't quite realize just how intense, sometimes bitter these greens can be when served raw. I can't even remember what dressing I used, but I can attest that I didn't finesse them enough. What a novice! I've learned a thing or two.

My recent lure back to raw brussels came when my friend, Tecla, and I were enjoying each other's company for lunch at Lure, and we ordered a shaved brussel sprout salad. We did so to be healthy knowing that we would be consume some Rosé wine and a few other items with a higher calorie count. Yes, that's what ladies who lunch do. The salad was good. But it awoke a definite redemption itch in me. I needed to conquer this salad on my own terms ensuring that I calm it's intense flavors and cox it's crispy freshness to palates far and wide.

The opportunity was ripe when I bought a bunch of enormous brussel sprouts from the new organic market by our house. Alas, I ran out of time to make them before we left on our trip to Miami. So what did I do?? NO, I didn't throw them away. No, I didn't give them away, as it was too early in the morning to call anyone. So, I did the next best thing. I packed them in Juan Carlos' bag!

Once in Miami, more good fortune came my way. On our way to Key Largo we happened upon a farmer's market with glorious produce. Even though we only had a few more days in Miami, I HAD to buy some. So I picked up the biggest radishes I'd ever seen (and a few other items including the sweetest cantaloupe ever).

As I cut the brussel sprouts, I knew I wanted to add more than what I've seen in other sprout salads including the one at Lure. Since I had those radishes they got shaved in. With these two intense flavors some sweetness was in tall order. Call upon the carrot to do what it does best, add sweetness. Grated that up, added scallions and red onion, some chopped parsley for that earthy herb note, and for another crisp and refreshing bite I added some celery.

The salad at Lure was just brussel sprouts and pine nuts with a creamy dressing. But JC can't eat dairy, plus I didn't have anything like that in our Miami fridge. Also, I really felt that this salad needed to be fresh and bright with a hint a sweetness. Orange was my answer.

Here's the nuts and bolts of this recipe.

Ingredients

8 c brussel sprouts, shaved
2 c carrot, shredded
3/4 c radishes, shredded
2 c celery, shaved or sliced thinly
3/4 c red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 c scallion, sliced
1/3 c fresh parsley, chopped
2 oranges, segmented (blood orange if you can find it)

dressing

2/3 c juice of an orange
2 T lime juice
2 t balsamic vinegar
2/3 c Olive oil
salt, pepper

Instructions

Prep all your vegetables as noted above. I used a mandolin on the sprouts, the onion and celery. I used a box grater for the radishes and carrot. If you don't have, or don't feel comfortable with a mandolin then simply thinly slice the vegetables.

Shaved, sliced, chopped and ready to go.

Place all the cut vegetables in a large serving bowl and set as you prepare the dressing.

Segment the orange. As I mentioned, I was fortunate to find blood oranges but you can use a perfectly good navel orange. As you cut the segments, do this over a bowl so you can catch any of the juices that may drip down. Squeeze whatever juice you can get out of the pulp. You will most likely need one whole orange to get 2/3 of a cup. Whisk together all the remaining ingredients and pour over the salad, tossing thoroughly. Add the orange segments to the top and serve. This salad is best when it is dressed at least 15-20 minutes prior to serving.

When I made this salad in Miami, I didn't think of using orange segments in the salad, just the juice. Mostly because I only had one orange and that got all squeezed up for the juice. This time around back in NY I found blood oranges and had that aha moment. When I cut them open and saw the ruby red glory, I knew these needed top the salad and shine their unique sweetness on this salad.

I must say, and my niece, Gianna, will confirm these added a great, bright burst of flavor. You don't really need me to list the pairing suggestions for this one, but here is a photo of who my sister, Alyssa, served it when I brought the salad to her house.

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