Beans, capers, trout...oh my!

Nicoise Salad.

The French do it right. Foie gras, duck confit and charcuterie are just some of the French foods or French cooking concepts I have come to love. This week I was craving what I call a substantial salad. A substantial salad is the kind of salad you can eat for dinner that incorporates all of the food groups. It's not your basic lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumber kinda salad.

 I've never made a nicoise salad (pronounced nee-suaz). So all day Monday (my experimental cooking day) I called around St. Catharines looking for a reputable grocery store and fish monger who sold fresh, sashimi grade tuna. Unfortunately,  in the middle of January the only place that had some was Sobey's. It was previously frozen from the Philippines and was not sashimi grade. So needless to say I did not buy that to put on top of my salad. Many recipes also suggested using canned tuna, but in my mind that seemed like it was going to taste disgusting and ruin the beautiful salad. With an even more beautiful name. I decided on some fresh trout instead of tuna and I thought it tasted great! So here MY version of the beautifully sounding and tasting nicoise salad.

Find your inner Julia Child in you and make some French food. Find the recipe here.

Food for thought.

 I cannot distinctively remember when I began cooking, or even why I started. It has become one of my favourite daily activities and I am often thinking about my next meal. 
I had the benefits of dating a chef who exposed me to 5-diamond dining, bizarre ingredients and a wealth of knowledge. Also, planning and tending to my vegetable garden for the past few years has increased my love for food and its my inspiration during the warmer months. I'm constantly picking up food magazines and browsing through cookbooks wherever I go.  Talking to people about food at work (I'm a server), asking questions and listening to how people make recipes they like are ways that I enhance my knowledge in the cooking world. 

But enough about me, onto the good stuff.

Dinner tonight: Butter Chicken

Most essential part-the sauce.

chopped chicken breast

On this extremely cold, winter day I was inspired by the warm, welcoming flavours of India. I was craving something stew-like that was hearty and filling. The kind of food that warms you from the inside out. I decided on butter chicken. I looked online for some inspiration and came across a fantastic recipe that seemed straightforward and it really was. 

For the recipe click here.


Bon appetit friends!














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