I’ll admit it, the energy I’m trying to cultivate is “European.”
The first time I set foot in Europe I was 16 years old. I was on a high school class trip that was for the culinary arts and architectural drafting departments. I was amazed that we were able to go on this trip because it was not offered to anyone else in the school. When we arrived in Italy I felt my whole world open up. I grew up in rural eastern Connecticut where traveling abroad was rarely discussed. The community I grew up in never spoke of a desire to experience travel in a stark time zone. When the opportunity came along to go on the trip, I convinced my Father to utilize some of my Mother’s 401K money from when she passed away. I can’t remember clearly, but I think I gaslit my Father, “this is what my Mother would want for me, to see “the world.”’
Let me tell you, that vote was cast and it has carried me ever since. I remember being in Venice and seeing the Dolce and Gabbana store and telling my friend Janelle that I needed to get something from Dolce and Gabbana. I did. I can’t quite remember what it was but I loved it. It might have been a coin pouch or something like that. I told my Father that I needed more money on the trip and after that and I was pretty frugal for the remainder of the trip.
Ever since high school I knew I had to get back to Europe as an adult. The teachers were on our asses during that trip about curfew and behavior. Although, they allowed us to have a supervised night out where we went to a Discoteca in Florence (Italian for Discotheque). Italian men were dancing with each other and I remember asking them if they were gay and they told me that once they start kissing, then they’re gay. Years went by and I would watch foreign films to get my fix for the taste of Europe. One of the major films for me was “Blue is the Warmest Color.” The film takes place in France and is at the center of a newfound “love at first sight” kind of lesbian relationship. Heavily sexual, passionate and intimate, the European portrait was strong with youth and vitality around love and vulnerability. I love the film and to this day, might be one of my all-time favorites.
I went to Europe on a solo trip in 2018 that included, London, Paris and Berlin. I loved it. I would call my friends everyday when I was on the trip just to exclaim how happy I was to be there. Walking around, meeting people, dancing, drinking, smoking and feeding my soul. What I love about Europe and about foreign films (especially the European ones) is that food often works its way into the backdrop of the film in an idyllic way. For instance, in “Blue is the Warmest Color,” (Lea Seydoux’s character) Emma takes Adèle (played by Adèle Exarchopoulos) to her families house for dinner. They start the evening with oysters. I knew I was invested in the scene because I remember thinking, “oysters, on a movie set!?” Yes, the movie beautifully captured the elegance of a well-off family consuming oysters at home and discussing art, politics and desires. Adèle takes Emma to her families house for dinner and the meal is Bolognese. A wide pot brimming with pasta, a side plate for parmesan and lips stained with the markings of a well cooked sauce enriched the whole production.
I love when I see food represented well in film. I take such delight in a world that is created for visual consumption where food is at the center. Typically what is being played out often gets the attention of the audience. For me, I’m looking at what’s on the plate. Thats why I love European food. It’s simplicity represented in as few ingredients as possible with some thought, some intention and some tradition. Perhaps this me making a claim that one day I will live and cook in Europe for extended periods of time. I can see myself having friends over, lighting a few candles, laying out some plates, arranging florals and nourishing my loved ones. I can even see myself writing about how that will one day be a dream realized.
Beans! Très Français!
Serves 2-4
The end of the summer marks an important time. Bean season. The word bean has a funny ring to it. In this recipe I use fresh shelling beans and wax beans. I am fond of the yellow variety for their color alone. The green ones are perfectly fine, I just grew up with a family that ate their weight in green beans, so I think I’m good for another twenty years perhaps. This salad uses mostly cooked ingredients. The only thing fresh here is parsley. I do love the dressing recipe alone. It would pair perfectly with Salade Lyonnaise or warm lentils with watercress and roasted chicken.
Ingredients:
200g fresh shelling beans*, removed from shell, if using canned just add them rinsed to the salad, if using dried beans, cook separately till done and set aside.
300g wax beans, trimmed of the stem
1 egg yolk (raw), plus two hard boiled eggs
1 T capers, salted (rinsed of salt) chopped finely
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 T Dijon mustard
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup picked Italian flat leaf parsley
flakey salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
*for shelling beans I like to use fresh cannellini or borlotti (cranberry beans).
Method:
In a large dutch oven filled with water, bring to a boil and season generously with salt. Salty like the sea rule. Once the dutch oven is at a boil, add your fresh shelling beans and cook for 5 minutes. After five minutes add you wax beans and cook for a remaining 8-10 minutes. The goal is to achieve doneness at the same time. The wax beans should be tender to the touch but not mush. The shelling beans should be creamy and well seasoned. Remove both beans from the pot and place on a sheet tray to cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl add egg yolk, capers, red wine vinegar and Dijon mustard. Whisk to combine and begin streaming in the extra virgin olive oil slowly. In small additions whisk to ensure the mixture is becoming thicker. Once all the oil is added whisk until you don’t see any streaks and the mixture looks homogeneous.
Begin to split in half, naturally, the wax beans. After cooking the beans they will easily split in half and splitting the beans will make for a wonderful finish to your salad. The shelling beans you do not need to do anything to, they’re good to go. Once all the wax beans are split you can lightly pat dry with a paper towel and add them to the large mixing bowl with the addition of the parsley.
Deliberately mix ensuring everything is well coated. Season with flaky salt and black pepper as you wish and give the salad one more good toss. Plate the salad and mindfully scatter in one even layer.
Take a box grater with the fine grating setting and grate the hard boiled egg over the salad to blanket the salad itself. The first thing you should see when looking at the plate is the white and yellow gratings. Season the egg with flakey salt and freshly ground black pepper and grab a fork.