Saturday, March 08, 2008

You made me love you, I didn't want to do it...


Rocket Noodles
Serves 4

375g dried egg noodles
150g smoked salmon trimmings, cut into strips
100g rocket leaves,washed
1-2 tbsp olive oil or 1 tbsp of melted butter if preferred
3-4 tbsp freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Ground pepper to season (optional)

Smoked salmon trimmings are cheaper and perfect for this meal. Slice the trimmings into smaller strips. Wash and dry the rocket leaves. Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the packet. When they are ready, drain the noodles. Add the olive oil, stirring it round. Quickly stir in the rocket leaves which will wilt in the heat of the cooked noodles. Add the smoked salmon strips. Sprinkle some freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese on top.

We said our goodbyes to the Misses Roquette, Rocket and Aragula with a meal that earned an 8 out of 10. Our Namer-in-Chief, Alexandra, called it Rocket Noodles. It is easy to prepare with rocket, salmon and parmesan. Our Initiation Au Gout, inspired by a restaurant, La Cigale, has gone well. Freddie has learned to like the peppery taste of rocket in a potato salad, on pizzas, in noodles and in wraps. For lunch today we combined tuna with creme-fraiche, chopped rocket and basil all rolled up in a tortilla wrap. Freddie started singing,"You made me love you, I didn't want to do it..."

At the supermarket, in the queue at the fish counter was a beautifully dressed French woman. With her was a boy of about three dressed in a pastel blue suit and patent blue sandals with a buttoned strap. I like to pry at other people's shopping trolleys and this one was too good to miss. There were scallops, gulls' eggs, Sea bass, pomegranates and crab. I shifted a plastic bag to obscure mine (baked beans, pork sausages and past their sell-by-date hot cross buns), leaving only the wild rocket on show. As my trolley-envy grew, Madame Haute Cuisine completed her extensive fish order. This wasn't any ordinary shopping list - more an order to fill a large aquarium. The pastel prince was becoming bored and working up to a small tantrum in French. She moved on to her shellfish order. He upped the volume. Tantrums are universal, they need no translating. Except in between the whining I couldn't help hearing the word "Nugget." My trolley-envy disappeared. As his mother shopped for crayfish and caviar, he was screaming for chicken nuggets. And there was I thinking that the French were immune...


NEXT STOP is S for SALAD

14 comments:

  1. That looks great! I have never heard of rocket leaves before, but you make it look so good, that I want to try them!

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  2. From vegiephobe to vegiephile in a year - Wow Freddie!

    Those wraps looks soooooo delish!

    What's next on GBVC? S is for ...

    squash (yummy), scorzonera, salsify, samphire (with Cromer Crab of course), seakale, shallots, sorrel (my hens absolute fave veg!!!!), swede, sweetcorn, sweet potatoes, swiss chard, spring onions, spinach ... Hey! Catalan Spinach, as served in one of our local pubs (The Star at Lidgate - lovely Spanish landlady called Terri) here's the recipe http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/1889

    Celia
    x

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  3. LOL about the nugget garcon. Love the looks of that wrap!

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  4. Got to you via my comments box. With one totally veg phobic grandchild and two semi, this rings bells.TVP is quite capable of spending an age removing every last pinpoint of, say, parsley from something before eating it. What is it about 'green'. She does like pesto though - spinach, broccoli all sorts of things are smuggled into her that way by her canny mum. I will suggest rocket too.

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  5. I just though I'd let you know that I think what you do is absolutely brilliant! Love the wrap idea and also the supermarket story.

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  6. Anonymous3:16 PM

    Sylvie
    Thank you for your kind comments. The supermarket is a great place to people watch...
    Charlotte

    Granny P
    Pesto is a good method. Have a look at our pea pesto - which Freddie liked even though he HATES peas more than anything else. We did make rocket pesto but we found it very very pppery - it seemed to intensify the peppery-ness so wasnt such a big hit.

    Mamabird - Thank you. The wrap went down well - I forgot to say that it got an 8 out of 1o.

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  7. Brill story Charlotte. Made me chuckle. Kind of heart btreaking but hilarious at the same time!

    x

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  8. Good for Freedie for enjoying the rocket or as we call it arugula :D Can't wait to see what is next with salads.

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  9. Anonymous3:22 PM

    Hilarious story about the grocery store! How do you say "schadenfreude" in French?

    That pasta looks like the perfect early-spring meal...

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  10. Charlotte,
    We're so enjoying your blog. We're a cross-continental version with our Fresh Mouth experiment, and you have helped remind us that we're all on the right track.Your food looks spectacular, too.
    Aidan and Patrick send hellos to Freddie, their fellow food commiserator!
    Eileen Dolbeare
    http://familyfresh.blogspot.com

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  11. Anonymous7:08 PM

    Eileen and Dirk
    Thanks for reading all about us. Hi to Aidan and Patrick - another two ambassadors for adventurous eating.

    Small Tastes
    It was funny - it was also as you said a great example of shadenfreude - or maybe in French we could translate that as "merd!"

    Bellini V
    We think you will like our Salad entry - it is fun ...
    David Hall
    I know - its funny and sad at the same time!

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  12. Anonymous8:57 AM

    Loved the story on the French nugget boy :o)

    So now, salads. Since I think Brussels sprouts are the most delicious vegetable in the world, how about this:

    Oriental Brussels Sprouts salad with smoked chicken

    - Cook the Brussels sprouts (about 600 grammes, al dente)
    - Cut 2 spring onions in fine rings
    - Cut a smoked chicken breast (about 250 grammes) in small pieces

    Make a dressing of
    - salt, pepper
    - 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
    - 3 tablespoons sunflower oil (or olive oil
    - 2 tablespoons cocos milk
    - Some garlic
    - 1 table spoon of red pepper, finely cut
    - 1 teaspoon of grated ginger

    Mix dressing, chicken and spring onions with the sprouts and add roasted peanuts.

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  13. Love the prep here. I do this with rocket all the time for a quick and easy meal. =)

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  14. Anonymous7:42 AM

    Simone - thank you for thisrecipe - we wil try it out pronto.

    Garrett - You can never have enough rocket..

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