After spending the past month eating my way through Paris, there’s a lot I could say about Parisian cuisine. For now, the abridged version: the bread, pastries, and chocolates are as amazing as you’d expect (that said, SF and NYC offer some tough competition); poultry is taken very seriously (hello, poulet de Bresse, black chickens, and pigeon/squab); the butter and cheese are worth their weight in gold; and oh my gosh, those orange-yolked eggs. On the negative side: spicy food is hard to come by, and Parisian restaurants have been slow to embrace plant-centric cuisine. Sure, a handful of high-vibes juice bars have sprouted up (Wild & the Moon is particularly great). And yes, L’Arpège’s vegetarian degustation menu is having a bit of a moment, thanks in part to Netflix’s Chef’s Table — my verdict: beautiful food, but ultimately not worth the price tag. Still, overall (and yes, there are other exceptions) fruits and vegetables are not the star in The City of Light.
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Pasta
Pesto Pasta With Grilled Eggplant and Tomatoes
When making pasta at home there are two rules I live by. One: go for the good stuff; by that I mean I don’t bother with whole wheat, quinoa-, or bean-based options, as I’ve yet to find a brand that yields the same perfectly al-dente texture as pasta made with refined flour. And two: either serve it as a side or go heavy on the vegetables (or, ideally, both). Made this way, there’s plenty of satiating fiber and flavor to go around, without any feeling of sacrifice.
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Brown Butter Gnocchi With Spinach
As some readers may know, this isn’t my first food blog. Years back, before my time at POPSUGAR Food, I created my first blog, BowlLicking. While BowlLicking no longer exists, a handful of the recipes I shared there are still in my rotation and deserve a second go-around. This ridiculously-speedy gnocchi dish is one of them.
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