Last night I tried a few new recipes from “Cooking with Nora.” Nora Pouillon, that is, owner of Restaurant Nora at Florida and R St. and the chef behind its tasty New American cuisine. Nora uses seasonal, local ingredients and the recipes in the book are easy to follow. She is also the force behind the Dupont farmers’ market! The book is organized into four-course menus by season (I did not cook a four-course meal, however). Even though we’ve had some cooler weather I decided on a menu from the “summer” section, because the ingredients featured in the summer menus are still in season.
I chose ten tomato salad to start, which is what it sounds like: ten kinds of tomatoes, plus basil and a balsamic vinaigrette with a little garlic. Then, grilled shrimp with mango-avacado relish and watercress. This also includes a generous dose of cilantro, my favorite herb. For dessert, peaches in red wine with mint.
Nora’s book is great for a few reasons. First, the recipes are simple but not too simple– Nora definitely seasons her food well. Second, Nora’s book gives nutritional information for each recipe and seems to be all-around healthy. She’s light on the butter. Third, the pictures are beautiful and she gives suggestions on how to plate things. Finally, she recommends wine pairings, which I haven’t paid much attention to so far but could prove helpful. I’ve attended a few wine tastings but spent more time socializing than listening, so I still don’t know much about wine.
The food turned out great! See my photos after the jump.