Winning ways with chard

We eat seasonally and often from the garden.  It's not large but there are only two of us and it can feed us well.  You know how you look forward to the first crop and sometimes enthusiasm wanes at the end.  We've been enjoying chard over winter picking a few leaves to make a delicious chard meal each week, sometimes twice a week. And then it turns on you.  Suddenly you have the Karori chard monster growing so fast and tall and threatening to go to seed.  Meanwhile you are trying to consume the kale and cavalo nero before that too bolts and you know you really have to eat the last of the broccoli this week. I knew things were serious when I mentioned to Peter that a friend who kindly took some chard off my hands this week said how much she had enjoyed her three chard meals.  Peter's response - "well that's three chard meals we don't have to eat".  If you have your own chard dilemma I have a few suggestions.
Chard works really well with grains such as barley, farro or freekeh.  For a great pilaf, saute a finely diced red onion in olive oil.  Add 2 tbsp coarsely chopped pistachios, grated zest of a lemon and a cup hot chicken stock - you may need different quantities of liquid depending on which grain you use so top it up with hot water if it is drying out. Mix and cover with a lid.  Simmer gently for around 20-30 minutes until the water has evaporated and the grains are cooked.  Season and stir through about 250g roughly chopped chard.  When the chard has wilted, add about 150g crumbled feta and stir through a little olive oil and the juice from the lemon.  You can serve on its own for a light weeknight supper or with lamb.  Use fillets, backstraps or rump.  Rub the lamb with a mix of ground cumin, cardamom and coriander and then briefly sear the lamb in a hot pan and finish in a hot oven.  Slice the lamb and serve on the pilaf topped with mint leaves and a sprinkling of sumac.
I made a great a great Iranian style stew with yellow split peas.  Saute an onion until soft then add 2 cloves crushed garlic with a cinnamon stick, a tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp fenugreek and a pinch of saffron strands.  Add 100g yellow split peas and 500g chicken or vegetable stock and cook until the peas are nearly done.  Add more hot stock or water if they are sticking.  Add 100g brown basmati rice and cook a further 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked.  Add more liquid if necessary.  Stir through 250g roughly chopped chard and let wilt a little.  Finish with 2 sliced spring onions, 1tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses.  Scatter with chopped mint leaves and pomegranate seeds to serve.
Try a chard gratin served with a crisp green salad. Heat a crushed garlic clove gently in a frying pan then stir in a tsp each of chopped rosemary and thyme and 250g roughly chopped chard. Season and stir over a medium heat for a couple of minutes.  In a large bowl beat together two eggs, 1/4 cup milk and salt and pepper. Stir in chard mixture and about 50g Gruyère. Stir in a cup of sweetcorn and mix well. I usually use frozen corn out of season but you could just as easily use canned if you prefer.  Pour into a greased baking dish, sprinkle parmesan on top and drizzle over a little olive oil.  Bake at 180 for 35-40 mins until nicely browned.  Rest 10 minutes before serving.
We had chard with chickpeas and tamarind. Saute a sliced onion with 1 tsp each of ground coriander and 2 tsp caraway seeds.  Add a tsp tomato paste, a can of chopped tomatoes, 300mls chicken stock, a can of chickpeas, 4 tbsp tamarind paste and 400g roughly chopped chard with stalks. Season and bring to the boil then cover and simmer 30 minutes.  When done it will be a thick soupy consistency.  Finish with a little lemon juice and serve with rice and a dollop of yoghurt and a drizzle of olive oil.
Don't forget our old favourite, Floriditas' chard risotto, which has had a few outings.
Our final chard meal of this crop was the pilaf with lamb.  Now we move on to the broccoli, starting with a broccoli and blue cheese salad.


 

Versatile vegetables

Phoebe is always doing interesting things with cauliflower but I've never done much other than cauliflower cheese, curry or soup until now. This week I branched out with two new cauliflower ideas.

On Sunday we had lamb kofte with cauliflower "couscous".  To make the kofte for two, combine 300g lamb mince, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, chilli flakes, 1 clove crushed garlic, finely chopped parsley, zest of half a lemon, 1/2 tsp dried mint, salt and pepper.  Make little meatballs - I made 6 - and poke a pre-soaked bamboo skewer through each one, then shape into sausage shapes on the skewer. Set these aside while you prepare the couscous.
Break half a cauliflower head into florets and grind to a fine crumbly couscous-like texture in the food processor.  Spread these out on an oven tray and bake at 200 for 5 mins.  You could microwave in a bowl for a few minutes but I can't as I don't have one.  Set them aside to cool and cook the kofte on a tray in the oven for about 12 minutes.
While they are cooking mix finely diced cucumber, chopped tomato, a small quantity of finely diced red onion, chopped olives, chopped mint and parsley, and crumbled feta with the cauliflower. Dress with lemon juice and olive oil.  Serve with yoghurt and a little chopped dill.
I used the other half of the cauliflower to make a pizza base.  Crumble the cauliflower and lightly cook as above then wrap in a tea towel and wring out any moisture.  I didn't do this and mine was a little soggy but still delicious.  Mix the cauliflower with a little beaten egg, crushed garlic and a little grated parmesan, mixed dried herbs, salt and pepper.  Shape into a pizza shape on an oven tray lined with baking paper.  Make it quite thin - about 1/2 a centimetre.  Bake at 200 for 30-40 minutes.  It should be firm and golden.  Take it out of the oven and turn up to 220.  Spread the base with passata or a similar kind of tomato sauce, halved cherry tomatoes and blobs of mozzarella.  Grate over some parmesan and sprinkle on a few basil leaves.  Bake another 5 minutes until the cheese is melted and serve with a few more basil leaves.
I will definitely be trying other things with cauliflower.  Any suggestions?
I returned to a favourite from this winter.  The charmingly named Dr Feel Good winter salad.  This is a brilliant recipe and although it looks fiddly is well worth the effort.  I save a bit of time by using roasted capsicum in a jar rather than roasting from scratch.  These are great and can go in many dishes.  Try them with the cauliflower couscous.  On this salad occasion Phoebe was coming for dinner and got there first so I phoned ahead for her to turn on the oven and put the beetroot on to boil.  That was useful.  You will really like this salad and you can be flexible with the ingredients.
I also made brilliant little apple puddings that I was alerted to on Facebook.  When I told them at work they all cried, "too hard", but in fact they were "too easy".  And they did taste delicious.  I sprinkled with icing sugar mixed with cinnamon because I had some pre-mixed which had been left over from a cake I had taken to work.  It was a great combination and a little dollop of whipped cream is the perfect finishing touch.
Now that asparagus season is upon us I like to eat them as much as possible.  A great idea for a spring Saturday lunch is salad greens, thinly sliced radish and steamed asparagus piled on a grilled slice of sourdough that has been spread with mayonnaise.  Add egg boiled just enough to peel with the yolk still soft and drizzle over a little lemony vinaigrette.

Rollover meals

I am now flipping through the tagine book picking up the ones I missed, mainly because they were unseasonal when I did the first round.  This week we had a creamy shellfish tagine with prawns & mussels.  For 2 steam a dozen mussels in your usual way.  We use a little wine. Reserve the liquor for later.  Shell the mussels & chop them up a little if you like, but leave a few on the half shell to be decorative.
Heat some olive oil in a pan or tagine. Stir in 3 finely chopped shallots & 1/2 a fennel bulb.  Stir in 1 tsp harissa paste - we were lucky enough to be given a jar of homemade harissa at Christmas & this is just the right warmth.  Pour in 150 mls of the reserved liquor & bring to the boil.  Stir in 75 mls cream, the juice of 1/2 a lemon & a dozen prawns.  Simmer gently until the prawns are cooked.  Season with salt & lost of black pepper & return the mussels to the pan to warm through.  Sprinkle with parsley to serve.
As so often happens one small thought leads to an entire meal.  The thought was  - I need to use up those little gem lettuces before they go to seed.  What about peas & lettuce - otherwise known as petit pois a la Francaise?  That goes nicely with roast chicken.  And we do have some carrots that are ready to pick.  Enter baked chicken with lemon, potato & green olives served with petit pois & steamed baby carrots.
I didn't want to roast a whole chicken so we did Maryland pieces.  Cut some roasting potatoes into smallish chunks & lay in the roasting dish.  Scatter over quartered red onion, a handful of green olives, some slices of lemon, a few chunks of pancetta & a couple of bay leaves.  Stir 1 tbsp each tomato paste & balsamic vinegar into 75 mls chicken stock & pour over potatoes.  Lay the chicken pieces on top, skin up & drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt & pepper.  Roast for 50 minutes then test the chicken to ensure the juices run clear.  Transfer the chicken to a plate to keep warm & whack the oven up to 220.  Return the veg to the oven until the potatoes are cooked through & beginning to colour. 
And you'll see we make good use of leftovers.  The potatoes go in the weekday salads & the peas & carrots are reserved for Monday's soup.
Chop the fennel left over from Saturday, a stick of celery, 2 spring onions, & a couple of courgettes into small dice.  Heat a pan & add a little olive oil &  knob of butter.  Add the veg except for the courgettes & cook 10 minutes or so until soft.  Add 500g vegetable or chicken stock & when it has come to the boil add the courgettes.  Cook for a minute & add 100g peas & broad beans - I would use fresh in spring but frozen is good.  Cook for another couple of minutes & add Sunday's leftover peas & lettuce plus the chopped carrots. Add a little more shredded lettuce if you like.  Simmer another minute, add chopped herbs then season.  Serve with grilled sourdough.
We planted a few buttercrunch lettuces & one of them grew into the biggest lettuce I have ever seen.  We have been having it for lunches.
The winter veg have arrived and it is hard to know which to choose.  Put together about 400g of vegetables - shallots, carrots, parsnip, pumpkin, beetroot, potato.  Chop them into chunks or thick slices with the slower cooking items in smaller pieces.  Put them into an ovenproof dish.  Add 1 finely chopped clove of garlic, olive oil, salt & papper.  Roast the veg at 190 until all are cooked through & beginning to caramelise. 
Beat 6 eggs with chopped herbs & season.  Pour over the vegetables & scatter over grated cheese.  Return to the oven for 10-15 minutes until the egg is set & the cheese is golden. Serve with a salad to try & get through some of the giant lettuce & use the leftovers in lunch salads.  It slices nicely & is good warm or cold.
Thursday we had that pinto chilli.  There was part of the tin of pintos and part of the tin of tomatoes left over so I heated those through with the left over lunch lentils & a splash of balsamic then served on sourdough toast topped with a poached egg for Saturday brunch.
During the week I had such a treat.  One of you kind readers, having read last week's entry, turned up on my doorstep with 2 kilos of green tomatoes.  I have made the chutney and will be delivering some to the tomato donor in the morning.  Phoebe will also be delighted because a jar or 2 will be wending its way to her this week.

Winding Down

Happy New Year!  December was a busy month and there was quite a bit of eating out so I decided to take a break & return refreshed in the New Year.
During December when we did eat at home we were eating mostly vegetables, from the garden as much as possible.  I did do a summer lamb tagine I had been saving up.  Do try this, especially as the courgettes are plentiful right now.  For four, heat olive oil in the tagine & stir in 1 roughly chopped onion, 4 roughly chopped cloves of garlic, 1 tsp each cumin & coriander seeds, 1 tsp dried mint & a knob of grated ginger.  Do use dried mint here.  This gives an intense minty depth & you can add fresh at the end of cooking.  Once the onions have softened toss in 750g lean diced lamb & enough water to just cover.  Cook in the oven at 180 for about 1 1/2 hours.
Add a selection of summer vegetables.  The recipe suggests 2 small courgettes, sliced thickly on the diagonal, 1 red or green pepper, cut into thick strips, 4 tomatoes cut into chunks.  I added fresh peas & broadbeans because they were there.  I blanched the broadbeans & took off their outer jackets before adding.  Tuck them all around the meat & add a little more boiling water if necessary.  I never find it so.  Cover & cook another 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.  Serve with lemon wedges & a soft leafy green salad.
I saw this amazing tamarind chicken recipe on the television & was compelled to try it. Do get some palm sugar if you can as I think it makes a difference.  I have been using tamarind concentrate in a jar, rather than a block, which eliminates the need for fiddly soaking.  It keeps & you will find plenty of uses for it.  If you don't have tamarind you can substitute lime juice or, at a pinch, lemon.  The tamarind is the sour component of the meal.  I had the leftovers in a lunch salad.
I sometimes pick up recipes from Le Marche Francais at the market & I was tempted by Oeufs Cocotte a Cabecous.  Cabecous is a small round soft goat's cheese.  For 2, butter 2 ramekins.  Crack an egg into each ramekin.  Add half the cabecous to each with 2 tsp cream & some chopped chives.  Season & put the ramekins into a bain marie and bake in the oven at 180 for no more than 10 minutes.  Serve with french bread.  Try dipping asparagus spears into the soft eggy cheese.
Hugh F-W has a delicious Summer Vegetable Soup which is wonderful to showcase the pickings from your spring garden.  Just use what you have to hand but whatever you do do not omit the lettuces.  If you can't buy a Little Gem  - I grow them from seedlings - you could try a baby Cos.  The lettuce gives the soup depth.  We need to rediscover braised lettuce.  It is delicious.
There is such a lot to be done with those early vegetables of summer.  You can add a selection of blanched vegetables to a risotto or try a Pasta Primavera.  Saute a selection of diced vegetables in butter or olive oil.  Start with onion & saute to a rich golden colour, then add celery & carrot & cook 5 minutes.  Add courgette & red capsicum & cook a further 20 minutes.  Add 1 cm asparagus lengths which you have already blanched.  Once all the vegetables are tender, add 200ml cream & cook until the cream has reduced by half.  While the cream is reducing cook some ribbon pasta.  Toss the pasta with the sauce & sprinkle over grated Parmesan & parsley.
During the week leading up to the festivities we treated ourselves to Hugh's Tahini Dressed Courgette Salad.  We made the semi-dried tomatoes, just cooking the tomatoes for 4-5 hours.  You need to treat theses as fresh & use within a week but you will find endless uses for them, for example tucking them in a delicious home-made hamburger.  I am sure you could also find endless uses for the tahini dressing.
Stay tuned & I'll fill you in on the festive dining in the next few days. 

Greens, yellow, red, black & blue

I am in the spicy meatball or kefta section of the tagine book.  Last week's was one of my favourite things - meatballs with poached eggs.  This reminded me of Turkish pizza with lamb & egg on top which I am keen to perfect.  This tagine is best made on the top of the stove and takes no time at all.  The meatballs are poached rather than fried.  Mix 225g mince with 1 finely chopped onion, 1 tsp dried mint, 1 tsp ras-el-hanout, 1/2 tsp dried chilli, a small bunch of finely chopped parsley & salt & pepper and make into about 12 small meatballs.
Fill a shallow pan with water & bring to the boil & carefully drop in the kefta.  Poach for 10 minutes turning occasionally.  Remove the kefta & drain.  Tip away all but about 300mls of the poaching liquid & add 1 tbsp butter, then bring to the boil.  Stir in a pinch of salt & 1 tsp dried chilli then return the poached kefta to the pan. I also added half a tin of crushed tomatoes because they were in the fridge and that was nice.   Cook over a high heat until almost all the liquid has evaporated then break an egg per person carefully between the kefta.  Cover & gently cook until the eggs are just set.  About 3-5 minutes.  Sprinkle over roasted cumin & chopped parsley.
We have been trying to eat more fish although it is always tricky to do it mid-week as it means a trip across town after work.  We often get some on Sunday at the market.   We had a lovely piece of salmon with pea salsa & crushed potatoes.  To make the pea salsa cook frozen peas as usual.  For 4, blend 1/2 cup each basil & flat leaf parsley, 3 anchovies, 1 clove crushed garlic, 1 tbsp capers, 4 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp cold water, in the food processor.  Mix half with the drained peas & set aside the rest.  Boil some Agria potatoes & crush lightly with the back of a fork.  Mix through a little olive oil & season.
Brush both sides of the salmon, skinned, with oil & pan fry until cooked the way you like it,  Don't overdo it.  Serve the salmon atop the potatoes, then top with the peas & drizzle over the reserved salsa. 
I had some Chinese greens again & a few sprigs of broccoli & a couple of asparagus stalks so I cooked them the way I told you a few weeks ago & served with sliced pork & egg noodles.  The next day I did the rest of the choy sum, with mushrooms & served with a plain omelette.  Just keep playing around with these greens.  There is so much you can do with them and they are so fresh tasting.  And they look pretty on the plate.  Always a plus. 
We had guests at the weekend and to start served a plate of antipasto.  This included some of the olives we brined ourselves and they were truly delicious.
We then served the chicken & couscous I made not long ago.  This was a good meal for a crowd as you can prepare ahead.  And it was a crowd pleaser - you will note the plate had been disturbed before I got in the photo.   I served it with a green salad.
The piece de resistance though was the pudding.  As you know I can be a bit lazy in this department.  I wanted something light  - it is after all spring, ha ha.  I settled for individual lemon jellies served with lemon curd & meringue.  This was again easy because everything was done ahead.  You could do it a couple of days ahead.
Clarifying the jelly seemed a pain but it was not too bad.  I always freeze left over whites when I separate eggs & I clarify with these.  You can also use this method to clarify your stock & savoury jellies.  I made my jellies in little tin jelly moulds from my childhood.  Top everything off with a small dollop of gently whipped cream and serve with a shot of limoncello.  Of course I have heaps of meringues left.  Any suggestions? 
We picked our first cabbage this week.  They have not been a great success in that a couple bolted and the ones that hearted up are quite small, but they are cabbages & there are only 2 mouths to feed.  We made two meals from this little beauty.
The first night I steamed the cabbage, finely sliced, about 4 minutes, then tipped back into the pan with a knob of butter & a turn or so of the pepper grinder.  We served this with pork fillet & lentils.  It was quite cold here this week and this was a perfect mid-week meal.
The next night we had a coleslaw variation with chicken.  We didn't have any mung beans but used pea sprouts and there was something about it that made it better than I remembered.  More mint maybe.  Or perhaps it was just that deliciously fresh cabbage.
A couple of weeks back in Moore Wilson they had RWC themed macarons.  The black was liquorice & delicious.  Not sure what the blue flavour was but equally delicious and they look so cute. 
Have just been out in the garden and note that peas, rhubarb & broad beans coming along nicely.   I wanted to say "coming soon" but Peter suggests just say "coming".

Soup and snow

August was all about illness and snow. One we could have done without and the other was fun. As a consequence soup has been the staple for the month. One non-soup meal I recommend is spicy meatballs baked with Zany Zeus paneer. An Indian style version of the cheesy meatballs we usually do. Mix 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs, 1 tbsp dried oregano, 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley, 1/2 small red onion or shallot grated, 1/2 tsp each ground allspice, cumin & cinnamon, 2 cloves garlic crushed, 1 egg, salt & pepper together in a bowl. Add 500g minced beef and combine. Roll the mixture into smallish meatballs and brown them all over in a pan. Transfer them to a plate & set aside. In the unwashed pan, add 1 finely chopped onion, 1 small carrot, grated, 2 cloves crushed garlic & 1/4 tsp chilli flakes. Cook gently until the onion is soft. Add a splash of water if necessary. Tip in 2 tins crushed tomatoes & simmer gently for 10 minutes. Add the meatballs along with any juices left on the plate. Cut the paneer into cubes & add to the pan in between the meatballs Cover & simmer about 10 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve with a spinach raita. Soak finely chopped shallot or 1/2 small red onion in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes - takes away the raw sharpness. Wilt a couple of handfuls of baby spinach & chop finely. Mix 1/2 cup thick yoghurt (I like Cyclops for this kind of thing) with a clove of crushed garlic & a handful of chopped mint. Season the yoghurt & layer in a small bowl with the spinach & onions. Grind over a little black pepper.
And back to soup. Try a spinach soup with poached egg - this sounds weird and even looks a little weird but tastes delicious. Melt a little butter in a pan & soften 1 finely chopped onion, 1 thinly sliced leek & 2 sticks finely sliced celery. Stir in a generous tbsp flour and gradually add 1.2 litres chicken stock. Bring to the boil stirring all the time so the flour doesn't turn lumpy then cover & simmer 1/2 an hour. Stir about 500g baby spinach into the soup & blend until smooth. Return to the pan & season with grated nutmeg & salt & pepper. Poach an egg per person, gently reheat the soup & ladle into bowls. Gently slide a poached egg into each bowl. Sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese.
A good choice when you don't feel well is a soup packed full of restorative greens. It was when I was out picking broccoli to make this soup that the first snow fell in Wellington. Gather together about 700g of greens - broccoli, spinach curly kale, sorrel, corn salad, flat leaf parsley, chervil, celery with leave - just whatever you can find that you like. Saute in a little oil 1 small finely chopped onion, 2 rashers finely chopped bacon, 1 diced potato. Cook until tender then add 4 cups chicken stock & simmer 10 minutes. Add the greens and simmer 3-4 minutes. Add the spinach & sorrel at the end so it doesn't lose its colour. Blend until smooth then return to the heat to warm through. Mix a little feta & sour cream to a smooth paste & swirl over the top.
On a cold night a bowl of pumpkin soup with white beans will warm you through. Soften 2 shallots & an onion finely chopped in a little duck fat or olive oil. Duck fat is wonderful if you have any in the fridge. It keeps well and makes fabulous chips. Peel & cut a butternut pumpkin into largish cubes & add to the onions. Just cover with water, season & add a bouquet garni of bay, parsley, celery leaf & thyme. Cover & cook on a medium heat until the pumpkin is soft. When it boils bring it down to a gentle simmer. Remove the bouquet garni & add about 1/2 cup cooked white beans - I use tinned. Blend until smooth & serve with crusty bread. Season & garnish with a spoonful of the remaining white beans, a swirl of sour cream and a grating of fresh nutmeg.
When it is snowing outside a glass of mulled wine might be the answer. For one bottle of red wine - roughly cut up 3 oranges (skin on) with 225g sugar, 1/2 tsp each ground cinnamon & nutmeg & a tsp whole cloves. Bring to the boil, simmer gently & strain through a fine sieve. Bring the syrup up to the boil and add a bottle of red wine. Warm through but do not boil. Serve in warmed glasses.

From the Alsace to Burgundy

From Freiburg, we drove to Strasbourg in the Alsace and took the wine route to Turckheim. As well as wine, Alsace is a region of many traditions - picturesque painted houses, storks atop chimneys and the food is a kind of fusion of French & German. It is the home of tarte flambee, which is similar to the Italian white pizza; kugelhopf, a yeasty cake baked in a decorative circular mould; and choucroute, a variety of pork cuts & sausage served with sauerkraut. The Alsace dish that took my fancy is Baeckoffe which is a casserole cooked in white wine in a beautiful earthenware dish. Try this simple recipe for 6. Marinate overnight 300g diced pork (loin), 300g diced lamb (shoulder), 300g diced beef (chuck), 3 carrots & a leek sliced with 3 finely chopped onions, plus a bouquet garni, 2 cloves & 4 juniper berries. Season & pour over 1/2 a bottle of Alsace Riesling.
The next day lightly butter a Baeckoffe dish (I used the Le Creuset) & rub with a clove of garlic. Cover the base of the dish with a layer of peeled & thinly sliced waxy potatoes, layer up the meat & vegetables, top with another layer of potatoes and pour over the marinade liquid. Cover & cook in a low oven - around 160 - for 3 hours. There was a lot of liquid and I guess it was traditionally mopped up with bread but I just got out a soup spoon. I thought it would be quite winey but it was just like drinking a very flavourful stock. There are lots of versions, some more complicated than others but this worked for me. My butcher chopped all the meat so there was really very little work and quite considerable rewards. Serve with a simple green salad. This will become a winter standby.
Our next stop was Dijon in the heart of Burgundy and the home of the French traditions we are familiar with - snails, Boeuf Bourguignon, coq au vin and Dijon mustard. As well as the old favouries I made some new friends. Kir - a mix of Creme de Cassis with white wine enjoyed as an aperitif; Oeufs en Meurette - eggs in a red wine sauce which sounded alarming but was truly wonderful; Jambon Persille - a terrine of ham & and parsley; and to finish, the divine pain d'epices - a French gingerbread/cake. I found the trick is to try things with an open mind. Quite frankly, the idea of eggs in a meat sauce or ham in aspic was a bit scary but I am a convert to both.
Using a French recipe I created what I think is a fairly traditional Boeuf Bourguignon which I have attempted to translate for you here. This isn't at all scary and really quite simple which is the case with most French provincial cooking. This is food to make at home.
Assemble:
1.5 kg stewing meat
1 bottle red wine
250g pork belly or streaky bacon
2 carrots
20 pickling onions
300g mushrooms - I think they are brown buttons
1 tbsp flour
2 shallots
1 clove garlic
1 bouquet garni - this usually comprises a bayleaf with a sprig or 2 of parsley & thyme
salt & pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
50g butter
Brown the meat in your Le Creuset with the oil & butter. Remove & set aside while you soften the onions, finely chopped shallots & lardons. Put the meat back in the pot with the flour & mix well. Cover with the wine. Throw in the carrots, the boquet garni, chopped garlic & seasoning. Here I should mention that I was given a little pot of Fleur de Sel au Poivre de Penja when I was in France and this now goes into all my dishes.
Bring to the boil. Cover & simmer 3 hours. Throw in the mushrooms & leave to cook another 15 minutes.
Serve with steamed potatoes or pasta. I chose potatoes but pasta is a very popular French accompaniment. There will be enough for 2 meals for four, so freeze one portion for a rainy day.
This is really simple because once it's underway you don't have to do anything until 15 mins or so before serving. There were 2 other variations which I think involved marinading the meat overnight in the wine but I had enough trouble translating this one. Making this does give you a sense of firstly how uncomplicated good French cooking really is and secondly why it tastes so good.
Bon appetit.

Iberian Delights

I have enjoyed Portuguese food ever since Leonie & I visited back in...1982? I've recently been inspired by Spanish food and at least two of you have visited this year. Last week I bought a magazine - Gourmet Traveller - with a Spanish theme & this is the basis for this blog. In addition I have had a birthday & received a delightful fifties style apron which I think provided additional inspiration.

Let's start with Alfajores Payes. As soon as I saw these I had to have them. I immediately discovered that you needed to cook the condensed milk for 3 hours & cool for a similar time but by that time I was too involved. I was up until after 11.00 on Sunday night chocolate coating one half and up at 6.00 doing the other side before work. I took them in for my team on Monday and had great feedback which I will share with you. They are very rich - make them smaller. Some participants felt the biscuits were so delicious the chocolate was a distraction. If you think that, then make a version you just dust with icing sugar.

Then there is the Portuguese custard tart. Phoebe gave me Ladies a Plate - Second Helping for my birthday & there was a recipe. Just like a bought one, I thought. Phoebe's comment: don't roll the pastry too thin, which I think we did because we had 30 pastry cases & only enough custard for 24. The recipe suggested you would get 20.

Back to the magazine. We had Calasparra rice with chicken & chorizo for dinner this evening. This was excellent. Make sure you brown the skin well at the start & we did find the rice took a little longer to cook than suggested. Be patient. If you don't have a paella pan use a wide shallow frying pan - not too heavy bottomed.

The apron made me do it - the custard tarts left me with 4 egg whites so I dipped into Edmond's & rediscovered one of my mother's old favourites. I suspect she made it to use up egg whites too. Remember Lemon souffle, which she used to call Lemon Snow. Peter called it Lemon Fluff & Phoebe is calling it Lemon Flurry. Whatever the name, it is delicious. Very refreshing and the perfect vehicle for stray egg whites on a summer evening.

One last thought. We had a picnic at one of our favourite spots, Percy's Reserve. On the way home we were taking a turn in the rose gardens & came upon two young (18-20) women wearing aprons similar to mine, sitting on an elegant rug, tucking into the most amazing looking sponge cake, which appeared to be decorated with every kind of gummy sweet known to humankind. Our picnic wasn't nearly so inspired - but it was good all the same.