SOUPE A L'AIL

 

Ail - environ 1 tête par personne
Pommes de terre - 1 moyenne par personne
Farine    
Thym 1 petit  bouquet
Sel  et poivre
150ml Crème fraîche  ou yoghurt   

Eplucher l’ail, le couper en tranches fines et faire revenir doucement dans huile ou graisse de canard, il ne faut pas qu’il roussisse.
Eplucher et couper les pommes de terre en lamelle ou morceaux pas trop gros. Les ajouter à l’ail.
Saupoudrer de farine.
Ajouter la branche de thym
Saler et poivrer
Mettre environ  1 litre d’eau pour 4 personnes
Laisser cuire 25 / 30 mn
Mixer, ajouter la crème fraîche et servez très chaud dans une soupière où vous aurez préalablement mis des croûtons frottés à l’ail.

Bon appétit.

ZUCCINI AND MUSHROOM LASAGNE

Brown: 1 kg zuccini, thinly sliced

Fry gently in a covered pan and drain: 250g muchrooms, thinly sliced

Assemble:  

  2 tsp chopped rosemary

pepper

lasagne sheets (I don't use instant but you can)

750g pasta sauce

250g grated cheese

125g parmesan cheese

Smear the bottom of a lasagne dish with a bit of the pasta sauce. Lay 1/2 the zuccini slices over, smear on more sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 of the combined cheeses. Place on a layer os lasagne sheets, then more sauce then all the mushrooms and the rosemary, then 1/3 of the rest of the cheese.

Place on another lasagne sheet, then sauce then the rest of the zuccini, the pepper and 1/2 the rest of the cheese.

Place on the last lasagne sheet then the rest of the sauce and the cheese, adding extra parmesan if necessary to fill the gaps.

(If using instant lasagne sheets, now pour 1/2 cup water in around the edges.)

Bake 190C for 10 mins.

Reduce to 170C for 20 - 30 mins until well browned.

If possible, let rest 10 mins before serving or even until next day.

CHICKEN WITH OLIVES, PRESERVED LEMON AND FENNEL

The chicken part is great but what makes it superb is the polenta with blue cheese..... see below.

8 chicken pieces

1 fennel bulb, coarsely chopped

3 large parsnips, coarsely chopped

 Tbl curry paste mixed with olive oil to thin...maybe 50ml....more or less

1Tbl fennel seeds

a large handful of olives

1/2 preserved lemon / lime

1/2 fresh lemon, thinly sliced then chopped

1

1/4 cup verjuice

pepper

a handful of coriander,chopped

Preheat oven to 180

Put a bit of oil into a baking dish and lay the vegetables over in one layer, turn in the oil.

Combine the chicken pieces, fennel seeds, curry paste mixture and lemons in a bowl and turn them in to coat. 

Place the chicken and all the bits on top of the vegetables in the baking dish in one layer.

Dust with paprika and turn it all in together after 40 minutes.

Bake about 1 hour total.

Just before serving mix in verjuice, pepper and coriander leaves.

Polenta:

1.5 cups polenta : 1.5 litres cold water

To cook polenta with no lumps it is dead easy if you add the polenta to cold water with 1 tsp salt, then heat moderately quickly before reducing the heat and allowing it to thicken. Towards the end of 30 mins. add lots of left-over bits of good, strong cheeses, which must include some blue. Anything and everything is good...not just good..... excellent! This comes from a lovely cookbook I have called "Pass the Polenta".

This is not a low fat meal! But my goodness, it is worth every gram!

 

CHICKEN AND YOGHURT CURRY

Chicken pieces, for this recipe I use about 6 - 8, or use more vegetables and less chicken
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 - 2 tsp of freshly grated ginger...or more if you like it as much as I do
1/2 cup mint or coriander leaves ,stems and roots
oil, I like peanut
1 tsp turmeric....next year I might be able to say fresh turmeric
1.5 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp or more of sweet chilli sauce
1/2 cup yoghurt mixed with 1 tsp flour
chopped potatoes and pumpkin if you like
1 sliced mango or other sweet fruit or some chutney
2 or more tomatoes, chopped
Other green veg for adding towards the end, like Asian greens or beetroot leaves or any chopped leaves really or maybe some snow peas etc

Fry gently in a large pot: onion, ginger coriander roots and stems for 5 minutes.
Add garlic, turmeric and other spices. Stir in the yoghurt and tomatoes and fry to a thick liquid.
Add the chicken and turn to coat - no need to brown. Add potatoes and pumpkin.
Make sure there is enough liquid to almost cover everything or add a bit of water.
Reduce heat, cover well and cook about 3/4 of an hour.
Stir in fruit and greens. Simmer another 15 minutes or so, while you cook the rice or whatever.
Sprinkle coriander leaves over when serving.

Rice:
1 2/3 liquid : 1 basmati rice
Bring liquid to the boil, covered ( water, fruit juice, coconut milk, or just water)
Add rice, reduce heat, put paper towel over the saucepan then the lid and cook 15 minutes without disturbing

SALLY'S HAZELNUT CAKE

3 eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup hazelnuts, coarsely ground
1 large apple, peeled, cored and grated

Beat yolks until light and frothy.
Stir in hazelnuts and apple.
Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into mixture.

Put into a 7" or 8"tin and bake at 170C for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile bring to the boil: 1/2 cup water, 1/3 cup demerara sugar, vanilla, 1 dsp butter.
Boil a couple of minutes then fold in some extra crushed hazelnuts. When cooked, remove cake from the tin and place on a plate. Pour the syrup over the hot cake.

Serve with plain yoghurt. Resist eating it all, if you can!

PURIS

100g wholemeal flour

100g plain white flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbl oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

150ml water

Sift flours into bowl, add salt and oil and rub in until well mixed. Stir in cumin seed and gradually mix in water to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. Knead for 5 minutes. Rub with a little oil, cover and leave for 30 minutes.

Heat a grill to high. Knead the dough again for a couple of minutes. Divide into 12 balls and dust each with flour. Then roll out into a 5" disc or until very thin. Brush the griller with oil and lay a few of the puris on it and brush them well with oil. Grill a minute or so until well done. Turn, brush with oil and grill until done. Keep warm in the oven as you do the rest. They need to be well done or they will be soggy.

JEAN'S PASTY SLICE

1 quantity Jean's shortcrust pastry
1/2 pound finely diced kangaroo / other tender, lean meat
1 each of potato, turnip / parsnip, carrot, all finely diced
1 Tbl parsley
1 tsp salt

Follow assembly directions given in the pastry recipe below.

Bake 200C 10 minutes. Reduce to 180C 10 minutes. reduce to 160C about 40 minutes, covering with foil to avoid burning. if you don't cook it long enough the vegetables will be crunchy.